by Matthew Borgstrom | Jan 8, 2024 | Uncategorized
Notice what Paul does NOT write in 2 Tim. 4:2-Preach about the word; Preach with the word; Preach from the word. No! He writes, preach the word. Therefore, the first question to ask when assessing preaching is not whether you liked the sermon, but rather: Did the...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Jan 1, 2024 | Uncategorized
It’s clear that biblical hospitality requires sacrifice, but what exactly needs to be sacrificed?-The comfort of being able to relax at dinner without worrying about serving anyone else. You have to sacrifice viewing your home exclusively as the place where you...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Dec 25, 2023 | Uncategorized
We know from Scripture that God is the source of truth, God is the revealer of truth and God is the enabler of people knowing the truth. Even the most common teachings of Scripture presuppose these understandings of truth. For instance, listen to how essential knowing...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Dec 17, 2023 | Uncategorized
What exactly was in this cup from the Father to the Son? Clearly, it’s the identical cup that is mentioned in the Synoptic gospels, as Jesus prays in this same garden immediately prior to these events taking place—Mark 14:36 Abba! Father! All things are possible for...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Dec 11, 2023 | Uncategorized
In John 17:26, Christ supplies an intended result of making the Father’s name known—indwelling love. To know more of God’s name is to possess more of God’s love. However, this is not a verse that merely teaches that believers are the objects of God’s love, as...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Dec 4, 2023 | Uncategorized
The unity Christ prays for in John 17 has its focus on the glory of God and is produced by the love of God. So if this unity is truly focused on God’s glory, then all self-focus is banished. It’s true that along with abandoning Christ’s teaching, the other major...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Nov 27, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Nov 20, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Nov 13, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Oct 30, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Oct 23, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Oct 15, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Oct 8, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Oct 2, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Sep 25, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Sep 18, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
by Matthew Borgstrom | Sep 11, 2023 | Uncategorized
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...
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...
