“Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.” 1 Chronicles 29:11 The purpose of the temple was to exalt the Lord and to acknowledge the universality…
“…so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” Hebrews 9:28 As people die once, so “Christ died once” – not like the repeated sacrifices of the Levitical system. But…
“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Luke 12:6-7 “Sparrows sold for two pennies” is a reference of the very poor purchasing sparrows for food,…
“For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory.” Psalm 149:4 “His people” refers to the redeemed who have been made God’s people by His grace. The Hebrew word for grace is related to the term meaning “loyal love”. “His people” are those who demonstrate in their lives the characteristics…
“All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.” Psalm 119:160 In Psalm 119, eight words repeatedly describe God’s Word. Since each term describes God’s Word, Hebrew poetry uses them in parallel lines, complementing one another in meaning. God’s promises give life because of God’s trustworthy nature. The term “Law” means instruction or…
“This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’” Jeremiah 33:2-3 Jeremiah appealed to God’s power in creation as the basis for…
“I call on the Lord in my distress, and he answers me.” Psalm 120:1 “Distress” – later in verses 5-7, the Psalmist appears to have traveled extensively under the threat of war. “He answers me” is a general statement of God’s rescue in the Psalms. The tongue is a powerful tool of peace or war….
“I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.” Psalm 119:93 “By them You have preserved my life” is a similar phrase to the psalmist’s appeal for God to give life earlier in verse 50, “…Your promise preserves my life”. Here, God’s precepts (commands and promises) are the unforgettable support…
“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14 Basically, the Apostle Paul is saying that we strain against our own sinful nature and against the world and the devil, even while we are at peace under God’s promises and grace. “Goal”…
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us…” Hebrews 12:1 The “cloud of witnesses” refers to the people of faith mentioned in Hebrews Chapter 11….