It's Theme Thursday and we're looking at Famous Sayings That Aren’t In The Bible. Here's one: "God Helps Those Who Help Themselves." Really? Thankfully, you and I have a God who helps the helpless.
It doesn’t take long for the word to spread when you’ve got something good to share. Take a look at Andrew and his brother, Simon.
In 1993 an amazing experiment took place in space that attempted to reflect sunlight and shine it back down on the part of the globe that is sitting in darkness. Sound impossible? In Isaiah, God promised His Servant would shine the light of salvation to the ends of the earth.
Have you ever wondered why John the Baptizer used the words that he did to point out our Savior? After all, John could have just said, “Hey everyone, look –there’s Jesus!” God reveals His Son by telling us who He is and what it He came to accomplish for us.
How can you and I make daily use of our Baptism? Wait, what? Yes, you heard right – daily use of your baptism.
Did you make any New Year's resolutions this year? How is that going? As one writer asks, "Why is it with such good intention ... improving our lives seems so elusive?”
It's Theme Thursday and we're looking at Famous Sayings That Aren’t In The Bible. Here's one: "God Works In Mysterious Ways." God's thoughts are truly higher than our thoughts. However, God shows His great love for us in His Son and has revealed Himself in His Word.
In your baptism, you were connected with everything that Jesus has accomplished for you. In your baptism, you died with Him. In your baptism, you were raised with Him. Through faith in Christ, and in the gift of mercy God has poured out upon You, you are more alive than ever.
On the surface, baptism looks like pretty ordinary stuff – someone applying water to someone else. Cute, worthy of a few snapshots, but nothing spectacular going on here. But here’s where a closer look reveals something far greater than imagined.
"Here's someone who needs no introduction." That's what announcers often say on television ... just before they announce their guest. Before they invite them on stage they list everything that sets them apart. God introduced our Savior in Isaiah, and described Him and His work, centuries before Jesus stepped into the water at the Jordan River.
Have you ever taken a panoramic picture with your camera or smartphone? Following Paul's introduction, the opening twelve verses of Ephesians provide us with a panoramic view of our salvation accomplished for us by our God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It stretches across eternity and provides a view which is both breathtaking and reassuring.
Where's Jesus? Imagine Joseph and Mary asking each other that question at the end of a days's travel. This was one of those frightening life moments. You and I may have a few of those now and then. With a new year underway, knowing where Jesus may be found isn't a hypothetical question. We need to know exactly where He is where and to look.
It's Theme Thursday and we're looking at Famous Sayings That Aren’t In The Bible. Here's one: "This Too Shall Pass." It's a phrase that's often thought to be from God's Word, but you won't find it in the Scriptures. However, what God has promised is even better.
At twelve years of age, here was Jesus at the Temple, hearing and asking questions. But here also was Jesus, the teacher, amazing everyone with His understanding and answers. Jesus was in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover with Mary and Joseph. The day would come when Jesus, the very Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, would return to Jerusalem to be sacrificed for our salvation.
A seal is a symbol of ownership. It was used on property and letters to bear witness to their validity and legal standing. God Himself, who has called you to faith by the Gospel, has marked you with a remarkable seal which gives real comfort and assurance. You are His.
When the Wise Men came to worship Jesus, it wasn't the "Silent Night" calm of the stable. And as You and I begin this new year, it may already be filled with straining challenges and difficult circumstances. By God's grace, His Word still leads us to Christ.
Do remember getting into trouble when you were a kid? Were you called in for a scolding? The best thing you could do was to look down at your shoes. God's blessing in Numbers assures us that, through faith, we can look up from our shoes and see the forgiving face that is looking upon us.
What is God doing right now? That may seem like an unusual question. He daily forgives our sins. He hears our prayers and He answers them according to His will. He upholds and sustains the world He created, and so much more. But God is also at work in a unique way that we may not always recognize.
Throughout Advent, the season leading up to Christmas, we heard just some of the many promises God spoke through the prophets concerning the coming of our Savior. And now, we hear the familiar refrain in Scripture, "And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet." We have a God who keeps all His promises.
For you and me, one week after Christmas brings us to the beginning of a new calendar year. For Jesus, one week after Christmas brought Him to the day He was circumcised and given His name. By His grace, these two events tie together nicely.
I know what the score of the Super Bowl will be in 2020 before the game begins. And that's not all. God's Word gives us the certainty of knowing some marvelous things as well.
There's a real temptation to want to leave the Christmas story with Jesus in the manger - a moment frozen in time. But the importance of our Savior's incarnation doesn't end at the stable.
Tomorrow in church the candles will be lit and the tree will be sparkling. Christmas is such a wonderful festival that we set aside twelve days to celebrate it. There's so much good news that it's not a day – it's a season!
Have you returned any gifts yet? The temptation of our culture – now that Christmas Day has passed – is to pack baby Jesus off, and the Good News of the season, and exchange it all for the latest toy that catches our attention. But John wants you to know that God's great Gift is a keeper.
Happy Boxing Day! Has anyone shared this greeting with you today?
He's here! Today, you and I hear the happiest news that could ever ring in our ears! Merry Christmas!
Have you opened your Christmas gifts yet? How did you react when you saw them? How do you react to Isaiah's news this day, "To us a Child is born, to us a Son is given"?
Would you like peace and happiness for Christmas? Are you sure? Or, are you afraid of being disappointed?
Here's a great song to hear on the radio during these days leading up to Christmas. God also puts a Christmas song in our heart as we look forward to our eternal home with Him.
It's easy to overlook the marvel of a baby hearing its parents for the first time in a quiet nursery. It's just as easy to overlook how blessed we are to hear the amazing word that our Savior has come. However, it's more than sweet...it's remarkable!
