The Two Ways
There are two ways, one of life and one of death, and there is a great difference between the two ways.
Psalm 1
Freedom, Limits, and the Nature of Sin
Sin promises freedom and fulfillment if I will reject God’s limiting commands and design, but this always produces deadly results rather than life, freedom, and flourishing.
Genesis 2:15-17; Genesis 3
Freedom – Embracing the Limits of Marriage and Sex
Freedom is found in embracing the truth that marriage is the lifelong union of one man and one woman, and it is the only proper context for human sexual activity.
Genesis 1:28; 2:20-25
Freedom: Embracing Feasting and Fasting
True freedom is found in a proper relationship with food, neither despising nor idolizing it, but rather rejoicing in it as God’s good gift which points to our ultimate need for God Himself.
Genesis 1:29-30; Genesis 2:15-17
Freedom – Embracing the Rhythm of Work and Rest
True freedom embraces the rhythm of work and rest, for body and soul, that God built into creation.
Genesis 1:26-28; Genesis 2:1-3; Genesis 2:15
Embracing the Limits of Body and Soul
True freedom is found in recognizing humanity as including both body and soul, and embracing the inherent identity and limits of both.
Genesis 1:26-28; Genesis 2:7
The Key to Human Freedom
The key to human freedom is recognizing and embracing our inherent nature as we were created by God, including both the God-given dignity and limits of that nature.
Genesis 1:26-31
Our Long War Against God’s Image
In our rebellion against God, humanity has consistently demeaned, degraded, and attempted to destroy other humans because they are created in God’s image.
Genesis 4:8-10
The Advent of Hope in Christ
In times of distress we need to expectantly wait upon God, knowing we can have hope because He is the Sovereign God Who has fulfilled all of His promises in Christ.
Isaiah 40
He Is There and He Is Not Silent
The fundamental reality is that God exists and He is speaking to us through creation and the Scriptures, and we are called to respond in prayer and personal relationship with Him.
Psalm 19
The Lion, the Lamb, and the Little Child
Man and nature are vicious and brutal, but Isaiah tells us a great cosmic reversal is coming and it will be led by a little child.
Isaiah 11:6
The Lord Will Provide
The LORD sees me and provides for me, even sacrificing His own Son so that I might be spared and blessed.
Genesis 22:1-18
RESET: Redeeming the Quarantine
Like the exile, our current time of disruption should be used as a divinely appointed season to reset our priorities and practices, redeeming the quarantine to make beneficial changes to our lives.
Deuteronomy 4:27-31
Finding Hope In Hard Times
In hard times we can easily give in to despair, but God uses times like this to call us to look to Him for mercy, salvation, and hope, knowing that He is the faithful God.
Lamentation 3:17-26
The Obedience of Faith
True faith leads to a life of growing obedience to God’s covenant and commands.
Genesis 17 (17:1-14; 23-27)
Embracing The Covenant Promise By Faith
God’s Covenant is given in order to confirm His promises so that we might embrace them by faith.
Genesis 15
The Covenant of Promise
God promised to bless Abram and his seed abundantly, and He called Abram and His seed to be a blessing to the whole world.
Genesis 12:1-7
The God of Generations
God is the God of generations and calls his people to pray and work to pass the faith from one generation to the next.
Deuteronomy 4:9
The Covenant of Preservation (Noah)
In the fall, humans broke God’s covenant and fell under the curse, but God In His grace, God gave His covenant promise to preserve creation and humanity, renewing the covenant of creation and establishing human government to restrain evil and promote the common good through this age until the final judgment.
Genesis 6:17-18; 9:1-11
The Covenant of Redemption (Adam)
In the fall, humans broke God’s covenant and fell under the curse, but God promised to redeem humans from the curse through the coming Seed of the woman.
Genesis 3:14–19
The Covenant of Creation – Part 3
God’s covenant of creation calls us to obey Him as our covenant Lord, embracing the limitations He built into us at creation, including receiving and celebrating the gift of Sabbath rest.
Genesis 1:26–2:3; Genesis 2:15-17
The Covenant of Creation – Part 2
In creation, God entered into a covenant with humanity as the image of God, calling us to worshipful obedience through proper relationships with creation, other humans, and God Himself.
Genesis 1:26–28; Genesis 2:18–24
The Covenant of Creation – Part 1
In creation, God entered into a covenant with humanity as the image of God, calling us to worshipful obedience through proper relationships with creation, other humans, and God Himself.
Genesis 1:26–2:3; Genesis 2:15–17
Understanding Covenants
A Covenant is an oath defining the nature, promises, and consequences of a relationship.
Deuteronomy 29:9-15
God With Us (O Emmanuel)
Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us, rescuing and restoring us to God.
Isaiah 7:14