So far, in Isaiah 60-62 we’ve been looking at the glory of Zion. These chapters are about the church, the place on earth where God’s saving rule is known. And it’s because of Christ that the church is a new-creation city of joy and righteousness. Now in one sense, these chapters describe the church as […]
In chapter 60, we learned that Zion is ultimately the church, the city of God that shines amidst the cities of men. With the coming of Jesus, the light of God’s glory had broken through the darkness of our world. And all who come to King Jesus in faith become citizens of Zion now. Now, […]
At the end of chapter 59 we read how the Lord Yahweh himself would come to save his people, securing both worldwide and eternal results. This promise was fulfilled when Jesus Christ came in the armor of God to redeem us from sin and establish a new covenant in his blood. What follows now in […]
Paul’s letter to Philemon deals with the theme of reconciliation and depicts God’s people in Christ as a family that can receive and restore even a runaway slave and a thief. We will see how Paul appeals to Philemon to demonstrate the power of the gospel by welcoming Onesimus back, no longer as a slave, […]
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 […]
Having explained his reasons for gospel ministry and laid out his plans for future travel, Paul now sends his greetings to the chuch as he prepares to visit them and work with them to take the gospel to Spain. But this long list of greetings doesn’t make for the most exciting reading, and can make […]
While Paul’s travel plans might be easy to understand on the surface, there’s much we can learn about his love for the church. His travel plans reveal what Paul desired to see in the churches: the blessing of refreshment, fellowship, and prayer. In this passage, pastor Matt explains that the church is where the blessing […]
As he concludes his exhortations to the strong and weak Christians in the church at Rome, Paul turns our attention once again to Jesus Christ, giving the church a final and conclusive plea: “Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God” (Romans 15:7). While at first glance this may […]
As we began to look at Romans 14 we saw that there were certain opinions dividing the church at Rome along ethnic lines. Both Jewish and Gentile believers were quarrelling over disputable matters, such as food and observing special days. The strong-in-faith were tempted to look down on the weak for their apparent “legalism;” and […]
