Why Christ Became Man 1 Timothy 2:1–7 Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all. 1 Timothy 2:5–6 The death of Christ on the cross is the true meaning of the incarnation. Christmas by itself is no gospel. The life of Christ is no gospel. Even the resurrection is no gospel. For the Good News…

Day of Judgment 1 Thessalonians 4:13–5:11 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 Christ’s coming will be a joy for Christians, who will be raised to meet him. But it will also mean the beginning of Christ’s judgments for those who have spurned the gospel. Christians acknowledge this…

Grace, Seasoned with Salt Colossians 4:2–6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt. Colossians 4:6 What should the Christian’s conversation be like? This verse suggests five characteristics. 1. Our words should be kind. God is kind to us. Therefore, we should be kind when we speak to other people. God’s words are gracious…

The Power of Remembering Philippians 4:10–20 No church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. Philippians 4:15 You only! Not only were the Philippians distinguished by the fact that they had remembered Paul in his need—that was significant—they had also been the only ones to remember him. There is always…

The Promise of Peace Philippians 4:4–7 In everything by prayer and supplication . . . let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6 God invites us to place our earnest requests before him. This is God’s cure for anxiety. God invites you to place your request about these things that trouble you before him. The…

No Regrets Philippians 3:12–21 I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Philippians 3:12 Mark Twain’s The Prince and the Pauper tells the story of how a prince and a pauper exchange places. The pauper, mistaken for the prince, is taken to live in the palace, while…

Spiritual Sensitivity Philippians 3:1–11 The righteousness from God that depends on faith. Philippians 3:9 Will you accept God’s verdict upon your goodness and turn to him for the righteousness he gives you by grace? Paul did this, for he says that his desire was to be found in Christ, not having his own righteousness, which…

Every Knee Shall Bow Philippians 2:5–11 Every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:11 Here we read that the confession that will be made—that Jesus Christ is Lord— will result in glory to God the Father. This is not true of any honor given to humans….

No Disappointments Philippians 1:12–30 Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. Philippians 1:20 Think of the scope of this statement in verse 20. In the first place, Paul knew that Christ would be magnified. Paul lived in an environment in which the pagan gods were worshiped and all power…

Finishing His Work Philippians 1:3–11 He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6 When I was in grade school, I spent a number of summers at a Christian camp in Canada. One summer I spent several hours watching one of the campers…