UNFOLDING THE WORD With Dr. Gary Kuhne: Recent Episodes
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This podcast provides daily devotional teaching from God‘s Word. The daily devotionals average around 10 minutes in length and I use the devotionals as a way to teach through books of the Bible verse-by-verse. If you find the daily devotional teaching helpful, please consider telling others so they too could benefit.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Ephesians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
The third church being measured by God was the church at Pergamum. Smyrna was wealthy city, a center of learning, religion, and the arts – a sophisticated center of culture. The church is commended because it remained true to Christ’s Name in the face of false othe4r worldviews. The church was also commended because they people did not deny their faith in the face of community opposition, an opposition that even led to some of the people being martyred. Despite such positives, the church was unhealthy because they were tolerating false teaching by groups labeled as “Balaamites and Nicolaitans”. These groups were responsible for teaching that was having the effect of loosening moral absolutes, minimizing the need to avoid unequal yoking in marriages, and lessening the commitment to holy and surrendered lives as disciple. God called for the church to repent and stop permitting such teaching to be tolerated and go unopposed in the church.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Ephesians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
The second church being measured by God was the church at Smyrna. Smyrna was a port city located some 35 miles from Ephesus and was the center of the enforcement of emperor worship. The church family at Smyrna, refusing to publicly bow before the emperor’s mandate, was facing severe opposition and trials. In fact the were facing tribulation, poverty and slander because they refused to “conform to the world” around them. God’s message to them was one of encouragement and not rebuke. He called for them to continue to not give in to fear, to rest n the fact that nothing happened to them outside of God permission, and that remaining faithful despite opposition was important. He also turned their minds to the eternal promise that they had avoided the “second death” due to their repentance and faith in the Gospel. Keeping eternity in view helps a church family to balance out discouragement over current suffering.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Ephesians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
WEDNESDAY’S IN THE WORD: A WEEKLY VIDEO UNFOLDING GOD’S WORD. Video Bible Teaching On Revelation Chapters 2 and 3. Today’s Teaching Is On Revelation ________
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Ephesians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
In chapters 2 and 3 of the book of Revelation, God provides us a way to understand how He evaluates the spiritual health of a church. God uses the context of addressing the conditions of 7 specific churches in a region that is located in an area that today is western Turkey. While certainly written to those churches, the message is applicable to all churches during the Church age, in the same way the various New Testament Epistles, while written to specific groups, are applicable to all the churches in this current era. One thing we discover is that God evaluates church in ways somewhat different from how we tend to see a church. Underlying all of the messages to the church is the sobering reality that a church can cease to be a church in God’s eyes, even though it may continue to exist on a human level, with buildings and programs. A church is maintained by God only when a church continues to provide the light of the Word to a lost world.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Ephesians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
After the prophecies finished, Chapter 12 contains a number of additional lessons for Daniel (and all of us). First, the prophecies in Daniel are sealed, meaning they will definitely come about. Second, there is no place to turn apart from God’s Word to find absolute truth. Third, God won’t answer all our questions about the future and He calls for us to be content with what He saw fit to reveal. Fourth, the truth about fallen mankind is revealed in the 70th Week tribulations because most people refuse to repent and believe despite the disaster. Fifth, each us can rest in the promise of our coming resurrection.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
In 11:36-12:3 we are focused on the 70th week and the time of the Anti-Christ who will be a dominating dictator over the whole world and ultimately be answerable to no one. He will seemingly prosper in all that he does. And he will focus his blasphemy on God and his anger on Gods people. We also discover that eventually he will turn on all leaders (political or religious) who tried to help him in order to be the sole ruler/dictator of the world. Half way through the 70th week, he will turn against the Jews and take control of the Holy Land. God reveals in Daniel that despite the Anti-Christ’s period of success, God will eventually defeat him. As this time of defeat approaches, the Jewish people themselves will repent and turn to Christ as their Messiah. After Christ returns, the Anti-Christ is defeated and judged, and the Lord begins the Millennial Kingdom. After the period of the Millenium, Satan deceives people once again and a final judgement of Satan and fallen mankind will take place.
SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
In verse 36 the attention shifts from details about the first “69 weeks” leading to the time of the 1st Coming of Christ (particularly the coming time of great suffering for the Jewish people under the rule of Antiochus Epiphanes) to a time in the future, the “70th Week” , and the seven years of terrible suffering under the Anti-Christ which will then end in the 2ndComing of Christ! Today’s study reviewed what we already knew from Daniel 2, 7, and 9 related to the 70th week and the Anti-Christ. We now see this ruler will be a dominating dictator over the whole world and ultimately be answerable to no one. He will seemingly prosper in all that he does. And he will focus his blasphemy on God and his anger on Gods people.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Vs. 21-35 turn attention to a coming time of great suffering for the Jewish people under the rule of Antiochus Epiphanes. Antiochus ruled the Seleucid empire from 175 BC until 164 BC. His leadership was a ruthless an dviolent leadership and the Jews suffered greatly at his hands. After his death, and after a fried time of independence, the Jewish people came under the rule of a set of “puppet kings” called the Hasmonean Dynasty, that ruled over Jerusalem and the surrounding regions between 140 BC and 37BC on behalf of the Seleucid and Roman empires. IN 37 BC Rome then established another set of kings to reign under their control called the Herodian Dynasty. The first of these rulers was Herod the Great, who ruled over Jerusalem region at the time of Christ’s birth, thus finishing the “69 weeks” and setting the stage for the next verses that will focus on the “70th Week: and the coming rule of the Antichrist.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Chapters 11 opens with some details related to the period of the first “69 Weeks” of the 70 Weeks” prophecy. This era of history spans the time from the beginning of the Medo-Persian Empire to the promised ‘First Coming” of the Messiah (Christ’s birth and ministry). We are reminded again of earlier prophecies of the replacement of the Medo-Persian Empire by the Greek Empire under Alexander and the subsequent breaking of that empire into four empires. The details then focus on two of the empires, the Seleucid and Ptolemic, which are called the King of the North and the King of the South. These two kingdoms were continuously fighting over control of the region of Judea, which created much suffering for the Jews. The greatest suffering would come under the rule of Antiochus Epiphanes.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Chapters 10-12 contain a single vision, a final vision, given by God to Daniel via the Angel Gabriel. The vision gives details of what will happen to the people of God “in the latter days”. We learn more about events tied to both the 1st and 2nd Coming in these chapters. We also learn about the invisible war that is going on behind all the events in the unfolding of human history. We also see something of the true nature of Angel when the description of Gabriel is given. Angels are definitely a very different order of creation than mankind!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Chapters 10-12 contain a single vision, a final vision, given by God to Daniel via the Angel Gabriel. The vision gives details of what will happen to the people of God “in the latter days”. We learn more about events tied to both the 1st and 2nd Coming in these chapters. We also learn about the invisible war that is going on behind all the events in the unfolding of human history. We also see something of the true nature of Angel when the description of Gabriel is given. Angels are definitely a very different order of creation than mankind!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week
The 70th Week, the final 7 years that ends the “Times of The Gentiles” will be followed by the 2nd Coming of the Messiah. This 70th Week is known as the Great Tribulation period. This period will be the time in which the Anti-Christ is seen, when terrible persecution breaks out against the Jews and Christians, and the Messiah returns to defeat the Anti-Christ and usher in the promised Messianic Kingdom, the Millennial Rule of the Lord Jesus Christ. Just as the 69 weeks of years exactly unfolded as predicted leading to the 1st Coming, so the final 7 years of Great Tribulation will exactly unfold leading to the 2nd Coming.
The Angel Gabriel tells Daniel that God’s ultimate answer for the Jews (and the Gentiles) is tied to the 70 weeks prophecy, which turns attention to the 1st and 2nd Coming of the promised Messiah. The 1st Coming of the Messiah would happen in 69 weeks of years, or 483 years following the edict to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the wall and gates of the city. While the Edict of Cyrus for the Jews to return to Jerusalem was given in 538BC, the edict did not include the right to rebuild the walls and gates. Not until Artaxerxes issued an Edict in the 20th year of his reign (445BC) did the Jews have permission to rebuild the walls (given at the time of Nehemiah). Given the Hebrew way of counting years, this would place the 1st Coming of the promised Messiah in the 30-33AD timeframe – clearly highlight Christ in the period of His 3 years of public ministry as the promised Messiah! After being rejected by the Jews, the 70 years has a gap between the 69 weeks and the 70th week, an era called the “times of the Gentiles”. The 70th week begins in the final 7 years of that era, a count-down known as the Great Tribulation Period, which then is followed by the 2nd Coming. This final 7 years will be examined in Part 3.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
The opening part of Chapter 9 provides a look at the multiple lessons about prayer to be gained by Daniel’s prayer for the promised return of the Jewish people from Exile to Judea and Jerusalem. The final lesson is the challenge for people to stop rebelling against God so the need for Divine discipline could stop. The Angel Gabriel comes at the end of the time of prayer and affirms that God heard Daniel’s prayer. He also brought the 70 weeks prophecy, underscoring that the real and lasting solution for the Jews would not be the return from exile, but the 1st and 2nd Coming of the promised Messiah. The specifics of this “70 Weeks” prophecy will be examined over the next two sessions.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Chapter 9 opens with a brief break from the Prophetic Visions and finds Daniel praying about the promised return of the Jews from their 70 years of exile. The prayer of Daniel provides multiple lessons about prayer, including the need to confess our sin when we pray, the need to see God properly when we pray, the need to see ourselves properly when we pray, and the need to see that we deserve the outcomes of disobedience in our lives. The lessons about prayer will conclude in the next session.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Chapter 9 opens with a brief break from the Prophetic Visions that filled Chapters 7 and 8. The Medo-Persian Empire has now taken over the region and Daniel is praying about the promised return of the Jews from their 70 years of exile. The prayer of Daniel provides multiple lessons about prayer. These lessons are covered in a two-part study.
The Chapter 8 visions of the unfolding human kingdoms affecting the Jewish people also reminds us that there is an invisible warfare lying behind all human events. This is true for human society at large and for each of us as individuals in the circumstances of our lives. As Ephesians 6 reveals, we fight not against merely “flesh and blood”, but against Satan and his fallen angels! And the backdrop to the prophecies throughout Daniel is an ongoing war between Satan and God that will be culminated by the return of Christ! We encounter today the Angel Gabriel, who we see also in Luke 1.
SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. This week in honor of Easter I have taken a break from Galatians to look at I Cor. 15:1-20.
The Goat kingdom (the Greek Empire established by Alexander, the “Great Horm”) broke into 4 Kingdoms following Alexander’s death. These four Kingdoms (the 4 horns) each impacted upon the Jewish people in different ways. But one of the 4 Kingdoms, the Seleucid Kingdom, had the most impact on the Jewish homeland and its capital of Jerusalem. A ruler of the Seleucid’s, Antiochus Epiphanes (the little horn), would brutalize the Jews, destroy Jerusalem, and profane the Temple. Yet his defeat was also predicted and celebrated even to this day by the Jews in the Feast Of Hanukkah. While not the Chapter 7 “Little Horn” (the Anti-Christ), the Chapter 8 “Little Horn” reflects some of the characteristics of the eventual Anti-Christ.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. We are currently in a brief break from my current exposition on the Book of Galatians. Today I am examining Luke 19:28-48 and the issues emerging during the Palm Sunday entry into Jerusalem.
The vision of the Ram and Goat kingdoms took place 3 years after the Chapter 7 dream. Babylon is still existing – the Chapter 5 downfall of the kingdom is still 7 years in the future at this point. The 8th Chapter vision focuses on the next two Kingdoms that would be impacting on God’s people, the Medo-Persian empire and the Greek empire created by Alexander the Great. The primary purpose is to focus on one of the rulers in the Greek empire, one called “the little horn” who would greatly harm the Jews. While not the Chapter 7 “Little Horn” (the Anti-Christ), the Chapter 8 “Little Horn” reflects some of the characteristics of the eventual Anti-Christ
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
The 7th Act in the Chapter 7 drama of history is the time of judgment on the “Little Horn” (the Anti-Christ) and the return of the “Son of Man” (the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ) and the establishment of the Messianic Kingdom. The Chapter 7 dream underscores that God is the true Lord of History, that history is unfolding according to a Divine plan, and that there is no solution to the problems of human sin, individually or in society at large, apart from the 1st and 2nd Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
The 6th “Beast” (another of the specific kingdoms God permits to rule in human affairs at various points in history) is the “Little Horn Bast”. This person and his empire emerge following the time of the “Ten Horn Beast”, i.e., the reemerged Roman Empire, in the form of a 10 nation-confederacy. This “Little Horn” is none other than the Anti-Christ spoken about in a number of other passages of the Bible. This ruler will be the dictator of the world just prior to the Lord’s return. The “Little Horn” will oppose God and make war on God’s people. Although seemingly successful for a time (7 years to be exact), he will be defeated when Christ returns.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
The “Beasts” refer to specific kingdoms God permits to rule in human affairs at various points in history. The first three kingdoms were the Babylonian empire, the Medo-Perian Kingdom, and the Greek Empire under Alexander the Great. Acts 4 and 5 introduce us to the Terrifying Beast and the “Ten Horn Beast”, which actually are the same nation/kingdom at different points in the unfolding history of the world. The clear explanation is this empire refers to the Roman Empire, which eventually lost control of the world, only to reemerge at a future point of human history in the form of a 10 nation-confederacy. And in the era of the 10 Horns, eventually one of the leaders and countries will emerge that takes over the world.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
The “Beasts” refer to specific kingdoms God permits to rule in human affairs at various points in history. The first “Beast”, the “Flying Lion” refers to the Babylonian Empire, the empire represented by the “Golden Head” of the Chapter 2 dream. In today’s verses we examine the next two kingdoms, the Bear Beast (refers to the Medo-Persian Empire) and the Leopard Beast (The Greek empire that was led initially by Alexander The Great).
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
The Chapter 7 dream is now like a play with 7 acts, providing an accurate picture of the future. In fact, the various prophecies in Chapters 7-12 underscore that God is the Lord of History. The thread of the prophecies is the link to the 1stand 2nd Comings of the promised Messiah. The dream in Chapter 7 covers the same time frame as found in the dream of Chapter 2. The “Beasts” refer to specific kingdoms God permits to rule in human affairs at various points in history. The first “Beast”, the “Flying Lion” refers to the Babylonian Empire, the empire represented by the “Golden Head” of the Chapter 2 dream.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Chapter 7 begins a new focus in Daniel. Chapters 1-6 focused on the chronology of Daniel’s life from the time of his childhood under the Babylonian Empire through the time in his early 80’s serving Medo-Persian Empire. Chapter 7-12 now focus on a number of prophetic visions given to Daniel that concentrate on the future events and groups that would be impacting on the Jewish people. The thread of the prophecies is the link to the 1st and 2nd Comings of the promised Messiah. The Chapter 7 dream is now like a Play with 7 acts, providing an accurate picture of the future. All the prophecies in Chapters 7-12 underscore that God is the Lord of History.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
The jealous leaders plot Daniel’s downfall by tricking King Darius into making a law that would conflict with Daniel’s faith and Daniel now found himself in the Lion’s Den. King Darius was grieved that the law trapped Daniel, but couldn’t change the result. But Darius knew that God could save Daniel & he p[rayed for this miracle. The morning proved God had worked – Daniel was alive and untouched! Darius accepted Daniel’s innocence and condemned the conspiring leaders to the same death penalty. Darius also provided some signs that perhaps he had become a believer and follower of Daniel’s God.
The jealous leaders plot Daniel’s downfall by tricking King Darius into making a law that would conflict with Daniel’s faith. Daniel knew the law was designed to destroy him, but determined to obey God rather than man. The King Darius was grieved that the law trapped Daniel, bought couldn’t change the result. But Darius knew that there was One Who could solve this seeming unsolvable problem – Daniel’s God!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Chapter 6 opens with the Babylonian empire now past and replaced by the Medo-Persian empire (the head of gold replaces by the chest/arms of silver, as Chapter 2 dream predicted). God has moved Danile back into a position of high executive power in the Babylonian province of the new empire, positioned to assist in the return of God people to Judah following the famous edict of Cyrus that would be issued later in this first year of the empire. Daniel is showing great effectiveness in his new role and jealous leader are plotting to destroy him.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
It is now 23 years after the death of King Nebuchadnezzar and the once mighty empire has fallen on hard days and the Medo-Persian armies under leadership of King Cyrus are surrounding the walls of Babylon. King Belshazzar is rebuked by God using the “finger of God” to write the words “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin” on the wall. Daniel is called to help and he does help by reminding the King of the lessons King Nebuchadnezzar had to learn the hard, and rebukes Belshazzar for ignoring these lessons. The “words” are a message of judgment and the time to repent is past, which parallels the reality for everyone who dies without repenting and believing in the Gospel!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
The 5th chapter of Daniel opens some 23 years after the death of King Nebuchadnezzar. The once mighty empire has fallen on hard days and the Medo-Persian armies under leadership of King Cyrus are surrounding the walls of Babylon. The final King of Babylon, Belshazzar, provides a party for all his gathered leaders, a party that degenerates quickly into a drunken chaos. At this point God intervenes and rebukes the King using the “finger of God” to write some words on the wall. The king is scared to death and yells for the Magi (less Daniel) to provide an answer to the event at the party. But none can help him make sense of it! So the Queen Mother advises the King to call for Daniel, the former head of the Magi, to interpret the writing and the King listens and calls for Daniel to help.
Sunday Expositions, Day, Month, Year
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. While my current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians, todays' teaching is based on John 1:1-14 which tells of the birth of Christ. Next Sunday the expositions will return to the Galatians study. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
The 5th chapter of Daniel opens some 23 years after the death of King Nebuchadnezzar. The once mighty empire has fallen on hard days and the Medo-Persian armies under leadership of King Cyrus are surrounding the walls of Babylon. The final King of Babylon, Belshazzar, provides a party for all his gathered leaders, a party that degenerates quickly into a drunken chaos. In pride, Belshazzar took sacred cups from the Temple in Jerusalem to hold the booze! At this point God intervenes and rebukes the King using the “finger of God” to write some words on the wall. The king is scared to death and yells for the Magi (less Daniel) to provide an answer to the event at the party. But none can help him make sense of it!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
God sent a dream to King Nebuchadnezzar to confront his pride of life and remind him of the fact that only God is the Lord of History. Daniel shares the interpretation with the King, but also gave a heart-felt plea for the King to repent before the promised punishment is brought about by God. But the King does not choose to be a “hearer and doer” of the Word of God! After 1 year, the “show drops” and God’s promised discipline comes on the King. The King then spends 7 long years as a madman, living under the sky like an animal, humbled in every form of measurement. But the King eventually repents and turns to the Lord. His repentance is proven by now praising God (not himself) and proclaiming the truth about God to everyone who would listen.
God sent a dream to King Nebuchadnezzar to confront his pride of life and remind him of the fact that only God is the Lord of History. God also is helping the king to understand that only a “fool” thinks about life and the future without taking into account the reality of eternity and the inescapable outcome of having to face God in accountability for life. Daniel shares the interpretation with the King, but also gave a heart-felt plea for the King to repent before the promised punishment is brought about by God. But the King does not choose to be a “hearer and doer” of the Word of God!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
God sent a dream to King Nebuchadnezzar to confront his pride of life and remind him of the fact that only God is the Lord of History. God also is helping the king to understand that only a “fool” thinks about life and the future without taking into account the reality of eternity and the inescapable outcome of having to face God in accountability for life. After the rest of the Magi fail to interpret the king’s dream, he is forced to humble himself and seek Daniel’s help to understand the dream’s true message.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Chapter 4 begins with King Nebuchadnezzar facing yet another dream of warning from God. The chapter relates to us how God used this dream and the king’s resistance to the point of the dream, to bring more discipline into Nebuchadnezzar’s life, discipline that eventually brings the great king to his senses. The king shares the story to both show his repentance and also to affirm the truth that Daniel’s God is the true God, the one who actually is the Lord of History!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had refused to bow and worship the image the King had constructed and rejected the king’s unexpected “second chance” to obey. In fury, the King orders them to be thrown into the fiery furnace. In the face of their likely death, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego understood the real issue behind their “deliverance” was God’s purpose, not God’s power. In today’s verses, the purpose of God was made plain as He delivered them from the flames! The 4th one in the furnace (either pre-incarnate Christ or an angel) made it so they were not harmed, their hair not singed, their cloths not burnt, and the smell of smoke gone as well. The King now makes it a capital offense to speak against the God of the Jews and elevated the 3 Jews into even higher positions of power.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow and worship the image the King had constructed. The king unexpectedly gives them a second chance to obey. Yet they firmly rejected even this second chance. In fury, the King orders them to be thrown into the fiery furnace. In the face of their likely death, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego understood the real issue behind their “deliverance” was God’s purpose, not God’s power. So whether it was God’s purpose to deliver them or not, they would continue to trust and worship God. Is this how you will choose to respond to the difficult crises in your life?
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Nebuchadnezzar has built an image and required all of the political leaders, advisors, financial leaders, and judicial leaders to bow down before the image and worship the one represented by the image. But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to do so, even after the King gives them a second chance to obey.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Chapter 3 opens with yet another crisis as the king shows he rejects the inevitability of the dream’s message about the direction of history and God’s control over history. Nebuchadnezzar builds am image that reflect the dream image except the whole image is gold (i.e., his kingdom will last no matter what God says). He brings all of the political leaders, ad visors, financial leaders, and judicial leaders together to force them to now down before the image and worship the one represented by the image.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
The dream Daniel explained to the King was a prophetic dream that underscored the fact that God is the “Lord of History”. The King accepts the interpretation and elevates Daniel into the dual position of #2 in political authority in the empire and the position of #1 in advisory authority as the head of the Magi order. God used the crisis to move Daniel into these roles. And the King accepted Daniel’s request to put his three Jewish friend into chief administrative positions in the empire. But these wonderful results seem pointless as chapter 3 opens with yet another crisis.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
The dream Daniel explained to the King was a prophetic dream that underscored the fact that God is the “Lord of History”. Daniel shows Nebuchadnezzar that the head of gold represented his kingdom but one that was going to end, to be followed by a series of kingdoms, kingdoms identified as silver (Medo-Persian), bronze (Greek), iron (Rome), and mixed iron and clay (modern era of mixed alliances, no single controlling nation). At the end of the era of the mixed iron & clay, the stone (Jesus Christ) returns and replaces human kingdoms with the Messianic Kingdom).
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
The dream Daniel explained to the King was a prophetic dream that underscored the fact that God is the “Lord of History”. In today’s verses Daniel shows Nebuchadnezzar that the head of gold represented his kingdom, a great kingdom, but one that was going to end, to be followed by a series of kingdoms, first the Medo-Persian empire (the silver part of the statue), this in turn to be followed by the Kingdom of Alexander the Great (the bronze part of the statue).
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
The dream Daniel explained to the King was a prophetic dream that underscored the fact that God is the “Lord of History”. Daniel met the first task by telling the king the details of the dream. The dream was about a great image (mighty and frightening) that was made up of various metals. The great image was destroyed by a stone that had not human origin. The stone then grows into a mountain that fills the entire earth. The image represented human kingdoms that arise and end in the course of human history. Human kingdoms are eventually destroyed by the stone that fills the entire earth, i.e. eventually God’s kingdom replaces all human kingdoms
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
God has given Daniel the interpretation of the king’s dream in answer to the prayer of Daniel and his friends. As he comes before the king to give the explanation of the dream, he begins by affirming that the God who is really there should receive glory the answer, not Daniel himself. And this true is the Lord of times, seasons, history, governments, and truth. And the dream is a prophetic dream that underscores these truths about God!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Daniel and his friends now faced a death penalty as they were condemned along with the rest of the Magi order because of the Magi leaders’ inability to interpret a dream of King Nebuchadnezzar. As Daniel finds out about the death penalty, he doesn’t give up hope in the impossible situation. Instead, we see a series of response that create principles that can help us respond to our own “impossible situations”.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Galatians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Daniel and his friends now faced a death penalty as they were condemned along with the rest of the Magi order because of the Magi leaders’ inability to interpret a dream of King Nebuchadnezzar. As Daniel finds out about the death penalty, he doesn’t give up hope in the impossible situation. Instead, we see a series of response that create principles that can help us respond to our own “impossible situations”.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Acts in a series entitled “CHURCH 101”. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Daniel and his friends now faced a death penalty as they were condemned along with the rest of the Magi order because of the Magi leaders’ inability to interpret a dream of King Nebuchadnezzar. The King sensed the dream was from God and related to the kingdom itself. As a result, he was unable to sleep or rest until he could find the interpretation. The Magi understood only God could answer the king, but they thought “God” was not interacting with mankind. In frustration, fear of the dream, and in a fury, the king orders all the Magi to be killed. Yet God is going to use this impossible situation to further His plans for Daniel.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Acts in a series entitled “CHURCH 101”. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Chapter 2 opens with a new crisis in which Daniel and his friends now faced a death penalty. Thery are condemned along with the rest of the Magi order because of the Magi leaders’ inability to interpret a dream of King Nebuchadnezzar. The dream was sent by God to show that God is the Lord of History, not man (and certainly not the prideful king).
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Acts in a series entitled “CHURCH 101”. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Daniel finds himself in a “childhood in crisis” as he faced 4 “faith testers”! In vs. 5-16 we discovered important lessons about “crisis resolution”. Verse 17-21 focus on the “fruit” of the properly handled crisis situation, how God blessed their academic studies and made them perform above all others when tested by the King. God also gave Daniel a special ability to interpret visions and dreams, a gift that would be drawn upon in Chapter 2. Daniell and his friends were put into the Magi order, the core advisory group for the leaders of the empire. But Chapter 2 opens shortly after these events and begins with anew crisis in which Daniel and his friends now faced a death penalty.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Acts in a series entitled “CHURCH 101”. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
As the book opens, Daniel finds himself, at probably 12 or 13 years of age, torn away from his family and homeland and forced into exile and indoctrination in a foreign land. Truly a “childhood in crisis” as he faced 4 “faith testers”! In vs. 5-16 we discover that in the face of the forced 3 years training program, Daniel saw nothing conflicting with his faith in the curriculum he had to study. The conflict that did existed was tied to the diet because the food conflicted with the Old Testament dietary laws. So here we learn an important lesson about “crisis resolution strategies” as we encounter fundamental conflict with authorities.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Acts in a series entitled “CHURCH 101”. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
The prophet Daniel was written to emphasizes that God is the actual “Lord of History”, that the timeline of history in under His control, and that all human kingdoms and rulers exist only by His permission! As the book opens, Daniel finds himself, at probably 12 or 13 years of age, torn away from his family and homeland and forced into exile and indoctrination in a foreign land. Truly a “childhood in crisis” as he faced 4 “faith testers”!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is taken from the Book of Acts in a series entitled “CHURCH 101”. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
The prophet Daniel was written during a period of history when the Jew seemed discredited before their neighbors, and when the God of the Jews seemed powerless before the false gods of the surrounding nations. The book of Daniel is written to correct this understanding of God. Daniel emphasizes that God is the actual “Lord of History”, that the timeline of history in under His control, and that all human kingdoms and rulers exist only by His permission! As the book opens, Daniel finds himself, at probably 12 or 13 years of age, torn away from his family and homeland and forced into exile and indoctrination in a foreign land.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Romans ends with a challenge about the danger of false teaching and false teachers. God underscores the necessity of church leaders confronting such people and teaching and protecting the church family from such influences. We are encouraged to be “wise in good” and “innocent in evil”, growing in Biblical knowledge and application and avoiding being pulled into seeing unnecessary details about the moral evil in the world around us.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
The “lists” in scripture are always there because God intended to teach us something by the list, perhaps a lesson of genealogy, or perhaps something about the composition of a group. In Romans 16 the list revealed to much about the nature of the church family at Rome, lessons about the diversity of the church, lessons about house churches and the fact the church is not a “building”, but rather a “family”, and the fact that the church is place filled with people facing real life together, gathering for mutual ministry.
Paul shared three important prayer requests with the Roman believers, underscoring that personal prayer was an important way of being supportive of one another. As the 16th chapter opens, Paul underscores the importance of have something beyond the “platform image” of a Christian before granting credibility and authority to another believer.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Paul had learned a number of lessons on life and ministry planning over the years of serving Christ. He certainly recognized that God wants us to use our lives in an organized manner, making the most of our time in this world. And making good use of time involves makes plans for the immediate and long-range future. In showing his plan, Paul also underscored that he (and we) need to always leave room in our plans for “Divine Detours”, maintaining a flexibility for redirection as God guides in our walk.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Paul understood that new birth, indwelling Holy Spirit, and increasing knowledge of God’s Word will combine to enable a fruitful ministry. Therefore, he was committed to a bold Biblical ministry to people! He was driven by a desire to be proud, not ashamed, when Christ asks about his ministry. He wanted to focus only on what was done enabled by the indwelling Holy Spirit, not enabled only by his natural abilities.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
God has always intended the work of Christ, as the promised Messiah, to be the solution for the lost, whether Jews or Gentiles. We see this concern for the world at large even in the Patriarchal promises given to Abraham. Even the Christmas story underscores this when we consider the prophesy uttered by Simeon in Luke 2:29-32.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
A church can’t have diversity on the Gospel, on the view of scripture, or on the core doctrines of the faith. But because a “transformed mind” takes time (in fact, an entire lifetime) to develop after we are saved, people will inevitably be marked by diversity in their convictions on issues beyond the core issues above and therefore a church will as well. Romans 14 and 15 helps us to understand how to live in harmony despite such diversity. 5:1-7 reminds us to put the needs of our bro/sis ahead of our interests and to continue to saturate our minds with God’s Word, the only way to move ahead in the “transformed mind” process.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
A church can’t have diversity on the Gospel, on the view of scripture, or on the core doctrines of the faith. But because a “transformed mind” takes time (in fact, an entire lifetime) to develop after we are saved, people will inevitably be marked by diversity in their convictions on issues beyond the core issues above and therefore a church will as well. Romans 14 and 15 helps us to understand how to live in harmony despite such diversity. Vs. 15-23 reminds us to be considerate (walk in love) with bro/sis who differ from you on a diversity issue. Keep reminding yourself that the Kingdom is ultimately about righteousness, peace, joy, not in conformity to all issue. So make the bro/sis more important than the diversity issue.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
A church can’t have diversity on the Gospel, on the view of scripture, or on the core doctrines of the faith. But because a “transformed mind” takes time (in fact, an entire lifetime) to develop after we are saved, people will inevitably be marked by diversity in their convictions on issues beyond the core issues above and therefore a church will as well. Romans 14 and 15 helps us to understand how to live in harmony despite such diversity. Vs. 6-14 reminds us to make sure our motive in the issue is “to honor the Lord”, to accept that only God can know another person’s true motives, and to avoid encouraging others to ignore their conscience on an issue (i.e., if you feeling guilt or lack of peace, then don’t do it).
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
A church can’t have diversity on the Gospel, on the view of scripture, or on the core doctrines of the faith. But because a “transformed mind” takes time (in fact, an entire lifetime) to develop after we are saved, people will inevitably be marked by diversity in their convictions on issues beyond the core issues above and therefore a church will as well. Romans 14 and 15 helps us to understand how to live in harmony despite such diversity.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Chapter 13 ends with three commands that capstone the theme of 12:1 “being living sacrifices”. God calls us to “wake-up and being in a spiritual stupor”, “put-off the flesh and walk properly”, and “put-on the Lord Jesus Christ”.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
This passage speaks to the issue of debt – that we are to have no defaulted debts. In the context of debt, God explains we each of the debt of AGAPE love to be paid back to our fellow man. This is a debt that is new every morning. It is a debt that calls for us to act in line with the scriptures, not merely be driven by affection. It is a debt requiring nothing less than salvation and surrender!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
God explains in Romans 13:1-7 exactly how “presenting our bodies as living sacrifices” should affect how we respond to the civil, secular authorities under which we live. Third, we need to understand that rebelling against secular civil authority equals rebelling against God. Fourth, Doing right will reduce conflicts with secular civil authority. Fifth, be subject to secular civil authority, motivated by both a proper fear and the determination to maintain a clear conscience. Finally, we are to show support for secular civil authority through willingness to pay both taxes and revenue, and by determining to show both respect and honor in our speech and actions toward them.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
God explains in Romans 13:1-7 exactly how “presenting our bodies as living sacrifices” should affect how we respond to the civil, secular authorities under which we live. First, we are called to be submissive, willingly obeying and adapting to their authority. Second, we are to accept that all civil secular authority has actually been established by God as an expression of God’s “Common Grace” to counter the effect of sin in this fallen world.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
God explains in vs. 14, 17-21 how “presenting our bodies as living sacrifices” should affect how we respond to the evil done to us by other people. First, we are called to bless, not curse, such people. Second, we are forbidden to return evil for evil, but rather are called to respond in an honorable fashion. Third, we are called to not foster or create contention and conflict. Fourth, we are called to resist the temptation to respond to hurt with retaliation and vengeance.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
After highlighting 15 characteristics of how “presenting our bodies as living sacrifices” should affect relationships with in a local church, God now turns attention in vs. 14, 17-21 to the issue of how “presenting our bodies as living sacrifices” should affect how we respond to the evil done to us by other people. First, we are called to bless, not curse, such people. Second, we are forbidden to return evil for evil, but rather are called to respond in an honorable fashion.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
When a church is made up of people who are obeying the Romans 12:1 command to “present their bodies as living sacrifices”, certain characteristics (or marks) will be seen. Verses 12-13 tell us that surrendered people will demonstrate hospitality, compassion toward enemies, empathy toward church family, harmony, and mutual acceptance.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
When a church is made up of people who are obeying the Romans 12:1 command to “present their bodies as living sacrifices”, certain characteristics (or marks) will be seen. Verses 12-13 tell us that surrendered people will demonstrate a patience in tribulation, constant prayer for one another, and practical help for needy brothers and sisters.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
When a church is made up of people who are obeying the Romans 12:1 command to “present their bodies as living sacrifices”, certain characteristics (or marks) will be seen. Verses 11-12 tell us that surrendered people will demonstrate a serving orientation and properly focused hopes that foster rejoicing in the face of trials.
SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
When a church is made up of people who are obeying the Romans 12:1 command to “present their bodies as living sacrifices”, certain characteristics (or marks) will be seen. Verses 10-11 tell us that surrendered people will demonstrate a family affection, honoring of one another, and spiritual fervency in their relationship with one another.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is on Matt 2:13-23 as we examine the Christmas story from Matthew. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
When a church is made up of people who are obeying the Romans 12:1 command to “present their bodies as living sacrifices”, certain characteristics (or marks) will be seen. Verse 9 tells us that surrendered people will demonstrate a genuine AGAPE love and also a serious holiness in their interaction with one another.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. Today's passage is Matt. 2:1-12.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.This week we are taking a break from I Thess to examine John 1:14 and teh wonder fo "The Word Made Flesh"
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. Today I take a break from our I Thessalonians study to examine Matthew 1:18-25. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
God has given each redeemed believer one or more “spiritual gifts”, the Greek word CHARISMA, which mean grace gift. Such gifts are different than natural abilities since we gain them not by our physical birth but rather our spiritual birth. Today’s verses examine the final 3 examples of such spiritual gifts, i.e., the gifts of giving, leading, and showing mercy.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
God has given each redeemed believer one or more “spiritual gifts”, the Greek word CHARISMA, which mean grace gift. Such gifts are different than natural abilities since we gain them not by our physical birth but rather our spiritual birth. Today’s verses examine in more detail 3 examples of such spiritual gifts, i.e., gifts of serving, teaching, and exhorting.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
God has given each redeemed believer one or more “spiritual gifts”, the Greek word CHARISMA, which mean grace gift. Such gifts are different than natural abilities since we gain them not by our physical birth but rather our spiritual birth. These gifts were given to us because we are “body parts” of the “body” of the local church. As a “body part”, we have important functions within the local church family and the church is hurt to the degree we don’t faithfully use our gifts. In fact, our spiritual gifts actually belong to the local church family, not to us, and God commands us to “use” the gifts He has given us! God gives us the example of “prophecy” to illustrate these points.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
God has given each redeemed believer one or more “spiritual gifts”, the Greek word CHARISMA, which mean grace gift. Such gifts are different than natural abilities since we gain them not by our physical birth but rather our spiritual birth. To understand God’s purpose in giving us such spiritual gifts, vs. 4-8 explain a number of perspectives on gifts and gives us definitions of some of the gifts. We learn here that we are a “body part”, not a “body” unto ourselves. The different “body parts” have different function within the body, which is the local church family. In fact, our spiritual gifts actually belong to the local church family, not to us!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
A core conforming pressure of the world is human pride, which God defines as “thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought to think”. Pride makes us think we don’t really need God to enable us to face life successfully, that we have the power within ourselves to solve our problems and live our lives. God’s Word tells us the opposite is true, that apart from Christ we can do nothing! Pride deceives us into thinking we don’t need to obey Romans 12:1-2.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
God makes 3 intense appeals/commands to His redeemed children in light of His wonderful mercies revealed in Chapters 1-11. These three choices define how to please God with our lives as redeemed people. The first of these is the importance of choosing to present our bodies as living sacrifices, to determine to let Christ be Lord in our lives! The second choice is to determine to no longer be conformed to the world culture surrounding us, to adopt its ways. The third choice is to be transformed through a renewed mind, found only through God’s word and the work of the Holy Spirit within us.
Chapter 12 marks a major shift in Romans. God moves us from examining the wonderful plan of salvation, the Gospel and His plan for the Jewish people. He now turns to living within this world as redeemed believers. He makes 3 intense appeals/commands to His redeemed children that explain how to please God with our lives as redeemed people. The first of these is the importance of choosing to present our bodies as living sacrifices, to determine to let Christ be Lord in our lives!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
We must understand that mankind can never arrive at truth about life’s most important questions and issues. God has determined that we must have a “revelation dependency”, able to understand truth and life’s answers only through what God has revealed, never through our best thinking! No person knows the mind of God, been God’s counselor, or put God in their debt. Each of us are dependent on the wonderful plan of salvation (Romans 1:16) to solve our sin and separation problem. So definitely we all must agree “to Him be glory forever, AMEN”.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Verses 33-36 mark a transition in Romans. Paul, looking back over chapters 1-11 (like a mountain vista) is struck by the depths of God’s riches, wisdom, and knowledge! We could never find such truth apart from God revealing it to us in His Word. God has determined that mankind would never find the truth about life and eternity apart from turning to His Revelation!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Romans 11:16-24 provide for us a “Biblical Botany Lesson”. These verses introduce us to the “first-fruits” concept and the “roots and branches” image. In both cases God is helping us to better understand the fact that God is not yet finished with the Jewish people. More than this, God’s people, the “olive tree”, now includes both believing Jews “natural branches”, and gentile believers “wild branches”, built upon the root of the Lord Jesus Christ! All of these things underscore that God has an unfolding plan to save the lost that touches both Jews and Gentiles, and this plan has always been rooted in repentance and faith, not personal merit.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Romans 11:16-24 provide for us a “Biblical Botany Lesson”. These verses introduce us to the “first-fruits” concept and the “roots and branches” image. In both cases God is helping us to better understand the fact that God is not yet finished with the Jewish people. More than this, God’s people, the “olive tree”, now includes both believing Jews “natural branches”, and gentile believers “wild branches”, built upon the root of the Lord Jesus Christ!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
The chapter opened with reminding us that God is not yet finished with the Jewish people. While they are currently under His discipline, the Jewish people will eventually repent and become useful in God’s hands. Eventually the Jews will repent as this age finishes and God will return to the wonderful purpose for ethnic Israel to be His tool in reaching a lost world! So pray for the Jews, support the Jewish people, and oppose the enemies of the Jewish people.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
The chapter opened with reminding us that God is not yet finished with the Jewish people. While they are currently under His discipline, the Jewish people will eventually repent and become useful in God’s hands. Eventually the Jews will repent as this age finishes and God will return to the wonderful purpose for ethnic Israel to be His tool in reaching a lost world!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
This chapter opens with reminding us that God is not yet finished with the Jewish people. He has always had a remnant of believing Jews even in times of great rebellion, as in Elijah’s time. This fact was also true in Paul’s day and is true in our day. Eventually the remnant will grow as this age finishes and God will return to a wonderful purpose for ethnic Israel.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. While my current exposition is I Thessalonians, today's teaching is taken from Psalms 119:9-16. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Since the Gospel is the only way to be saved, there are two important implications for the believer. First, we need to understand that no one can be saved without actually hearing the Gospel. Second, hearing (while important) is not enough – one must also act the Gospel they hear. As we share the Gospel, God insures that people are convicted about the Gospel and understand the Gospel – but such conviction and understanding is not irresistible. We must choose to act on our understanding of the Gospel, to repent and believe!
Since the Gospel is the only way to be saved, there are two important implications for the believer. First, we need to understand that no one can be saved without actually hearing the Gospel – people need to Gospel content we have studied in Romans 1-5, the clarity about who Jesus is, why He came, the who/what/why of the Gospel content. Second, hearing (while important) is not enough – one must also act the Gospel they hear.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
No one has the choice of “whether” they will appear before God. Hebrews 9:27 reminds us that all will die and then face judgment. The choice before each person is “how” they will appear, what it is they are going to trust in to survive that inescapable encounter with the perfectly holy, righteous and just God! Choice #1 is the choice of self-righteousness, religious self-effort, believing (like the Jews) that we can “establish their own righteousness”. Choice #2 is the choice to accept our sin and hopeless "lostness", and decide to rest in the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ, credited to the life of all who repent and believe in the Gospel! God promises to all who make Choice #2 that they will never be put to shame, they will be saved, they will find eternal life with the Father. Choice #2 is open to all – have you chosen it?
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
No one has the choice of “whether” they will appear before God. Hebrews 9:27 reminds us that all will die and then face judgment. The choice before each person is “how” they will appear, what it is they are going to trust in to survive that inescapable encounter with the perfectly holy, righteous and just God! Choice #1 is the choice of self-righteousness, religious self-effort, believing (like the Jews) that we can “establish their own righteousness”. Choice #2 is the choice to accept our sin and hopeless lostness, and decide to rest in the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ, credited to the life of all who repent and believe in the Gospel! Which choice have you made in your life?
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Thessalonians. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
The wonder of the Gospel actually created a stumbling block for Jews (and all religious people). The Jews believed they could “establish their own righteousness” and earn their salvation before God based upon a sincere effort to try to live a good life and go through the proper religious ceremonies (also believed by all religious people). They rejected the idea that their sin required nothing less than the perfect righteousness of Christ being credited to them by faith in order to be saved. The other option is to accept our sin and hopeless lostness, and decide to rest in the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ, credited to the life of all who repent and believe in the Gospel! Which option best describes your life?
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
The wonder of the Gospel actually created a stumbling block for Jews (and all religious people). The Jews believed they could “establish their own righteousness” and earn their salvation before God based upon a sincere effort to try to live a good life and go through the proper religious ceremonies (also believed by all religious people). They rejected the idea that their sin required nothing less than the perfect righteousness of Christ being credited to them by faith in order to be saved.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
God is patient with us as “rebel pottery”, wishing for us to repent and believe in the Gospel so we could change from being “objects of wrath” and become “objects of His mercy”! Thus it is God patience that allows a saved remnant of fallen humanity in every era. In other words, God patiently waits on us to “come to our senses” regarding the Gospel, to decide to repent and believe in response to the conviction of our hearts.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
While we are very much “lumps of clay”, we are also much more than merely clay – we are created in the image of God! God is patient with us as “rebel pottery”, wishing for us to repent and believe in the Gospel so we could change from being “objects of wrath” and become “objects of His mercy”! God’s great purpose is to patiently save out a remnant of rebel mankind to become His very children!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Don’t fall into the trap of questioning the justice of God! We can easily make some wrong assumptions about the implications of His sovereignty. We must always distinguish between God working in people in ways related to “positions” He has place them in, and the way God works in people in ways related to “personal relationship with God”. No one can resist “positionally” God movement in decisions being made, but on the “personal relationship with God” level, a person can very much choose to resist acting properly in response to the conviction (which is irresistible) in their hearts about whether to repent and believe. While we are very much “lumps of clay”, we are also much more than merely clay – we are created in the image of God!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
It is not unjust for God to choose to use certain groups or certain people for His purposes in this world – His choice in either case is not tied to the worthiness of the group or individual, but to His own good plan. To understand how such action on God’s part is not unjust, we must learn to distinguish between “positional hardening” and “personal hardening”. As Prov. 21:1 makes plain, the heart of a king is “water in the hands of the Lord”, and God will work to bring about the decisions He desires through their positions (even such hardening). But when it comes to a personal decision to respond to God, God does not harden a person, although a refusal to believe can lead to increasing spiritual hardness in a person.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse.Pastor Dwayne Seley is speaking today in the North Coast Pulpit while I am in the hospital.
Was God unjust in choosing who would be His people, or who would be part of the Messianic line? The answer to this question is tied to the fact that God’s decision to use a group or an individual for particular purposes has nothing ultimately to do with their inherent worthiness. No one or no group ever deserved God’s mercy and grace – all are stubborn and rebellious before God, breakers of the greatest commandment!
The second part of the explanation that Jewish ethnicity has never been enough for people to be saved is seen in the example of Isaac’s children, Esau and Jacob. Ethnicity must be combined with personal repentance and faith in order to be right with God.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Having Jewish ethnicity has never been enough for people to be saved. Even those with a genetic tie to Abraham’s line still needed to personally repent and believe in order to be saved. The first example of this truth is seen in the genetic sons of Abraham, Isaac and Ishmael.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Chapters 9-11 explain to us God’s continuing purpose for the Jews, a purpose that continues despite their rejection of the Messiah at Christ’s first coming. These verses highlight nine unique benefits the Jews enjoyed.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Chapters 9-11 explain to us God’s continuing purpose for the Jews, a purpose that continues despite their rejection of the Messiah at Christ’s first coming. The first part of God’s clarification about His plan for the Jews is to understand that God intends us, like Paul, to be deeply burdened for their salvation!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
When doubting your salvation, remind yourself of the three rhetorical questions God poses in these verses - that “If God is for us, who can be against us?”, “Who shall bring any charge?”, and “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?”. Settle your heart in God’s promise that nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
When the inner fear that the results of salvation, as developed in our study of Romans, all seems “too good to be true”, that there must be “fine print in this contract”, settle your heart be resting in God’s promise that nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus! Remind yourself that “God is for us”!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
God great purpose in the life of every believer, everyone who has repented and believed in the Gospel, is to conform them to the image of Jesus Christ. We, as adopted children of God, will gradually end up looking like the “First-Born” in the family, the Lord Jesus Christ! This process begins with being made new creations, continues with transformation in this life through the Word and the indwelling Holy Spirit, and eventually will be completed in our resurrection bodies!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
God reveals an objective truth about the circumstances of our lives as His redeemed children. “All things” that happen to us are covered by this objective truth. God promises us that all things actually “work together”, are in synergy to contribute to a wonderful outcome. The wonderful outcome for His children of “all things working together” is that they produce “good”. Thus everything that goes on is under God’s control and He is using everything to accomplish a good end.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week
The indwelling Holy Spirit gives us strength in our battle with temptation and sin, He assures us of our adoption and inheritance. Now we discover He helps us in our prayer life as well. The Holy Spirit ensures that all our prayers are ultimately in line with the perfect will of the Father.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
The indwelling Holy Spirit gives us strength in our battle with temptation and sin, He assures us of our adoption and inheritance. Now we discover He helps us in our prayer life as well.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Even as redeemed people, we find an “inner groaning” as we desire not only the redemption of our souls (already true when we repent and believe), but also the redemption if our physical bodies (to be delivered from a body that fights our new self). And we also find an “inner groaning” as we desire to see God’s Kingdom replace the sinful, brutal world in which we currently live.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. Today's focus is I Cor. 15:1-20 showing the importance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Certainty about our inheritance in Christ is intended to help us face our current sufferings in a more balanced manner. Our inheritance is tied to coming glory to be revealed upon Christ’s return, a time of Millennial Kingdom, followed by the eternity in new heavens and earth. And the fallen physical world around us groans for this wonderful time to come!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Verses 9-17 provide a number of important truths about the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwells all who “belong to Christ”, but being indwelt does not equal being empowered. We must allow the indwelling Holy Spirit to become the “filling of the Holy Spirit” by surrender and conscious dependency. The indwelling Holy Spirit also assures us of both our adoption as children of God and position of heirs with Christ!
Power for the battle we face with our flesh, the world, and Satan is found only through drawing upon the indwelling Holy Spirit’s strength. Although redeemed in Christ, we do not have strength apart from the indwelling Holy Spirit to live in victory. The Holy Spirit indwells all who “belong to Christ”, but being indwelt does not equal being empowered. We must allow the indwelling Holy Spirit to become the “filling of the Holy Spirit” by surrender and conscious dependency.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
We are called to “set our minds” – being redeemed makes such a mind-set choice possible, although we need the enabling of the Holy Spirit to carry out the mind-set choice. There are only two choices here, not three. We either have our minds set of the “flesh”, or our minds set on the “Spirit”. And there will be consequences of the choice we make about mind-set.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
We are baffled by sin’s continuing power to tempt us and defeat us and we often feel both wretched and uncertain/insecure about our salvation as a result. Chapter 8 begins by reminding us that our “performance” is not the basis for our “redemption”. Our justification is rooted in Christ’s performance and death, not our level of victory in the battle for control of our walk in this world!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
We are baffled by sin’s continuing power to tempt us. God helps us to understand our inner battle by presenting 5 truths about the battle. 1st – God has actually changed us at the deepest level. 2nd – God has left us (for now) in still fallen physical bodies. 3rd – As a result, sin will continue to oppose us in the battle for con troll of our daily walk. 4th – Remind ourselves of the truth that “I am of the flesh”. 5th – Realize the “new self” by itself cannot win the battle – we each need the enabling of the Holy Spirit in this fight!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
We are baffled by sin’s continuing power to tempt us. God helps us to understand our inner battle by presenting 5 truths about the battle. 1st – God has actually changed us at the deepest level. 2nd – God has left us (for now) in still fallen physical bodies. 3rd – As a result, sin will continue to oppose us in the battle for con troll of our daily walk.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is II Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Sin’s power requires more than our own strength to overcome. Only redemption, surrender, and the indwelling Holy Spirit are enough to solve sin’s problem. Never underestimate the power of sin or the importance of sin in our lives!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
God’s law, the basis for relationship with God, not only condemns all mankind (why we need the Gospel), but also acts to stimulate the “old man” to rebel against God’s law. Coveting is the core example of this dynamic and is seen in Genesis 3 by how Eve responded to Satan’s temptation in the Garden of Eden.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
The redeemed have “died to the law” in the sense our relationship with God is now rooted in Christ’s righteousness (justification), not our obedience to the law. Yet obeying the law is still important, not to be saved or stay saved, but to keep sin’s continuing damage at bay and producing fruit from our lives in this world!
We will either be growing as a disciple or drifting into increasing slavery to self and sin – we can’t really just remain static. Growing requires nothing less than a continuing decision to surrender the control of our lives to Christ (lordship) and conscious dependency upon the indwelling Holy Spirit’s enablement to defeat sin. To decide to not make Christ Lord will always lead to increasing self-deception and increasing slavery to self and sin for a redeemed believer!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Although believers are under grace and delivered from eternal judgment for sin, sin can still enslave their lives in this world if they choose to give into the temptation to sin. Sin choices have consequences even in the life of a believer. That is why God calls for us to choose obedience!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week. Today I am examining Bethlehem throughout Biblical history.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. But today's teaching is a special Christmas teaching on John 1:1-14 "the Incarnation". The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
God calls for us to consider or reckon certain things to be true for us as believers. To “consider/reckon” means to accept something as true and a fact that can be acted upon. When we were saved, we “considered/reckoned” that the Romans 1-5 message of our sin and accountability to be true, that Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sin, and that we could be saved by repentance and faith in Him. Now, in the same way, God calls for us to “consider/reckon” some other revealed facts are true. Specifically, we are to consider (reckon, trust) that we have died to sin and that we are now alive to God in Christ Jesus.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
As believers, we have been delivered from sin’s accountability (justified now and at peace with God) and also sin’s power (we have been made new creation at our deepest level and are indwelt by the Holy Spirit). As a result, we, who were once hopeless slaves of sin, can now live in freedom!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
God has changed us at the core of our being and we have died to sin and can now walk in newness of life. But sin has not yet died in this world and temptation is an active reality – victory requires a determination to grow and a dependency upon the indwelling Holy Spirit.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Romans 6-8 address the question of sin in the life of a believer. Since we have been justified by faith, does it even matter whether we now deal with sin properly in our lives? The answer is “yes” and God’s great intention for the redeemed person is to grow in holiness as a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
The free gift of God’s Grace, the Gospel, solves reality of sin and its consequences in our lives! Grace contrasts with sin in wonderful ways, including breaking the power of sin in our lives, the focus of the upcoming chapters 6-8 in Romans.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
We all inherited the inclination to sin as a result of Adam’s sin choice. We all have personally chosen to sin. So we are all sinners by personal choice and sinners by spiritual heredity! Therefore, all need the free gift of God’s Grace, the Gospel, to solve this reality of sin and its consequences in our lives!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Sin is first and foremost a spiritual issue, not a moral or ethical issue. Sin in its essence is to reject God’s laws and to reject God’s rightful role in our lives as “Lord”. Satan became the first to respond to God in this manner – he then tempted Adam and Eve (and all men and women since then) to join in this response to God. The result: “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23)
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Five wonderful results of the Gospel are seen in five shifts in verb tenses in verses 9-11. A wonderful framework of the past, present, and future that provide security for the those who have repented and believed in the Gospel!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
God’s love is seen in the timing of the Lord’s birth, the reality of His death and resurrection, and in the fact that we didn’t deserve the work He came to do, which was to save us!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Though justified, we still must live in a fallen world, in a battle field against the world, the flesh and the Devil. The outcome is suffering. Yet God enables us to face the inevitable suffering differently! We can know He will use the hard times for positive outcomes in our spiritual growth as disciples!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Justification has enabled us to have peace with God and to have free access to the Father. Justification also changes the basis on which we stand before a holy God, moving from our own merit to the Grace-granted merit of the perfect life of Jesus Christ!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
In Abraham’s example, we learn that saving faith means to “hope against hope”, to “consider the facts”, to “face the facts”, and to “choose to trust/rest on God’s promises”.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Abraham believed God’s promise of a son, a nation, the world although he had no son, nation, or world at the time of the promise. Like Abraham, we are called to trust God’s promise in the Gospel even though we are obviously not righteous in ourselves, nor deserving of salvation. But in the Gospel, God “Calls Into Existence The Things That Do Not Exist” and offers us a “credited righteousness” in Christ!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
The issue of circumcision in the New Testament church reflected the broader question of the relationship between religious sacraments and justification. The clear answer from the Word is that justification comes from faith, not religious sacraments.
Both Abraham and King David demonstrated the difference between trying to earn their salvation through establishing their own righteousness or trusting in the promises of God and finding the credited righteousness that comes from such faith.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Three core questions are discussed: Can I contribute anything to salvation? Does the Gospel apply to everybody? Does the Gospel make the law of God no longer important?
Due to sin, we all needed rescued from the penalty of our sin. This rescue was found in the shed blood of Christ, who made “propitiation” for our sins on the cross. While the Gospel tells us of God promised solution to sin accountability through the cross, it also tells us that we must decide to personally trust in this Divine solution.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week. This week I will take a break in the I Peter study because the teaching time was given by a missionary friend I will call “Timothy” because his actual name can’t be used. He works in a part of the world where he must not be known to the authorities as a Christian missionary. I hope you enjoy his thoughts on James 5:7-11.
God promises to credit Christ’s righteousness to those who repent and believe in the Gospel – an unmerited, undeserved gift, but a gift that ultimately solves our impossible problem of sin’s accountability!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Christ’s righteousness is the only solution to men and women who have “fallen short” of God’s standards, and everyone has fallen short!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. These once per week teaching times average around 40-45 minutes. The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
All men and women are "under sin", all are in a hopeless and helpless place facing inescapable accountability before God and eternal separation from God due to sin. Yet in our hopeless condition, God did something (But God…) by sending His Son to die for our sin!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. These once per week teaching times average around 40-45 minutes (in contrast to the daily UNFOLDING THE WORD teaching which are normally 10-11 minutes in length). The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
All men and women are “under sin”, which means to be guilty of sin and accountable for the sin and rebellion against God. Everyone needs the Gospel, which can save all those who are “under sin”!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. These once per week teaching times average around 40-45 minutes (in contrast to the daily UNFOLDING THE WORD teaching which are normally 10-11 minutes in length). The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
The greatest advantage one can have in this world is to have access to the Word of God. Such access doesn’t save anyone, but it introduces them to the truth that will save!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. These once per week teaching times average around 40-45 minutes (in contrast to the daily UNFOLDING THE WORD teaching which are normally 10-11 minutes in length). The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
One sin undoes any value from a religious rite or sacrament. No sacrament can save us, only a Savior can save us!
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. These once per week teaching times average around 40-45 minutes (in contrast to the daily UNFOLDING THE WORD teaching which are normally 10-11 minutes in length). The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Religion by itself can lead to reformed behavior, but can never change the heart. More importantly, no religious effort can ever atone for our sin, which is the real problem of humanity.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. These once per week teaching times average around 40-45 minutes (in contrast to the daily UNFOLDING THE WORD teaching which are normally 10-11 minutes in length). The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
God has written the core of His law into the hearts of all people in the form of their conscience. And all people have failed keeping this inner law in the same way they have failed keeping the written law
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. These once per week teaching times average around 40-45 minutes (in contrast to the daily UNFOLDING THE WORD teaching which are normally 10-11 minutes in length). The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week
No person will be exempt from having to answering for their sin, except those who have passed our judgment into life through repentance and faith in the Gospel.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. These once per week teaching times average around 40-45 minutes (in contrast to the daily UNFOLDING THE WORD teaching which are normally 10-11 minutes in length). The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. These once per week teaching times average around 40-45 minutes (in contrast to the daily UNFOLDING THE WORD teaching which are normally 10-11 minutes in length). The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. These once per week teaching times average around 40-45 minutes (in contrast to the daily UNFOLDING THE WORD teaching which are normally 10-11 minutes in length). The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. These once per week teaching times average around 40-45 minutes (in contrast to the daily UNFOLDING THE WORD teaching which are normally 10-11 minutes in length). The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Sinners decide to not honor God, thank God, rely on God’s revealed truth, and worship idols
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. These once per week teaching times average around 40-45 minutes (in contrast to the daily UNFOLDING THE WORD teaching which are normally 10-11 minutes in length). The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
Sharing the Gospel is a moral obligation because it’s the only cure for the fatal condition of mankind
“SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS” are extended weekly Bible teaching times in which I go through a Book of Bible verse by verse. My current exposition is I Peter. These once per week teaching times average around 40-45 minutes (in contrast to the daily UNFOLDING THE WORD teaching which are normally 10-11 minutes in length). The SUNDAY EXPOSITIONS are posted on Sunday each week.
One proof that a person has been saved is when we see they are burdened to share with others
The Gospel is all about Jesus Christ, the Son of God – His birth, death, and resurrection
We have been “set apart” in order to share the “Good News” to a world living under some “bad news”
The Bible makes no promise of answered prayer for an unbeliever beyond the prayer of repentance and faith in the Gospel
Do we close up our hearts or open our hearts when we see needs in brothers and sisters?
Cain (and all the lost) feel anger toward God, reject inner conviction of sin, and refuse repentance!
Redeemed have new heart, conviction from Holy Spirit, and power from the indwelling Holy Spirit
Our protection is rooted in the Holy Spirit's ministry of discernment within our heart and the objective teachings of God's Word
Don't be "positionally reconciled", but "experientally distanced" from God in your life.
All are wronged sooner or later in a church family - avoid bitterness and show good to those who hurt you
All are weak at times, the church is a place for the weak to be helped and for all to experience patience from others.
The faint-hearted person is the timid person - they need encouraged to be bolder in their faith
Paul was directive in ministry, exhorting, encouraging, charging - saying was what needed, not what was wanted.
Look for a burden for the lost, surrender to lordship of Christ, and desire for Christ to return.
God doesn't answer all our questions about the future, but gives us everything we really need to know
A continuing conflict throughout time, high lighting the 1st and 2nd coming of the Messiah
The "princes" here refers to Angels (mostly fallen) behind the nations and rulers of the Gentile kingdoms.