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Ezra 1:1 – 11 | The Word of a King

October 8, 2021 / joemarino

As we begin our study of the book of Ezra, I want to make a few observations about this book as a whole and then move into asking some interpretive questions about the text before us today and wrap things up with some personal application.

Theology of Giving | Part III

October 3, 2021 / joemarino

This week is our fourth and final installment of our theology of giving series. In week one we examined Malachi 3:6 – 12 and we surveyed the character contrast between God and his people; God is consistently faithful while his people are consistently unfaithful. The problem we saw in week one is that God’s people were robbing him of the tithe he commanded them to give therefore God was calling them to repent and obey so that the watching world would see how blessed God’s people were.

Theology of Giving | Part II

September 26, 2021 / joemarino

I often hear people say that the New Testament does not talk about tithing or that Jesus never spoke about tithing. Typically, these kinds of uninformed statements are the lame attempt of someone trying to justify their belief that God doesn’t expect us to tithe because in their view, the Law from the Old Testament is null and void.

Theology of Giving | Part I

September 12, 2021 / joemarino

There are many acceptable reasons to preach on giving: to see giving increase; to help people understand what the Bible says about giving; to provide biblical instruction on stewardship or money management. There is nothing wrong with these goals. But these goals are secondary to the goal I have in mind.

Psalm 30 | We Praise God

September 5, 2021 / joemarino

When I read Psalm 30, I get the picture of someone singing a praise song to God for his deliverance, his compassion, his help, and his restoration. I get the sense that David knew deep down in his bones that he did not deserve to have God deliver him and restore him so compassionately or so helpfully. Nevertheless, this is what God does. God is in the business of taking really messy and really broken people and restoring their lives as he delivers them from their self-inflicted graves.

Psalm 29 | The Raging Storm

August 29, 2021 / joemarino

Psalm 29 is like watching the devastation of a raging storm from the safety of your front porch. Charles Spurgeon described Psalm 29 as a “Psalm that is meant to express the glory of God as heard in the pealing thunder, and seen in… [a] tornado…. These verses march to the tune of thunderbolts.”²

Psalm 24 | Questions About God

July 25, 2021 / joemarino

One of the commentaries I read on Psalm 24 this week grabbed ahold of the theme of the big questions we ask about God.² From the moment we are able to articulate complete sentences, we begin asking big questions about life.

Psalm 23 | The Shepherd Song

July 18, 2021 / joemarino

The twenty-third Psalm is perhaps one of the most well-known passages in the entire Bible. It is often recited at the bedside of loved ones who are in their final days of life on this earth, it is typically recited again during the funeral and sometimes it is recited before bedtime with children or memorized during extremely difficult seasons of life.

Psalm 22 | The Song of the Cross

July 11, 2021 / joemarino

This Psalm has been referred to by many writers as the Psalm that is beyond all others, the Psalm of the cross.² As we read it we should envision Jesus crying out for help as he is being crucified (vv. 1 – 21) and then we should envision him making a proclamation of praise to the ends of the earth immediately following his resurrection (vv. 21 – 31).³

Psalm 1 – 20 | That’s Worship

June 27, 2021 / joemarino

I grew up in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s on a farm in the country by Lincoln, NE. The only music that I was allowed to listen to was good old-fashioned country music. Real country music from the likes of Jonny Cash, Willie Nelson, Alabama, Waylon Jennings, Chris LeDoux, George Straight, Charlie Daniels, Merle Haggard, Lorretta Lynn, Dolly Parton.

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