One More Plague

Dennis McCallum

Exodus 11-12

The story of the Exodus where God rescues His people from the slavery of Egypt is a typology of God's bigger plan to rescue all of mankind from the slavery to sin. The details of the Passover Meal that commemorate the Exodus all point forward to the work Jesus would do to save us from judgment.

Truth and Transformation

Jim Leffel

Titus 3:4-8

Titus sums up his argument that once we were sinful and apart from God, but now we have been saved by Grace. From this salvation, believers can go out and radically impart God's love onto others.

The Full Armor of God

Conrad Hilario

Ephesians 6:10-24

Paul warns his audience that their struggle is not against other humans but evil spiritual forces, namely Satan. We need to be prepared to fight with the Word of God's truth, relying not on our own righteousness but on Christ's righteousness. The full armor of God consists of truth, righteousness (Christ's), gospel of peace, faith, salvation, the Word of God and finally, prayer.

The Armor of God

Scott Risley

Ephesians 6:10-24

A spiritual battle rages around us that is a battle for truth with eternal consequences. We are called to stand firm not by our own strength but in the Lord's. We are to take up the full armor of God to withstand the schemes of the devil. We are to rely on God's truth, His righteousness, the peace that comes from the Gospel, faith, salvation, the Word, and prayer.

Avoiding Spiritual Deception

Mike Sullivan

2 Corinthians 11:1-21

Paul uses sarcasm to rebuke the Corinthians for being so easily deceived by false teachers. He gives three ways to be spiritually deceived. First, assume everyone who mentions Jesus or uses spiritual language is from God. Second, when listening to someone teach, prioritize the experience over their content. Third, accept "spiritual" justifications for greed. If you do not want to be spiritually deceived, then instead, expect counterfeit forms of Christianity, evaluate the message in light of the Bible, and look for evidence of financial integrity.

The Bad News is for Everyone

Ben Foust

Romans 1:18-2:3

Paul argues that people often suppress the truth about God and forge their own way. Paul uses the example of sexual ethics to illustrate this point. As controversial today as it was then, this presents a difficult dilemma for Christians. Yet the passage resolves the dilemma by teaching that all people are in the same boat as those who need God's grace. Christians have no standing for self righteous judgement, but rather are to bring the gospel to the world with humility and love.

God's Good News

Ben Foust

Romans 1:1-7

The book of Romans is the Good News of God about the essential issue of mankind. God has done something so that we can come to Him and have a right relationship with Him, in this life and the next. The Gospel is about Jesus, sent from the Father, born into the human race, evidenced by miracles, died on the cross and rose from the dead, and provided the way for all people to be reconciled to God.

The Ministry of Reconciliation, Part 1 & 2

Gary DeLashmutt

2 Corinthians 6:1-10

Having received reconciliation through Christ, God offers us the ministry of reconciliation. Not only are we to speak the message of reconciliation, but we are to live in a way that validates the message. We demonstrate the reality of our faith in Christ by our costly commitment, our genuine godliness, and our dependence upon God. This results in a paradoxical quality of life where some will thank us and some will vilify us. We will live difficult lives, but our quality of life is ensured by our relationship with God.

The Mystery of Christ

Conrad Hilario

Ephesians 3:1-11

God created man with freewill which led to a dilemma for God. He is both loving and just. He loves us but His justice demands he punish us for our sins. His enemies make accusations against his character. So, God kept secret His plan to resolve His dilemma for a time. At the right time, he revealed that Jesus would be the perfect substitute to pay for man's sins. Thus, He demonstrated His great love but also satisfied his justice.