Faithful to the End

As Moses continues his first major speech with Israel, as they prepare to enter the promised land, he focuses in on their history. Moses addresses leadership, the rebellion at Kadesh-Barnea, the wilderness wandering and the approach to Canaan. This, their, history is intended to remind them that Yahweh is always faithful, he is always present with them, leading them and caring for them, even after...

As John continues, he addresses the reality of sin and the remedy for sin. Sin is a reality, this is the truth. Jesus is the only remedy for sin. Jesus alone satisfies the wrath of God against our sin and atones for our sin through his death. Jesus is the propitiation for sins and for the sins of the world.  1 John has often been described as a letter written to offer assurance to believers. Belie...

Deuteronomy is an amazing book, the most quoted Old Testament book by Jesus. Deuteronomy contains "the words of Moses," the sermons of Moses to Israel before he dies. He preaches to a young audience, a community that is now 60 years or younger. Moses preaches to explain the expectations of Yahweh, to clarify his priorities and expectations for them as they enter the land of promise. Mose...

John begins to address the antagonists by first presenting foundational truths about God: God is truth and there is not darkness in him at all. John then addresses several irrefutable issues that are true about us as human beings. With all of this in view, John calls believers to walk in light and enjoy real fellowship with God through Jesus.  1 John has often been described as a letter written to...

The purposes of John enable us to understand genuine fellowship with Jesus. You must understand these purposes of John.  1 John has often been described as a letter written to offer believers assurance of their salvation. Believers can know that they have indeed been delivered from their sins and stand justified before God, as John notes, this is only through Jesus, a right understanding and belie...

Our message is a critical foundational element for the church. The message of the church must be firmly fixed on Jesus, Christ-centered and gospel-oriented. The gospel is an essential focus of our message. What is the gospel? What is required in a gospel presentation? Does the word gospel have to be used repeatedly? Does the word gospel make our message gospel-centered? This is the focus of our me...

As we celebrate the Lord's table together, we want to commemorate the sacrificial work of Jesus on our behalf. We rejoice in his work on the cross for our sins. Isaiah writes in the fourth of the Servant Songs, recorded in Isaiah, of the sacrificial atoning work of Jesus on our behalf. Isaiah uniquely prophecies of the coming sacrifice of Jesus, the suffering he would endure on our behalf. Bec...

As evidenced by 1 Corinthians 12-14, the gifts of the Spirit can cause divisions within the church, and therefore, the gifts of the Spirit must be carefully understood and engaged. In order for believers to appropriately engage with one another, we must be spiritually mature. This maturity then leads to informed consciences that seek to understand truth and appropriately engage others. Because the...

As Paul continues to address the divisions in Corinth, he does so by pointing the people to the word of the cross, the message of the gospel. The message of the cross is the power and the wisdom of God. The message of the cross saves those who believe, by faith in that message, but the message of the cross also offends. It is an offense to both the Jews and the Greeks (Gentiles) for different reas...

As Paul begins his letter to the church at Corinth, Paul exhorts them about the divisions, quarrels, and factions that characterize them. Paul grounds his charge in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ calling the Corinthians to live for the name of Jesus, not their own sakes or the sake of those who minister among them like Paul, Peter, and Apollos. Paul calls them to say the same thing as one anoth...

Why do we sing in church? What is the priority for singing? What makes singing important or even necessary? Is there a right or wrong way to sing? What is the biblical model for singing? These are all important questions that deserve consideration as we contemplate the Biblical Foundations for the Church. Singing is an important part of our worship. Singing provides believers the opportunity to pr...

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to the church so that we can serve one another. Determining the gifts, their use and function in the church is important. Classifying the gifts into groups helps clarify their purpose and the role they serve in the church. The foundational gifts of the Spirit were given for the founding of the church. Foundational gifts served to supernaturally begin the chur...

Paul writes to Titus, a young pastor on the island of Crete, offering instructions for the organization and function of the church. Paul specifically addresses false teaching and the right response to it - sound, faithful teaching. As Paul addresses the practical relationships of men and women in the church and home, he begins with the foundation of sound teaching. Accurate instruction is the foun...

The Holy Spirit has gifted each member of the body so that the entire body is built up. These ten gifts occur in the church, as gifts, but are also commanded of each individual believer. The Holy Spirit gives gifts to the church, so that we can corporately serve one another. You are gifted to serve others. The ministry and work of the Holy Spirit are often confused by modern interpreters. What is...

Serving in the church is an essential foundation. If we fail to see the importance and priority of serving, we fail to see the entire purpose for Jesus coming to serve, to serve by giving his life as a ransom. Defining service is important and the New Testament uses several words to explain service. Paul calls the believers in Galatia not to abuse their freedom in Christ, but instead to use it to...

Classifying the gifts is one way that we can better understand the effect of the gifts in the church. At least four of the gifts, listed throughout the NT ( Romans 12:6-8 ;  1 Corinthians 12:4-11 ,  27-31 ;  Ephesians 4:11 ;  1 Peter 4:10-11 ), are specifically oriented toward leaders in the church. Through gifted leadership, the church can move forward as God has designed. The four leadership gif...

As Paul offers clear motivation for giving. Paul is reminding the Corinthians of the opportunity to give in aid for the believers in Jerusalem. Paul offers clear connections to the Old Testament Scriptures, calling for believers to faithfully, joyfully and generously give. Giving reflects your priorities. As believers, we must make much of God's priorities. What magnifies God and furthers his...

As we continue our series on the Holy Spirit, we begin to consider the gifts of the Spirit. What is a spiritual gift? How does it differ from a natural gift? Is every spiritual gift listed in the spiritual gifts given throughout the New Testament? How do we know if we have a gift? How do we know our personal gift? The Holy Spirit gives gifts to the church, and has gifted you to serve others. The m...

Tithing is established throughout the Old Testament, but it is often different than we may have previously conceived of it. The concept of giving is grounded in the Old Testament idea of Tithing. The word tithe literally means a tenth, it is not synonymous with giving, though we often use it that way. Throughout the Old Testament, many times the specifics of the tithe include crops, oil, and anima...

Here in 1 Corinthians 2, Paul addresses the issue of the Spirit and his work of illumination in the lives of believers. The Spirit is growing believers through spiritual words, he inspired and now applies to our lives to help us grow.  Spiritual believers are capable of making wise judgments about truth and error. Believers who are controlled by the Spirit are wise and discerning about spiritual t...

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the trinity and seeks to clearly teach you more about Jesus Christ. The Spirit is coming to convict the world of sin, ultimately the sin of unbelief. The Spirit is convincing the world to turn from unbelief to Jesus. Jesus alone is righteous and we need his righteousness. The Spirit is coming to convince the world that they are under and will face the judgmen...

The ordinances that we observe in the church are vital reminders of the work of Jesus on our behalf on the cross. Though there is some debate as to the proper ordinances and their meanings, as believers, we must allow Scripture to dictate the ordinances that we observe, and the emphasis they promote. Jesus establishes the ordinances we observe. As we observe them, we commemorate his work for us on...

As Paul writes to the church at Corinth, he seeks to addresses issues and questions that they are experiencing as a church. One of the issues Paul addresses is the issue of the resurrection. The actual physical resurrection of the dead one day had become unbelievable for some at Corinth, believing instead in annihilation and no future resurrection. Paul vehemently argues against this idea througho...

At times, believers can misconstrue the purpose of the Holy Spirit. According to Jesus, the Holy Spirit is given and comes to testify about Jesus. This is evidenced in the indwelling of the Spirit, the baptism of the Spirit, the anointing of the Spirit, the sealing of the Spirit and the filling of the Spirit. Each of the first four (indwelling, baptism, anointing, and sealing) occur at salvation....

Special Guest, Dr. Rock LaGioia, spoke to us from John 12:12-19 on Palm Sunday. Each of the gospels records the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. John, as the other gospel writers, emphasizes the coming King, Jesus, the promised deliverer sent from God. Even more, Jesus is the the Son of God, the King of all and his coming calls each one of us to follow him as King and to yield our lives to...