The Holy Spirit dwells in the Temple of the living God, and you, considered together, are that Temple. Individually, you have responsibilities, each of you, as a living stone, but in the public worship of God, when we are gathered together like this in the congregation, we are the Temple of God. This means you …
The Only God
We have to remember that the first four of the Ten Commandments are summarized by the greatest commandment to love God, while the last six are summarized by the commandment to love our neighbor. We should also keep in mind that the law of God is not a series of different panes of glass — …
Inherit the Earth
These are familiar words. As familiar words, they have much in common with other well-traveled passages. One common feature is the fact that the promise is not well-understood. The word to us is very clear — “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.“ A blessing is pronounced upon a certain kind of …
The Shepherd Lord/Psalm 23
INTRODUCTION This passage is one of the most famous scriptural passages, and rightly so. The only real problem with it is that people are so familiar with it that it is easy to assume too readily that you have grasped the full import of what is being said. But this psalm has wonderful depths. THE …
Christus Victor/Psalm 22
INTRODUCTION This psalm contains one of the great Old Testament portrayals of the Gospel. Along with Isaiah 53, we learn here that the death of Christ for the sins of the world was no afterthought. The Lamb of God was indeed slain from before the foundations of the world. THE TEXTS My God, my God, …
The Law of Liberty
Understanding the nature and purpose of God’s law is central to our Christian lives. If we misunderstand or disobey what God requires of us, we have sinned grievously. If we understand it and obey, we receive tremendous blessing. To misunderstand law is to misunderstand grace. We see this in the preface to the Ten Commandments. …
Capitol Prayers
Once a fledgling minister was sitting quietly in the back of presbytery. He had not yet learned all the ropes, and was silently enduring until the time came when he would be called upon to speak. He had made it through three meetings of presbytery this way, and it looked as if it was soon …
Auburn Avenue Hubbub (AAH) Cool Quote #10
This is why God has to stoop down to us, which he does by means of the sacraments. This, then, is how we put on the Lord Jesus Christ at baptism . . . Thus, you see that our baptism becomes precious to us when we use it as a shield to deflect all assailing …
Orange Juice Concentrate
“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11) Growing Dominion, Part 14 As we study the world around us, and how that world relates to medical practice, we should study in the light of biblical rules of evidence. But it may be objected that to require biblical principles of verifiability in …
Friends of God/Psalm 15
Who may be considered a friend of God? The question is one of the most important that can be posed in this life. The answer requires development, but an accurate summary requires us to remember that a man is a friend of God only when he is a friend of God’s character and attributes. The …