The Attributes of God:

Man Plans, but God Orchestrates Acts 2:22-36 “Jesus the Nazarene… delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to Death.”                   The blind delusion of humanity is that we think we can control our destiny and determine the plans for our life and future. We devise our plans and then ask God to bless them as if He were subject to our whims and desires. However, in the end, God remains sovereign, and He controls the future, destiny, and direction of our life. When Peter stood up to preach to the crowds that had gathered to see the great commotion occurring because of the disciples. They were shocked and amazed when the disciples and followers of Jesus spoke, but each listener heard the message in their language. Confused, they could not understand how these uneducated Galileans spoke multiple languages. As th...

From the Insignificant to the Powerful Acts 1:1-15 “At this time, Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren (a gather of about one hundred and twenty persons was there together.” It was a small church in a hostile world that was insignificant in the eyes of the religious leaders of the day. As they gathered that day, the mandate given them seemed impossible. In verse 8, Christ mandates the early church to become his witnesses to the world. But what could a small church achieve with so few and so little to offer? They were untrained and without resources. The only ones who received any training in preparation for the task were the 12 disciples. The rest were just ordinary people who had accepted the gospel's message. They were common people with very common, ordinary backgrounds and skills. There was nothing that anyone would characterize as remarkable. As they sat together that day, the words of Jesus must have seemed overwhelming. It is estimated that there were approx...

The Source of Truth John 16:5-15 “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth.”                   Philosophers throughout the ages have constantly wrestled with the question of truth. Henry David Thoreau famously stated, “Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.” But this is the one thing that seems most elusive. To determine truth, people turn to humanity for answers. Some turn to science, where truth is determined by scientific discovery and verified outcomes. Others turn to the collective opinions of man. To determine morality today, we take a poll, and what the majority believes to be true becomes truth. However, God warns us that humanity is ultimately incapable of determining the truth because we are governed by selfish desires and sin, so we will distort the truth to achieve our own ends. The Bible warns us in Psalm 116:10-11 and Romans 3:4 th...

The Good Shepherd John 10:11-18.   “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”                     One of the common depictions of Jesus is a pastoral scene where a shepherd watches over the sheep. The image portrays a caring shepherd who provides green pastures and calm waters for his flock. When Jesus declares Himself the good shepherd, He is not merely using a common analogy from an agrarian society. This statement is rooted in the Old Testament and carries significant theological implications regarding the identity of Christ and His role in God’s prophetic history.      In the Old Testament, we find the repeated theme that was used to identify the king with the role of a shepherd. This was grounded in the reign of David, who was given the promise that his dynasty would be eternal (1 Sam. 7) and would culminate in the...

Jesus is the Truth John 8:31-38 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.”                   In the last Century, we have witnessed multiple changes that have radically shifted the foundation of our society.  At the start of the 20th century, the Industrial Revolution changed our country from an agrarian society to an industrial society.  In the 60’s, the sexual revolution redefined morality.  At the end of the 20th century, the country again experienced a major shift as the Information age dawned upon us with the rise of the internet.  All this has led us to a radical shift that is occurring today. It is not just a change of morality but a change in how we think and understand what is true.  We are now expe...

The God Who Provides John 6:26-40 “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.”             In an insecure world, we seek someone to provide security and stability. Central to the character of God is His providential care for us and for all creation. Christ not only created the universe, but He also sustains all by providing for its needs.  In Hebrews 1:3, we are reminded that Christ “is the radiance of His (God the Father) glory and the exact representation of His nature and upholds all things by the word of His power.  When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”  Christ provides for all our needs, and He cares for us.  In Matthew 6:25-33 Christ challenges us not to worry about the future, for if He provides for the physical needs of the birds of the air, ho...

What is Worship John 4:7-26 “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”                     What does it mean to worship?  When we go to church, we do so expecting to join the rest of the community of God’s people in worshiping God.  However, often our worship is misguided.  When we worship, we focus on the type of music and the way the music affects us.  We want dynamic, uplifting music that excites us emotionally.  We feel we have not worshipped if a dynamic band does not conduct the music with an uplifting and exciting style.  This places the focus of worship on the worship team and their abilities.  But is that what worship is all about?  Is worship to be defined by and equated with dynamic music?  Or is worship much deeper?        ...