1 Samuel 4 describes the fall of Eli’s house. Samuel will take over as priest-judge in Israel, but Yahweh must first carry out his purpose of judgment against his corrupt priest-judge and a godless nation. This is why a new “character” takes center stage in chapters 4-6: the ark of the covenant. The ark was […]
In many ways, every thread used in the tapestry of the OT is woven together in Isaiah 53: the promises of Genesis, the redemption of Exodus, the sacrifices of Leviticus, the wanderings of Numbers, the blessings and curses of Deuteronomy, the victories of Joshua, the deliverances of Judges, the dynasties of Samuel and Kings; the […]
All along, Isaiah has told us that the Lord alone will be exalted. And his blessing would come to all nations through the witness of his redeemed people under the saving rule of his Messiah. We’ve heard of the child of Isaiah 9 who would sit on David’s throne forever and establish God’s kingdom of […]
Having introduced himself and his gospel to the church at Rome (Rom. 1:1-7) Paul shares his desire to visit them for mutual encouragement in the faith and to see all nations come to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord (8-15). To reach these goals, Paul knew that there was only one thing he needed to […]
The main point of Paul’s sermon at Pisidian Antioch was that “God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised” (Acts 13:23). He began with a summary of Israel’s history to show that with the coming of Jesus, God had proven faithful to his promises to rescue humanity. But the question remains: How […]
Good Friday isn’t good because it shows us how good we are or how valuable we are to God; Good Friday is good because it shows us the riches of God’s glorious grace and steadfast love toward unworthy and rebellious sinners. In this brief message, pastor Matt reminds us that the love of God in […]
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 […]
The trial of the sinless Son of God reveals that all humanity is guilty. If we look closely and honestly, we will see our own face in the crowd that day, calling out for Jesus to be crucified and for Barabbas to be released. For whenever we reject Christ—living as though Jesus isn’t the King that […]
The four Gospels—according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—are not just ancient biographies of the man Jesus of Nazareth; they’re what we might call theological biographies. They are inspired accounts that ultimately tell us something about God and his purposes in redemptive history. Specifically, they were written to declare that Jesus is the Christ, the Son […]
