In Luke 17, Jesus continued to contrast the path of those who trust him with the way of the Pharisees. The focus of Luke 17:1-4 is the Christian’s relationship to others. Specifically, we must “pay attention to ourselves” so that we do not sin against others, thus causing them to stumble, and we must quickly…
The sermon text for this Lord’s Day is Luke 14:25-35. In it, the Lord Jesus issues a serious call to count the cost of following him. He requires full devotion, without which no one can be his disciple. We tend to minimize of ignore Jesus’ call, but the text, rightly considered, does not allow half-hearted devotion.
In Galatians Paul is dealing with people who thought that the Law was the answer to all spiritual problems. Paul has been arguing against that. The answer to the works of the flesh is found in the life-giving and life-transforming ministry of the Holy Spirit. If people will walk in the Spirit and be led…
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…
Titus brought news from Corinth to Paul. He reported that the Corinthians had responded to Paul’s admonitions. They had repented and declared their allegiance to Paul, and thus to the Lord. The key idea is that Paul’s correction brought them sorrow, but it was the right kind of sorrow, sorrow that produced repentance. And their…
