The week preceding Easter Sunday is known as Holy Week or Passion Week. Scripture is replete with details of the events of Holy Week. We recently finished our studies in the Gospel according to Mark. Interestingly, Holy Week (Chapters 11-16) accounts for almost 38% of the book. The week begins with the Triumphal Entry (Mark…
Category: General
Doctrine of Divine Providence
One of the more difficult things when preparing a message on a text of Scripture is deciding what details to leave out. Because Scripture is so rich and inexhaustive, it is tempting to include everything from my study notes in the final manuscript, but that would be unfocused, unwieldy, and uninteresting. So, when I prepare…
Hymn Review: Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending
This past week, the hymn I selected for both the hymn of praise and the hymn for responding to the Word was “Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending.” The Order of Worship is attached, along with the lyrics to the hymn; perhaps you will find the order of worship useful in your daily devotions. In…
The Timing and Necessity of Jesus’ Birth
This post is based on the Christmas message I gave on the Sunday before Christmas (12/22/2019). The manuscript is posted here in its entirety (with a few edits). The Timing and Necessity of Jesus’ Birth Galatians 4:4-5; Luke 2:1-7 Introduction There are many events that surround the birth of Christ, and many are familiar to…
Role of Parents
It’s been a few months now since I finished working full-time. While it was difficult to say goodbye to coworkers, many of whom had become good friends and who I had worked with for nine years, we knew this was the best decision for our family and for our daughter. I am grateful to be…
Giving Thanks for Our Meals
And He took the five loaves and two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them; and He divided up the two fish among them all. – Mark 6:41 Thanksgiving, 2019 As we approach Thanksgiving, I want…
Common Grace and the Feeding of the Five Thousand
He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things. … They all ate and were satisfied. (Mark 6:34, 42) The Bible is so rich, and one of the things I have to do in preparing a message is to determine what to include….
Martin Luther and the Reformation, Part 2
The first post (part 1) ended with Luther burning the Papal Bull, in which the Pope gave Luther 60 days to repent at the threat of excommunication. Luther never repented, and he faced the consequences. The Diet of Worms Luther was excommunicated in January of 1521, shortly after receiving—and subsequently burning—the papal bull. However, the…
Martin Luther and the Reformation, Part 1
October is Reformation month, the last Sunday in October is Reformation Sunday, and October 31 is Reformation Day. In light of that, we are going to post a series of articles related to the Protestant Reformation. Sovereignty of God and the Reformation The Protestant Reformation was a significant event in church history, and as with…
Why Letters of Grace?
We chose “Grace” as a part of our daughter’s name not simply because it is a beautiful name, but because of the rich theological significance of grace in the Christian faith. Grace can be defined as the favor of God bestowed on undeserving sinners. Similarly, J. I. Packer, in his classic book, Knowing God, offers…