Solomon now turns from a beautiful section (Ecclesiastes 3:9-15) about God making everything beautiful in its time, taking pleasure in God’s gifts to us, thanking and fearing our sovereign God… to the section which is our focus for today, verses 16-22. Solomon’s brief interlude into a vertical perspective quickly ends and he turns his attention back to the … More Confessions of a cynic
Seven Reasons Why We Should Not Show Partiality The rest of the text is argument. I see seven reasons that James gives for why we should not show partiality. We don’t have time to deal with all of them. So let me just name them and then close by looking at the last, and the … More Mercy, Not Racial Prejudice
Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” [What?!] He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about … More Surface question-Deep answer
Jeremiah 9:23-24 Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, … More Boasting in God!
James 1:21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. John Piper, in a sermon, “Receive With Meekness the Implanted Word” Receive it—this implanted word. In other words, if you treat the word of God like your kidneys, you are making … More Receive like oxygen, not like kidneys!
John Piper comments on John 1:29 So what does it mean when John said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world”? It meant two shocking things for the Jews—and both of them are relevant for us today. First, it meant that the God-man would die. And not just die, … More Behold, the Lamb of God!
When you are driving and get lost, what do you do? I pull over and walk in to a local gas station and ask for directions. With the advent of GPS systems, many do not need to “ask” but will figure it out with technology. Either way, we are searching for information with whatever means … More GPS? God’s Path Suggestion?
Dr. Kim Riddlebarger comments on James 1:13-17 Now, it is absolutely vital that we are clear about the fact that while God allows us to go through trials so as to strengthen our faith, God never tempts us to sin. In verses 13-17, James writes, “Let no one say.” when he is tempted, `I am … More Don’t Blame God
From John Piper’s series on the Gospel of John: John the Baptist appears at the beginning of John’s Gospel (and the other Gospels) and then falls to the background because he is a link or a bridge between the Old Testament and the New Testament. He is prominent at the beginning of the Gospel because … More John’s Job- Make Sure Jesus is seen as UTTERLY AMAZING!
Ecclesiastes 2:1 I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity. Solomon was searching. Searching for lasting satisfaction but pursuing it in all the wrong places. He became like a new freshman on a college campus, trying out everything. He became the ultimate … More Pleasure is the measure of our treasure.
