“The entire sacrificial system of the Old Testament was God's way of driving home to his people the horror of sin and the need for it to be punished - if not by the guilty one, then by an animal bearing that guilt. Yet the story of the Old Testament is a story of Israel's misusing the sacrificial system, using it to attempt to buy God off in a coldly transactional way rather than allowing it to mo...  Read More

"Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant?Let him who walks in darkness and has no lighttrust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God." Isaiah 50:10"Without faith it is impossible to please God for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he is the rewarder of those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 1:6"There was a man in the land of Uz whose na...  Read More

Sermon Overview:In a world of often inexplicable suffering, it’s easy to doubt. We often do not know why intense or prolonged trials occur. When we doubt if God is really good, we can look back to Jesus where he proved his unchanging goodness to us through his life, death and resurrection on our behalf.Discussion Questions:1. Steve pointed out that doubt is not the same as unbelief and that doubt ...  Read More

“Acts is meant to chronicle not the life and death of Paul but the rise and spread of the gospel.” David Peterson“Jesus brought about the inauguration of God’s kingdom, the fulfillment of God’s saving promises. The book of Acts, therefore, is about the continuation of those saving promises, the kingdom of God, through the Lord Jesus. Jesus is still the mediator of that kingdom, the one who adminis...  Read More

Sermon Overview:Shipwrecked on the island of Malta, Paul begins to gather firewood when he is bitten by a snake. The LORD demonstrates his protection over Paul to the native people by sparing his life from the poisonous bite. The LORD likewise demonstrates his sovereignty over illness by healing the chief man of the island through Paul, as well as many other members of the native tribe. Leaving Ma...  Read More

“The Jewish rejection was a reality and a riddle. To a great extent it remains so-how the gospel of God’s salvation which was foreshadowed in the Jewish Scriptures, fulfilled in a Jewish Messiah, and first proclaimed by Jewish heralds like Paul would ultimately be embraced not by the Jews but primarily by Gentiles.” John Polhill“O Lord, I am astonished at the difference     between my receivings a...  Read More