One of the greatest and most comforting themes of Israel’s history is that the Lord fights for his people. The good news is that God does for them what they cannot do for themselves. And this is what Isaiah 59 is all about. In the first half of the chapter we have Israel’s lament over […]

The Lord had declared a message of comfort for his faithless servant, Israel: He would end their exile and bring them home. But Israel would need a greater liberation than this. For God’s glory to fill the earth through the genuine worship and faithful witness of his people, they would need not just a fresh […]

One of the greatest difficulties that the early church faced was the sharp division that existed between Jews and non-Jews (Gentiles). When we read our Bibles, it’s often hard for us to grasp just how serious this separation was. We certainly know what division looks like and estrangement feels like, however; just consider the year […]

It was on the night when Jesus was betrayed that he celebrated the Passover with his disciples. This meal was a memorial of the time when God had “passed over” the blood-covered houses of Israel, sparing their firstborn, and delivered them from Egypt. Yet while the inhabitants of Jerusalem were remembering the redemption of Israel […]

God has established his covenant with Israel and now, at the end of Deuteronomy, Moses recapitulates its conditions: blessings and life for obedience, curses and death for disobedience. The command presented to Israel, to “choose life”, seems an obvious one – except the choice is an impossible one.  In this sermon, Pastor Matt explains the significance of […]