Reformed & Expository Preaching

Job has made the case that life does not always go as planned and the Lord does not always deal with the wicked as we would like the Lord to deal with the wicked. Eliphaz now takes another turn to persuade Job that Job is not seeing these things clearly. What does Eliphaz have to say to Job? Are these going to be encouraging words about how one finds their path to peace in the Lord?

The servant is the one who secured us by His work. So, how is the servant going to remove the offense of exile from His people?

When Israel wants a king we would think that is a good thing. The reason being that they were a people who did everything by the standard of what is right in their own eyes. So, what does kingship mean and what can be bad about it?

The name Jesus is a name that we have heard before in this series because it is the same name as Joshua.  Joshua was a great military leader and reformer in the midst of Israel.  He called Israel to look to their God, to serve their God exclusively, and to set the tone for their houses to serve the Lord.  Israel fell pretty far from this as a new people.  Their priests lost sight of their God, and the people lost sight of the priest’s significance.  The priest was supposed to bring them to God rather than being some sort of good luck charms to manipulate the true God.  So, is the Lord able to redeem such a people?  If the Lord can redeem such a people then who has to be the redeemer?

The servant is the one who lives out the promises of the Lord. This is great, it is encouraging, and it is very significant for his mission. However, why would we appeal to this text for Christmas rather than Isaiah 9 or Isaiah 7 if we were going to use a passage from Isaiah? What does this servant teach us about the significance of Christmas?

Our family joins together to wish you a merry Christmas

There are stories in the Bible where we can see the victory of God’s plan working out. We think of Moses leading israel out of Egypt. That is a great story and a great time in covenant history. We think of Joshua saying his farewell to Israel. Yes, it is tragic to say good-bye to godly leader. However, at the same time there is the wonderful reminder for Israel to see that their life and identity is to be found in the Lord and the Lord alone. There are also other stories in the Bible that are just downright tragic. Judges 19 recalls such a tragic history where a Levite should know better, but he refuses to do what is honorable to the Lord. So, what do we make of Judges 19 with the Levite and his concubine? What does this reveal about our sojourning under the sun?

We can talk about the Advent of Christ, but do we really understand the nature of his mission? Do we really understand the state of His people? We can claim that this is only a problem for Israel, but are they the only broken people in the Lord’s Word? How does this old prophet relate to us today?

Samson’s family has lost sight of Israel’s significance in the grand scheme of life right now. One would hope that Samson would provide the deliverance that Israel needs. Samson is certainly the judge that Israel deserves, but does Samson actually provide any cleansing for Israel?

The counselors have been very clear that you reap exactly what you sow and there is nothing more and nothing less that is present. Job wants to know if the counselors have surveyed anyone with this claim or if this is just what they believe and think. Job invites the counselors to interact with the common person on the street to see what such a person might say about the wicked receiving instant justice. What wisdom has Job gleaned through his experience?