Hello everyone. The verse of the week is Hebrews 2:9 which states, "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone."

Three quick points from this verse...

1. Jesus was made a little lower than the angels. The writer of Hebrews spends the first chapter proving that Jesus is "so much better than the angels" (1:4). He argues that Jesus is the Eternal Son of God who created and sustains the universe (1:1-13). He also points out that angels are simply created spirits who minister to those who will inherit salvation (1:7, 14). Then, we read that Jesus was made lower than the angels. What does this refer to? It is a clear reference to the Son of God leaving heaven and becoming a man. Hebrews 2:14 states, "Inasmuch as the children have partaken in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same . . . " It is an amazing truth that the Lord Jesus Christ made Himself lower than the angels!

2. Jesus was made lower than the angels for the suffering of death. The Lord Jesus Christ entered this world for 1 reason. He came to die. He was willing to get on the heavenly elevator and travel waaaay down to this earth knowing that He was going to suffer and die. Why did he suffer? 1 Peter 3:18 states, "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God . . . " The Lord Jesus Christ was beaten, scourged, punched, spit on, mocked, struck in the head, had his beard plucked out, and was crucified. He suffered.

3. By the grace of God Jesus tasted death for everyone. The good news the Bible contains is that Christ died for the sins of "everyone" on the cross. He tasted death for me and for you! Just consider...

- He drank the "cup" that was full of suffering (Matthew 26:39)
- He drank the "cup" that was full of God's anger (Revelation 14:10)
- He drank the "cup" that was full of God's fierce wrath (Rev 16:19)
- He drank the "cup" that was full of sins and filthiness (Rev 17:4)

The fact that Jesus tasted death, suffering, and God's wrath means that I do not have to taste it! He tasted it for me! All I have to do is believe. Then, spend the rest of my life rejoicing, thanking God, and living for the One who died for me.

Hello everyone! The verse of the week is 1 Timothy 4:16 which states, "Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers."

Three quick points about this verse...

1. You need to watch your life closely. Here are some good questions to ask yourself...

Is there any sin in your heart?
Is there any sin in your life?
Do you love the Lord?
Do you love your neighbor as you love yourself?
Do you walk in obedience to the Lord's commands on a regular basis?
Do you hunger and thirst after righteousness?

There are many other questions one could ask to get a pulse on his spiritual condition. However, the point is that we all need to monitor our own actions closely. It is easy to "slide" backwards without realizing it! It is easy to "drift" away from the Lord without realizing it. It is easy to become "lukewarm" without realizing it. Thus, the Bible commands us to watch our lives closely.


2. You need to watch your doctrine closely. This simply means that you need to pay real close attention to what the Bible teaches. You need to make sure you really know the truth! You need to make sure you really know the whole truth! You do not need to depend on your pastor, your SS teacher, or someone who writes a blog to teach you the Bible. All of those are good things to take advantage of, but ultimately you need to study the word of God directly to make sure you are understanding and hearing the truth!

3. If you watch your life and doctrine closely you will save yourself. The reality is that many people mistakenly believe they are on the road to heaven when in fact they are on the road to hell. The sad reality is that they often do not even realize it. Why not? Because they are not watching their life or their doctrine closely. Here are some quick examples to explain what I am talking about. Did you know...

1. A person who habitually disobeys God's commands is not saved. (1 John 2:4, 3:6, 3:10)
2. A person who has been saved is a changed individual (2 Corinthians 5:17)
3. A person who does not love the Lord or his neighbor is not a child of God (John 8:42, 1 John)
4. A person who does not continue to follow the Lord was not ever saved in the first place (1 John 2:19)

The point is that many people are not paying attention to their own lives or to what the Bible teaches. Thus, they are confused and do not realize the truth about their own spiritual state. So I encourage you.... WATCH YOUR LIFE AND DOCTRINE CLOSELY! If you do that it greatly improves your chances of being saved.

The Sparrow

Hello everyone! The passage for this week is Luke 12:6-7 which states, "Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."

I am going to make three simple points about this well-known passage...

1. The Lord takes care of the sparrows. The Lord Jesus Christ begins by reminding His audience that a sparrow has very little value. According to Jesus, a sparrow is not even worth a penny! Yet, the amazing truth is that God remembers each sparrow! "Not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will" (Matt 10:29). The Lord pays attention to every single sparrow!

2. The Lord will certainly take care of us. If the Lord takes care of every sparrow, and we are worth more than many sparrows, we can know with absolute certainty that He is going to take care of us! Jesus reveals that God is paying very close attention to every single one of us by revealing to us that God has each hair on our head numbered! He knows the tiniest details of our lives and He is concerned about every single detail of our lives! It is comforting to know that God will never let me fall to the ground apart from his will! The song says it well, "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me!"

3. Do not be afraid! The Lord Jesus Christ gives his followers a clear command in this passage. DO NOT BE AFRAID. The harsh reality is that Christians often worry about the exact some stuff that everyone else worries about. That should not be the case! If we believe that God really is watching over us, and that He really is going to take care of us, we should not be afraid! We should have faith instead of fear.

I hope you have no worry, anxiety, or fear in your life. However, if you do I hope you will meditate on this little passage of Scripture (and even memorize it) until the fear is replaced by faith.

Hello everyone! I am back from a blog vacation that lasted about 1 month! I am going to do my best to post a blog on a weekly basis so keep your eyes open!

The passage of the week is Genesis 1:31 which states, "Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good." Today, I am going to quickly make two points about God's creation that should give you something to think about this week.

First, I want you to consider that all of God's creation was good! In the first chapter of the Bible the Lord declared that His original creation was very good. It is interesting to look at how many times the Lord uses this language in the first chapter of Genesis. Just consider...

- Genesis 1:4 ... God declares that the light is good.
- Genesis 1:12... God declares that the vegetation and the produce of the earth were good.
- Genesis 1;21... God declares that the birds and the sea creatures He made were good.
- Genesis 1:25... God declares that the land animals He created were good.

The bottom line is everything God made was good!

Second, I want you to consider that God blessed all of his creation. Just consider...

- Genesis 1:22... "God blessed" the birds and the sea creatures.
- Genesis 1:28... "God blessed" Adam and Eve.
- Genesis 2:3 ... "God blessed" the seventh day.

Summary: The fact that God made a "good" creation and "blessed" his creation and the creatures he had formed tells us that God is a good and loving God! The overwhelming lesson that jumps off the pages from the creation account is that God is good and that God's plan was to make a wonderful place and to give the creatures (man and animals) a wonderful existence. The creation story makes it obvious that God really does love and that God really is good! He wanted nothing but good for His world!

Tragically, we know that everything falls apart in Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve rebel against God. However, the good news is that God is in the process of "fixing" His creation! He sent Jesus to die for the sins of the world and to give men and women eternal life and a new (good) heart. We must never forget that God still loves us and He still wants nothing but good for us. Hebrews 13:8 states, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today,and forever." The good God who created everything is still a good God who is "fixing" everything and still wants to bless you! That is good news!