Tag: Grace

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.

Continue reading “Discovering God’s Will” →

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.

Continue reading “Facing the Enemy” →

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.

Continue reading “Means of Grace: Lord’s Supper” →

Sunday School Class // February 18, 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 6)

Romans 6:3 (ESV)
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

These “Means of Grace” are not instruments we use to obtain grace. They are instruments that God uses in order to bring us into fellowship with Himself and to know him. In this lesson, we will look at the foundational truths of the sign of baptism, the importance of the baptism of Jesus, and how baptism shapes our identity. This lesson is not about the controversies that people tend to focus on in a discussion about baptism. We want to think about the sign of baptism itself and better understand why God gave us this sign and how it relates to our day-to-day lives.

Continue reading “Means of Grace: Baptism” →

Sunday School Class // February 4, 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 5)

Luke 11:1 (ESV)
Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”

One of the most important teachings on prayer in the Bible is given by Jesus in response to the disciples asking him to specifically teach them to pray. They had witnessed the intimate heartfelt prayers of their Teacher and they wanted to learn how to pray in this same manner. Jesus then gives them this model prayer that we call the Lord’s Prayer found in Luke 11:1-4 and Matthew 6:9-13. There are three main aspects that we will focus on, but first and foremost we must remember that this model prayer of Jesus is a call for daily prayer to our Father. Jesus begins this prayer by telling us to seek the Father for our daily bread. Our call to prayer is nothing short of a continual humbling of our hearts to come before our loving Father in our weakness. We don’t just come when we think we need something from him. We come each and every day to ask him for our daily bread. For we are in desperate need of his provision and our hearts and minds need to be continually reminded of this fact.

Continue reading “Means of Grace: Prayer” →

Sunday School Class // January 28, 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 4)

2 Timothy 3:14–17 (ESV)
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

God has spoken and opened his heart to us through His Word. There are a myriad of ways to learn about God that are not the Bible itself. One can easily find himself listening to teachings, lessons, podcasts, stories, and even watching movies or television shows. These can all be helpful supplements but they are not meant to replace our daily engagement with the Bible. It is through the Scriptures that we become familiar with the heartbeat of God. The Bible is God’s chosen means to convey his heart and speak to our souls. It is not enough to just talk about the Bible or even learn its facts. Our Father wants us to meditate on His Word and listen. Listen to the Words of God written and kept for his children. Words that will convey the unconditional love of our heavenly Father.

Continue reading “Means of Grace: God’s Word” →

Sunday School Class // January 21, 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 3)

Matthew 16:18 (ESV)
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Peter’s Confession | Matthew 16:18

Peter’s confession is the central point of the gospel and is essentially the heart of the ministry of Jesus. Although Jesus came to save individuals, he is also building a community of believers. This was difficult for the disciples because they didn’t truly understand the purpose of the Messiah, as evidenced immediately after this confession when Peter was rebuked for being a hindrance to the mission of Jesus. To better help the disciples (and us) understand this community-building aspect of his ministry, Jesus gives several word pictures to illustrate.

Continue reading “Belonging to the Church” →

Sunday School Class // January 14, 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 2)

Genesis 1:26 (ESV)
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

How would you describe yourself as a Christian?

This is an important question that we must be fully prepared to investigate and truly understand. Our identity in light of God’s declaration in the Bible is vital to our spiritual walk. If we are well grounded with a Biblical understanding of who we truly are in Christ, we will not be easily swayed and led astray by the ever-changing currents of our culture. We must truly reflect and meditate on what God’s word says about our identity and who we are. Two distinct pictures in the Bible help us better understand and answer this question: being a child and being a servant.

Continue reading “Being a Christian” →