Tag Archives: Expository Teaching

Spiritual Nuggets 12/25/2023

Eternal Hope We don’t often realize where we put our hope. We can seek sustenance, energy, or relief in the most transient, innocuous things, from our morning coffee to a vacation we’ve been anticipating for months. These things are not … Continue reading

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When God Made Himself Little – 4

Scripture References: John 1:1-18 We Beheld His Glory Despite the fact that Jesus Christ was clothed in our flesh, having our frail and fragile form and dwelling in the midst of our common life, people saw glory in Him. John … Continue reading

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High and Lifted Up

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he … Continue reading

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Faith From The Beginning 12/23/2023

In The Church TODAY the enemy has invaded even the sacred precincts of the church of the living God. When I was a child no pictures were ever shown in the church. It was exclusively a place of worship, for … Continue reading

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When God Made Himself Little – 3

Scripture References: John 1:1-18 God Identified With Us By taking our human form, God identified with us. He looked out upon our world through human eyes. It is one thing to look at our world from above and outside it. … Continue reading

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Spiritual Nuggets 12/22/2023

Best Friends Forever This generation has more opportunities for communication than any before it, with email and social networking making it possible to interact with others 24/7. Yet suicide rates are higher than ever, and antidepressant medications have become almost … Continue reading

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When God Made Himself Little – 2

Scripture References: John 1:1-18 God Became Human – Continued Jesus’ flesh was our kind of flesh. He got tired, needed rest, sleep, and food. You see Him sitting on the curbing of a well and asking for water. He was … Continue reading

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Spiritual Nuggets 12/21/2023

Oppressors, Victims, and a Just God Contemporary culture is often pegged as self-indulgent: We live in a have-it-now world, and we don’t always think about the repercussions of our actions. But when we read James’ letter to the early church, … Continue reading

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When God Made Himself Little – 1

Scripture References: John 1:1-18 Most who celebrate Christmas this year, will do so elaborately. Our houses will be brilliantly lighted. We will have Christmas trees, decorations, and adornments of many kinds. We will give and receive expensive gifts beautifully wrapped. … Continue reading

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Spiritual Nuggets 12/20/2023

Moving Forward Moving on after a person, a hope, or a dream has died can be one of the most difficult challenges of life. It certainly was for Samuel. The prophet Samuel believed that God had chosen Saul as king, … Continue reading

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How Shall We Know Him? – 3

Scripture References: Matthew 2:1-11; Luke 2:8-12 Those Who Seek Jesus If swaddling clothes, a manger, and a star tell a lot about the child who was sought, they also tell a lot about those who sought Him then, and those … Continue reading

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Spiritual Nuggets 12/19/2023

Honor, Credit, and Godly Wisdom We’re primed to seek validation. Earning “likes” on our social media outlets gives us a sense of self-worth. Getting kudos for a good idea at work makes us feel important. When this is how we … Continue reading

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How Shall We Know Him? – 2

Scripture References: Matthew 2:1-11; Luke 2:8-12 Simple Things – Continued Jesus Christ was human. His life was grounded in the good earth the way yours and mine are. The story of His birth is that of a real birth. He … Continue reading

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Spiritual Nuggets 12/18/2023

Recasting Faith Faith is often cast as a type of intellectual pursuit: It’s something our minds rise up to, conform to, or simply agree with. But in the Bible, faith is often portrayed as rather mystical: Jonathan somehow knew that … Continue reading

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How Shall We Know Him? – 1

Scripture References: Matthew 2:1-11; Luke 2:8-12 How shall we know Him? That was the question they were asking on that first Christmas. There were two ways given by which they could know Him. The angel said to the shepherds: “And … Continue reading

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Jesus – Our Immanuel – 8

Scripture Reference: Matthew 1:18-25 Joseph and the Birth of Jesus, Our Immanuel When the angel had finished speaking, Joseph awoke, believed, and “did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.” That is, he “took [Mary home as] his wife” … Continue reading

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Faith From The Beginning 12/16/2023

Dangerous Appeal to the Eye IN THIS present age of illustrations, images and pictures—still and moving, good and bad—the events just cited should make us ponder seriously. Can we not link the rapid decline in morals, the awful increase in … Continue reading

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Jesus – Our Immanuel – 7

Scripture Reference: Matthew 1:18-25 Joseph, Mary, and Immanuel According to Matthew, the blessed side of the Immanuel prophecy has now come. God has fulfilled it in the birth of Jesus. The promise of military deliverance for Ahaz prefigured something far … Continue reading

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Spiritual Nuggets 12/15/2023

Faith Sometimes it’s difficult to view our lives as a whole. We fulfill different roles as we interact with different people at school, home, work, and even church. In the natural donning and discarding of these roles, we might be … Continue reading

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Jesus – Our Immanuel – 6

Scripture Reference: Matthew 1:18-25 Ahaz and Immanuel – Continued From last lesson: God had offered Ahaz a gentle deliverance, but Ahaz wanted a mighty warrior. Now, God says, Ahaz would find one. The mighty army of Assyria would come and … Continue reading

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