If you had to look for a single place in the Bible that summarizes the entire gospel, this would be it. We find the problem of human sin in Isaiah 53:6: all of us have gone astray, turning aside from God’s perfect law of love and embracing our own will,…

“I have toiled in vain. I have spent my strength for nothing.” On Good Friday, Jesus certainly had good reason to feel like this. After all, even though prophets like Isaiah had been predicting His coming for hundreds of years, His own nation despised Him (Isaiah 49:7), as the Jerusalem…

How could anyone be so blind? Why would anyone bow down before a carved piece of wood, when he is burning another part of the same log in order to cook or to keep warm (Isaiah 44:18-19)? How could anyone believe something so absurd, expecting deliverance from an inanimate object?…

What does it really mean to worship something? The word comes from the same root as the word “worth.” So in its simplest form, whatever we value most highly, whatever we think is worth the most is what we worship. So, what means the most to you? What would you…

In a world of frustration and disappointment, of hurricanes and pandemics, of wars overseas and gridlock in the halls of Congress, who doesn’t need a word of comfort? Well, as verses 6-8 remind us, the good news is that God’s Word stands in stark contrast to all of this instability…

Crime and murder in our streets. Unimaginable levels of debt, both personal and public. A crippling shortage of all kinds of skilled workers. The need for prayer has seldom been more obvious. But how should we pray in times like these, when we are clearly in way over our heads?…

So, when you look at Jesus, Whom do you see? Some see only a great teacher and moral example. Others see a prophet, like John the Baptist or Isaiah. These days, many dismiss him as just another “dead white guy,” whose opinions need no longer be considered, especially by the…

Let’s face it: it’s hard to read the prophets’ repeated warnings of impending judgment. Worse yet, because sin is a universal problem (Isaiah 24:5), eventually every part of creation will experience God’s justice, the consequences of Adam’s rebellion which brought a curse on the world he had been created to…

What do you do when your problems overwhelm you? Do you rely on your own resources, trying to do the best you can, even though your best efforts seem hopeless? Or do you resign yourself to defeat, collapsing into depression or discouragement? God’s Old Testament people tried both tactics. Seven…

Who is obligated to obey God’s commands? These days many people assert that they can determine the truth for themselves, believing that whatever they think is right must in fact be good. But nothing could be further from the truth. Instead, God has always insisted that He alone has the…