Resources

April 17, 2023

We Are Forgiven, He Was Forsaken

“Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered” (Psalm 32:1).   “About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ (which means ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’)” (Matthew 27:46).   This fourth statement from the cross is the very core of our redemption. It is the very essence of the Christian faith. If you miss this, you miss everything.   Had the Father not turned His back on the Son, had the Father not abandoned the Son at that moment, we could never be sure that the Son actually carried our sin and our judgment on the cross.   This is the most surprising statement of all those Christ made from the cross. In fact, it is downright confusing to many people. Here the word forsaken literally means “to leave someone in a lurch, to abandon someone completely.” How can the Father abandon His Son, […]
April 10, 2023

With Me in Paradise

“Jesus answered him, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise’” (Luke 23:43).   As we continue looking at the statements of Jesus on the cross, today we look at His second: “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).   In one of His final interactions before His death, Jesus compassionately extended eternal life. As He openly prayed for the forgiveness of His killers, Jesus sparked an internal transformation in the criminal next to Him. In humility, the criminal said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (v. 42). In the midst of great suffering and torment, our Savior did not allow His own pain and circumstances to distract Him from the cries of faith from a repentant sinner. Jesus knew that this was the very reason He was hanging on that cross. Just as He was not too preoccupied to minister to this criminal, He is […]
April 3, 2023

Father, Forgive Them

“Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’ And they divided up his clothes by casting lots” (Luke 23:34).   Hanging from the cross on Calvary, Jesus uttered seven powerful statements that reveal His heart and ministry. Each individual statement carries the full weight of the Gospel, but together they are a concise portrait of God’s eternal plan of salvation. This portrait reminds us that nothing but the finished work of Jesus Christ assures eternal salvation. Over the next several days, we will look at these seven statements from the cross.   In His first statement, Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Jesus did not ask forgiveness for Himself—being sinless, He did not need forgiveness. Jesus did not ask for a quick, painless death—He knew His purpose for dying on the cross. Jesus did not ask God for vengeance on the people who sentenced […]
March 27, 2023

Let Truth Be the Light

“But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God” (John 3:21). One of God’s greatest desires for us is that we come to know Him intimately. He made the ultimate sacrifice so that we may have constant fellowship with Him, laying the foundation for a powerful relationship that transforms our lives and causes us to become who we were created to be. However, in relating to God, we must be honest about living and walking in the Truth. Establishing Truth deep in our heart so that it transforms our character takes work. Though we have heard all the right answers and know the Truth, sometimes we act as if we do not really believe it. What we truly believe is best determined through how we live, not just what we say. To walk in the Truth is to walk […]
March 27, 2023

Tempting Ourselves

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41).  If you’re a genuine believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, Satan and his demons will tempt you. But we also know from the Word of God that God has given us the power to have victory over Satan’s temptation (see James 4:7 and 1 Corinthians 10:13). The problem is that we tempt ourselves. We know Satan tempts us, but we can also tempt ourselves when we put ourselves into situations that cause our sinful flesh to rise up and crave what is ungodly. In those moments, we become our own worst enemies. When Jesus taught us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation,” He meant us to ask God to empower us not to tempt ourselves nor to tempt God. But, how do we tempt God? Don’t get me wrong, God cannot be tempted by evil. That is […]
March 20, 2023

Heeding the Warnings of Jesus

Read Mark 10:17-31. “Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, ‘How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!’” (Mark 10:23). With so much uncertainty in the world, so much volatility in the economy, and so much negativity all around us, it can be tempting to envy the rich. After all, the wealthy are not as vulnerable to higher prices and the fluctuations of the labor market. They have money and resources in reserve—just in case life takes a turn for the worse. Many rich people also have connections that ensure they have access to the necessities of life if there are shortages. There is, of course, nothing wrong with wealth in and of itself. Many heroes of the faith in Scripture were wealthy—Abraham, David, and Daniel to name a few. The Bible never condemns riches outright; rather, the Word of God condemns men and women who place all their hope and trust in their […]
March 13, 2023

Trusting in the Name of the Lord

Read Proverbs 18:10-12. “The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” (Proverbs 18:10). There are many places in the world where professing faith in Christ can cost you your freedom, even your life. Yet it is in those places where people are running to Christ by the thousands—sometimes the tens of thousands. At the same time, here in the West, where people can attend church freely and proclaim their faith in Jesus publicly without fear of reprisal, many people are walking away from the true faith. They’re taking their eyes off heaven and settling for this world. This is the state of the world today, and so I wonder if the Lord may be in the process of gathering His elect from every language, tribe, and nation. It also appears that perhaps Satan is preparing the world for the arrival of his emissary, the figure the Bible refers to as the […]
March 6, 2023

Examining What’s in Your Heart

“The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights” (Habakkuk 3:19). Read Habakkuk 3:16-19. Like the prophet Habakkuk before us, we may want to cry out, “God, evil is thriving, and the wicked are succeeding! How long must we cry out to You for help?” When we do this, however, we are asking the wrong questions. Instead of questioning God, we ought to be questioning ourselves. We ought to be asking, What is God teaching me? Do I need to repent? Do I need to grow in faith? Is there something I need to do? You see, instead of blaming God when things look grim, we should be praising Him and examining ourselves. Tough times are an opportunity to look inward and purify our hearts in the power of Christ. This is precisely what Habakkuk discovered. At first, the prophet said to God, “I stand […]
February 27, 2023

Waiting on God’s Answer

“Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy” (Habakkuk 3:2).   Read Habakkuk 3:1-15.   There are times when we pray and there doesn’t seem to be an answer. There are other times when God’s answer seems to be “Wait just a little while longer. Not yet.” And, as Habakkuk experienced, there are times when the answer we receive is the opposite of what we want to hear. When any of these things happen, it can be easy to sink deep into discouragement. But that is not our only option. Like Habakkuk, we can allow these disappointments to draw us into greater intimacy with God.   Instead of being angry with the Lord, instead of developing a hard heart toward God, instead of deciding to give up praying, Habakkuk turned his unanswered prayer into an opportunity to grow […]
February 20, 2023

Ephesus and the Loss of First Love

“Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first” (Revelation 2:4). Read Revelation 2:1-7. In the Roman Empire, Ephesus was an important and prosperous city—the center of pagan worship. Near the city was the famous temple of Artemis, or Diana, which was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Needless to say, Ephesus was a popular destination for religious pilgrims and tourists alike. The city was so influential that the apostle Paul spent three years there as part of his Gospel mission to the Gentiles. In His letter, Jesus commended the believers in Ephesus for their hard work and perseverance. He applauded their zeal and how they rejected false teachers who tried to lead them astray. He also recognized that they had endured hardships for the sake of His name (see Revelation 2:2-3). However, even with such a praise report, there was a serious problem. The Ephesian church had forgotten their first […]
February 13, 2023

Timeless Messages for the Church

“Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea” (Revelation 1:11).  Read Revelation 1:1-11.  These days, it’s rare to get a letter in the mail. Friends and family are more likely to send you a text, an email, or a message on social media. So, if someone were to send you a handwritten letter the old-fashioned way, it would grab your attention. Imagine, if you will, what it would be like to receive a note in the mail from your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. You would pore over every word, savor every line, and take every statement to heart, wouldn’t you? Then I have news for you: There are seven letters from Jesus in the book of Revelation, and although they are addressed to seven specific churches in history, Jesus also intended them for you today. In context, these letters found in Revelation 2-3 are […]
February 6, 2023

The Truth About Life in Christ

“What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25a). Read Romans 7:1-25. In this passage, the apostle Paul outlines four Truths about our life in Christ to encourage us as we seek to live for Him.  We are bound to Christ, not the law (vv. 1-6). Christ frees us from the bondage of performance of the law so that we now have joy instead of despair, life instead of death, love instead of duty, and willing service instead of begrudging effort.  Maturity builds up (vv. 7-13). Immature Christians live depending on themselves. But sooner or later, they fail because the law cannot help anyone overcome their sin. Mature Christians do not blame the law, but daily accept their desperate need for a Savior.  Do-it-yourself religion will fail (vv. 14-23). Temptation will always find us on this side […]