God's Glory Departs

Ezekiel 9:9-11, 10:18-19

9 Then He said to me, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great, and the land is full of bloodshed, and the city full of perversity; for they say, ‘The Lord has forsaken the land, and the Lord does not see!’ 10 And as for Me also, My eye will neither spare, nor will I have pity, but I will recompense their deeds on their own head.”

11 Just then, the man clothed with linen, who had the inkhorn at his side, reported back and s

The Veil Lifted

In my daily Bible reading this morning were two passages that struck me when I read them. The first was Isaiah Chapter six and more specifically the last verse, verse thirteen.

“And though a tenth remain in it, it will be burned again, like a terebinth or an oak, whose stump remains when it is felled." The holy seed is its stump (Isaiah 6:13 ESV).”

Here Isaiah is describing the vision YAHWEH is showing him of the coming destruction of Israel by their defeat and ensuing capti

The Anointing Kiss

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. (Romans 8:28-30)

When Judas arrives at Gethsemane, he tells the accompanying

Greater Plans

Jeremiah 29:4-14

4 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the L

The Power and Blessing of Fellowship

“Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them (Matthew 18:19-20 NKJV).”

If two of you agree on earth: There is real power in agreement in prayer and in the presence of Jesus. This is exactly what the unrepentant folks miss out on.

In the ancient Greek, agree is literally “to symphonize.” Jesus wan

Biblical Foundation

“1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.” (Ge

Love

The fourth Sunday of Advent this year falls on Christmas Eve, and we will light the fourth candle, the candle of love. In the Evening Service we will light the center candle, the Christ candle.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)."

We are God's creation and He created us in His likeness. As most of you have likely experienced and as I have experienced we have this innate des

Joy

The third Sunday of Advent is Gaudete Sunday and is meant to remind us of the JOY that the world experienced at the birth of Jesus, as well as the joy that the faithful have reached the midpoint of Advent.

"And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people (Luke 2:10)."

This third week focuses our intention on joy. Joy is a very real and deep happiness that is rooted in faith and trust. In this third week of

Peace

The second Sunday of Advent, next Sunday, we light the candle of Peace.

"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7)."

As we look forward with expectancy for the birth of Christ, let us reflect on the peace given to us through His first coming. The Bible describes for us three different types or aspects of peace:

1. "The Peace from God" - The Apostle Paul uses this term often in the introduct

Hope

The first Sunday of Advent is next Sunday and the candle we light is the HOPE candle.

"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hop

Purpose for Fasting

Throughout the Bible we most often find God's people turn to fasting as the natural, inevitable response to a grievous sacred moment in life, such as death, sin, and tradgedy. But, other times a fast is not a spontaneous reaction and we have time to prepare to respond both physically and spiritually.

Fasting is not an end unto itself, but a means of focusing our minds and bodies for a spiritual reason. Whenever you fast, do so for a reason that is mentioned or modeled in th

Fasting - Why and How

16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you (Matthew 6:16-18).

First of all, the Bible nowhere commands

Why Couldn't Mary Touch Jesus?

16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” (John 20:16-17 ESV)

26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Pea

The Narrow Gate

13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy[a] that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few (Matthew 7:13-14 ESV).

In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5—7), the Lord presents a word picture of two gates, one wide and one narrow through a number of examples. Jesus explains to His listeners that to see and participate in His coming ki

Forgiveness

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses (Matthew 6:14-15).”

Forgiveness is required for those who have been forgiven. If you are a Christian that has been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, then you have been forgiven. We are not given the luxury of holding on to our bitterness towards other people, no matter what they hav