Following Elijah’s stunning victory over the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18, he turns his attention to drought that continued to linger over the land. Back in 1 Kings 17, Elijah had announced a drought on the land because of the apostasy of the people. They had backed into Baalism and paganism. And their failure to remain faithful to the Lord carried the judgment of God removing his word from the people, signified by the lack of rain or dew. This was also a polemic against Baal, the storm god. The Baal cycle would be broken and the LORD would show himself to be God.
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"With which person in the Bible do you most identify?" This is a question I have often asked others in the church over the years. Most of us lack even enough self-awareness to able to answer the question. Others among us have a propensity to appeal to the best characters in Scripture.
For the previous post in this four-part series, p
The sermon was the minister’s attempt through reason to encourage faith as it affected this life and the next. They were committed to a style that was plain but not dull. Each minister was pledged by his own creed to use a balance of doctrine and practice, faithfully devoted to the exposition of the Word of Scripture, and understood by all. Every Puritan sermon began with a definite Biblical text. Once a text was selected, the preacher’s immediate duty was to clarify it in all possible ways. Thus the lengthy Puritan sermon had a structure of its own.
Anxiety. Everyone’s experienced it. Ask the child who gets bullied at school, the teenager who compares herself to others on social media, the college student preparing for exams, the young professional striving for a promotion, parents caring for an injured or sick child, and the elderly facing significant health issues. Anxiety is one of the top reasons people seek counsel. Books abound on the topic. And today it’s considered an epidemic, both in the United States and around the world. When you hear the word anxiety what do you think about? Specifically, what makes you anxious?
You and I make choices all day long—what we will eat, what we will wear, what we will seek to accomplish, who we will befriend, how we will serve our neighbor, and what route we will take home. Many of the choices we make our relatively insignificant. But there’s one choice we make that matters for all eternity. The book of psalms begins with this choice. Ever since the fall of humankind into sin there have been two roads from which a person must choose in life—the road of the righteous and the road of the rebellious.
Paulinus of Pella – A Thankful Heart After Formidable Losses
Paulinus of Pella is mostly known by historians of Ancient Rome, as his poetic account of his life during the troubled end of the Roman Empire provides us with a first-hand description of the challenges experienced by many.
Hannah Allen – Rescued from Serious Mental Struggles
One of the most moving, honest, and encouraging stories of a battle with mental disturbances comes from a 17th-century English Puritan, Hannah Allen, born around 1638 to pious parents. Her father, John Archer, a merchant, died when she was still young and her mother decided to send her to London to attend school. There, she lived with a paternal aunt until she was 12.
Last January, a new professor wrote with a little conundrum. A student scored a 27% on his final, realized that he might fail the course as a result, and called the professor three weeks later to plead for mercy - a second chance - so he could pass the course.
In Matthew 12, Jesus and the disciples experienced events that had to be bitterly disappointing. Jesus healed a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute and the Pharisees said “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons” (12:24). A little later, they came to him and said “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you” (12:38). But they had just seen a sign; what could possibly satisfy them?
Martin Luther’s Table Talk is arguably the most entertaining of his works. The Weimar Edition contains six volumes under this head alone! Thus, volume 54 in the American Edition represents about one-tenth of the total bulk of what we know as Table Talk. However, as the American Edition explains there are good reasons for editing the work. For example, there are less trustworthy sayings and there are sayings that have been elaborated on by his students. All of this is to say that the American Edition removes the dross.
I was recently struck anew by reading Genesis 26. It’s the story of Isaac dwelling in Gerar. The story is familiar. We might read it in “like father, like son” fashion. As Abraham told Abimelech that Sarah was his sister, Isaac did the same. Yes, we sometimes learn from our parents. Even the patriarchs passed on what was not good. But that’s not what struck me.
It is often the case that a minister only begins to really appreciate the value of his books when the time comes for him to part with them. Sometimes it happens when he runs out of space on his shelves and he is forced to thin them out. Or it may be when it comes to his retirement and he is downsizing his house and there simply isn’t the same amount of space in his new accommodation. Either way, he finds himself struggling to decide which ones to keep and which to let go. It begins to dawn on him that these volumes mean more to him than he may have previously realised.
The first question and answer of the Heidelberg Catechism has resonated with generations of people familiar with it.
Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death?
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Where is Christ most glorified?
As hard as it is for many to believe, the Son of God was never more glorified than as he hung on the cross of Calvary, absorbing the righteous wrath of a holy God as a substitute for sinners. The slate of our sins was wiped clean, and the record of debt that our transgressions demanded was nailed to the cross and marked “Paid in full.” This is the message Paul wants to convey to God’s people in his letter to the Colossians—Christ’s glory and the cross go hand-in-hand.
I recently preached a series on the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians chapter five and found it to be, well, fruitful. This vital section of Scripture draws a sharp contrast between the works of the flesh (vv. 19-21) and the fruit that the Holy Spirit produces in the lives of God’s true children (vv. 22, 23).
In Matthew 26:26-28 Jesus spoke a few simple words that have been the cause of a great many differences between Christians. The differences, or disagreements, are centered upon what Jesus meant when the Bible tells us that:
Having laid a foundation for the nature and authority of the Holy Scriptures as the Word of God in the three opening articles, the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy proceeds to define and defend mankind’s capacity to receive God’s Word. The framers of the Statement make the following affirmation in its fourth article:
We affirm that God who made mankind in His image has used language as a means of revelation.
Taken from forthcoming book, Daily Doctrine by Kevin DeYoung, Copyright © 2024. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org.
