The greater the authority rebelled against, the greater the punishment. To strike your brother is one thing, but to strike a police officer is another. But consider the consequences of rebelling against the Creator of heaven and earth, the infinitely holy and terribly just God. Every sin we commit is a direct assault on his […]

Peter began his sermon on Pentecost by quoting the prophet Joel, explaining that God had finally poured out his promised Holy Spirit on all flesh. In these last days, whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But having mentioned “the name of the Lord,” he draws the attention of the Jews […]

In the Old Testament, three significant types of people were anointed and set apart for service: prophets, priests, and kings. When Jesus came into the world, he came as the Christ, the Anointed One par excellence. And as the Christ, he holds all three of these offices. As prophet, he reveals the will of God for our […]

During the days leading up to his death in Jerusalem, Jesus has spent his time pronouncing judgment on the temple leadership and the nation of Israel for rejecting him as the Christ, the Son of God. It’s within this context of judgment that we find one of the more familiar stories in Scripture: the story […]

As Abraham and Isaac journeyed up the mountain in the land of Moriah, Isaac asked: “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” (Gen. 22:7).  By faith, Abraham responded that God would provide for himself the lamb. Few, if any, could comprehend that centuries later a child would […]

At Christmastime, we love to sing traditional carols and hymns, proclaiming that “all is calm, all is bright ’round yon virgin mother and child—holy infant so tender and mild.” With such a peaceful description of Jesus’ birth, it’s easy to forget the bitter cup of God’s wrath which he came to drink in full. In […]

Chapter 9 in Luke’s gospel is profound. After Peter makes the monumental confession that Jesus is “the Christ of God” (Luke 9:20), Jesus responds by saying: “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised” (Luke 9:22). Yet […]

The incident of Jesus remaining in the temple gives us a unique look into his life as a young boy. Not only do we observe Jesus fully dedicated to the will of his heavenly Father, that he “must” be in his house (Luke 2:49), but we also see him in submission to his earthly parents: […]

“Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness” (Ps. 51:14). As we conclude this beautiful psalm of confession and repentance, we come finally to see the result of forgiveness: worship. David humbly acknowledges his sinfulness and rebellion against God; he understands the cost of his forgiveness as […]