Psalm 16

Psalm 15

This Psalm shows us what God requires of his worshipers. The ideal worshiper desires to live rightly, promotes peace, encourages holiness in others, and seeks fairness and justice above personal gain. While we all fall short of God's perfect standards, Jesus Christ lived a perfect life of holiness. If we are in Christ, we are accepted by God and empowered by the Holy Spirit to pursue lives honoring to God.

Psalm 14

God's salvation promises peace for the righteous amid afflictions. Meanwhile, the unrighteous face judgment, but through Jesus Christ, they can find restoration with their God.

Psalm 13

We are back in the Psalms: The hymnbook and prayer book for the people of God. It shows the relationship between God’s activities in the lives of His people and their responses to them.

In Psalm 13 we follow the Psalmist as he expresses deep anguish and isolation that leads him to cry out, How Long, O Lord? He moves from this place of anguish and isolation to remembering and reminding himself that God’s love is steadfast and that he deals bountifully with us.

Luke 12:54-31:21

Read the signs and repent or reject the signs in unbelief. Which path am I on? This is the overarching thought that runs through this section filled with seemingly random events thrown together. Luke strings together these events though with purpose. There are men and women in danger of missing their window of opportunity to repent from sin and believe in Jesus. So Jesus turns to parables and commands in order to expose the hypocrisy that is keeping folks from turning to Him for salvation. The invitation is to discern which path am I on, and then turn to Jesus.

Luke 12:35-53

Over the past two weeks Jesus has addressed the very real fears and anxieties that everyday disciples face. Now He looks to His disciples and calls them to expect the unexpected. In verse 40 Jesus says—“You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” In saying this, Jesus is shifting the emphasis away from being worried about the present to being watchful about the future. Because God is our Father, because our Father gives the good gift of the Holy Spirit, because we are not forgotten by our Father, who cares for us and knows what we need—we don’t have to spend our energy worrying about what the Father has in control. Instead we are freed up to spend our energy watching and working for the King and His kingdom.

Luke 12:13-34

Jesus continues His conversation with the crowds and His disciples on fear and anxiety. Concentrating more specifically on anxieties that can come to Jesus followers, Jesus repeatedly calls us to “not be anxious.” But He doesn’t just say, He also shows us how. This is the Good Shepherd shepherding His people. Specifically addressing the issue of greed and how this connects to our anxious worry over financial and physical possessions, Jesus teaches—My heavenly Father can be trusted when anxieties arise.

Luke 12:1-12

Deny yourself. Pick up your cross daily. Follow me. These are the words of Jesus to anyone who would seek after Him as Lord and Savior. Admittedly these words are challenging words and they are comforting words. But these words are also words which can stir up a lot of fear and anxiety in the hearts of Jesus’ disciples because following Jesus in a world hostile to Jesus will produce unavoidable troubles. If you know what it’s like to live with fear and anxiety as a result of following Jesus then Jesus has a word for you. As our good Shepherd Jesus is the comforter of our fearful anxious hearts.

John 11:17-27

What is the greatest problem facing the human race? If you asked this question to 10 different people you’d get 10 different answers. But if you take this question to the Bible it reveals that despite all the various answers that could be given, there is a common problem that holds every human being hostage in fear. And it’s the fear of what the Bible describes as the “last enemy,” the “fear of death.” If you stick your nose into John 11, death is in the air. Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary, is so sick that they were afraid Lazarus would die. In actuality, he does die. But in a moment which feels like death will have the last word, Jesus reveals that He is the resurrection and the life. Main Idea—Because Jesus is the resurrection and the life I can have eternal life.

John 12:12-19

Main Idea—Jesus is the expectation reversing king we need. As Jesus enter Jerusalem we see Him come as a Triumphant King. But everything about the whole scene seems to indicate nothing triumphant. But so often this is how God works—through remarkable reversals. The Apostle John is highlighting how Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a young donkey magnifies this reversal by bringing not the Savior we want but the Savior we need.