Revelation 2:18-29 Living a Holy Life If I am going to suffer for Christ’s sake, and keep God’s truth, then I am trying to live a holy life. Living a holy life is the test of obedience. Living a holy life means that I put God before other priorities. It is a test of obedience because other people are watching. Will I do what God tells me to do? Will I obey him or dismiss Him?1 SEVEN PARTS OF THE... Read more
What Makes Me A Sinner March 8, 2016 Year C Psalm 53:1-6 What makes me a sinner? According to this psalm, we have a variety of characteristics that define a sinner. These include the following: A sinner is a fool (Psalm 53:1) A sinner denies the existence of God (Psalm 53:1) A sinner does no good work (Psalm 53:1) A sinner turns away from God (Psalm 53:3) A sinner sucks the life out of other people (Psalm 53:4) A sinner... Read more
March 4, 2016 1 Kings 18:11-12 Do you remember the transporter from Star Trek? The crew would stand on a platform, and the engineer would “beam” them somewhere down on the planet or another ship. When they wanted to come back, they just called using their communicator and asked: “Beam me up!” Instantaneously, their body would change into a swirl of energy and reappear without defects on the transporter room platform. This is something that can only happen in science... Read more
March 3, 2016 Year C 1 Kings 11:1-13 We have many stories of people who have veered away from the path that was chosen for them. In many of these classic tragedies, the hero sets off on a course that will lead to success against a foe, only to be sidetracked. The hero takes a detour that distracts them from their real purpose. Some heroes recover, but many do not. Here we have the story of a hero. Solomon was... Read more
March 2, 2016 Year C Luke 13:18-21 Jesus shared two short parables in which He described how the kingdom of God would grow. First, He compares the growth of the kingdom to the growth of a mustard seed. The smallest of all seeds grows after it is planted and dies in the ground. It rises to be a large tree, where birds will nest in its branches. In this first comparison (Luke 13:18-19), the kingdom is very small. It grows... Read more
March 1, 2016 Year C Ezekiel 17:1-10 God has power over political leadership. The Bible makes this case very clear in a variety of places. Whether it is the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2, the words of Jesus before Pilate in John 18, or the appeal of Paul in his letter to the Church of Rome in Romans 13, the Bible makes the case that God is the one Who has power over political leadership. He lifts one up... Read more
Revelation 2:12-17 Keeping God’s Truth In Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis says that doctrines are like maps. They are not the reality and may not be as exciting as reality, but they chart reality for us in a vital way. Just as studying a map of the shore of the Atlantic is not as exciting as walking along the Atlantic coast itself, so studying the doctrine of Atonement is not exactly the same as the experiencing the Cross itself. But... Read more
February 26, 2016 Year C Daniel 12:1-4 We live in a world which is ever closer to the return of Jesus Christ. In Daniel 12:1-4, we have three events that will happen at His return. These three events are just snapshots of the entire series of events that will take place when Jesus returns until the end of time. First, there comes a difficult time for the nation of Israel. Known elsewhere as the “Great Tribulation,” Israel will encounter the... Read more
Revelation 5:1-14 Seven Characteristics of Jesus Christ on the Throne In Revelation 1, we saw a picture of Jesus Christ as He appeared to John. This picture of Jesus was to show Him as someone who would encourage the church during the difficult times they would soon encounter. In Revelation 5, we see Jesus Christ as Someone Who would have power over the events that would “soon take place.” Revelation 5 provides us a powerful picture of Jesus on the... Read more
Revelation 4:1-11 The Seven Wonders of Worship in Heaven You may have heard of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The historian Herodotus (484 – ca. 425 BCE), and the scholar Callimachus of Cyrene (ca. 305 – 240 BCE) at the Museum ofAlexandria, made early lists of seven wonders. Their writings have not survived, except as references. The classic seven wonders were: Great Pyramid of Giza Hanging Gardens of Babylon Statue of Zeus at Olympia Temple of Artemis at... Read more
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