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1 Thessalonians
The Worshipping Church
October 31, 2021
If we are going to orient our lives around the Day of the Lord, then we must have a corporate attentiveness to God. And that attentiveness helps form us into the kind of people who are ready for the Day.
1 Thessalonians
Be at Peace Among Yourselves
October 24, 2021
True peace in the church involves our attitudes and activities. We acknowledge the work of our leaders, and we join them in the work as we pursue what is good for one another.
1 Thessalonians
The Ministry of Encouragement
October 17, 2021
The encouragement we all want is not something we can take from others; it is something we give to one other. And we can only give what we have received from God.
1 Thessalonians
Living in Light of the Day
October 10, 2021
The coming of Christ will be a day of redemption. But it will also be a day of reckoning. If that is true, then how do we prepare for it? How are we to live in light of that day?
1 Thessalonians
Hope in the Face of Death
October 3, 2021
Death is a universal problem, the greatest enemy of the human race. It causes grief, it separates people, and it raises difficult questions. Is there any hope in the face of death? Paul is writing here to assure the Thessalonians (and us) that there is indeed hope!
1 Thessalonians
The Problem of Idleness
September 26, 2021
Everyone is busy, but are we busy with the right things? Paul gives us a way of life that keeps us focused on our calling to love each other and be salt and light in the world.
1 Thessalonians
Sexual Holiness
September 19, 2021
What is God’s will for my life? Nothing less than Christlikeness, even in the most deeply personal parts of my life.
1 Thessalonians
Genuine Christian Love
September 12, 2021
Loving each other is how we grow in faith and gain confidence for the Day of Judgment. So what does Christian love look like? Paul shows us in this passage.
1 Thessalonians
Genuine Christian Ministry
September 5, 2021
People are often suspicious of Christian ministry, especially in light of stories of spiritual leaders abusing their power and pretending to be something they’re not. So, what does genuine Christian ministry look like? Paul tells us in this passage.
1 Thessalonians
Genuine Christianity
August 29, 2021
In the opening of his first letter to the Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul paints a picture for us of what true Christianity (a true Christian church) looks like.
Romans
Total Security in Christ
November 26, 2023
Paul wraps up Romans 5-8 with the strongest language possible to convince us that we are totally secure in Christ. We’re secure because God is for us, because God justifies us, and because God loves us. These life-changing truths are not only for us to believe in, but to revel in and rest in.
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Romans
God’s Sovereign Grace
November 19, 2023
We think we will be happy when we are in control or when we get what we want. Paul lifts our eyes to the joy of knowing that God is in control and trusting that his plans are so much better than ours.
Romans
Groaning and Glory
November 12, 2023
This passage sets present suffering and future glory right alongside each other. We live in the tension between the two: we live in the already, looking forward to the not yet. So even though we groan, we have great hope!
Romans
The Spirit of Adoption
November 5, 2023
Romans 8 tells us that the Christian life is life in the Spirit. And in verses 12-17, the Apostle Paul points to two aspects of life in the Spirit. Those who are in Christ have been given both a new obligation and a new identity.
Romans
Life in the Spirit
October 29, 2023
The Christian life is life in the Spirit. He sets us free from sin and gives us power to live for God. It is supernatural, but it is also normal for everyone who is in Christ.
Romans
The Law Can’t Change Us
October 22, 2023
Romans 7:12 says the law is holy, righteous, and good. But the law has no power to make me holy, righteous, and good because I have no ability to keep the law and no power over my own sin. The end of Romans 7 is the apostle Paul throwing up his hands and saying, “Why is it so hard to obey God?! If I’ve been made new in Christ, then why does it feel like I can never change?”
Romans
The Law Leads Us to Jesus
October 15, 2023
If we are "not under law but under grace" (6:14), then what is the purpose of the law? That is the question behind Romans 7. The law leads us to Jesus by showing us the depth of our sin and weakness. Jesus releases us from the law and brings us under grace so that we can truly walk in Gods ways by the power of His Spirit.
Romans
Freed to Serve a Better Master
October 8, 2023
Are we free to sin now that we're no longer under law but under grace? Paul’s answer is, “No way! Because we are freed to serve a better master."
Romans
Remember Who You Are
October 1, 2023
If grace abounds when sin abounds, then shouldn’t we just keep on sinning so we can get more grace? Paul’s answer is, “No way! Because that not who you are anymore."
Romans
The Reign of Grace
September 24, 2023
We live in a world where everyone is trying to find or create an identity. Romans 5 says there are two fundamental identities: in Adam and in Christ. That is breaking news in a culture like ours. The bad news is, by nature, everyone is in Adam. The good news is, by faith, anyone can be in Christ.
Romans
Confidence in the Cross
September 17, 2023
How confident are you in your standing with God? And what is your confidence (or lack of confidence) based on? We can have total confidence in where we stand with God, but the basis of that confidence is not what you might think.
Romans
The Joy of Justification
September 10, 2023
Romans 1-4 is about the doctrine of justification by faith. In Romans 5, Paul takes us deeper into what it means for us now: peace with God, standing in grace, rejoicing in hope.
Psalms
A Quiet Soul
September 3, 2023
We live in a noisy, anxious, restless world. In spite of that, this psalm tells us that we can be quiet on the inside. But how? David shares the secret.
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Genesis
A Vision for Work
May 28, 2023
We spend more time working than we do on anything else. And yet, most of us are in sort of a fog about the meaning and significance of our work. We need a robust vision for work if we are going to thrive in our postmodern world. And a deeper study of Genesis 1-2 gives us just that.
Romans
Groaning and Glory
November 12, 2023
This passage sets present suffering and future glory right alongside each other. We live in the tension between the two: we live in the already, looking forward to the not yet. So even though we groan, we have great hope!
1 Timothy
Contentment
May 11, 2014
Money is a frequent topic in the Bible, and a key indicator in our discipleship to Jesus. It reveals our core desires, and where our hope for fulfillment lies. When Jesus talks about money, he focuses on the heart.
Hebrews
An Easter Benediction
April 1, 2018
So many things compete for our attention, but when we turn our attention to Jesus and see that he is better than everything else, we are compelled to draw near to God.
Luke
Good News for Everyone
May 1, 2022
On Easter Sunday morning, the disciples were sad, defeated, and unbelieving. All they could see was bad news. But by Sunday evening, they were filled with joy and convinced of the good news. How do we account for the turnaround? Well, in this passage, Jesus does some things for them that change their lives forever.
Philippians
Pressing on Toward the Goal
May 30, 2021
The grace that brings us to Christ now stirs our hearts to know him more.
Romans
God’s Sovereign Grace
November 19, 2023
We think we will be happy when we are in control or when we get what we want. Paul lifts our eyes to the joy of knowing that God is in control and trusting that his plans are so much better than ours.
Luke
The Love of Money
May 15, 2022
Money can have so much power in our lives that we’re willing to bow down and serve it. But the scary thing is that we’re usually blind to this; we don’t see it in ourselves. How can we recognize the love of money in our lives? And how can we change?
John
The Light Shines in the Darkness
December 4, 2022
John tells us that the setting of the Christmas story is the world. And he wants us to see something very particular about the world: its darkness. When we think about Christmas, we like to think of brightness and light. But the story loses its meaning if we don’t consider the darkness.
Luke
The Good Samaritan
March 13, 2022
The law of love shows us what it means to be a neighbor. The heart of love exposes our failure to be neighbors. The power of love transforms our hearts and fuels a life of love.
1 Corinthians
True Spirituality
February 12, 2023
Some in the Corinthian church were claiming to have extraordinary spiritual gifts. They were positioning themselves as the “spiritual ones,” and everyone else was a second-class Christian. Paul corrects this thinking with the Corinthians and shows them (and us) the nature of true spirituality.
1 Corinthians
The Centrality of the Resurrection
April 2, 2023
Some in the Corinthian church were claiming there was no resurrection of the dead. They saw it as a sort of foolish superstition—a belief for unsophisticated Christians. But in our passage, Paul wants us to see that the resurrection is central to everything we believe as Christians.