Fayetteville ARP Church

Simeon sings of the consolation or comfort of Israel finally coming to God's people. Because of his song, we know that Jesus is not simply the comfort for Israel but for all peoples of the earth. Indeed, whoever finds themselves in Christ will have peace with God. Run to Jesus, the Christ of God!

The angels sing of God's great glory over all of Creation. Then, they proclaim the truth that God has declared His peace with mankind through the Lord Jesus Christ, the only savior of sinners. May this same good news of great joy fill your hearts this Christmas season!

In Zechariah's song, God reveals His faithfulness that began all the way back at the beginning of the Old Testament. He entered into covenant with His people, even through Abraham. Now, He brings this covenant of His good works to completion in the Lord Jesus Christ. And John the Baptist and his birth show us the job of every Christian: to bring light and glory to the Lord Jesus.

The Magnificat, as Mary's Song has come to be known, is all about "magnifying" the praise of God Almighty. And in particular, Mary reveals that God deserves to be praised because of who He is and because of what He does. He is holy and mighty and powerful, and He uses all of this strength and righteousness to bless His people. We see this most perfectly in the Lord Jesus, who came not to be served, but to serve and to offer His life as a ransom for many.

One of the most famous and beloved passages of Scripture: the Great Commission. But do you know the real intent behind Jesus' command? He shows that God Himself will bring about His glory in all the earth, as He gives all authority to His Son and then empowers His people to witness for the Gospel of Christ. And He will be glorified! Praise the LORD.

There are many who disbelieve the resurrection, both in Jesus' day and in our own. The fact of the resurrection, however, is the foundation upon which all of Christianity either stands or falls. To be a Christian, simply put, is to be a witness to the resurrection of Jesus. Because Jesus is risen, everything in life can make sense, and we can have hope. As Paul would put it, if Jesus is not raised, then our faith is in vain, and we are still in our sins. Praise God that He is risen!

Matthew (and all the Gospel writers) take great pains to demonstrate that Jesus of Nazareth truly died, and that He was buried in accordance with the Scriptures. We also see in these verses the contrast between faithful disciples, unlikely though they were and the guards who would set up the incontrovertible witness to Jesus' resurrection. May we all faithfully look to Jesus who truly died and was truly raised!

Isaiah 40 outlines the great faithfulness of God that brings His people comfort--even in the face of adversity and judgment. God's Word, specifically, issues forth from the throne with eternal surety. If we cannot find hope in the promises of God, then ultimately we can find it nowhere. May we all be comforted by God's sure and firm hand.

The death of Jesus, the Son of God, brings with it amazing miracles. This is in part because He truly is the Son of God, and as such, He warrants great displays of God's power. But even more than this, Jesus' death brings great wonders because of what it accomplishes: peace on earth and good will towards men. God at the cross, in Christ Jesus, ushers in a new era of reconciliation through the blood of the Lamb. Truly, indeed, He is the Son of God!

Jesus is crucified at the hands of lawless men, but He is ultimately delivered up for God's people according to the plan of God the Father Himself. His shed blood and perfect obedience satisfy the wrath of God and secure the purchase price for the sins of His people. Because of Him, those who are in Christ are made righteous. May you respond to the good news of this Gospel today!

This week's passage sees Jesus handed over for crucifixion, even as He is beaten and mocked by Roman soldiers. The beauty of the Gospel is that it is ultimately God the Father who hands Jesus over for His people. Because of God's great love and mercy, He has included the crucifixion in His plan of salvation. And because Christ is crucified, His people are saved.

Jesus is put to trial in these verses, and it is a mockery of true justice. Amazingly, because of His submission to the Father, Jesus offers no defense of His own. He simply endures injustice because He knows that it is only His cross and His bearing of God's wrath that can lead to forgiveness and life for His people. May God be praised for the faithfulness of the Savior!

The death of Judas shows us the sad and hopeless end of our sin. The writer of Proverbs calls it "the way of folly". The saddest part of Judas' story is a warning for all. Righteousness and forgiveness could have been had in the mercy of Christ. Had he but come to Jesus in confession and repentance, all would not have been lost. May we heed this warning and come to Jesus!

These verses give us a sobering picture that all disciples of Jesus are vulnerable to temptation and sin. Peter's denial of Jesus is sad, but true. The comforting grace of the Gospel is that despite his failure, Christ is able to hold him fast. Jesus is able to take away even Peter's denial and work faith in his heart and life. Jesus can do that for you as well!

Jesus is placed on trial in these verses, though it serves more as an informal and illegal proceeding. The chief priests, along with the high priest, find Jesus guilty of blasphemy, which of course would be well-founded except that Jesus actually is God Incarnate. May we all wrestle with this amazing reality: that God came in the flesh and suffered injustice and punishment for the sake of His people. And may we rejoice that He offers His grace and mercy to all who believe this!

Jesus is betrayed by Judas in these verses. But we also see that the sinful weakness of the disciples leads them to flee from Jesus and sure persecution. The only remedy for both of these things is to look to the Almighty and life-giving power of God. Thankfully, Jesus endured suffering and shame so that He could deliver His people through it. May we always look to Him!

Jesus takes His disciples to Gethsemane, the place of the olive press. In this garden, God shows us the power of prayer, even in the face of sorrow and death. Jesus gives us a picture of God's faithfulness and triumph over our enemies despite being tired and weary. May we trust in this ever-faithful and powerful God.

Have you ever considered what it means to put on the whole armor of God? Many Christians believe that it means we have to fight for God. In other words, we have to DO something for Him, or He needs our help. When you look closely at these verses, however, the verbs selected by Paul reference simply standing in place. And in the context of Ephesians, we know that it is God working in us through Christ that enables/causes us to stand in the first place. May we look to Him for all the strength that we need to stand in Christ.

Jesus prophesies in these verses that all of His disciples would fall away from Him and ultimately deny that they knew Him. Nevertheless, He is not discouraged by this reality. He even promises that He would gather them again and lead them on His mission to save the world (v32). Even when we are faithless, God is faithful. May Jesus Christ be praised!

Jesus institutes the LORD's Supper in these verses. By so doing, He demonstrates that His life and sacrifice are the ultimate fulfillment to which the Passover looked forward. He gives His disciples a new meal to commemorate and to celebrate as His people await the consummation of His coming Kingdom. A good question to ask yourself is: does this reality make you want to sing like it did His first disciples?

Jesus shares the Last Supper, the Passover, with His disciples most likely on the eve of His arrest and crucifixion. He willingly undergoes a feast-meal, even with His betrayer(s). Jesus' great sacrifice shows us, visibly, the great love that God has for His people. Let us all come to Jesus and find forgiveness and reconciliation.

Matthew 26 begins with another pronouncement by Jesus of His upcoming death and crucifixion. The Gospel then highlights the contrast between a faithful response and an evil response to this truth. Mary anoints Jesus in faithful response to His ministry to her. Judas, on the other hand, betrays Jesus in a cowardly demonstration of rejection. All of us must ask the question: is Jesus worth it? By God's grace, may you understand that He is.

Jesus promises and prophesies His returning to the earth on the judgment day at the end of the age. "The Day of the Lord", as Scripture so often calls it, will be a time of great vindication for God's people. He will publicly declare them righteous in the sight of all. But for the wicked (for those apart from Jesus), this day will be one of great dread and anguish. Let us all, then, flee unto Jesus while there is yet time!

God gives good gifts to His people in order that we might bear fruit for His Kingdom. Jesus will come again and judge us according to our faithfulness. We must not make either of two mistakes: living in fear of that judgment and so not doing anything . . . nor can we attempt to work for God's glory in our own power. Only in God's power and provision can we be a blessing.

In this passage, Jesus encourages all people to be watchful for His return. He will return suddenly and unexpectedly at His Second Coming. We all must be ready. Thankfully, we know that it is His Spirit who ultimately makes us willing and ready to receive our King. Come to Jesus!

There are few things that raise more questions than the end of the world. When you mix into that discussion topics like judgment and rapture, then things really get interesting. Thankfully, Jesus has made this topic fairly straightforward. These verses are a gold mine of comfort and clarity for all believers in every age.

1 Samuel 31 depicts the tragic death of King Saul, the first anointed king of Israel. Sadly, he did not follow God as his successor King David would. Ultimately, he was lost in shame and suffered the tragic end of suicide. Thankfully, our greater King, the Lord Jesus, will always remain faithful, even as He conquers sin and death and hell on our behalf and for our salvation.

Jesus prophesies and foretells the destruction of Jerusalem that would occur in AD 70. Because of His faithful shepherding, many Christians escaped the assault and destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of the Romans. That destruction was only a type and a symbol of the persecution that Christians in every generation will face. God is faithful to guard His people and keep them safe, even through death.

In these verses, Jesus foretells the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple. We know that this was fulfilled in AD 70 when the Romans came and burned the city to the ground. Importantly, Jesus is explaining that this would not be the end of religion. God's people are always to take hope and to take heart because Jesus reigns from everlasting to everlasting. Wars and rumors or wars and famines and earthquakes cannot stop King Jesus. Praise His name!

Jesus gives His last powerful and stern warning to the scribes and Pharisees in this seventh woe. He underscores how their rebellion against His person and work is the same as the rebellion of God's people in the Old Testament. Both have rejected God's Word as He so graciously revealed it to us. May we never do the same. May we always come to Jesus Christ, who is the Word made flesh, and may He grant us life in His Spirit.

Jesus explains the difference between Pharisaic religion (Judaism) and the Gospel of His grace. The religion of the Jews (at least those misguided by the scribes and Pharisees) was one of works. And because no man can be perfect, they were even hypocritical in how they upheld that religion. Only in the Gospel does Jesus free us by His grace and by His righteousness actually to serve God in sincerity. We will never be perfect in this life, but we can be saved.

Jesus proclaims another set of woes upon the scribes and Pharisees in these verses. He does so primarily because they do not obey the Law perfectly. In fact, He warns them against their current practice, which actually undermines the Law. Instead, He pleads with them to look to Him as the only perfect Law-obeyer. May we do the same and find our true hope in Jesus alone.

Jesus in this passage explains the relationship between the church and the state. More importantly, He demonstrates that God is over all things. And through the Gospel, specifically, Jesus enables His followers to live in any nation-state, no matter what system of government is in power. Christians can pay taxes to a tyrant just as they can to a benevolent ruler. This is possible only because God has provided everything His people need in Jesus Christ.

Jesus gives the perfect and model prayer for Christians in this passage of Scripture. By praying this prayer, God's people are asking their King and Heavenly Father to use them and to work through them in order that His Kingdom might come on earth. Christians should take great hope and encouragement as they make this prayer. God is always faithful to answer this prayer. Truly, may His will be done on earth, as it is in heaven!

In this passage, Jesus tells a parable about a great king that throws a lavish party for his son. He then explains that God is this King, and He is the Son. The wedding feast thrown is a picture of His Kingdom. Although everyone is invited to come and celebrate, only those who are clothed in Christ may enter (and stay). Are you clothed in the righteous robes of Jesus Christ?

The Parable of the Tenants paints a stark and sad picture of God's people refusing to hear God's message and even rejecting His messengers. The most obvious occasion of this rejection was of Jesus Christ, God's own Son. Thankfully, God appointed this time, and He has even working salvation and redemption through the cross of Christ. May we all come to Jesus and be found in Him so that we can bear fruit to the glory and praise of God the Father, the great owner of the vineyard!

Matthew 21:23-32 outline two of Jesus' teachings that are related. The first section of the passage demonstrates that Jesus has divine authority because He is the God of the universe who has come in the flesh. The second section then shows us that Jesus is the only one who can actually produce the inward change that God requires to satisfy holiness and justice. May everyone look to this Jesus in order to have life and salvation.

In this passage, Jesus comes to a barren fig tree and curses it for not bearing fruit as it was designed to do. He again uses an agricultural illustration in these verses to make a larger point. It isn't about the fig tree itself. Instead, Jesus wants people to understand the fruitlessness of the Israelites of His day, primarily represented by the Jerusalem Temple and her leadership. The only way for Christians to bear fruit is by faith in Jesus Christ through the power of His Holy Spirit as we come to ask the Father in prayer.

Jesus comes into Jerusalem for Passover and immediately cleanses the Temple of its false worship. He exposes the Temple leadership for what they really were: profiteers. Jesus then calls all of us back to a true and sincere love and devotion for God the Father. And He underscores that this kind of life is only possible through the transformative power of His Holy Spirit.

The beginning of Matthew 21 reveals that Jesus is indeed the King of the Jews. In fact, as He rides into Jerusalem, it is already foreshadowed that He is the King of all the nations. Matthew quotes from Zechariah 9 at least partly to demonstrate that Jesus is the Savior of the entire world--not every single person who ever lived, but a people from out of every tribe and nation and language. May Jesus Christ, the only true King, the King of all kings, be praised forevermore!

Jesus fields an unholy question from His disciples in this passage. They are concerned to see Jesus reigning in Jerusalem, but they are also quick to ignore His suffering and death. They want to know who is the greatest and who will have the most honor. Jesus' reply, however, underscores that His ministry and life are highlighted by humility. Is your life marked by this same kind of humility--a quality that can only come from the Holy Spirit?

Matthew 20 records another parable of Jesus that is well-known: the so-called "Laborers in the Vineyard". Jesus outlines that the Kingdom of Heaven is not based upon the works of mankind. Entrance into God's glorious Kingdom is based solely on the merit of Jesus' life and works (Eph. 2:8-9). Whether we are saved as a young child or on our deathbed, we all receive the same wages for faith in Christ: eternal life.

In the last half of Matthew 19, Jesus is confronted by the "rich young ruler". Sadly, this man underestimates the overwhelming value of following Jesus and inheriting eternal life. May we all be confronted by the bankruptcy of our soul and flee unto Jesus. He alone can save us and grant us a place in the Father's house!

Matthew 19 transitions to Jesus' final phase of ministry as He begins His journey toward Jerusalem and the cross. It is fitting, then, that He begins this difficult road by discussing God's desire for faithfulness in families and in homes. The picture of the Gospel in these verses is not one of husbands and wives who fulfill marriage perfectly. Instead, the glory of God is on display as He demonstrates His never-failing-faithfulness, even in the midst of our unfaithfulness.

Isaiah 65 records one of the most beautiful promises in all of Scripture: the coming Kingdom of God in all of its fullness. God through Isaiah reveals to us the beauty and majesty of a new Creation, a new City, and a new Civilization. All of eternity, for the Christian, will be spent in perfect communion with God, enjoying all of His wondrous new Creation. Let everyone come to Christ the King while there is yet time!

Isaiah records four "Servant Songs" in his prophecy. The last, and arguably the most famous, gives the portrayal of God's servant as one who will suffer on behalf of others. Importantly, we see this prophecy fulfilled in the Lord Jesus, very God of very God, who came and suffered and died for His people. But even more than this, we see that Jesus triumphs over sin and death and hell, and so too shall all those who belong to Him (cf. John 12:37-41, 1 Peter 2:19-25).

Isaiah 26 is one of those biblical passages that ties together so many of the bible's great themes of promise. "The strong city" of God stands at the forefront of the chapter. This city, personified by God's presence, is the very dwelling place of God. It is based upon Jerusalem of old, but finds its biblical fulfillment in the Church, the true people of God (cf. 1 Peter 2, Rev 21). May we all find safety in the New Jerusalem of God, the Church of Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 11 gives us a wonderful picture of what King Jesus is like. It also shows us, even beyond His character, what His rule and reign will accomplish. Truly we can except and hope in a complete renewal and transformation of all things under His Lordship. He will make all things new and will fix every problem that has every existed. Amen, Come Lord Jesus!

Isaiah begins to reveal the Gospel of our Lord Jesus in chapters 6 and 7 of his prophecy. In chapter 6, we see the Lord Jesus, seated on His throne in all of His glory. This is confirmed to us in John 12:41. But in chapter 7, the prophecy shifts gears to reveal to us that the great King of Kings will actually come in human form. Almighty God would come to earth, taking on human form, and being born in a miraculous way. And this sign would be the sign that confirms God's unbreakable covenant with His people. The baby-to-be-born shall be called Immanuel, which means "God with us".

God commands us to be grateful in this passage. But God also gives us the motivation and the ability to be thankful because of who the Lord Jesus Christ is. No matter who we are or what we are facing, God can and will enable a heart of gratitude to be ours through the power of His Holy Spirit.