Pastors are called to oversee and care for the flock of God by 1) teaching the word of God with divine authority, 2) zealously guarding the doctrine and worship of the church, and 3) organizing and mobilizing the church for mission, (equipping the saints for the work of ministry; Ephesians 4). That’s the noble task.

Ladies, Christ, through Paul, is not telling you to just blend in. He’s saying give your attention to blessing others in need, not drawing attention to yourself. In the words of Matthew 5:16, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

"Moses couldn’t take upon himself the sin of the people, he was only a man. He could not be the ransom that can forgive sin and redeem humanity. And yet on the cross, Jesus was treated as the one who sinned against God the Father, and he paid the debt that we could never pay.

The Author of life chose death so that we can live."

"Local churches are part of society. They help make up what a society is. And this doesn’t mean that Jesus is over one and not over the other. Jesus is over everything. Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth, which means, Jesus is sovereign over society — it’s just that the church is the only part of society that recognizes that … right now."

"But what is the wind? What is it that keeps the boat moving towards its destination? It is the faithful teaching of the word of God, which the Holy Spirit uses to move us towards Jesus. So what shipwrecks the boat? When the wrong wind fills the sails. When we are 'Carried along by every wind of doctrine'."

"All that Jesus has done for us in his coming and living and dying and coming back to life is so that we might live, and say what Paul does here in verse 17: “To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” God gets all the glory.

Jesus saves sinners, even the worst of sinners, and God gets all the glory. "

"Glory is the beauty of God’s perfections, or the visible display of God’s infinite value and worth. “God made us for his glory” means he designed us to show his greatness in the world. And what is God doing in all of history in this visible, tangible world? Showing us his glory. And what is the height of his glory? Ephesians 1:6 says it’s “the glory of his grace.” Jesus and his rescue, called the gospel, is where God’s glory shines its brightest."

"This is why sound doctrine is so important. Again, you can’t really love God and people any other way. When it comes to people, you can’t really love people unless you point them to the true God.

That is what sound doctrine is for. Its goal is love. "

"I want to step back and think about three distinct but interlocking sources of authority that I want you to keep in mind as we work through the book. They are nature, Scripture, and culture."

If we hear that vile whisper in our ear “God will not keep you, he will forsake you, he will withhold from you in 2019.” We will be kept by Jesus, as we read John 17:26, “I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

Yes, we will be kept by Jesus in 2019 as we immerse ourselves in his Word.