The Song of Creation (Psalm 98)

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible links together the joy of experiencing salvation with the response of singing songs of praise. And Psalm 98—famously known as the inspiration for the Christmas hymn, “Joy to the World”—illustrates this beautifully. Here we find a song of joy and victory for all of God’s people and even all […]

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The Song of Mary, part 2 (Luke 1:50-55)

In the second half the Magnificat, Mary moves to general reasons for magnifying God that not only apply to Mary but to the generations who see themselves as lowly like the mother of our Lord. So today, we transition our eyes from the Lord of Mary to the Lord of many. In this sermon, pastor […]

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After being hurled into the raging sea, God mercifully preserves Jonah’s life by sovereingly appointing a great sea creature to swallow him. From the belly of the fish, Jonah offers a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord from the belly of the fish, acknowledging that he had been spared from a death he deserved. In […]

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Paul’s point in Romans 11 is that God is not done with Israel. If they do not continue in their unbelief, they will certainly be grafted back into their own olive tree, “for God has the power to graft them in again” (Rom. 11:23). But Paul is convinced not only that they can be grafted […]

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One of the questions that comes to mind when reading the final section of Acts is: “Why does Luke take so much time to get Paul to Rome?” Yet while we may not know every reason why certain passages are included in Scripture, we can know many of them. Knowing that the Bible is all […]

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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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Jew, Gentile, or New Creation? (Acts 21:17-26)

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 […]

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