Draw Me Close: Podcast - A Ministry of Whitestone Christian Fellowship, with Pastor Bob Lawrenz

This episode is based on 1 John chapter 2, John's focus is on fellowship with God, and that those who abide in Christ must also walk as He walked.

One of the purposes of this Epistle was to stress the full though sinless humanity of Jesus and to assure believers of the certainty of their gift of salvation.  A further purpose was to refute those in the church who were seeking to accommodate Gnostic philosophies and practices into their Christian faith and life.  You can almost hear John's pastoral heart shining through as he appeals to be...

First John is one of five New Testament books written by the apostle John. The others are the Gospel of John, 2 John, 3 John, and the book of Revelation. This is the first of his three letters in the New Testament. Its recipients were clearly believers, but no specific audience is mentioned. Since John traditionally ministered among churches in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) in his later years, th...

Jesus speaks in verse 7,  "Behold, I come quickly..."  Then you see it in verse 12,  “Behold, I come quickly.”  And you get over in verse 20, and you read,  “Surely I come quickly.”  There’s a kind of urgency here it’s pressing the Christian to respond and take care of some very important things. It's also pressed with the urgency of warning to the unbeliever.

Revelation then ends its description of the future and returns to more immediate commands from Jesus. The angel commends what John has seen as accurate and worthy of trust. This is followed by a statement reiterating the idea that "I am" is coming soon. This might have confused John, seeing as the words are those of Jesus, but it had been the angel speaking up to that point. Perhaps in c...

Chapter 22 takes us beyond those things that must take place (vv. 1–5). God’s redeemed people will find eternal rest and refreshment in and with Him. But the language used by John in this splendid word picture is comprehensive and provides a healing and glorious glimpse of what has been accomplished by the redeeming work of Christ. John speaks of the Tree of Life and its healing effects for the re...

Revelation then ends its description of the future and returns to more immediate commands from Jesus. The angel commends what John has seen as accurate and worthy of trust. This is followed by a statement reiterating the idea that "I am" is coming soon. This might have confused John, seeing as the words are those of Jesus, but it had been the angel speaking up to that point. Perhaps in c...

“He is risen!” These are 3 words that have changed the very outlook and trajectory of all humankind. These 3 words are the key to the Christian faith. Today in our study of God’s Word we come to Matthew’s text on the resurrection of Jesus. In this wonderful chapter, Matthew gives His account of the greatest event in the history of the world, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead....

After the darkness and agony of the previous chapter,  Matthew 28  is filled with life and worship and dismay. It also sets the stage for the birth of the church and the mission to follow. Jesus had died on the cross and was buried before sundown in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. The chief priests and elders received permission from Pilate to post a guard of Roman soldiers at the tomb to keep th...

Jesus and the disciples have nearly completed their long journey from the region of Galilee in the north to Jerusalem. They have now travelled the last leg from Jericho to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, not far from Jerusalem's gates. Before entering Jerusalem, though, Jesus directs two of His disciples to go into a village where they will find a donkey and its colt tied up. Jes...

In Matthew 21, we come to a monumental moment in the history of our Lord. This is the event we call the triumphal entry, or Palm Sunday. Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem to all of the praise and hosannas of the people who are acclaiming Him as the King and the Messiah. In this triumphant day of acclamation, what looked like the most hopeful moment in the life of our Lord, with many thousands of...

John attempts to describe the New Jerusalem in terms others can understand. In doing so, he mentions precious materials such as gold and jasper, but associates them with properties those materials don't normally have. Gold, for instance, is not normally "clear," and neither is jasper. This is John's struggle in explaining what he sees; a modern person might say they saw smoke tha...

At the end of Revelation chapter 21, John described the beauty of New Jerusalem. This depiction briefly concludes in chapter 22. John sees a river of the water of life. This contrasts with the pollution and decay seen during the tribulation. It also echoes the original state of the garden of Eden. Water and life are often intertwined in Scripture, especially in the writings of John ( John 4:14 ; ...

Following the great white throne judgment of chapter 20, John sees a new heaven and a new earth. Scholars debate whether this means that all of creation will be destroyed and re-made, or that God will re-condition creation. The terminology used seems to suggest a new creation. John sees the new city of Jerusalem descending onto the earth, and voices celebrating the restored relationship between Go...

From the time described midway through Genesis chapter 3 until the events of  Revelation 20 , earth experienced—is experiencing—the presence of sin and death. At the end of chapter 20, John sees God delivering the final and ultimate judgment on Satan, casting all evil into the lake of fire. At that point, creation will finally be free from everything wicked, and what follows is a description of a...

After the final defeat and punishment of Satan, the rest of mankind is resurrected. These are the non-believers, brought back to life in the second resurrection. This brings them to a great white throne, symbolic of purity and justice. Unlike the rainbow throne described in earlier chapters, this one is austere. Those who died in Christ are judged on the basis of His life, rather than their own—th...

Unique among all books ever written, the Bible accurately foretells specific events-in detail-many years, sometimes centuries, before they occur. The acid test for identifying a true prophet of God is recorded by Moses in Deuteronomy 18:21-22. According to this Bible passage (and others), God’s prophets, as distinct from Satan’s spokesmen, are 100 percent accurate in their predictions. There is  n...

As we get into chapter 20 of the book of Revelation, we are now in the Millennial kingdom, the goal toward which all of redemptive history progresses. When Christ returns, He will establish a literal kingdom on earth, which will last for a thousand years. In this chapter we will see the binding of Satan for a thousand-year duration. Christ's thousand-year earthly kingdom, Satan's final reb...

John sees an angel binding Satan with a great chain and confining him to the bottomless pit for a thousand years. During this time, it seems Satan is not allowed to exert his normal influence on the world. Part of this binding, and eventual releasing, seems to be to prove that mankind is desperately wicked—even after a millennium of peace, some people will still choose to reject God, as seen later...

In part 2 of  Revelation 19 , John's amazing vision in this section also includes the long-awaited second coming of Jesus Christ. This is a moment of incredible triumph. Jesus' first arrival on earth was humble ( Luke 2:7 ) and involved His sacrificial death on a cross ( Philippians 2:8 ). His return is neither humble nor meek. Christ is described as a royal conqueror, wearing a robe dippe...

Is the world really celebrating the death and resurrection of our Lord? Don’t be fooled, the world doesn’t pay any homage to Jesus Christ, but we must, because the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the cornerstone of all Christian truth. It is the thing upon which our eternal destiny hinges. Spurgeon said, “Upon a life I did not live, upon a death I did not die, I rest my eternity.” An...

As we begin chapter 19 of Revelation, the scene shifts from earth to heaven.  John describes rejoicing and praise.  History, literally, "His story," is finally reaching its culmination and Christ will establish His kingdom on earth.  From the beginning God is.  He is eternal. He is Creator. He is the beginning and the end.  He is sovereign over the events of the world. He is true to His...

Here, John witnesses prayers from heaven which precede a great celebration, followed by the triumphant return of Jesus Christ to earth. John now hears a great number of voices praising God. This includes the voices of the twenty-four elders mentioned in earlier passages ( Revelation 4:4 ). Their song proclaims God's justice and once again celebrates the defeat of the "great prostitute&quo...

Last week we looked at the judgment of God on the physical city of Babylon which will be the political and economic capital of the Antichrist’s world empire. We went through the first 18 verses where we looked at several aspects of judgment. As we finish up this chapter, we will look at a few more aspects of judgment...  judgment that is mourned by the unrepentant yet celebrated by the saints.  It...

Babylon is fallen, is fallen! In one hour she’s been laid waste. This was the city, the great city. No city like the great city, and it went down in one hour – whether literally in 60 minutes, or not, in one great hour of immediate judgment, Babylon falls completely and forever! Judgment lamented.