Paul’s prayer of thanksgiving shows that he was a man of prayer, that he was was thankful for the Philippians, joyful for God’s grace in their lives even though he was in prison and that he loved them deeply. The reasons for this thanksgiving were their partnership in the gospel and his confidence that God would complete the work he had begun in them.
Read Philippians 1:3-8
This sermon explores John’s teaching in his first epistle on assurance of salvation. Assurance is rooted in the saving work of Christ and the promises of the gospel, it is confirmed by examining our lives for confession of sin, obedience to God’s commands, love for the brothers and belief in the testimony of God concerning his Son. The role of the Holy Spirit in assurance of salvation is also considered.
Read 1 John 1:1-2:11
In this greeting, which is full of meaningful content, we learn truths about leadership in the church, the dual location of the church (in Christ; at Philippi), and how God is favourably disposed towards the church.
Read Philippians 1:1-2
The New Testament teaches that the resurrection of Jesus Christ fulfilled Old Testament promises. This is one of the passages that implicitly promised the resurrection. In particular the promise is that God “will swallow up death forever.”
Read Isaiah 25:6-8
In this passage, Matthew is concerned to show that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is an event that happened in history as well as to underscore the great significance of that resurrection.
Read Matthew 28:1-10
In this final section of the book of Daniel, we are reminded that the biblical message is oriented towards the future, the people of God will be persecuted, but that persecution will end at God’s appointed time. We also learn that the persecution will result in the spiritual growth of God’s people.
Read Daniel 12:5-13
Because Christians are united to Christ in his death and resurrection they are dead to sin and alive to God. This is the basis for any growth in holiness. This holiness consists of the negative side of not allowing sin to reign and the positive side of offering ourselves to God.
Read Romans 6:11-13
This passage is an OT prophecy of the great tribulation. To comfort God’s people the prophecy speaks of Michael who protects God’s people, the final resurrection and judgment, the glorification of the people of God and the certainty of the prophecy.
Read Daniel 12:1-4
Paul’s goal in this passage is to assure the people of God that they are sons of God. He compares the status of OT believers to young children while believers after the coming of Christ are given the full rights of sons.
Read Galatians 4:1-7
This passage is intended to encourage God’s people as they face opposition and persecution. It does so by first of all giving a biblical perspective on history and secondly by showing that persecution belongs to God’s plan for his people.
Read Daniel 11:2-45
