In Ephesians 6:16, the Apostle Paul supplies the 4th way to stand firm by putting on the armor of God and that is to take up the shield of faith. At the outset, we must discuss the significance of the prepositional phrase at the beginning of v.16—in addition to all...
According to the Apostle Paul in Eph. 6:11, putting on the whole armor of God allows one to resist or stand firm against the craftiness or schemes of the devil. In other words, if one does not put on the complete armor of God, then Satan will take that person out by...
In an effort to distinguish godly sorrow from worldly sorrow, Thomas Watson puts forth several qualifications for godly sorrow in his book, The Doctrine of Repentance: i. Godly sorrow is inward—It is an inward, heart sorrow that manifests itself externally; godly...
This means that we are going to have to dive into arguably the greatest biblical tension in the NT. This tension I am referring to is captured in this statement: We are informed that our old self is dead because it died with Christ, but on the other hand we’re...
The fear of the Lord is a reverential awe of his holiness, majesty, love, omnipotence and omniscience, which produces a dread of hindering our relationship with him by dishonoring or disobeying him. Based on that definition, here are a couple of questions to help us...
If the Spirit is present in someone, then the fruit of Gal. 5:22-23 will be evident instead of the deeds of the flesh in Gal. 5:19-21. This means that sanctification is not measured primarily by major decisions and turning points in our lives, but rather by the day in...
It’s impossible to be sanctified without pursuing both the negative and positive avenues of sanctification with faith-filled effort. With regards to the negative, listen to Rom. 8:12 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according...
A.W. Pink rightly remarked about the truth of a Christian as stated by Jesus in v.14: The truth of this verse applies in a sevenfold way: First, Christians have a different standing from those who belong to the world: their standing is in Adam, ours in Christ; they...
In John 17:11, there is the 1st of 3 requests in the remainder of John 17 that demonstrates Jesus’ desire for the unity of his followers. In addition to that repetition, it’s also instructive that the first time Jesus asks the Father to keep his people, it’s for the...
John 17:4 contains a clear connection between the Son glorifying the Father and something specific—here, it’s the accomplishment or fulfillment of the Father’s work given to Jesus to do. What is remarkable about verse 4 is that, like the final verse in ch.16, the...
Once Jesus rises from the dead and ascends back to the Father, the disciples are given the simple instruction, at the end of John 16:24 to ask and they will receive with the result that their joy would be made full. In ch.15, this full joy was promised to the...
The Spirit’s work described in John 16:8-11 should infuse our ministry to sinners with tremendous hope. People we are ministering to can distance themselves and try to escape the conviction of the truth; they can attempt to tune out the guilty charges brought about by...
• Do you find yourself arguing with God, or questioning what Scripture clearly teaches?• Do you find yourself more compelled by philosophical, scientific, or rational arguments than biblical arguments?• Do you lean on your own understanding when evaluating if...
Because the Spirit is sent by Jesus and sent from the Father, the disciples needed to take Jesus’ words by faith that the coming of the Spirit would provide everything they need. On the other hand, it’s a denial that the Spirit brings divine power into our lives that...
Because the conditional statements from Jesus in John 15:20 portray a truthful reality, they could be translated with the word since—since they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. Since the world persecuted Jesus because of his message from God and his life...
By Don Green In days of strength, preach the Word. In days of weakness, preach the Word. In days of joy, preach the Word. In days of sorrow, preach the Word. When people come, preach the Word. When people go, preach the Word. When men praise you, preach the Word. When...
Since Christ teaches that the way to abide in his love is to keep his commandments, what does it take to accomplish that? -Being saved by the love of God in Christ. Remember, Christ has told the disciples in v.3 that they are already clean prior to instructing them...
Upon discovering the pruning process in John 15:2, our desires and motives in our Christian life will be greatly challenged. We often tell the Lord, “I just want to grow and be more useful to you Lord,” but oftentimes we resist the pruning process, in which God...
In John 14:27, Jesus states that the peace that he gives is in stark contrast to the peace of the world. In this 1st century context of the NT, peace was created by military conquest and then it was maintained by comprehensive rule and force. More specifically, the...
The disciples had God in the flesh teaching them directly, but they largely misunderstood. However, that did not mean they blew their opportunity forever. Upon Christ’s ascension, He teaches them that the Holy Spirit would be sent to bring them understanding about the...
Earlier the disciples asked for a one-time manifestation of the Father and that would be all they would ever need, but now Jesus declares to them in John 14:23 that the Father and the Son would come to them to dwell with them. Furthermore, since the Spirit is...
In light of the Apostle Paul choosing to refer to Jesus Christ as the cornerstone of God’s house in Eph. 2:20, the implications become apparent. The prophets and apostles had to stay in line with Christ or else the building would be crooked and eventually topple...
In John 14:9, Jesus conveys his concern to the disciples that they do not know him; especially after all the time they have spent together. So how are we to think about the folks who consistently interact with biblical things, but yet do not actually know God? Reason...
According to John 14:1, what is going to protect the disciples in their upcoming circumstances of watching their master be arrested and crucified?—faith. What protects us in times of trouble?—faith. However, in addition to possessing the wrong object of faith, it is...
Here are a couple of excellent quotations regarding what Jesus knows and how that should affect his disciples. First, J.C. Ryle supplied some very helpful explanation regarding this truth: This perfect knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ is a very solemn thought, and...
In John 13:14-15, Christ commands his disciples to imitate him in order to govern their sacrificial service. So how can we ensure we don’t think too highly of ourselves that would prevent sacrificial service towards others? Here are a few questions for...
In light of the necessity of Christ’s cleansing work, let’s consider what can hinder you from embracing your need for cleansing. Here are 3 interconnected hindrances: 1. Assume your assessment is authoritative instead of God’s assessment Prov. 30:12 There...
Let’s begin by highlighting the main idea of v.1, which appears at the end of the verse—He loved them to the end or to the uttermost or perfectly. Who is them? They are identified in the previous clause as his own who were in the world. In this context, his own are...
When Christ discloses that he loved his own to the end in John 13:1, we must understand that was neither easy nor desirable based on the qualities of the objects of his love. The Apostle Paul makes this very point in Rom. 5:6 For while we were still helpless, at the...
So how is this great enemy of faith and propellent of unbelief combatted? One verse in the Proverbs makes it abundantly clear—Prov. 29:25 The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted. A snare is a trap, which prevents one from obeying...
