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The Book of II Corinthians

Faithful to the Very End — Part One

 It has struck me that there are many practical evidences for the power of God in Christianity. One of them is, in my judgment, in what we in theology call the perseverance of the saints. Perseverance is evidenced when believers in Christ do not give up in the Christian life even though there are many arguments in favor of giving up on many occasions.

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The Book of II Corinthians

Faithful to the Very End — Part Four

As Paul thinks ahead to this third visit, he wonders if this one might turn out like the second. It is a great concern to him. Paul said in verse 14 that his real objective was different from that of the false prophets, who were there to gather a following, or to make money, or to acquire a reputation.

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The Book of II Corinthians

Faithful to the Very End — Part Five

Paul feared that he would find quarreling among the Corinthian believers. We know that there was quarreling, because he mentioned it earlier in these letters. He also feared discovering among them jealousy, outbursts of anger, and factions (dividing up into exclusive groups).

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The Book of II Corinthians

Making Sure — Part One

Making Sure2 Corinthians 13:1-14Theme: Assurance.This week’s lessons exhort us to examine ourselves to see if we are truly followers of Christ. Lesson

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The Book of II Corinthians

Making Sure — Part Two

It is one thing to practice discipline where there is a clear violation of the law of God, and there is unrepentant behavior after much careful concern and pleading with the person, and a great deal of effort in prayer.

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The Book of II Corinthians

Making Sure — Part Three

There are great passages that talk about the doctrines of assurance and eternal security. There are three key passages. One is the tenth chapter of John’s Gospel where Jesus is speaking. He says there that he holds his people in his hand. He is the Shepherd; he has called them to himself.

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The Book of II Corinthians

Making Sure — Part Four

Paul said examine yourself. So how can we do that? In John’s first letter, he was writing to people who were shaken up because of the Gnostics – people who had come into their midst professing a greater measure of enlightenment.

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The Book of II Corinthians

Making Sure — Part Five

I say to you as the Apostle Paul said to the Christians at Corinth: examine yourselves to see whether you are really in the faith. You might have learned many things about God, but if you learn much about the faith and are not actually born again, what you have learned is to no advantage.

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The Book of Revelation

Jehovah Speaks — Part One

We are studying the Book of Revelation, and thus far we haven’t answered an important question, namely, what was John’s purpose in writing the book? There are a lot of people who would say that the purpose is obvious: It was a book that was written to tell people who read it what’s going to happen in the future.

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The Book of Revelation

Jehovah Speaks — Part Two

Here in verse 8 is one of the rare places in Revelation where God the Father himself actually is speaking. What he does is describe who he is by various names. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, who is, and who was, and who is to come – the Almighty.”

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The Book of Revelation

Jehovah Speaks — Part Three

God’s eternity involves many attributes. Theologians call them “incommunicable attributes,” which mean things that are true of God that are not true of us in any way. Some of God’s attributes are communicable. God is a God of truth. We can know truth in part.

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The Book of Revelation

Jehovah Speaks — Part Four

In verse 8 God also refers to himself as “The God who is, who was, and who is to come.” Previously I pointed out that that’s actually echoing that great name for God that was disclosed to Moses at the Burning Bush when God said, “I am who I am.”

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The Book of Revelation

Jehovah Speaks — Part Five

We come today to the last term God applies to himself in verse 8 – “the Almighty.” It’s a translation of the Hebrew words El Shaddai, which occur for the first time in the Bible in Genesis 17, verse 1. God is speaking to Abraham. He says, “I am God Almighty. Walk before me and be blameless.”

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The Book of Revelation

Glory! Glory! — Part One

Glory! Glory!Revelation 7:1-17Theme: Eternity.In this week’s lessons, Dr. Philip Ryken teaches us about our future adornment, employment, and enjoyment.
Lesson

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The Book of Revelation

Glory! Glory! — Part Two

Glory! Glory!Revelation 7:1-17Theme: Eternity.In this week’s lessons, Dr. Philip Ryken teaches us about our future adornment, employment, and enjoyment.
Lesson

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The Book of Revelation

Glory! Glory! — Part Four

Glory! Glory!Revelation 7:1-17Theme: Eternity.In this week’s lessons, Dr. Philip Ryken teaches us about our future adornment, employment, and enjoyment.
Lesson

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The Book of Revelation

Glory! Glory! — Part Five

Glory! Glory!Revelation 7:1-17Theme: Eternity.In this week’s lessons, Dr. Philip Ryken teaches us about our future adornment, employment, and enjoyment.
Lesson

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The Book of Luke

The Impossible Possible for God — Part One

The annunciation of Jesus’ birth is one of the most beautiful passages in the Bible. It tells us of the humble maiden kneeling before the angel of God unburdening himself of the message for which the Jews had been waiting for many long centuries.

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The Book of Luke

The Impossible Possible for God — Part Two

The third great impossibility brought about through the birth of Jesus was the salvation of sinners. I don’t know whether Mary specifically had this in her mind when the angel appeared to her and announced the birth of Christ.

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The Book of Luke

The Impossible Possible for God — Part Three

On one occasion a rich young man had come to him, asking what most ministers would consider a marvelous question. He said, “Good Master, how can I achieve eternal life?” We would have said, if we had been in Jesus’ position, “Well, here is a heart that has certainly been prepared by God.”

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The Book of Luke

The Impossible Possible for God — Part Five

The Impossible Possible for GodLuke 1:26-38Theme: Believing the “unbelievable.”This week’s lessons teach us that our God is all-powerful.
LessonI like something the great English bishop J.C. Ryle wrote years ago about the God of the impossible. He said,

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The Book of Matthew

The Happy Christian, Section 1

Theme: How to Be Truly Happy
 
From this week’s lessons, we see that genuine happiness is found, not where the world assumes it to be, but in imitating the Lord Jesus Christ.
 
Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12
 
If a producer of a popular movie, a director of one of today’s successful television shows, or the editor of a widely circulating news or fashion magazine were to rewrite the Beatitudes from a contemporary point of view, I suppose they would go like this: Blessed are t

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The Book of Matthew

The Happy Christian, Section 2

Theme: Pursuit of Happiness
 
From this week’s lessons, we see that genuine happiness is found, not where the world assumes it to be, but in imitating the Lord Jesus Christ.
 
Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12
 
There are a number of ways by which people try to obtain happiness. One man thinks that the way to happiness is through wealth. So he sets his financial goals on a hundred thousand dollars. He gets his hundred thousand, but he is not happy. He sets his goals higher.

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The Book of Matthew

The Happy Christian, Section 3

Theme: The Way to Happiness
 
From this week’s lessons, we see that genuine happiness is found, not where the world assumes it to be, but in imitating the Lord Jesus Christ.
 
Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12
 
1. “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”  In Luke’s version of the Beatitudes the words “in spirit” do not occur (Luke 6:20).

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The Book of Matthew

The Happy Christian, Section 4

Theme: The Way to Happiness, Continued
 
From this week’s lessons, we see that genuine happiness is found, not where the world assumes it to be, but in imitating the Lord Jesus Christ.
 
Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12
 
4. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.”  In my study I have a book by Walter Trobisch, a German missionary to West Africa, entitled, Living with Unfulfilled Desires.

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The Book of Matthew

The Happy Christian, Section 5

Theme: Imitation of Christ
 
From this week’s lessons, we see that genuine happiness is found, not where the world assumes it to be, but in imitating the Lord Jesus Christ.
 
Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12
 
8. “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness.”  The last of the Beatitudes speaks of happiness in persecution.

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The Book of Matthew

Christ with Us Always, Day 1

Theme: Four Great Universals
 
In this week’s lessons on the Great Commission, we are promised that Jesus is with us to the very end as we obey his command to go into all the world to make other disciples.
 
Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20
 
In that great challenge to evangelism just before His ascension, known as the Great Commission, Jesus commanded that His disciples disciple others.

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The Book of Matthew

Christ with Us Always, Day 2

Theme: All Authority
 
In this week’s lessons on the Great Commission, we are promised that Jesus is with us to the very end as we obey his command to go into all the world to make other disciples.
 
Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20
 
Yesterday we ended by mentioning the first part of Christ’s authority, which is his authority in heaven. Today we look at the other three.
 
2. Authority over spiritual forces.

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The Book of Matthew

Christ with Us Always, Day 3

Theme: All Nations
 
In this week’s lessons on the Great Commission, we are promised that Jesus is with us to the very end as we obey his command to go into all the world to make other disciples.
 
Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20
 
The second of these is “all nations.” It refers, as I indicated in the last section, to the universal authority of Jesus and the worldwide character of Christianity.

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The Book of Matthew

Christ with Us Always, Day 4

Theme: Teaching Everything
 
In this week’s lessons on the Great Commission, we are promised that Jesus is with us to the very end as we obey his command to go into all the world to make other disciples.
 
Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20
 
Yesterday’s devotional concluded by looking at the first two elements of faithful Christian teaching. Today we will consider four others.
 
3. The depravity of man.

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The Book of Matthew

Christ with Us Always, Day 5

Theme: All the Days
 
In this week’s lessons on the Great Commission, we are promised that Jesus is with us to the very end as we obey his command to go into all the world to make other disciples.
 
Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20
 
Over the past two days we listed six subjects that faithful teaching needs to include: a high view of Scripture, the sovereignty of God, the depravity of man, grace, work to do, and the security of the believer in Christ.

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The Book of Romans

God’s Good, Pleasing, and Perfect Will – Part Four

God’s Good, Pleasing, and Perfect WillRomans 12:1-2Theme: Trust and obey.This week’s lessons teach us that our happiness is to be found in following God’s will.
LessonWe need to prove by our experience that the will of God is indeed what Paul tells us it is, that is, that it is good, pleasing, and perfect. We need to check it out. Moreover, it is by checking it out that we will begin to find out what it actually is.

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The Alliance is a coalition of believers who hold to the historic creeds and confessions of the Reformed faith and proclaim biblical doctrine in order to foster a Reformed awakening in today’s Church.

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