The Handwriting Is On The Wall

Today’s text is Daniel 5 in which a proud and blasphemous king’s drunken banquet is interrupted by the sovereign hand of God. The handwriting is on the wall for all those nations and individuals who fail to honor God. There is another banquet, to which we are invited. Christ, the true king, invites His subjects to remember His great work on our behalf.

Humble Yourself Before Almighty God

What is the deadliest sin? I would suggest that the sin which most offends God is not murder, theft or adultery, but pride (which is at the root of all the other sins).

In Daniel 4 God humbles Nebuchadnezzar who was a very great man, but also a very proud man. As we observe the state of the world, passage brings us comfort as we are reminded that God is sovereign over nations. He raises us and brings down rulers as He pleases. We also are called to humble ourselves before the LORD Who alone is great.

The God Who is Able

Today we will resume our summer detour into the book of Daniel as we look at one of the most famous stories in the Bible in which Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego refuse to bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s idol and are thus thrown into the fiery furnace.

We too will have our commitment to the LORD tested as the world demands our ultimate loyalty. While we may not be delivered from fiery trials, we can be confident that the LORD will be with us through them.

Generous Unbelief

Acts 5:33-40 - But when they heard this, they were cut to the quick and intended to kill them. But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, respected by all the people, stood up in the Council and gave orders to put the men outside for a short time. And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you propose to do with these men. For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a group of about four hundred men joined up with him. But he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census and drew away some people after him; he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered. So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.” They took his advice; and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them.

Walking in the Will of God

Have you ever noticed how often Christians seem to be looking to the latest new methods to improve their spirituality? Maybe you, at times, have felt like the Christian life isn’t really what you expected, and if you could just find something that could give you a fuller Christian experience, then life would be better.

This situation is nothing new, and Paul addresses it in the book of Colossians. The believers in Colossae were being swayed by teaching that was encouraging them to add other practices to their Christian life for a fuller “spiritual” experience. Paul’s solution to this might surprise you – he prays that they would better understand the will of God.

Today we are going to look at how understanding God’s will impacts our Christian life as it reveals to us both what God desires from us and is doing for us. This deals with spiritual discouragement, apathy, and pride.

Consecrated to God

This week I am diverting from our studies in 2 Samuel and will be expounding Romans 12:1-2.

I plan, on certain Sundays over the next few months, to preach through Romans 12 with a special emphasis on our love and devotion for one another in the body of Christ.

Because our love for one another springs from our devotion to the Lord, Paul starts Romans 12 by exhorting us to be living sacrifices who are not to be conformed to the world.

Of course the foundation of our devotion to the Lord is the sovereign mercy which He has shown us in Christ — which was the subject of the first 11 chapters of Romans and forms the basis of Paul’s exhortation in Romans 12:1.

Portrait of a Godless Culture: An Appeal to Repent of Sinful Boasting

We will be doing a fairly rapid overview of the first nine chapters and then drawing some application from near the end of chapter nine, where Jeremiah writes, “Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises loving kindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.” (9:23-24).

Jeremiah’s theme leading to these texts is that of judgment: A judgment precipitated by the sinful lifestyle and arrogant living of the kingdom of Judah. The modern day parallels to our own day are truly amazing: Truly there is “nothing new under the sun.”