Posts by Adult Sunday School Teacher

Christ the Way, the Truth, and the Life by John Brown of Wamphray...

Convocation and Parliament both met in November of 1547, an event that is rare in English history, and I need to point out why this is important. Convocation is where doctrinal issues and matters regarding practices are addressed by the bishops. However, since the Church of England was the state church, Parliament would need to address the same matters as well. The meeting...

Honoring the Elderly by Brian L. De Jong...

"O LORD God of hosts, who is like You, O Mighty LORD?" (Psalm 89:8) God reigns sovereign and supreme, even in strange times such as these. When anxiety and fear tempt us to set our faith on the shelf in favor of more "practical" approaches to life, Christians should be reminded that nothing is more "practical" than believing what the Triune God has revealed about Himself ...

We have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. (2Cor 4:7-9) Ah, LORD God. Triune King of all creation. Yahweh: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.Glorious and Majestic in all t...

This is the last of God's attributes in our teaching series, and it's a good one to end on. If we've learned anything throughout this series, it is that God is unique and there is none like him (Jer. 10:6). He is infinite, majestic, sovereign, holy, and indeed, wholly other. He is completely beyond our comprehension. How can it be that we, as finite creatures, could know...

What is wisdom and what is meant by God being wise? Stephen Charnock's rather extensive definition contrasts knowledge with wisdom. Knowledge is truth about things and wisdom is the use of truth. Wisdom is the application of knowledge in a timely, purposeful, and virtuous manner. It does not just know truth, it uses it appropriately. To act wisely is to intentionally act a...

Edward Leigh described the holiness of God as the "beauty" of all his attributes, "without which his wisdom would be but subtlety, his justice cruelty, his Sovereignty tyranny, his mercy foolish pity." God's holiness is the only attribute of his that is affirmed in a threefold repetition in Scripture and that is done twice (Isa 6:3; Rev 4:8). He is declared to be the "Hol...

"The LORD is merciful and gracious; slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love." - Ps 103:8 While all of God's attributes should evoke a sense of awe, humility, and wonder, reflecting on God's graciousness provides something much more personal for the believer. If God is all His other attributes but is not gracious toward us, we are left in a great state of fear and al...

Our limited, sinful humanity misuses anger. We exercise anger as an excuse for revenge or unjustified hatred. We let anger drive us to sinful acts. The recent riots are an example of the fruit of human anger. Uncontrolled rage resulted in massive criminal behavior for a cause. We speak of "crimes of passion" or "blowing up" or "losing it," leading us to conclude that anger...

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end" (Lam 3:22). This verse in Lamentations 3 draws our attention back to the prophet Jeremiah's lament over the city of Jerusalem during its destruction by Babylon. What sorrowful lament indeed to see the city of God's people decimated and deserted in judgment. Most of us have not had to witness a...

John 1:14: Andthe Wordbecame flesh anddwelt among us,and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Sonfrom the Father, full ofgrace andtruth.18No one has ever seen God;the only God,who is at the Father's side,he has made him known. As humans, we measure our success by accomplishments: trophies, medals, records, degrees, awards, citations, net worth, number of followers...

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.1 The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all.2 Whatever the LORD pleases, He does, in heaven and on earth, in the sea and all deeps.3 For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authoritiesall things w...

"God is love" (1 John 4:8, 16). This is the best-known of all of God's attributes, and arguably the most misunderstood. Too many people think that God's love is a "one size fits all" matter; that God loves everyone equally. God's love, however, is nuanced, and as we look more and more into it we can better grasp its depths. "The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over ...

The Lord is slow to anger and great in power,And the Lord will by no means clear the guilt.His way is in the whirlwind and storm,And the clouds are the dust of his feet. (Nahum 1:3) God is patient and that is a wonderful truth for all creatures who dwell on earth. When we say that God is patient we mean that God forebears, delays, and tempers the punishment all sinners de...

In 701 BC, the Kingdom of Judah was facing a crisis. Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, was invading Judah. He had conquered other kingdoms, most recently the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and he and his forces seemed to be invincible. People were frightened. Some were suggesting that Judah make an alliance with Egypt. King Hezekiah took measures. He stopped the water that f...

The word going out these days is keep your social distance and by all means do not congregate! That's easy to say but difficult for us to do. As Christians we have a God-given desire to congregate. That's why the church is called a congregation, both in the Old and New Covenant. We congregate! The word congregate comes from the Latin wordscommeaning "together" andgregare...

Sheltering in place for the past few weeks has allowed us all to experience a new sense of material and personal limitations. We've seen the store shelves limited in their stock of bottled water and bread, and we have all been limited from congregating, recreating, and entertaining in the many ways that were familiar to us just weeks ago. In glaring ways, we are now seeing...

This year has brought many changes in almost every area of life: economic, health, social even our own church community meetings. Stability is what gives meaning to currencies, stocks, laws, morals, customs, and cultures. The list goes on and on. The Good News is that we have One who doesn't change; who is immutable. Therefore, He gives ultimate meaning to our existence. ...

"Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?" (Psalm 139:7) It's what everyone's talking about. It's on everyone's mind. It's everywhere you go: the grocery store, the beach, at home, sporting events, concerts, the news; even the church is affected. All of life is engulfed by it. It seems as though it's omnipresent. But, of course, COVID-...

OLord, you havesearched me and known me! Youknow when I sit down and when I rise up; youdiscern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, OLord,you know it altogether. (Psalm 139:1-4) It seems like ages ago, but do you remember watching the news reports back in January o...

Someday in the near future I envision us gathering again to share with one another how we made use of our time in quarantine. People all over the world will do the same. Some stories will be of joy in uncertain times and some stories will be of the fear and anxiety of the unknown. After 9/11, the collective mood in our country was a desire to feel secure again; now there s...

Many people may not think of God being blessed as an attribute. Many systematic theologies do not even speak of the blessedness of God as a divine attribute. I can argue, however, that "God is blessed" is the perfect three-word summation as to who God is. All of God's attributes unite perfectly, with the result that he has in himself an infinite eternal fullness, delight,...