1 Peter 1:1-12
The first letter of Peter is primarily concerned with how Christians respond to suffering. In this introductory section, the apostle lays the true grounds for why we suffer how we do, and indeed for why we suffer at all.
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Purpose in Suffering Read More »
Revelation 4-5
In this text, we are presented with a glorious, awe-inspiring, and central vision of the very throne room of God. By implication, we are also confronted with a heart-rending problem, as we see the contrast between how it is in heaven, vs. how it is on earth. Yet the text does not leave us there, but displays the glorious answer, central to history, of how the Lord brings about every last one of His purposes, in the answer that informs the whole book of Revelation, and is meant to drive us again and again to awestruck adoration and worship.
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The Throne Room and the Scroll Read More »
Isaiah 52:13-53:12, et al.
The old song asks, were you there when they crucified the Lord? While this question serves as a powerful, evocative call to consider the facts of the crucifixion, it serves moreover to call us to consider the question in deeper ways. Looking into the matter, we see that the answer is “yes”, in at least one deeply foundational way for us all, and for some, two yet more powerful, glorious, and humbling ways.
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Looking through the book of Jonah, an overarching theme is that Jonah grossly misunderstands the Lord. By examining three main failures in his understanding of God’s character and His steadfast, gracious, enduring love, we see that Jonah’s understanding of the Lord he claims to serve is shown up as seeing God as too small, God’s compassion as too limited, and God’s worship as too pagan. What about ours?
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Too Small, Too Limited, Too Pagan Read More »
Hebrews 13:20-21
As the author of this letter concludes his writing, he prays for believers, that God may equip them for doing His will. In doing so, he appeals to the fact that Jesus is our great shepherd, a term he’s not previously used. In doing so, he refers to the eternal covenant – a term that in fact means far more than one that lasts now and forever. Indeed, in this benediction, our author touches on one of the most beautiful, humbling, and awe-inspiring truths in all of Scripture, one intended to lead us to worship, love, and utter confidence in our dependence on Him.
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The Blood of the Eternal Covenant Read More »
Hebrews 13:1-6
The main points of morality made in this passage are found, more or less, in most forms of religion, not to mention in most forms of secular philosophy. So what makes our author’s exhortations any different? Are these entailments of the Gospel any different than anyone else’s, flowing as they do from the Cross? The answer is yes, and we’ll look at how and why.
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The Gospel Among Other Moralities Read More »
Hebrews 10
The author of Hebrews has taken pains to expound the all-surpassing superiority of Christ, culminating in how He is the very focal point to which the Law and the Prophets pointed all along. In light of His work on our behalf, the author now turns to the issue of “So what?” Here we begin to see the ramifications for the household of God, purchased and redeemed through Christ’s death, as our author begins to explain how his audience ought to live in the the light of the all-surpassing glory of God as revealed in the Gospel of Christ.
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Consider One Another Read More »
Isaiah 7
In chapter 6, Isaiah received his commission, to harden the hearts of his people, yet with hope of a tiny remnant being made holy. In chapter 7, we see the beginning of this, as he is sent by God to speak words of assurance, and an offer of faith to a king who will refuse, and will lead his people down the road to ruin. It is in this context that we find one of our dearest Christmas prophesies, which would bear fruit ultimately in the birth of none other than Jesus, a sign for our faith today and forever.
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Shear-Jashub: Judgment and Grace Read More »
Hebrews 5:11-6:12
This section of Hebrews has likely challenged people from the very beginning. It speaks of dire peril for professing
believers, and raises the terror of falling away from the faith that saves. We’ll look at the passage, in an attempt to hear what it says to us about apostasy and faith, and how to respond to the very challenges it raises, as we see the role of God’s own warnings in the lives of believers.
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God’s Warnings: Danger and Security Read More »
Hebrews 3:7-4:11
While the theme of rest is central to this passage in Hebrews, it is by no means a new innovation of the writer, nor is it confined to this text. In fact, the idea of rest is one of the themes that appears in creation, arises again in the fall, and continues through the subsequent strands of redemption, all the way to its fulfillment in the consummation of the age. This section of Hebrews expounds on the subject of rest, taking us through all four of these phases, and pointing us to eternity, where those who trust in Christ will receive the fullness of the glory of the rest purchased by Christ on our behalf.
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