Sin and shame are closely related. It was not for nothing that Adam and Eve hid when they heard the Lord coming in the Garden. The word aischron is rendered as shame in three places. In 1 Cor. 11:6, the apostle Paul says that it is a shame for a woman to be shorn or …
The Hidden Wellspring of Disputes
“When Saul had made great breaches between God and his soul and in his own conscience, then he grew to be of a very froward spirit towards every man. Before his apostasy he was a of very meek and quiet spirit, but this soured his spirit and made it grow harsh, rugged, and cruel. This …
Friendship Evangelism
INTRODUCTION: For various reasons, evangelism is a difficult subject for many Reformed Christians. Some die-hard Calvinists may have glanced at the title of this message—friendship evangelism—and asked, “What’s evangelism?” Or, if they are really die-hard Calvinists, perhaps they asked, “What’s friendship?” But this attitude is not what the Bible teaches, not what the tradition of …
Eddie and Carrie
The book of Genesis, the book of beginnings, repays repeated visits. In this book we see, obviously, the beginning of the heavens and earth. But we also see the beginning of God’s ways with man—in His covenant dealings, in His establishment of work and vocation, and in His creation of marriage. But when God creates …
Holiness Becomes Common
This great vision is presented to us in apocalyptic form. This means it belongs to a certain literary genre, just like parts of Daniel, the Gospels, and the book of Revelation. The word apocalypsis (just like the Latin revelatio) refers to an unveiling, or lifting of the curtain. This enables us to see what is …
They Will Look on the One They Have Pierced
The second oracle, the second “burden,” begins. Now a burden is a negative prophecy. In some sense, this contains hard words for Israel, but in another sense it is full of consolation. “The burden of the word of the Lord against Israel. Thus says the Lord, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of …
Thistles on Reprobate Land
The word adokimos is rendered as reprobate, castaway, or rejected. It represents the condition of sin itself, but not a particular sinful action. Those who do not want to retain a knowledge of God in their thoughts are given over to a reprobate mind (Rom. 1:28). This is the kind of mind that refuses to …
The Lord Against the Greeks
The prophet has given us a glimpse of the conquest of Alexander. In the midst of this vision, he jumps ahead so that we might see the character of another kind of conqueror, our Lord Jesus Christ. And then in this portion of Scripture, he returns to the scene established by the wars of Alexander, …
Just Love On Her
Once there was young lady in college who flew home for Christmas vacation. Her mother picked her up at the airport, and so they had a very good talk on the drive back to her home, which was a couple hours away. The thing that the young lady really wanted to unburden her soul about …
Delayed Judgment Is Not Mercy
God has promised blessings to Israel, but we have seen that His blessings are always covenantal. This means that we may never walk away from our obligation to live in the way that God commands, knowing always that He gives His beloved what He commands. Grace enables us to walk rightly; it does not waive …