Introduction: Laughter and mockery are inescapable. It is never a question of whether, but which. In a world where God has established the antithesis between righteousness and unrighteousness, it is never whether something is going to be ridiculous, but rather which thing is going to be ridiculous. The Text: And it came to pass in …
Ezra Nehemiah 12
Introduction: As God restores His people to the land, He does not put them on a fast track. The process has many blessed moments, and a number of setbacks. This book of Nehemiah begins in the middle of one such setback. The Text: The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to …
Turn Back My Eyes From Vanity
Minister: Lift up your hearts! Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord! Educate me now, Oh Lord In Your statute law And I will keep it to the end, And I will walk within the way, Until this journey finally ends. Give an understanding heart So that I keep Your law, With all my …
Report Cards
One evening, a mother was talking with her daughter about her grades. The problem was not what you might expect—the girl’s grades were perfect. She had never gotten a B in her life, and she wasn’t about to start now. But her parents were concerned about her nevertheless. “Are you asking me to not study?” …
Abraham and Melchizedek
We must prepare our minds to think as mature Christians. The author of Hebrews wanted very much for us to be able to follow his argument here. Without spiritual maturity, grounded in practical obedience, we will not be able to get what he is driving at. When Jesus gave the Great Commission, the thing He …
Strong Consolation
If believers come away in despair from a study of the sixth chapter of Hebrews, this is an indication of a serious misreading of the text. This portion of Scripture provides some of the strongest comfort that can be found in the entire Bible. For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor …
Your Curriculum of Law
Minister: Lift up your hearts! Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord! Down to the dust my soul bends down, Quicken me with spoken Word. I have declared Your Word and ways, You heard my supplicating cry, Teach me Your statutes and Your law. Make me to understand Your precepts now, Then I will …
Too Educated To Be Wise
One afternoon, a pastor was leading a Bible study at the church with a group of seminarians, young men with gray eyes, profound thoughts, and ambitious hearts. They were hanging on his every word, or were at least trying to, because the noise from the youth group upstairs was irritating and distracting. The pastor was …
The Food Before Us
God and Father, we thank You now for the gift of worship, which is our true food and drink. We praise You for nourishing and feeding us according to Your Word, and by Your Word. We thank You for the food before us now, which provides us with a picture of how wholesome our spiritual …
Charges and Specifications
It is about time that somebody realized the source of all the trouble. High time we brought old Jean Calvin of St. Peter’s Reformed Church in Geneva up on charges. Somebody had to do it. HT: Peter Leithart