by Matthew Borgstrom | Sep 4, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Aug 28, 2023 | Uncategorized
• 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...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Aug 21, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Aug 14, 2023 | Uncategorized
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 Matthew Borgstrom | Aug 8, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Aug 3, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Jul 24, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Jul 17, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Jul 10, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Jul 2, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Jun 26, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Jun 23, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Jun 12, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
by Matthew Borgstrom | May 15, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Apr 30, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Apr 23, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Apr 21, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Apr 8, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Apr 3, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Mar 26, 2023 | Uncategorized
1.Never come to God’s word as an intellectual exercise; ie. a mere gathering of information about God (1 Cor. 1:21, 2:10-16). 2.Never come to God’s word looking for it to affirm your fullness, but instead, come to the word needy and poor in spirit (Matt. 5:3)....
by Matthew Borgstrom | Mar 24, 2023 | Uncategorized
In John 12:35, Jesus instructs the crowd to walk while they have the light. And presumably he is commanding them to walk in the light, since the opposite disposition at the end of the verse is walking in the darkness.Walking is a way of describing the course of one’s...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Mar 16, 2023 | Uncategorized
In John 12:28, Jesus prays to the Father with his overarching disposition of his entire ministry–Father, glorify your name. With the exaltation of the Father in front of him, he pressed on in obedience to the Father all the way through death. Keep in mind that...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Mar 10, 2023 | Uncategorized
In John 12, there were multitudes of people who had traveled to Jerusalem, along with residents from within, who were flocking to see Jesus. However, the motive was not worship, nor was it based on the truth of what Jesus taught or what was written of him in the OT....
by Matthew Borgstrom | Mar 2, 2023 | Uncategorized
Now even though John records in John 12:6, Judas’ disdain for Mary’s actions were primarily motivated by monetary greed, there is another way to engage in action towards the poor for selfish gain and that is with the motive of self-exaltation. There’s nothing wrong at...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Feb 24, 2023 | Uncategorized
Jesus has boldly proclaimed to be the resurrection and the life in John 11:25 and even raised Lazarus from the dead to provide powerful proof of that claim, but to what extent would Jesus go to grant life to sinners? Jesus answers that in Mark 10:45 For even the Son...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Feb 10, 2023 | Uncategorized
In John 11:40, Jesus responds to Martha’s objection by declaring that faith would unveil God’s glory in his upcoming miraculous ministry at Lazarus’ tomb. This theme was already introduced back in v.4 in order to set the stage for how the witnesses...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Jan 25, 2023 | Uncategorized
In the end, John 11:17-35 obliterates the notion that the God of Scripture is a distant God, who may be high and exalted, but is largely uninvolved in the affairs of his people. If Jesus is the exact representation of God, then we can be certain that is not the case...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Jan 21, 2023 | Uncategorized
Notice that Jesus does not stop at reporting Lazarus’ death to the disciples in John 11:14, but continues on in v.15—and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there. This must have been downright shocking to their ears as they are initially dealing with the...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Jan 14, 2023 | Uncategorized
What did the fullness of goodness and knowledge, that Paul highlights in 15:14, create in the Roman Christians?—that they also have this ability to set things right in one another’s minds. They are capable of influencing one another towards greater spiritual clarity...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Dec 25, 2022 | Uncategorized
There’s no way to escape the fact that the promised sign of Immanuel in Isaiah 7:14 is surrounded by intense predictions of judgment for King Ahaz and the people of Judah. Sadly, the promises associated with this child would not benefit Ahaz because he refused to...
