The gravers of images, all of them are desolate Their delights never profit. Their witnesses do not see They do not know so that they are shamed. . . . He grazes on ash, a heart is deceived, it leads him away. He cannot . . . Continue reading →
Although we know better, Christians often think that life would be much better if we only had more money. If we had more money, we could have more stuff, and if we had more stuff, we would be more happy. That is . . . Continue reading →
Not ours, YHWH, not ours For to your name, give glory. On account of your steadfast love and on account of your faithfulness. Why should the nations say “Where, now, is their God?” Our God is in the heavens, All that delights . . . Continue reading →
In the first part of our exposition of Psalm 50, we considered what proper, or correct worship is—that is, worship offered according to the Word of God (Regulative Principle of Worship) and given with all of the heart, mind, soul, and strength. . . . Continue reading →
Imagine preparing for worship on the Lord’s Day, the most important day of the week—you get to church, find your seat, and you prepare yourself for divine worship. As the worship service begins, you listen to the call to worship and the . . . Continue reading →
Having given this wonderful text of Psalm 22 an expositional and pastoral survey in our previous three articles, we return one last time for a fourth installment wherein we consider further implications and applications. With great indebtedness to the pastoral insight and . . . Continue reading →
Along the way in our little devotional Saturday Psalm series, we have said that Psalm 22 can rightly be called “the Psalm of Calvary,” given how the Lord Jesus adopts the words of King David for himself, crying out as he hung . . . Continue reading →
Jesus’ parables sometimes send mixed messages about the timing of the coming kingdom. He speaks the parable of the wedding banquet in response to a fellow dinner guest’s pious-sounding beatitude that seemed to envision a distant future age, “Blessed is everyone who . . . Continue reading →
As we noted last time, this psalm was written some three thousand years ago and some one thousand years before the life of Christ. According to Matthew 27:46, Jesus quotes a portion of these words as he is suffering and dying on . . . Continue reading →
Psalm 22 has been called “the Psalm of Calvary” or “the Good Friday Psalm,” for reasons which may be obvious and which I hope become more obvious by the end of this little devotional series. This psalm was written some three thousand . . . Continue reading →
The Reformation looms large as one of the pivotal moments of Western history. It stands alongside only a few other major events by which we segment the full sweep of the past two thousand years in our thought. For Christians in the . . . Continue reading →
Both systematic theology and biblical theology are essential to our study of Scripture for preaching. One contribution of systematic theology, including the historic creeds and confessions of the church, is to safeguard our interpretation of a particular text, lest we misread (and . . . Continue reading →
Have you ever been called home? It may be after a long vacation or a business trip. Or maybe you are going home to spend the holidays with family after moving to the other side of the country. There is just something about home. Continue reading →
As we saw in Part 1, the Songs of Ascent (Psalms 120–134) were songs the Israelite pilgrims sang on their way to Jerusalem for the annual feasts of Passover, Weeks, and Booths. These fifteen songs are in cycles of three, and Psalm 120 began the first cycle with the psalmist far from God, dwelling in the tents of warlike, deceitful pagans. Continue reading →
“Are we there yet?” Who among us has not either heard or voiced these words on a long family road trip? The trees fly past in the slightly foggy windows, the road signs mark the distance to our destination, and a small voice pipes up from the backseat. Children are generally (and notoriously) impatient. Continue reading →
Objective realities and subjective experiences are different things. They are supposed to match. In a fallen world, they often do not. John Andrew Bryant’s A Quiet Mind to Suffer With tells his story of wrestling with mental illness and coming to rest . . . Continue reading →
Last time, we looked at verses 1–4, where David seeks refuge in God. In this final part, we will see how David proclaims his trust in the Lord in the remainder of this psalm. David Puts His Trust in God (vv. 5–8) . . . Continue reading →
In one of the most famous scenes in the Gospel according to Luke, after the Lord Jesus Christ defeated death he appeared to some of his disciples on the road to Emmaus. The despondent followers of the crucified Messiah were walking along . . . Continue reading →
The city of God awaits the people of God. This was a comfort to the faithful inhabitants of Judah in Isaiah’s day, even as they heard about God’s impending judgment on the earthly Jerusalem. It is also a comfort to Christians today . . . Continue reading →
Having given this wonderful text of Psalm 5 an expositional and pastoral survey in the previous two articles, we return one last time for a third installment, wherein we will consider further implications and applications from this marvelous psalm. With great indebtedness . . . Continue reading →