Tag: Grace

Grace of Affliction

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We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.

2 Corinthians 8:1–2 (ESV)

Paul wants the Corinthian believers to know about the grace of God in a tangible way, so he gives testimony to the pouring out of God’s grace among the churches of Macedonia. He wants the church of Corinth to know about this grace of God by giving a tangible, real life example that they can readily identify and connect with on a personal level. There are a few shocking details in this example that caused me to stop and reflect about the work of God’s grace in my own life. First, there was a severe test of affliction. Second, there was both an abundance of joy and extreme poverty. This all led to the point that Paul wants the Corinthians church to grasp. In this test of affliction, their joy and poverty overflowed into a wealth of generosity. What I want to reflect on is the seeming inconsistency of this equation (God’s grace > Severe affliction > Abundance of joy in Extreme poverty > Wealth of generosity). It defies the logic of my 21st century mind.

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Merciful Neighbor

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But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Luke 10:29 (ESV)

Here is a lawyer who has asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Not because he was sincere in his question, but for the sole reason to test Jesus. He was seeking to put Jesus to the test and determine if he had the right doctrine and religious understanding. Jesus answers the lawyer by asking him to provide a summary of the law, which the lawyer easily does by restating the phrase to love God and love people. Jesus simple answer in response is then, “do this.” This response cut the lawyer deeply, as he was obviously not living up to this standard. We see this in his next question to Jesus, where he asks for further understanding of who was his neighbor. It is a seemingly innocent question on the surface, but it is a question that reveals the true bent of the lawyer’s heart. He was obviously excluding some people from his list of neighbors and wanted Jesus to clarify and justify his list.

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Desperate People: Naomi & Ruth

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This is a lesson I prepared for a Sunday School class series titled, “Desperate People of the Bible.” The lessons are meant to be a mix of teaching and interactive discussion in the group. This is an outline of my presentation that guided the teaching and discussion. It was adapted from the ESV Bible Study Series – Ruth and Esther: A 12-Week Study.

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Desolate Context

  • Ruth 1:1 “In the days when the judges ruled”
  • Judges 2:6-10 Death of Joshua
  • Judges 2:11-15 Abandoned the Lord
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Extravagant Anointing

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you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Psalm 23:5b (ESV)

In the first part of Psalm 23, the Psalmist speaks about the Shepherd to us as he describes the goodness of his actions (e.g. “He makes”, “He leads”, “He restores”). There is a shift in his description as the Psalmist begins to walk through the valley of deep darkness. He changes from talking about the Shepherd to speaking with the Shepherd (e.g. “You are with me”, “Your rod”, “Your staff”, “You prepare”) and it is the same with the second half of verse 5. The Psalmist speaks to the Shepherd as he remembers that it is the Shepherd who anoints him with oil. It’s a wonderful picture of the extravagant generosity, care, and grace of the Good Shepherd as he lavishes these good things on his sheep. Even as he is reclining at table with the Shepherd in the presence of his enemies, the Psalmist tells us that the Shepherd anoints his head with a fragrant oil. An oil that brings healing to his physical body both through care and refreshment of his skin along with the reviving aroma he takes in through his senses. In this verse, you can feel the spirit of the Psalmist being lifted as he declares, “my cup overflows.” It wasn’t just a refreshing for that singular moment, it was a refreshing from the Shepherd to overflowing, meant to carry him onward in his journey.

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Personal and Present

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The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Psalm 23:1 (ESV)

I have always found great comfort in Psalm 23 throughout the 33 years of my spiritual journey, but it has been these last 4 years when it has become the singular passage that the Lord continues to bring to the forefront of my mind. Psalm 23 speaks to me in a wide array of circumstances. From high points of joy and exuberance to the deep valleys of despair and doubt, the Lord continues to bring this Psalm to the forefront of my Christian journey, and I have been immeasurably blessed because of it. I often find myself meditating and reflecting on verse one alone. There is such a beautiful simplicity to it, yet the truth it conveys is deep and powerful. I find myself mulling it over in my mind most nights as I lay in bed waiting to drift off to sleep. I spend these moments rolling each word around in my head and letting them speak to me as individual words in the context of the whole verse. I have found it to be a powerful reforming agent that works daily miracles in my stubborn heart.

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Discovering God’s Will

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Sunday School Class // March 17, 2024
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This is a lesson I prepared for a Sunday School class and is based on the video series “The Basics of the Christian Life by Sinclair Ferguson | Ligonier Ministries” (Lesson 9)

Colossians 1:9 (ESV)
And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

At some point in their life (probably multiple points in their life), all believers will ask questions revolving around how they can best discover the will of God for their lives. Most often this comes from a place of desired obedience to be faithful to what Christ would have them do in a certain situation. Discovering the will of God is an important step in faithfully following after Jesus in our daily walk and the Lord has given us precepts and principles in His Word to guide us. This prayer of Paul for the Colossians is true for us as well. We too can be filled with knowledge of the will of God. We too can know His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. In this talk, Sinclair Ferguson leads us through three points to consider as we seek to discover God’s will for us.

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Facing the Enemy

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Sunday School Class // March 3, 2024
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This is a lesson I prepared for a Sunday School class and is based on the video series “The Basics of the Christian Life by Sinclair Ferguson | Ligonier Ministries” (Lesson 8)

Ephesians 6:10–11 (ESV)
Finally, be strong in the Lord and the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

The Kingdom of God is being built on enemy territory and we are a people that have an enemy. Our enemy is not a flesh-and-blood adversary that will come at us with strategies and weapons based on this material world. Our battle is a supernatural fight against an adversary who is set against God and whose aim is to utterly destroy and kill the people of God. Even though our enemy is still raging against us in this battle, we can have full assurance that the war has already been decisively won. Jesus Christ has brought a definitive victory over sin, death, and the devil through his shed blood on the cross. In this talk, Dr. Ferguson shares about three important aspects that we must all remember as we face this enemy.

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Crowd Pleasing

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So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

Mark 15:15 (ESV)

“Wishing to satisfy the crowd.” O how this phrase should strike me to the core of my being and pierce my soul. It is a phrase that should cause me to tremble as I am reminded of the many times throughout my life that it has been proven true in my words and actions. There have been immeasurable times throughout my life where I have wished to satisfy the crowd. Times where I have “released Barabbas” and “scourged Jesus”. Times when I have desired to stop swimming upstream against the flow of this world and to just be carried along by the current of the crowd. Times when it was easier and safer to be seen as “just like everyone else”. I easily remember moments when I too was just like Pilate in this passage. Moments where I knew the right thing to do or the right words to say, yet I chose to harden my heart to the truth and go along with the voices of the crowd for the sake of comfort and ease. Yes, this passage strikes my heart as it points to my own hypocrisy and hardness of heart.

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Return Again

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Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.

Hosea 6:1 (ESV)

I sometimes feel as though God is so very distant from me. As though there is this great chasm between us that keeps us separated. When these times are present in my life I tend to ask God why he has abandoned me or why he has drawn away from me. The promise of the Bible is that God will never leave me nor forsake me. He has not only given me his Spirit as a guarantee, but his Spirit is my companion and has taken up residence in my heart. He abides with me at all times. So why do I feel as though There is a great distance in our communion and fellowship? Hosea 6:1 tells me, “return to the Lord.” The truth is that the Lord has in no way abandoned me but I on the other hand have abandoned him. I have wandered. I have hidden. I have even tried to flee the presence of the Lord. Yet, just like Jonah, I am learning that I can no more flee the presence of the Lord than I can stop the earth from spinning on its axis. No, I need to heed the call of Hosea and return to the Lord.

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Means of Grace: Lord’s Supper

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Sunday School Class // February 25, 2024
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This is a lesson I prepared for a Sunday School class and is based on the video series “The Basics of the Christian Life by Sinclair Ferguson | Ligonier Ministries” (Lesson 7)

1 Corinthians 11:26 (ESV)
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

The Lord’s Supper is a familiar part of church life and as such it can easily become something of a tradition with its purpose and meaning lost in the familiarity of the ritual. As a means of grace that God uses to draw us into a closer relationship with him, we must refamiliarize ourselves with the purpose and meaning of the Lord’s Supper. The expectation from Jesus is that we will do this often in remembrance of Him. So, let’s familiarize ourselves with this blessing and gift He has given us and look anew with fresh eyes upon this special means of grace. Dr. Ferguson summarizes eight descriptive words to help us in our search for understanding.

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