While Mary sang her “Magnificat,” Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, sings his “Benedictus.” The birth of John causes Zechariah to bless God for the birth of Jesus. Why? Because John’s birth was a sign of the Messiah’s advent. In other words, even in his birth, John was pointing to the Lamb of God. […]

In this final psalm in the collection of psalms sung during the celebration of the Passover (Pss 113-118), God is thanked because of his perfect goodness and his unending mercies toward his covenant people. Though the church may be surrounded by enemies on all sides, though Satan himself seeks to accuse, to oppress, and to devour, and though we might […]

Martin Luther, in commenting on the beautiful truths of this Psalm, wrote: “We sing this psalm to the praise of God, because He is with us and powerfully and miraculously preserves and defends His church and His word against all fanatical spirits, against the gates of hell, against the implacable hatred of the devil, and against […]

Paul’s epistle to the Galatians sought to address a major problem facing the early church. Because of false teachers, the church was quickly abandoning the gospel of grace, of justification by faith alone, in favor of a gospel of works and law. However, even in the introduction to his letter, Paul is quick to remind the Galatian churches of the gospel […]

While it is true that the name of God is absent from the book of Esther, his fingerprints are unmistakably and beautifully apparent throughout the entirety of this story. Here we find one of the most remarkable displays in all of Scripture of Providence: God’s wise, loving, and righteous care and governance of all things for the accomplishment […]

It’s easy to forget that many of the Psalms in Scripture actually pertain to particular accounts recorded in David’s life. By reading them in context, understanding what David was going through, we are able to more fully, and truly, understand their meaning and resulting applications, such as in the case of Psalm 56:9 – “Then my […]

As we look into Exodus 19:1-8, Israel is about to receive the Law, beginning with the Ten Commandments.  Throughout the ages, these famous rules have come to shape how both believers and non-believers alike view the Christian religion (even, more importantly, God Himself) and often present a picture that is terribly skewed:  we see the Law as a […]

Instead of interpreting the story of Joseph out of context as its own separate event, producing all kinds of prosperity and materialistic theology, this story is to be viewed as part of the overall narrative of Jacob’s family, God’s covenant with Israel, and His promise of rescue and deliverance.  Join Pastor Leandre as he looks into the lives […]

The story of David facing Goliath, slaying his “tens of thousands”, is arguably one of the most well-known in the entire Bible, both inside and outside of the church, especially when applied to our lives and facing our own giants.  However, we are not the primary focus of this story; Jesus is the true and better […]