Pastoral Message (Page 30)

By Not Known 2019 marks the fourth time this 20th century that the Jewish Passover (20 Apr) and Easter (21 Apr) coincide on the same weekend, according to Western Christianity following the Gregorian calendar. Even as we explore the events of the Exodus, we see that it foreshadows the culmination of God’s sovereign plans, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the…

By Not Known From Ex. 7 to 9, it was mentioned seven times that Pharaoh hardened his heart again God. This led to an escalation of God’s judgment against him. In Ex. 9:12 and 10:1, God stepped in to further harden Pharaoh’s heart. Yet in Ex. 10:3-4, God continued to give Pharaoh the choice to repent. It means despite his hardened heart, Pharaoh retained the ability to…

By Not Known “To know Christ and the power of His resurrection” (Phil. 3:10) are two things the apostle Paul desired for in life.  In another letter, he writes “I pray that you would begin to understand how incredibly great His power is to help those who believe Him. It is that same mighty…

By Not Known But we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Cor. 1:23-24) As we head into the final week of the Lent Season, it is appropriate to reflect on the meaning of the cross of Jesus Christ. The biblical writers assume…

By Not Known I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the  Egyptians (Exodus 6:7). Exodus 6:7 is a wonderful message from God to Moses! The Covenant-keeping God remembered His promises to Abraham and his descendants (Gen. 3:1-3) and partially fulfilled them in…

By Not Known When the LORD first appeared to Moses in Exodus 3, He told Moses in verses 19-20, “I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go.” And verse 22 says, “So you shall plunder the Egyptians.” These words…

By Not Known Suffering, failure, sin, illness, loneliness, and disappointment, they all come in a seemingly endless variety of shapes and sizes. At times, there seems to be no way to turn, either backward or forward. There is no light at either end of the tunnel. In the midst of all these, three common questions come to mind: Why has this happened to me? When will this…

By Not Known In today’s passage, Moses is seen to question or doubt God for choosing him to lead His people out of Egypt. Even after his encounter with God through the burning bush, God’s revelation of His name “I AM,” the provision of the staff, the miracle of the leprous hand as well as the promised miracle of water from the Nile turning to blood, it seemed…

By Not Known Philip, one of the Lord Jesus’ twelve disciples says to Him in John 14:8, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus replies him, “. . . the one who has seen me has seen the Father . . .” This is because Jesus is the very incarnation of “the Great I AM,” the living God…

By Not Known Ephesians 2:8 The biblical teaching on Christian salvation indicates a three-dimensional perspective, including salvation, sanctification, and glorification. In Eph. 2:8, Paul writes, “For by grace you have been saved through faith.” Salvation is understood as a past event or dealing with the penalty of sin, indicating a completed action. In Cor. 1:18,…