Psalms 116; 1-14, Romans 5:1-8 We learned last week how salvation depends on our faith in God and Jesus Christ. But what about times of suffering? How do we keep the faith then? Our Psalm’s passage tells how during times of affliction he kept his faith. He speaks later of lifting up the cup of salvation. Charles Wesley interpreted this as the sacred cup of grace. Romans 5 tells how we have peace with God since we’ve been justified by faith. We have received this cup of grace through Jesus Christ. We can stand since we have access to this grace. Due to this grace, we have hope in what good our suffering will accomplish – Paul even goes as far as saying we can even rejoice in it. Paul goes through then what gifts suffering produces. He says it produces endurance which in turn produces character and this character produces hope. This hope does not disappoint since God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. The Psalmist has great hope in God’s bounty ...

  Genesis 12: 1-9, Romans 4:13-25 In our Genesis passage God gives a command and a promise to Abram, later to be renamed Abraham. God tells him to go to a land God will show him and God will make of him a great nation. Now Abraham had plenty to doubt. He was 75 and his wife Sarai was past childbearing age. Yet having faith in the impossible he went as the Lord told him. In Romans, Paul says the promise that he would inherit the world didn’t come to him through the law but through the righteousness of faith. The law brings wrath and violation. Both of these don’t fit into the new covenant of grace which God has created for us. So, if following the law doesn’t bring it, what does? It depends on faith. The promise then rests on grace – unmerited favor, not in keeping any laws. This promise is guaranteed not only to those who follow the law but to all who share in the faith of Abraham. Paul is saying here that it comes to Gentiles along with the Jews. Paul expands on the Abraham ...

  Matthew 28: 16-20; II Corinthians 13: 11-13   Both of these passages are closing remarks. Matthew 28 has the last remarks of Jesus as he commissions the disciples to make disciples of all nations. Our II Corinthians passage is Paul’s final closing words to the Corinthian church. Paul has kept the command Christ left the disciples since he has been on many a missionary trip preaching the gospel to many nations including the Gentiles whom salvation is now offered. The Corinthian church, however, is struggling. There are disputes and antagonism between church members. How can this church glorify Christ and be a witness to the world? In order to do so they need to get their spiritual lives together as Paul puts it, “Put things in order.” Interestingly enough the Greek word for this is a synonym of the Greek word for “to perfect.” The Corinthians were not on the road to perfection, so Paul tells them to put things in order, one being the love of one another. Paul appeals to t...

  John 7:37-39; I Corinthians 12:3b-13   Jesus in our John passage cries out to all who are spiritually thirsty to come to him. If they believe in him, they will be able to drink. He quotes Zechariah 14:8 about rivers of living water flowing out of the believers’ hearts. John writes that this was to come from the Spirit in which they didn’t have access to yet since Jesus had not yet died and been glorified in his resurrection having conquered sin. This Sunday was Pentecost Sunday where we celebrate the birthday of the church when the Holy Spirit was given to all believers who were then empowered to drink of the Spirit and have this living water flow through them. In I Corinthians Paul tells about gifts of the Spirit. Though now all have the same Spirit, each one has a different Spiritual gift. They are listed as the utterance of wisdom and knowledge (teaching and preaching), healing, prophecy, miracle workers, tongues, and the interpretation of tongues. All gifts are s...

  Luke 24:44-53; Ephesians 1:15-23   This Sunday we celebrated the Ascension of the Lord Sunday. This is basically Jesus’ goodbye to the disciples and when the power of God which raised him from the dead, raised him up into heaven. Jesus makes a promise to them that in a little while they will be “clothed with power from on high.” This refers to the day of Pentecost which we will be celebrating next week when Jesus keeps his promise and God sends them and all who believe the Holy Spirit. Paul writes the Ephesians years after Pentecost has happened and he tells the Ephesians how thankful he is for the faith and love of all of them. He wishes great things for them – the things Jesus promised in our Luke passage. One is a spirit of wisdom. Luke tells about how Jesus opened up the disciples’ minds to understand the scriptures. This is something the Holy Spirit does for us today when we study God’s word. Paul then prays for their hearts to be enlightened that they will realize ...

  Acts 17:22-28; John 14:15-21 In Acts17 Paul is addressing an audience by an altar inscribed “To an Unknown god.” Paul rectifies this by telling them of the true God not made by hands who you don’t need to worship in shrines made by humans. He gives a spiel about the one true God, our creator, life giver, and Lord of all nations who is near us and available for those who search for God. Paul then delivers a powerful statement quoting an unknown source, “In Him we live and move and have our being.” Many interpret this as God giving us life since we are God’s offspring – yet I see a spiritual life given to us through the Spirit of God that lives within us. The Holy Spirit is the one Jesus promised in our John passage. The Spirit of truth, and our advocate will be us, abiding within us. Jesus didn’t leave them orphaned but gave them and gives us one part of the Trinity. Because Christ will be resurrected and will live, we will also live. Jesus says he is in my Father and you – us...

  John 14:1-7; Acts 7:55-60 In our John passage Jesus is comforting the disciples. He tells them not to worry – be troubled since he is preparing a place for them. In his Father’s house are many dwelling places. After he prepares this place for them, he will come again for them and take them to himself. Thomas is confused when Jesus tells them they know the way to which he responds, “No we don’t.” Jesus answers with one of the famous, “I am” passages: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Through him people will come to the Father in a place he has prepared for them. Now this is before the crucifixion where Jesus does provide the way to God the Father by dying for everyone’s sins. He then is the way – paving the way to a relationship to God and being able to dwell in one of the eternal dwelling places he has gone and prepared for them. In this way no one can come to the Father except through him. Fast forward pass the crucifixion and Christ’s resurrection to the days of ...