Sermons and Biblical Studies

PSALM 122 I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord” (Ps. 122:1). In Psalm 122 David celebrates the coming of the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. Many years had passed since God brought the people into the land, yet the ark had found no permanent … Continue reading “THE CITY OF REST”

PSALM 121 I will lift up my eyes to the hills—from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord (Ps. 121:1–2a). Because the thoughts of believers often stray from the promises of God as revealed in His Word, these believers become disquieted and disturbed by concerns, temptations, and trials. Psalm 121 reminds us … Continue reading “LIFT UP YOUR EYES”

PSALM 120 Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips and from a deceitful tongue (Ps. 120:2). Though Halloween sadly has eclipsed the celebration of “Reformation Day,” some Protestants still remember. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther gathered his 95 theses, like David’s pebbles before Goliath, and posted them against various doctrines of the Catholic … Continue reading “REMEMBERING REFORMATION”

1 CORINTHIANS 14:20–25 Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults (1 Cor. 14:20 niv). The road to spiritual maturity is long and difficult; many snares and detours lie in wait along the way. Yet God has promised to bring all His children to glory. All … Continue reading “SPIRITUAL GROWTH”

2 PETER 1:1–11 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness (2 Peter 1:5 niv). One goal of the Christian life is to “escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (2 Peter 1:4 niv). Peter tells us that if we want to accomplish this goal, we must … Continue reading “FAITH AND GOODNESS”

EPHESIANS 2:11–18 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation (Eph. 2:14). Two graces that flow from love in the Christian life are joy and peace. True joy and peace can only be possessed by a Christian, because an unbeliever has no joy … Continue reading “JOY AND PEACE”

1 JOHN 2:1–11 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him (1 John 2:10). How does the habit of love that resides in our souls by the power of the Spirit manifest itself in our daily lives? First, let us heed the advice of John … Continue reading “LOVE ONE ANOTHER”

1 CORINTHIANS 13 Though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing (1 Cor. 13:3b). At the time of the Great Awakening in New England, many critics brushed aside the truth of the religious experiences of these new converts, maintaining that the Great Awakening consisted of natural religious … Continue reading “THE POWER OF LOVE”

JOHN 16 “For the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God” (John 16:27). We learned in yesterday’s lesson that a person can have no true assurance of salvation without a correct understanding of the way of salvation, which is only through Jesus Christ. While … Continue reading “EVIDENCE OF SALVATION”

HOSEA 10 Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground (Hos. 10:12). Some criticize the doctrine of justification by faith alone saying its sole reliance on the imputation of Christ’s righteousness for justification leads to antinomianism. Such a criticism is simply untrue. Justification by faith alone means that we are declared … Continue reading “PRIORITY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS”