A Call Back to God

As we begin reading Zephaniah today, here is some help understanding, from John Piper’s sermon, “The Lord Will Rejoice Over You” (Tagline: “Every staff on which we try to lean in our pride will snap and pierce us through. One refuge will be secure: God.”) According to Zephaniah 1:1, the prophet Zephaniah delivered the Word … More A Call Back to God

Purposes in suffering

As we begin reading Job 38 today, here are helpful comments from John Piper, in a sermon on Job 38-42 What we have seen so far, then, is that Job’s suffering has a twofold explanation: its purpose at the outset was to demonstrate God’s value and glory, and its ongoing purpose was to refine Job’s … More Purposes in suffering

Hail th’incarnate Deity

Christ, by highest Heav’n adored; Christ the everlasting Lord; Late in time, behold Him come, Offspring of a virgin’s womb. Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; Hail th’incarnate Deity, Pleased with us in flesh to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel. Hark! the herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!” As we hear Christmas carols this … More Hail th’incarnate Deity

Our thirst for God can be quenched because Jesus was thirsty for us.

After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.”  A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he … More Our thirst for God can be quenched because Jesus was thirsty for us.

An eternal glad message

Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made … More An eternal glad message

King of kings

At this time of year, we celebrate the birth of our Savior and sing of the “newborn King”  and J. C. Ryle, as quoted at Grace Gems, connects Jesus’ kingly birth with his kingly death in John 19: how our Lord was crucified as a KING. The title placed over our Lord’s head made this … More King of kings

A message of condemnation or a message of consolation?

Hampton Keathley comments on the book of Nahum, which we read today in our reading plan: The name “Nahum“ means comfort or consolation. His book is a message of destruction for Nineveh, and that would have been a message of consolation for the nations she had oppressed…. ….This judgment is coming because of the character … More A message of condemnation or a message of consolation?