Politics and Piety

The new wave of the political scene is upon us. In America, when election fever heats up, it sure gets hot. Angry Facebook posts. Tirades on Twitter. Inflammatory airtime slots on terrestrial TV, and who knows what on cable. It’s going to get fiery, especially this year. For various reasons that for many will be…

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The Myth of Certainty and the Art of Convictional Complexity

It may seem strange to have someone like me—an evangelical Christian leader—talk about the “myth of certainty.” After all, Christianity, especially Bible-believing Christianity, is known for (if anything) its certainties and absolute truths. We are those who hold to the authority of Scripture, the exclusivity of Christ, and a moral code that is strict and…

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September 26-30, 2020

In keeping with the Bible reading plan we are using, the last days of each month are designated as “free days.” September 26-30 then are intended to allow you to catch up on reading you may have missed or to study passages more in depth that intrigued you during the first 25 days of the…

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Isaiah 65-66: Tremble at God’s Word

 Isaiah 65-66,  Proverbs 31,  Luke 24:45-53,  Hebrews 13:9-25   Isaiah 65-66:   The end of Isaiah is cosmic in scope, but at its heart it has a spiritual principle that is picked up by Paul over and over again in his letter to the Romans, and is centered on the ministry of Jesus. God was found by those who did not…

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Isaiah 62-64: Rend the Heavens

Isaiah 62-64,  Proverbs 30,  Luke 24:36-44,  Hebrews 13:1-8  Isaiah 62-64:   Beautiful words, but what do they mean?   We start by hearing of God’s care for his people. “For Zion’s sake,” “For Jerusalem’s sake” (62:1); God gives himself for the sake of his people. This atoning, substitutionary, redemptive focus goes throughout these chapters. We are told…

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Isaiah 59-61: Centered upon God

Isaiah 59-61,  Proverbs 29:15-27,  Luke 24:28-35,  Hebrews 12:14-39  Isaiah 59-61: It begins with a great promise: “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear;” (Isaiah 59:1) But then goes on to explain that their sin had led to a breach: “The way of peace they…

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Isaiah 56-58: Conviction for Healing

Isaiah 56-58,  Proverbs 29:1-14,  Luke 24:13-27,  Hebrews 12:1-13   Isaiah 56-58:   There is blessing on offer in Isaiah 56, along with command, “keep justice” (56:1), and promise for “an everlasting name that shall not be cut off” (56:5). But Israel’s leaders are irresponsible—they are “blind” and “without knowledge” (56:10). They are drunkards, “let us fill ourselves…

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Isaiah 54-55: A Word That Shall Not Return Empty

Isaiah 54-55,  Proverbs 28:15-28,  Luke 24:1-12,  Hebrews 11:32-40   Isaiah 54-55:   In these chapters there is given a multitude of reasons to sing for joy. Throughout all is the conviction that God will restore the fortunes of his people through the promised salvation—ultimately through the Christ. Listen to some of these promises:  For the children of…

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Isaiah 51-53: Him Who Died for You

Isaiah 51-53, Proverbs 28:1-14, Luke 23:50-56, Hebrews 11:17-31   Isaiah 51-53:   More ground breaking, astonishing prophecies from Isaiah! First, God’s people, in Isaiah 51, are told to be comforted, to look to the “rock” from which they were hewn (51:1). Remember Abraham. Remember Sarah (51:2). Remember how God rescued them from Egypt. If God can do all that, can…

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Isaiah 49-50: Not Forgotten

Isaiah 49-50,  Proverbs 27:15-27,  Luke 23:44-49,  Hebrews 11:1-16 Isaiah 49-50: I have often thought when looking at these momentous chapters of Isaiah, “Who is equal to these things?” Well is Isaiah often said to be the greatest of the Old Testament prophets. Chapter 49 deals with the disappointment of God’s people, their fear that he…

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