As we return to the book of Acts, we catch up with Stephen. Up to this point, Luke's focus in Acts has been on the church in Jerusalem, the preaching, the growth, and the persecution has largely been in Jerusalem.
In Stephen, we come to a turning point in the book of Acts, from a focus from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria. We will see that the death of Stephen is the climax of the Jewish persecution in Jerusalem. His death provided the impetus for the spread of the church into Judea and Samaria. Finally, in Stephen, we are introduces to Saul of Tarsus, later known as Paul.
In today's lesson, we are introduced to the character of Stephen and the beginnings of the trial that will eventually lead to his execution.
Thank you for listening to today's lesson. May you be blessed through the teaching of God's Word.
There are great blessings to living on the world God created; and God is pleased to have us enjoy the simple things of this world. But many, including evangelical Christians, get caught up in many other things. In particular, the events of 2020 saw many believers distracted by Covid and the politics of a controversial election.
One thing we must remember is that, for the believer, this is not our home. We are called to have an eye on what is coming up ahead. In today's lesson, we consider God's call for us to be heavenly-minded believers.
Thank you for listening to today's lesson. May God bless you through the teaching of God's Word.
Homosexuality is an issue that has increased in prominence within our own world and culture, as well as the church. The month of June is Pride Month, in which society, as a whole, celebrates and affirms the homosexual lifestyle.
But what does Scripture say regarding homosexuality? And how do we respond to the world's claims, not only about the legitimacy of homosexuality, but claims that the Word of God affirms this lifestyle? And finally, how does the Gospel inform our response to the world around us?
Thank you for listening to today's lesson. May the Word of God provide you with guidance on this very relevant topic.
In Psalm 51 we see the penitent prayer of David following his sin with Bathsheba. In the first part of this psalm, we saw David approaching God for forgiveness, grace and mercy on the basis of God's own character.
Now in the second half, we see David approaching God seeking renewal of his inner most being; "Create in me a clean heart." As we look at David's heart, we see that his purpose was not just for his own forgiveness and renewal, but that as a forgiven sinner, he could instruct others on how to approach God to find grace and mercy themselves.
As you listen to today's lesson, may you be encouraged through this prayer that was born out of David's own failure and God's immeasurable grace.
Thank you for listening to today's lesson. May you be blessed through the teaching of God's Holy Word.
As we celebrate Mothers' Day, we often look to Scripture for examples of mothers from whom we can gain valuable lessons. When we look at Hannah, we see a figure barren for so long, praying for a son, only to give away her first born son to the Lord.
What made it possible for Hannah to surrender a child for whom she had so desperately longed? And as we consider her character, what lessons are there for us?
Thank you for listening to today's lesson. May God bless you through the teaching of His Word.
Many of us learn by doing. Others demonstrate something and we do it. When the disciples asked Jesus, "Teach us to pray...", the Lord prayed, demonstrating a pattern of prayer for His followers.
In the same way, Psalm 51 is a teaching Psalm. In it, David offers a demonstration of how a sinner can approach God to confess our sin and to trust in the goodness and loving kindness of a God who is at once both Holy and gracious and merciful.
In Psalm 51, we see that David makes no attempt to down play or cover his own sin. We see David confessing that his sin, although involving others, was ultimately against God alone. And finally we see David repenting of his sin; acknowledging that God is just and blameless in His judgment.
But then David turns his demonstration to trust; for He turns to the very character and nature of God as both Holy and righteous, but also gracious and merciful. And in his prayer, David asks three things of God:
- Purify me with hyssop; literally De-Sin me
- Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow
- Blot out all my iniquities
During today's lesson, may we be exhorted to look honestly at our own sin, then come to a Holy and Gracious Father, trusting Him to forgive our sin through the blood of His Son.
Thank you for listening. May you be blessed through the teaching of God's Word.
If a mouse were to enter our house, we would most often do all we could to trap the mouse, either through gentle means so as to not kill the mouse, or through more "permanent" means. But how can we draw the little varmint to the trap? We can use fear to push the mouse toward the trap; and we can use bait, temptation, to lure him to his destruction.
In today's lesson, we see that, in many ways, Satan uses the same methods on the believer. When Satan sees a life changed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he lays a trap for us. And while he cannot destroy those who belong to Christ,we must realize each day that Satan is trying to make us stumble. We therefore examine some of the traps Satan uses as well as the means that God provides for us to resist the schemes of the Devil.
Thank you for listening to today's lesson. May you be blessed through the teaching of God's Word.
When David wrote Psalm 51, he did so with the following introduction, "For the choir director. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. (NASB)" As a psalm of contrition, seeking the Lord's pardon, Psalm 51 touches the sinner to our very core, because Psalm 51 sees us at the depth of our sin, but it also sees God at the heights of His mercy.
To get a full grasp of this Psalm, we must first look into the historical background that led David to write it. In today's lesson, we conduct a quick examination of the rise, and downfall of King David. We see him at his best; favored by God, receiving blessings from the Lord and showing great faithfulness to the Lord. But we see him at his worst; the 'Man after God's own heart,' tempted to and caught up in sins of adultery and murder.
But at his lowest point, David turns to the only place he can go; into the extended arms of the Lord's mercy. And it is there that we find our forgiveness.
As you listen to today's lesson, may you be struck not just by the depth of our own sin, but by the great heights of God's mercy toward undeserving sinners.
Thank you for listening to today's lesson.
It has been approximately five years since the birth of the church at Pentecost. The church continues to see phenomenal growth. As noted in Acts 4, the generosity within the church was unique as the members of the body in Jerusalem did not consider anything to be their own, but shared it with each other, having all things in common.
But this growth also brought some administrative issues. The Hellenistic Jews felt their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. These were Jews who, as descendants of the dispersion, grew up outside Israel and therefore spoke Greek and grew in a Greek culture.
This was an issue which, if left unchecked, could threaten the unity of the the still young church. How the Apostles dealt with this issue serves as an example for us and drives home the primacy of the Gospel in the life of the Church.
Thank you for listening to today's message. May you be blessed through the teaching of God's Word.
