John Piper, “The Gideon Venture,” a sermon when the church was considering a building project, sending out part of the congregation to plant a new church, and doing all of this without incurring debt…. …we began to meditate on God’s unusual ways of doing things in the Bible. We saw his strange ways everywhere. God … More Piper: Should we venture on God in ways that may look foolish?
Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day: “That the leaders took the lead in Israel, that the people offered themselves willingly, bless the Lord! “Hear, O kings; give ear, O princes; to the Lord I will sing; I will make melody to the Lord, the God of Israel. —Judges 5:1-3 … More The Song of Deborah
Bob Deffinbaugh, “When a Right May Be Wrong,” at Bible.org: Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 9 sheds new light on the matter of pleasing God. Pleasing God does not result from merely keeping the rules. Pleasing God comes from personal sacrifice, for the glory of God, the good of others, and the advance of the gospel. Many … More “Just say no” to the things which could be a “yes”?
Mark 5:18-20 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has … More Do you have anything to tell?
Joshua 24:16-18 “Then the people answered, `Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods, for it is the LORD our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight … More We will serve the Lord
John Piper comments: [1 Corinthians 7] Verse 19 says literally, “Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God (is everything).” That was about the most offensive thing Paul could say to a Jew: Circumcision is nothing. And if we understand its broad cultural application, it offends all of us. But … More Piper: Paul is a very unfashionable thinker
J. C. Ryle on Mark 4:1-20 These verses contain the parable of the sower. Of all the parables spoken by our Lord, none is probably so well-known as this. There is none which is so easily understood by all, from the gracious familiarity of the figures which it contains. There is none which is of … More J.C. Ryle: This parable needs application, not exposition.
Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved! Psalm 80: 3, 7, 19 Restore us, O God. Turn us back to You. Change us. Change our character, if not our circumstances. We need YOU, O God. Let Your face shine… we want to see You. “The Lord bless you and … More Shine on us, that we may be saved
We read about principles for marriage in 1 Corinthians 7: Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” 2But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. 3The husband … More Piper: Two ways to ruin a pearl
Kim Riddlebarger asks, “What, then, should we take with us from this section of Mark?” [Chapter 3:20-35] The very fact that so many different and diverse people witnessed the miracles of Jesus with their own eyes and yet did not understand his mission or understand who he was, should remind all of us that unless God … More Grant us eyes to see Jesus!
