Treasure Chest

“Therefore if you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, sharing in His resurrection from the dead], keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the things above [the heavenly things], not on things that are…

Adam was created and placed in a beautiful garden, having fellowship with His creator, and all His needs met—well, most of his needs.  He had all he could want— plenty of food, no disease, no battles to fight, no crime, no one angling to get his job, no sin. Things were good! Just not yet…

Have you ever witnessed an artist transcend their craft? A musician, for example, who consistently delivers excellence but occasionally reaches a level so extraordinary that it leaves you speechless. Listening to Stevie Ray Vaughan’s rendition of Little Wing by Jimi Hendrix reminds me of this. His usual brilliance as a guitarist is undeniable, but there…

How wonderful it is that God judicially pardons believers in Christ of all their sins–past, present, and future–when they are saved: “And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses”( Col. 2:13). Some grace teachers, therefore, believe that confession…

Identity is an essential aspect of our self image. In our post Christian society the belief in no absolute truth has allowed our culture to drift into extreme confusion and subjectivity. An example of the escalation in gender identity controversy is an Internet article posted this year that is titled “81 Types of Genders &…

[In part one we considered “His Indwelling-Our Positional Sanctification”] “By that will [God’s will] we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” [positional/spiritual] (Heb. 10:10). “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified“ [experiential/practical] (Heb. 10:14). II. His Indwelling–Our Experimental Sanctification The…

[Jesus Christ’s Finished Work on the Cross: Substitution and Identification] [“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit…

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone” (Heb. 2:9). A young Christian who had been meditating much upon the Redemptive work of Christ, found difficulty in perceiving…

“Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross … How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now…