When you sin, how quickly do you repent? David held on to one of his sins for over a year! And his words in Psalm 32 are that it ate him up. He was physically affected because of his sin. Finally he couldn't take it anymore, and stopped trying to cover up his own sin. He confessed it and found that when he did – the LORD covered his sin for him! So he tells us: "Don't do what I did! Repent IMMEDIATELY!"
As Paul and Barnabas travel to Antioch, they are invited to speak at a synagogue. Paul launches into his first recorded sermon, and proclaims that God’s promises to Abraham and David are fulfilled in Jesus Christ! The blessing to Abraham in Genesis 12 pointed to Jesus, forgiving our sins and justifying us through his death & resurrection.
The church in Acts is taking off like a roller coaster, picking up speed as the number of disciples continues to grow. But not everything is going perfectly smoothly. As numbers rapidly increase, so does the opportunity for conflict. Sure enough, what started out as a good benevolence program has now become a place where certain people are getting overlooked. The apostles have a choice to make.
The Invitation Rodney Gehman – December 24, 2023 – Isaiah 55:1-13 We say this from time to time but you did not choose a perfect church this afternoon. We don’t…
Walking out our faith looks like taking Jesus’ words and putting them to action. Forgiveness, for example. Serving, for example. It’s where the rubber meets the road.
What does Jesus mean when he tells us "Don't judge"? What does he mean by "get the beam out of your own eye"? Are we supposed to just mind our own business and never speak into anyone's life?
Jesus tells a fisherman to do the impossible, touches a leper, and forgives the sin of a cripple who didn’t ask. The kingdom is here!
Using a very specific situation of co-signing a loan, the father in Proverbs teaches his son to be careful with how he stewards finances.
When you move from one house to the next, you have to put the old one in the rear view mirror. You can’t go back and help yourself to what’s in the fridge. Believer’s baptism is a public expression of leaving the old self behind, and walking in the newness of life.
With the enemy (Haman) out of the picture, the problem remains that death for the Jews is still on the horizon. The mediator must go to work again.