Advent 2014 – Matthew 1:1-17 – The Genealogy of Jesus
Although it was important 2000 years ago, what relevance does [this passage] have today? Let me suggest three answers to that question. A. It establishes Jesus as part of the royal family of David. His “right to the throne” is determined by his genealogy, which establishes beyond question that he is indeed a literal descendant […]
2 Corinthians 4:7-18 – How the Gospel Informs Suffering
This is so key to understanding suffering in the Christian’s life. How has God most clearly shown His love for this world? Through the suffering and death of His Son. He has shown the world His love by a Suffering Servant, Jesus. So then, how are you and I going to show Jesus, a Suffering […]
Matthew 18:21-35 How the Gospel Informs Forgiveness
C. S. Lewis made this telling remark: “Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea until they have something to forgive.” Jesus told a story about a man who owed his boss a vast debt that in today’s terms would be something like $50 million. Somehow he had run up this enormous debt and somehow he […]
Hosea 14 – A Call to Return to the LORD
Have you ever confessed your need to God? God cannot heal us if we are telling him how great we are, how big we are are, how beautiful we are, how rich we are, how famous we are, how well-connected we are. We must realize our desperate need for God, and then confess it to […]
CLC Missions Conference 2014 – Why Missions?
Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Why the substitution of “worship” for “the glory of God”? Why not say, “Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. The glory of God is?” The reason is that missions is demanded not by God’s failure to show glory but by man’s failure to savor […]
Hosea 13 – The Danger in a Misplaced Hope
Throughout the nation’s history God identified himself to them as, the Hebrew word for help. King David claimed that reality in Psalm 54. David had been anointed the king of the land, but he spent fourteen years running for his life from King Saul. Yet confident of God’s presence and activity, David said, azar, “Behold, God […]
Hosea 12 – God’s Enduring Kindness in Israel’s Stubborn Rebellion
If there is one message more frequently repeated than another in the Scriptures, both of the Old and New Testaments, it is this message requiring repentance. There has been no generation of men, nay, there has been no individual man, to whom it might not justly be said, Repent! I. HUMAN CHARACTER AND LIFE ARE […]
Hosea 11 – The Lord’s Great Compassion
The contrast of persons and actions is vivid. Jehovah is seen as the persistent Lover, and the people as contemning His love. What is to be done? There is only one thing to do, by all the laws of human conduct, and all the laws that are only laws of righteousness and equity and justice. Give […]
Hosea 9-10 It Is Time To Seek The Lord
“It is time to seek the Lord.” I wish you to reflect, first, that we yet have time. It might have been otherwise. We might have been cut down in our sins. Many of our neighbors and acquaintances have died. Some of them, we have reason to fear, died in their iniquities and were taken […]
