If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. James 1:5 ESV By what means do we attain wisdom? By asking God. The Father is generous indeed. If He would not withhold His only Son, He will neither withhold wisdom. …
You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Exodus 20:7 ESV Sermons must take on the tone of their text. Expository preaching must capture not simply the point of the passage in question but also …
Having now addressed the responsibilities and qualifications for the two offices found within the church, we now turn our attention toward the entire congregation, the church members. As with elders and deacons, we will study both the responsibilities and qualifications of being a church member. Here we will focus on church members’ three big responsibilities: …
Obviously, the severity of Paul’s language in Philippians 3:2 reveals the seriousness of the threat of the Judaizers to Christianity. Perhaps it is worth considering for a moment the worth and danger of using harsh language to describe theological realities. Given that our current society tends to value kindness over truth (likely an overcorrection of …
You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, …
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word …
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. Proverbs 16:25 ESV What proverb better describes life in the aftermath of the Fall? Our sin clouds our judgments. It covers our eyes. We seek after things that seem to bring joy, pleasure, and happiness, but they …
And God spoke all these words, saying, I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. Exodus 20:1-3 ESV Throughout our study on the Ten Commandments, we will seek to focus a great deal upon …
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother. To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. Colossians 1:1-2 ESV Like all of Paul’s letters, the opening greeting is full of introductory concepts and phrases for us to …
The first five books of the Bible, commonly called the Pentateuch or Torah, are not merely the opening act of God’s revelation to humanity nor should we read them simply as a historical account of our faith’s roots. Instead, alongside the rest of the Old Testament, we affirm these writings to be the presently applicable …
B. C. Newton 