Caleb Drahosh \\ God's unwavering commitment to His people, despite their waywardness, serves as proof that He is the true God. God is gracious and patient toward His children for the sake of His name. He is the true God because His actions aren't contingent on human action, they are aimed at His glory and that always results in the good of His peo…

Caleb Drahosh \\ As the gospel made its way to the ends of the earth, Paul writes to Timothy, who is pastoring in Ephesus, about the correct approach to implementing a deacon ministry. He tells him to look for individuals who are exemplary servants, but even more than that, who model godly character and doctrinal fidelity.…

Caleb Drahosh \\ As the gospel took hold and the church in Jerusalem continued to grow, a challenge presented itself. The newly-converted Gentiles made it known that the widows weren't being properly taken care of. The Apostles knew that the charge given to them was to focus on the word and prayer. And so they had the Gentiles choose seven qualifie…

Philip Reeves \\ The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are not reactionary events to the deceitful plots of men. Matthew’s Gospel demonstrates that God is in perfect control over everything that leads to Jesus’ crucifixion. Those who have placed their faith in Christ can trust that God’s redemptive purposes cannot and will not fail.…

Caleb Drahosh \\ In the garden, sin opened the door to death. Death spread to all men. Death ruled unopposed. Death swallowed up everyone, but Christ swallowed up death according to the promise in Isaiah. The undefeated was defeated. In these things, Jesus brings His people out of darkness and neutralizes their greatest enemy. All who are in Christ…

John Baumgartner \\ God's people in exile are going to be tempted to believe that the gods of Babylon–Bel, Nebo, and others–are mightier than the Lord. The Lord reminds His people that unlike the idols of the nations that must be carried about by their worshippers, He has carried them like a father. Just as He carried them out of slavery and put Eg…

Kalen Heller \\ The people of God don’t simply need things patched up, they need a complete overhaul. Their exile has left them in desperate straits. But God is in control of their situation and He will, even through the most unexpected means, bring them into abundant life.Autor: Buffalo City Church

Caleb Drahosh \\ Isaiah goes into detail on how idols are made; he takes us inside of the idol factory and inside the heads of those who worship them. The absurdity of the whole situation is that the same wood that a man uses to kindle a fire to cook over, he also fashions into an idol and worships. God's good gifts are given to us not for us to wo…

Caleb Drahosh \\ God's people grew tired of God. They ignored His Word in weariness, claiming to be burdened, all while it was Israel who burdened God with their sins. But God is merciful and blots out the sin of His people. He extends the grace needed to return to worship that flows from the heart instead of the rote pacification of an impersonal …

Caleb Drahosh \\ The people of God grow insensitive to God's purposes for them and resist His discipline. But God is rich in mercy. He graciously intervenes on behalf of His people, paying a great price and going to great lengths to accomplish the redemption of His wayward people.Autor: Buffalo City Church

Blaze Culliton \\ In lieu of the foretelling of sending His chosen servant, the Lord through the prophet Isaiah commands His people to sing to the Lord a new song, lift up their voice, sing for joy and declare His praise. The Lord will redeem His people, stopping at nothing to destroy sin and death and restore them - for He does not forsake His peo…

Caleb Drahosh \\ God turns the attention away from the cheap substitute of idolatry and toward His plan. Here He introduces His servant. But this isn't one who will rise to prominence through political and military conquest like Cyrus. Instead the Lord's servant will come gently, not trampling on rulers as on mortar, but tending to the bruised reed…

Caleb Drahosh \\ God tells the idols to speak, to make a case. He tells them to speak about the future. But they can't. God pursues His people with simple reason: there is no substitute for Him. Nothing or no one can speak in the way that He speaks; nothing or no one can do the things that He does.Autor: Buffalo City Church

John Baumgartner \\ God continues to lift up valleys and bring down mountains. He contends with the nations to bring down their pride, and He comforts His people to lift them up again from their humiliation. God promises His humble people that He will use them for this work. God miraculously refreshes His people as they wait for Him to accomplish H…

Caleb Drahosh \\ After clearing away the obstacles that stand in the way of His people seeing Him clearly, God challenges the comparisons that His people rebelliously make. Nations and nature and idols cannot compare to God. And for His people who are wondering where He is, God reminds them that He didn't get tired or fail to understand their situa…

Caleb Drahosh \\ By disciplining His people through exile, God removes obstacles for His people to behold their God. He levels out all earthly positions and highlights the fallibility and fickleness of men. God’s Word endures forever and we behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ; Christ alone is our confidence. Those who behold their G…

Caleb Drahosh \\ In Isaiah 40-55, Israel has been carried off to exile in Babylon. They broke covenant with the Lord and God used the hand of their enemies to bring discipline upon them. But now that Jerusalem had been emptied, God speaks comfort to His people. True and lasting comfort can only come from God; peace and security may be temporarily l…

John Baumgartner \\ In the Tenth Commandment, God tells us not to covet anything that is our neighbor’s. This means we cannot look at anything another person has and wish it were ours instead of theirs. Covetousness is not a small sin that can be taken lightly. God has given us this commandment, as well as the others, to teach us our need for forgi…

Caleb Drahosh \\ Jesus, along with His disciples and His mother, attend a wedding in Cana. When the wine ran out at the wedding, Jesus used the opportunity to express that the Messiah had arrived by turning water into wine. The master of the feast exclaimed, “You have kept the good wine until now.” In this way, Jesus revealed His glory; He is the r…

Caleb Drahosh \\ Jesus, along with His disciples and a large crowd, came upon a funeral. Jesus had compassion on the widow who lost her only son. Jesus spoke to the man, telling him to arise, and the dead man was restored to life. The crowd exclaimed better than they knew, "God has visited his people!"…

John Baumgartner \\ Early in Jesus’ ministry, a leper came to Him to be cleansed. Lepers were social outcasts. The disease prevented them from coming to God in His Temple. But when this leper came to Jesus, he was nearer to God than the Temple ever was. Jesus is compassionate to come and heal all sinners like this leper. Come to Jesus.…

Caleb Drahosh \\ The disciples go ahead of Jesus, crossing the Sea of Galilee by boat. But after Jesus goes up the mountain to pray, the boat is now a long ways off. He catches up to the disciples by walking on the sea. Jesus, the Lord of creation, patiently deals with the skeptical Peter showing Himself to be the Son of God.…

Caleb Drahosh \\ Paul concludes this letter with a benediction. God is bringing about His purposes in His people according to His faithfulness. God preserves and protects His work through the end and into eternity.Autor: Buffalo City Church

Caleb Drahosh \\ Paul continues to outline the duties of church members. At the heart of his directives to the Thessalonians is the exhortation to rejoice, pray, and give thanks. To adhere to these things is to do good to one another.Autor: Buffalo City Church

Caleb Drahosh \\ Paul now begins closing the letter in earnest. He reminds the Thessalonians to respect and love their pastor/elders and to do the work of ministry among themselves which is to patiently urge, encourage, and help their brothers. There is no member of the local church who is not vitally important to the body.…

Caleb Drahosh \\ The full revelation of God's redemptive plan has been revealed in Jesus Christ. Those who are in Christ are children of light because they are the inheritors of salvation. Christians live in light of God's plan of redemption and therefore have nothing to fear and are able to effectively encourage one another.…

Caleb Drahosh \\ The Thessalonians were concerned. Will we see family and friends who are believers again after they die? Paul tells them on the die that Jesus returns, those who have died will be raised and then those who are alive will ascend to meet Jesus in the air. Be encouraged that you and your brothers and sisters will be together with Chri…

Caleb Drahosh \\ Paul says that the Thessalonians should continue to love one another and live lives of everyday faithfulness by living a quiet life, minding one's own affairs, and working with one's hands. We must know and live like every moment we experience, all the work we do, and everything we’ve been given is designed to be applied toward lov…

Caleb Drahosh \\ In chapter 4 Paul turns to instruction. Everyday faithfulness includes living in holiness in areas of sexual purity. Following the ways of the world in these matters opposes God's good design and His plan to set people apart for His purposes. We joyfully believe God’s ways are better than our and live according to those ways becaus…

Caleb Drahosh \\ Paul continues expressing his gratitude to God for the love that the Thessalonians have for one another. And now Paul looks forward: the Thessalonians will be established blameless in holiness when Jesus returns if they continue and increase in faith and love for one another.Autor: Buffalo City Church

Caleb Drahosh \\ Paul loved the Thessalonians. But because he and Silas were forced to flee Thessalonica, he wanted the Thessalonians to know that his love for them was not diminished. He longed to be back with them; they were his joy and glory. The local church is full of brothers and sisters for whom we should feel deep affection and desire to be…

Caleb Drahosh \\ Paul writes that the Thessalonians did not receive the word as the word of men, but as the Word of God. This was evidenced in the way that they suffered. A clear mark of genuinely receiving God's Word is patient endurance in the face of opposition.Autor: Buffalo City Church

John Baumgartner \\ Words are powerful. We can wound with a word and heal with a word. The Ninth Commandment is put in place to protect us from the power of false words. God is the Truth and cannot lie, but in the fallen world humans lie frequently by what we say and by what we leave unsaid. This commandment forbids lies, gossip, slander, and flatt…

Caleb Drahosh \\ Paul reminds the Thessalonians of the way he intends to approach them. His aim is not to please man, but God. He didn't come to the Thessalonians flattering them, in a greedy manner, or glory-seeking. Rather, like a gentle mother and an encouraging father, Paul approaches the Thessalonians, calling them to walk in a manner worthy o…

Caleb Drahosh \\ Paul continues to commend the Thessalonians and in these two verses he highlights their repentance. He writes that they turned from idols to serve God. Repentance is one movement: turning away from sin and turning to God. Their turning to God includes service rendered unto Him and hopeful anticipation of Christ's return.…

Caleb Drahosh \\ The Thessalonians followed the example of Paul and Silas, receiving the word with joy in the midst of suffering. Their joyful reception of the gospel became a great witness and example across the region. A church that suffers like Christ suffered is poised for gospel impact in its community.…

Caleb Drahosh \\ After expressing gratitude to God for the Thessalonians, Paul assures them of their status as those chosen by God. Paul is fully confident that the message of Jesus Christ was effective in the lives of the Thessalonians because the Holy Spirit was powerfully at work in and among them. The gospel message is much more than just words…

Caleb Drahosh \\ Paul begins his letter to the Thessalonians by expressing gratitude to God for them and for their work in Christ. When armed with gratitude, Christians are equipped to pray for and recall Christ's work in and through their brothers and sisters.Autor: Buffalo City Church

Mark Reeves \\ Scripture paints a clear picture of the qualities characteristic of a life that is being impacted by the transformation process carried out by the Holy Spirit. Remember from last time, we’re not talking about transactional grace, a system of “weights and balances” which determines our trajectory in the afterlife. Rather, these descri…

John Baumgartner \\ God did not give the Ten Commandments to keep us in a constant state of fear and guilt for not measuring up to His standards. In Christ, we are empowered to keep the commandments. Our motivation for living should not be fear of our Father’s displeasure. We should be motivated to keep the command, “You shall not steal,” by the th…

Blaze Culliton \\ For those who have put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, they have been remade and reborn, and provided a new identity as children of God. The Apostle John provides that as part of that identity we cannot keep on sinning, and whoever practices righteousness is righteous as God is righteous. May we press into our identity, con…

John Baumgartner \\ The Ten Commandments are not mere prohibitions. They do not only prohibit—they protect. God protects the glory and sanctity of marriage by the commandment, “And you shall not commit adultery.” He forbids adultery, fornication, homosexuality, and all other kinds of sexual immorality in order to protect the blessing of marriage. G…

Mark Reeves \\ For more than two millennia, both within and outside of the Church, the central truth of the Gospel remains veiled for many who are motivated by the desire to somehow "measure up." This is problematic, because the grace that sent Jesus to the cross was not, is not, and will never be, transactional. We can't barter or negotiate for it…

John Baumgartner \\ This commandment teaches us that murder is a terrible sin deserving of death. Our culture rationalizes this sin and breaks this commandment through abortion, euthanasia, and suicide. Our own hearts break this commandment through anger, bitterness, and name-calling. The only one who can free us from the death our sin deserves is …

John Baumgartner // God is the one who gave you your father and mother. We glorify God by keeping His command to honor our father and mother. Young children do this by obeying their parents cheerfully. Grown children honor their parents by treating them with the respect and dignity that their position deserves.…

John Baumgartner \\ God’s commandments are not burdensome. We see that clearly in the Fourth Commandment. Whereas we are prone to constant labor, God has appointed a day for us to rest. He has given us this day of rest to help us remember that He is the one who cares for us. We are to look back and remember all that God has accomplished for us and …

Cody Weckerly \\ In this sermon, we learn about how much value Jesus gives to little children, and how we should as well.Autor: Buffalo City Church

Philip Reeves \\ The prophecy of Malachi gives us a picture into a time of Israel's history in which their worship had been corrupted by spiritual apathy. Their blindness towards their sin and its effects on their lives led them to violate God's covenant with them, and as a result were found beneath a curse. In contrast, the immutable God extends H…

Blaze Culliton \\ The Apostle John provides a warning that it is the last hour and the antichrists have come, which points squarely to the truth of Jesus Christ. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father. The protection against this warning is provided to believers through being anointed with the truth of wh…

John Baumgartner \\ The third commandment forbids the misuse of God's name and teaches how precious His name is. God's name is more than a title or just a way to refer to Him. God's name is who He is. He communicates Himself to us by sharing His name with us.Autor: Buffalo City Church