Simplicity Series #47Sabbath Series—Part 7 The Sabbath of the Soul “For we who have believed do enter that rest … Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience.” Hebrews 4:3, [...]

Simplicity Series #46Sabbath Series—Part 6 The Kingdom Age Will Be a Millennial Sabbath Review In every Sabbath celebration from the weekly observance to the Year of Jubilee, there are certain themes that are repeated. The first is that of rest. [...]

Simplicity Series #45Sabbath Series—Part 5 The Sabbaths Reveal God’s Power to Restore What was Lost “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10 The Year of Jubilee (Lev. 25:8–17, 23–34) [...]

Simplicity Series #44Sabbath Series—Part 4 continued The Sabbath Reveals the Providential Care of God   In our previous three posts we have seen how the weekly Sabbath reveals the love and grace of God, and how the seven annual Feasts/Sabbaths [...]

Simplicity Series #43Sabbath Series—Part 3 continued The Sabbath Reveals the Redemptive Plan of God   As we saw in the last post, the seven annual feasts in Israel were designed to reveal and anticipate the plan of redemption through Jesus [...]

Simplicity Series #42Sabbath Series—Part 2 continued The Sabbath Reveals the Redemptive Plan of God   The Seven Feasts of Israel Not only did God give to Israel the seventh-day Sabbath, He also gave to them seven Sabbath-feasts. The seven feasts [...]

Simplicity Series #41Sabbath Series Part 1 The Sabbath Reveals the Love and Grace of God   “For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” Matthew 12:8 “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the [...]

Simplicity Series #40 The Sabbath Reveals the Glory of God “Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested [...]

Simplicity Series #39 Entering into His Rest “Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in [...]

Simplicity Series #38 The Elements and Ingredients of Culture and the Revolutionary Power of the Gospel   What is Culture? “For as [a man] he thinks in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7 Culture is the outward expression of [...]

Simplicity Series #37 The Five Essential Elements of the Gospel in Romans “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and [...]

Simplicity Series #36 The Gospel and Culture In May, I will be speaking at a large Theological Conference in Asia, and I have been asked to present a series on the impact of the Gospel message on culture along three [...]

Simplicity Series #35 Living Thankfully “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service [worship]. And do not be conformed to this [...]

Simplicity Series #34 The Glory Road and the Path of Victory “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life [...]

Simplicity Series #33 The Grace in Which We Stand (Romans 5) Our Security and Blessedness in the Love of God Introduction Paul has carefully laid out his teaching in Rom. 3:21–4:25 on the doctrine of justification. As we have seen, [...]

Simplicity Series #32 The Father of Believers and the Focus of Faith “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus … Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness … For [...]

Simplicity Series #31 The Gospel for the Nations What of Those Who Have Never Heard? “I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise, so as much as is in me, I am [...]

Simplicity Series #30 The Glorious Message of the Gospel “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God, which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son [...]

Faithful Living in Perilous Times “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it [...]

The Victorious Homecoming of the Saints Hebrews 12:22–24 “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God … to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant …” In Memoriam This post is dedicated to [...]

  The Resurrection of Christ and the Vanity of Pascal’s Wager “And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile, you are still in your sins! … If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are [...]

  Simplicity Series #26 Building for Eternity “If anyone’s work which he has built on it [the “foundation,” v. 11] endures, he will receive a reward.” 1Co 3:14 Review from Simplicity Series #25 We each choose to be either a [...]

  Building the House of the Soul “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Mat 7:24 I recently taught this class in [...]

  Six Principles of Spiritual Power “Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, They make it a spring; the rain also covers it with [...]

  You Shall Call His Name Immanuel “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, ‘God with us.’” Mat 1:23 An Ancient Sign to Israel (Isa 7:10–17; [...]

  The Shepherd-King “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, that I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will [...]

  The Free Gift of God—An Insult to Man’s Pride “… being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Rom 3:24 The Righteousness of God The basic theme of the book of Romans can [...]

  Your Battles Belong to the Lord “Then all of this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hands.” 1Sa 17:47 [...]

  Simplicity Series #18 Complete in Christ? “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” Col 2:9–10 A Faulty Conclusion Many believers [...]

  Sauntering Through the Land, Looking to Eternity “Lift your eyes now and look … northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever … Arise, walk in the [...]

  Eating and Drinking in the Kingdom of God “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber [drunkard, NASB], a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by [...]

  Are You Living in the Kingdom of God? “For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Rom 14:17 A Kingdom Not of this World Paul is addressing [...]

  Simplicity Series #12 The Hour of Trial or the Tribulation? “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who [...]

  The Foolishness and the Weakness of God  “We preach Christ crucified … because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” 1Co 1:23–25 The Divine Comedy, 1Co 1:23 Whenever man, [...]

The Simplicity Series #10 The Question that Rattles the Gates of Hell “But who do you say that I am?” Mat 16:15 The Contradiction of Eternal Consequence Jesus and the disciples had crossed over Galilee and traveled north for about [...]

The Simplicity Series #9 Spiritual Rebellion and a Hate-Filled Generation  “And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, [...]

The Simplicity Series #8 Peace in the Midst of the Storm  “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever …” Isa 26:3–4a This passage is [...]

The Simplicity Series #7 The Sower and the Botanist “Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed … fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who [...]

The Simplicity Series #6 The Commission We Have Not Kept “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them [...]

The Simplicity Series #5 Setting the Boundaries of the Gospel Message  “Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said ‘Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as [...]

The Simplicity Series #4 The Critical Role of the Father in the Home and Nation  “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” Eph 6:4 The [...]