The God Who Makes All Things New (65:17-25)

What is the Christian’s hope? For most people today, the answer goes something like this: “We get to go to heaven when we die.” Many times, this is the final destination of the so-called “Romans’ road.” But this is not the Christian’s hope. The Christian’s hope is the day of resurrection and the life of […]

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The Savior of the World (Isaiah 45:14-25)

We’ve been working through the second half of the book of Isaiah, where we find God’s word of comfort to his people who would one day be exiled in Babylon. In chapter 45 we saw God name Cyrus, King of Persia, as the one who would set them free and even help them rebuild Jerusalem […]

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Amidst all the religions and belief systems of the world, only one is about what God himself has done for our salvation. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not good advice to follow but good news to believe. For while the world says “do,” Jesus Christ says “done”; while the world says “strive”, the risen […]

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The Life-Giving Spirit of God (Romans 8:5-11)

Christ not only died and rose again to redeem us from the curse of the law. He did so (v. 4): “in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” This is the focus of the next part […]

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Romans 6:1-5 gave us an introduction to the believer’s union with Christ in his death and his life. Now, in verses 6-11, pastor Matt looks at the apostle Paul’s explanation of this reality in order to convince us beyond a shadow of a doubt that we can be dead to sin and alive to God […]

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King of the Nations (Romans 1:5-7)

At the center of all human history stands the risen Lord Jesus. His resurrection from the dead is, without a doubt, the single most significant event that has ever occurred in the story of our world. And both his cross and his empty tomb concern the entire world—every nation and all creation. God’s gospel, the […]

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The Good News of God’s Son (Romans 1:1-4)

In the book of Romans, Paul is seeking to unify the church at Rome around his gospel and to enlist their support for his future mission to Spain. To do this, he has to introduce himself and his gospel, which he calls “the gospel of God.” He does all of this in the introduction of […]

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The Reason for the Hope, part 2 (Acts 25-26)

In Acts 25-26, the story of Paul as witness on trial for the gospel comes to an epic conclusion before he reaches Rome. Everything has been building up to this moment where, in the providence of God, he gives the reason for his hope before the rulers of all Judea. Paul bears witness that King […]

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The Reason for the Hope, part 1 (Acts 24:1-27)

When Paul stood before the high priest and the Jewish council, he said: “It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial” (Acts 23:6). Over and over, Paul makes this same assertion in his defense speeches in Acts. But why did he understand his all his […]

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