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23
Sep 2019

Galatians 5 offers us three different, but interrelated ways to think about how to live the Christian life. Guard your freedom in Christ. 1-12 Serve one another in Love. 13-15 Walk in the Spirit. 16-26 The first speaks of our spiritual reality — knowing that God accepts us completely in Christ. The second speaks of our spiritual responsibility — to serve one another in love. The third speaks of our spiritual resource – we live the Christian life through the Spirit who lives within us. These three exist in unity, they never......

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18
Sep 2017

The Refining of the covenant family (42:1-45:28) The covenant family has suffered brokenness due to their own sinful choices born out of jealousy, rivalry, and succumbing to pagan morality. If dependent alone on Jacob and his eleven sons, the covenant promise of blessing to the nations through the seed of Abraham would fail. Nevertheless, though in exile, Joseph fulfills the responsibility of Abraham’s descendants as he brings blessing to Egypt. Reconciliation and restoration come to this broken family from an unlikely person. The one who has been betrayed and most deeply offended......

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11
Sep 2017

Joseph in Egypt (39:1-41:57) These chapters highlight the presence of God and His providence in the life of Joseph. Despite the injustice and betrayal of his brothers, Joseph experiences fresh grace which takes him through the trials of captivity and brings blessing to him and others in the midst of his troubles. The Lord gives grace to Joseph to flee the seductions of Potiphar’s wife; the Lord protects him while unjustly imprisoned, and eventually exalts him to the second highest position in Egypt. While the covenant family remains in the land of......

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21
Nov 2016

Genesis 24 – 25:11 tell the story of the death of Sarah and Abraham and the transfer of the covenant promise to Isaac and the marriage of Isaac. Upon the death of Sarah Abraham purchases a burial plot in the Promised Land. Though he has not possessed the land of promise, he has sojourned there in life and will rest there in death. In order for the promise to progress beyond Isaac, God must graciously provide from him a wife through whom offspring will come and the promise to the descendants of......

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19
Oct 2016

Genesis 18-19 contrast Abraham and Lot as Abraham is visited by angels and a theophanic presence of the Lord who brings affirmation of God’s promise, while Lot is visited by angels of judgment without any theophanic presence of God. These chapters also take us back to Lot in Sodom and let us know how he fared in the city culture that had allured him.  Abraham apparently had hope in Lot’s ability to counteract the allurement of Sodom’s culture and to influence others toward the God of Abraham. His intercessory prayer ends with......

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08
Aug 2016

Genesis Two portrays the kingdom of God in its original harmony. God creates man in his own image and places him in His kingdom, a garden-temple, in which Adam offers priestly service to God by extending the garden-temple throughout creation through order and beauty and dominion in the worship of God. God graciously gives Adam a wife with whom he partners in his priestly duties of extending the kingdom of God. All is in harmony, God with man, man with the world, and man with woman. There is only one restriction in the Garden/temple......

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25
Jul 2016

(Eph. 2:1-10 ESV) Ephesians 2:1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins  2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience–  3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.  4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the......

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25
Jul 2016

The Gospel in Genesis and in the City Introduction Genesis begins with God and ends with the dying words of Joseph who prophesied that God would visit his people and redeem them from Egypt.  Genesis is a gospel story, i.e. the entire book is the first chapter in the grand narrative of God’s redeeming grace. It begins with the story of creation which prepares us for redemptive themes as God by His word calls light out of darkness and order out of chaos.  Genesis is about blessing and loss of blessing, about......

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25
Jul 2016

The Gospel in Genesis and in the City `           Introduction Genesis begins with God and ends with the dying words of Joseph who prophesied that God would visit his people and redeem them from Egypt.  Genesis is a gospel story, i.e. the entire book is the first chapter in the grand narrative of God’s redeeming grace. It begins with the story of creation which prepares us for redemptive themes as God by His word calls light out of darkness and order out of chaos.  Genesis is about blessing and loss of blessing,......

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11
Nov 2015

The Congruence of Grace and Discipleship 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. (1Co 15:10 ESV) I believe in gospel grace. Free undeserved grace. God’s saving grace. Grace personified in Jesus. Grace that forgives and grace that transforms. I also believe in gospel discipleship. Costly and demanding discipleship. Obedient discipleship. Life-altering and life-consuming discipleship.......

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