GOSPEL :: FAMILY :: MISSION
What stops you from obeying the truth of the gospel? This is Paul’s simple question to his Galatian audience today. As I said last week, Paul is going to hone in on what it looks like to live in the freedom of the gospel instead of living in religious slavery or legalism. In our text today, he continues with that central desire in mind – the desire to see Christians living in the freedom of the gospel rather than living in religious slavery.
Continue readingThe question we are going to wrestle with today is this: How do we live in spiritual freedom instead of living in religious slavery? We kind of stepped into this theme last week in verses 21 – 31 of chapter four, but this is actually going to be the main question Paul is trying to answer throughout the rest of this letter to the Galatians.
Continue readingThe book of Galatians has no shortage of complex passages to interpret and according to one author, the one in front of us today “happens to be one of the most difficult passages in the New Testament.”2
Continue readingPaul’s letter to the Galatians is such a rich study to immerse yourself in because it constantly drives home the importance of living our lives centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ, crucified, risen, and returning.
Continue readingWe are living in difficult times. I do not think I need to list all of the difficult things we are living through as a church family. If I have done my job well enough, then I know, and you know that I know at least some of what most of us in this room are trying to endure. The question that I think we are all asking – and that I think Paul may be asking in the subtext of our text today is this: “How do we remain on the highway to eternity?”
Continue readingI want you to write down these words: Do not use the law to shave with! We will come back to that in a few minutes, but for now, I need to confess on the front edge here that this passage is super intimidating!
Continue readingHow is your relationship with God today? Would you say that you completely trust God in every circumstance? Or would you say that you find yourself sometimes being suspicious of what God is up to?
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The superscription of our Psalm today, helps us to feel the emotional tone of the Psalm and to also understand the context of David’s prayer to God. As far as emotional tone is concerned, just like Psalm 58 from last week, this Psalm is meant to be sung during a regular worship gathering of God’s people because the superscription is addressed “to the choirmaster”. This a community worship song.
Continue readingPsalm 58 is a heavy Psalm to study. It is a Psalm that is full of angry emotion, uncensored accusations, and violent, wartime imagery. One author says that this Psalm “is a prayer for spiritual warriors” who are engaged in spiritual warfare against evil in this present darkness (Eph. 6) because, although this Psalm “is directed against the corrupt and wicked rulers of Israel” we all need “to realize that we are looking not merely at a portrait of others but also into a mirror where we can see ourselves”.2
Continue readingPsalm 53 is a song written by David that is meant to teach; it is meant to instruct us on the horrific nature of sin. Sin is not a popular topic in the modern church. Many church goers in the West would rather hear three practical points to fix their marriage, be a better man or woman, handle their finances better, or be encouraged to stand strong for their political party.
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