Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Eph 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise... Continue Reading →
I love this story too much. First, consider Joh 10:22, “And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.” We’re in the middle of December four months away from the Lord’s crucifixion. The Feast of Dedication is an 8-night celebration. This year, the feast will be from Dec. 14-22. The... Continue Reading →
“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.” Eph. 1:13 opens with "In whom ye also trusted." In whom, in Christ, ye, you Ephesians, also trusted in Christ, which... Continue Reading →
How were Old Testament saints saved? I, and the pastors at Fellowship Bible Church would encourage saints to consider that salvation was always by faith. “For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness” (Rom. 4:3). So, then, what do you make of this story of the lawyer... Continue Reading →
"That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ." (Eph 1:12 ) Who is Paul talking about when he wrote, “who first trusted in Christ”? Some commentaries would argue that Paul must’ve been talking about the Jews in the OT. Or maybe the members of the Little Flock were... Continue Reading →
Paul covers seven basic points about your inheritance from God. 1) Inheritance was always by faith. I guess you could say that faith got your name written into the will. Rom 4:13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law,... Continue Reading →
How do you exegete the expression, “dispensation of the fulness of times”? What does this mean word-for-word? You know what verse I’m talking about: Eph 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth;... Continue Reading →
This genius story can only be found in Matt. 17. And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute? (Mat 17:24) This was not about paying taxes to the Roman government. In the Greek, tribute is di-drachma, or double drachma, which... Continue Reading →
I suspect we’d all agree that the way we measure time was designed by God, right? Everything about time is divisible by six. Six is the number of man. Man was created on the sixth day. But six is also the number for man being destitute of God. Seven is the number of spiritual perfection... Continue Reading →
My prayer for all Calvinists is that they come into the knowledge of the truth and understand the Word rightly divided (2 Tim. 2:15), that they recognize Paul as their apostle today, and quit perverting verses in the Gospels to be all about them when they aren’t. Make no mistake. Matthew 18 has nothing whatsoever... Continue Reading →
[This is an excerpt from my Sunday message and new series on Ephesians. PTL! -Joel] Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: Notice that we have in this one verse, blessed, blessed, and blessings, all variations... Continue Reading →
Php 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. The first word Paul says is Wherefore. This means “for this reason.” Therefore also means “for this reason.” Same Greek word. The translators... Continue Reading →
This is perhaps one of the most epic visions in all the Bible, the single greatest revelation of what is perhaps the most striking, the most powerful, the most prestigious, the most elite class of all angels in all of God’s heavenly host. Some have called Ezekiel “the Patmos-seer of the OT,” because Ezekiel’s visions... Continue Reading →
Sermon on the Mount was a message that I’m sure many people, especially His disciples, had been anticipating ever since the Lord began His ministry, because they want to know what’s the kingdom going to be like? How will people get into the kingdom? “The Chosen,” for example, had Jesus thinking through what He was... Continue Reading →
We’re going to consider a Psalm that does not have a title. David is not mentioned either. Bullinger would write, “…for we have no more right to insert the name of ‘David’ where it is not written, than to take it out where it is.” The common thinking is that this Psalm was written by... Continue Reading →
Eph 6:18. “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” We all know the context is the armor of God. While you are putting on the armor and after you’ve put on the armor, you are praying always. Before you get on... Continue Reading →
There is a monumental shift in your thinking and how you live your life when you have reckoned that you have a perfect standing in His grace, when you know who you are in Christ. From that moment onward, you rest in those truths. You don’t worry about upsetting God because, say, you ate something... Continue Reading →
[These are some of the notes from my recent message at the 2025 Florida Regional Grace Conference. -Joel] Eph 6:18. “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” This is the one and only time Paul mentions perseverance. Paul never really defines... Continue Reading →
[This is a continuation of our look at the Fall of Satan] Isa 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! Isa 14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will... Continue Reading →
Exek. 28 is a chapter with parallel stories. The section about Tyre and Satan is in the context of broader prophecies about the downfall of a variety Gentile nations after Babylon had destroyed Jerusalem. God’s cleaning house! We’re going to look at the downfall of the Prince of Tyre, whose fall is so similar to... Continue Reading →
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