Last week we examined the announcement Elizabeth (John the Baptist’s mother) made regarding God’s blessing on the virgin Mary (Luke 1:39-46). In the sermon text for this Lord’s Day, Luke records Mary’s response to God’s incomprehensible miracle (Luke 1:46-56). It is a poetic work often called The Magnificat (a Latin translation of her opening word,…
The angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would miraculously conceive and bear the Son of God. He also informed her of the miraculous conception of her relative, Elizabeth. The young Mary promptly made the arduous journey to visit Elizabeth. Luke’s description of their meeting is filled with signs of the sovereign work of God.…
Each year at HBC we set aside a week to focus attention on the mission that we have in this world. This Sunday begins our Missions Emphasis Week. Traditionally, we begin the week with the observance of the Lord’s Table. Together, we remember Christ, whose mission is now our mission (Acts 13:47, cf. Isaiah 49:6).
In Luke 1:5-25, we saw that 400 years of silence was broken. God gave no prophetic word to Israel from the time of Malachi until the Day that Gabriel announced to the priest Zechariah that he and his wife would have a son in their old age. This son would be the greatest prophet because…
The last prophet of the Old Testament, Malachi, foretold the coming of the Lord in judgment and redemption. After Malachi, prophecy fell silent for 400 years. All of that changed in the sermon text for this Lord’s Day. God promised a priest, Zechariah, and his wife a child in their old age. This child would…
This Lord’s Day we begin a new sermon series that will take us through the Gospel of Luke. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the “synoptic Gospels” because that have a shared perspective on the life of Christ. Though their content overlaps in places, Luke has more unique material than the other two. This material…
Paul concludes his letter in a familiar way. He lists a series of final commands, offers greetings, and pronounces a benediction in the form of a prayer. Though familiar, his words are neither routine nor wasted. They give both direct and indirect guidance to help the church move past the immaturity and disobedience that made…
The apostle Paul brought the letter to a conclusion in 2 Corinthians 13:1-10. He spoke directly, warning of discipline for those who reject the truth. He called for self-examination, counseling the Corinthians to implement biblical change or face severe consequences. He desired the former outcome but stood prepared to launch the latter. From this passage…
The sermon text (2 Corinthians 12:11-21) for this Lord’s Day serves as an “epilogue” to Paul’s “fool’s speech” (chapters 11-12). He summarizes the main point of the lengthy speech just concluded (11-13), declares his devotion to them (14-16a), insists on the integrity of his ministry among them, corrects their misconception of his “defense,” and begins…
In the sermon text this Lord’s Day, Paul concludes what some call his “fool’s speech.” Since 11:1, he has “boasted” about his credentials as an apostle. However, unlike his opponents in Corinth, his boasting focuses on his own weakness. At the climax of this speech, he explains why weakness is his supreme credential.