Thirteen Core Values

Thirteen Core Values for Equipping the SaintsSelected ScripturesNovember 5, 2023 When we train counselors and disciplers, we frequently talk about our motives — why do we do what we do? We understand that there is a connection between what is inside us and what we do — our inner man determines what we […]

In that Day…God Remembers

In That Day…God RemembersZechariahOctober 22, 2023 In his book, The Body: a Guide for Occupants, Bill Bryson tells us about our memories: Short-term memory is really short—no more than half a minute or so for things like addresses and phone numbers.…Most people’s short-term memory is pretty abysmal. Six random words or digits is about all […]

The Messiah’s Worshippers

The Messiah’s WorshippersZechariah 14:16-21October 15, 2023 Many years ago I took my first trip to Israel. The trip ended with several days in Jerusalem and I, like all the other visitors, was struck by the presence of armed military everywhere. In the markets, at the Wailing Wall, at the city gates, at the holy sites…it […]

The Holy Spirit and Biblical Counseling

Last week I preached at the annual conference for the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors. My task was to address the sufficiency of the Holy Spirit from Galatians 3. I had more than a year to prepare the message. I regularly have too much material for a weekly sermon; having a year to prepare (even […]

What the Spirit has done (and does)

The Galatians overlooked and minimized the work of the Holy Spirit of God. They acknowledged that He was instrumental in their salvation, but they were determined to bypass His work for their ongoing sanctification — they believed that they were capable of sanctifying themselves without His efforts. The temptation that derailed their walk with Christ […]

The Messiah’s Victory

The Messiah’s VictoryZechariah 14:10-15September 24, 2023 One husband was complaining to his wife about their children, wondering if they would ever grow up. Saying, “Just a moment,” his wife pulled out a worn box that contained a frayed, yellowing diary — her diary from the year 1945. She read this entry from a particularly bad […]

The Messiah’s Return (Pt. 2)

The Messiah’s Return (Pt. 2)Zechariah 14:6-9September 17, 2023 The coming of the Messiah (Christ) as King is one of the dominant themes in the OT: For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful […]

Israel’s upcoming exodus

Many details about the second coming of Christ are unknown to us (like the detail we most want to know — when?), but a great many details are revealed to us. Zechariah particularly provides a vivid picture of what the coming of Christ will look like: He will descend bodily from Heaven and will come […]

Why study eschatology?

There is so much about eschatology (the doctrine of end times) that is perplexing (how should we understand all those visions in Ezekiel?), debatable (can dispensationalists and amillennialists get along with each other?) and parts are (much is?) unknowable (even Jesus in His humanity did not know the day or time of His return, Mt. […]

The Messiah’s Return

The Messiah’s ReturnZechariah 14:1-5September 10, 2023 In February 1942, the American war against the Japanese in the Philippines was not going well. It was going so poorly that by March 12, 1942, President Roosevelt ordered General Douglas MacArthur, who was stationed in the Philippines, to leave and relocate his command in Australia. MacArthur briefly considered […]

The Father’s Pleasure in Bruising the Son

Being finite, created beings, we understand that some biblical and theological realities are beyond our comprehension. While God has revealed them to us as true, we cannot grasp the full meaning behind the words. Such is the case with the crucifixion of the Son of God by the Father of God. How can the Father […]

The Messiah’s Redeeming Work, Pt. 2

The Messiah’s Redeeming Work, Pt. 2Zechariah 13:7-9September 3, 2023 In his book, Rejoicing in Christ, Michael Reeves writes, “On the cross we are given not only the sweet salvation of God but the counterintuitive revelation of God. On the cross we see how humble, how self-giving, how perfectly generous and compassionate the living God is. […]

The problem with idols

Israel had a persistent problem with idols and idolatry. The yearning for idols first appeared in Abraham’s granddaughter (by marriage) who stole her father’s idols when she left his home to marry Jacob (Gen. 31). And idols were a problem for Micah (not the prophet; cf. Judges 17-18), Michal (1 Sam. 19), Solomon (1 Kings […]

The Messiah’s Redeeming Work

The Messiah’s Redeeming WorkZechariah 13:1-6August 27, 2023 A few years ago, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Invention Index conducted a poll, asking what five inventions Americans believed they could not live without. The answers (in reverse order) were: 5. The microwave4. The cell phone3. The personal computer2. The automobile1. The toothbrush Another survey found that the […]

What the Spirit of God does

When a believer in Christ is saved, the Spirit of God unites him to Christ (Rom. 6:2-3), and Christ gives the Spirit to the believer (Eph. 1:13-14). This gift is of such great benefit that Christ told the disciples it was better that He leave their presence physically so that they might be given this […]