Psalm 1 "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish." At the very outset of the Psalms, God sets before us not humanity in general, not believers in particular, but One specific Man—Christ Jesus the LORD. He is the Perfect One, the Just One, the Blessed One in the sight of God. “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17) . The Psalms are not first about us, but about Him. “All things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning Me” (Luke 24:44). Psalm 1 is not moral advice, but a portrait of the Man Who came in flesh, the Man Who is the Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5). Blessed is this Man, for He alone walked not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seat of the scornful. From eternity, He delighted to do His Father’s will (Psalm 40:7-8). “His delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth He meditate day and night” (Psalm 1:2). This is Christ. He magnified the law and made it honorable (Isaiah 42:21). He came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). The law was never grievous to Him, for He is the One Whose meat and drink was to do the will of Him that sent Him (John 4:34). In every thought, word, and deed, He fulfilled righteousness on behalf of His people. “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water” (Psalm 1:3) . Christ is the Tree of Life. He is the true Vine, and His people are the branches (John 15:1-5). He brings forth fruit in His season—the fruit of His perfect obedience, the fruit of His finished sacrifice, the fruit of a people given Him from eternity. “ All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me” (John 6:37). His leaf does not wither, for He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8) . All that He does prospers, for He has accomplished redemption (John 19:30). The ungodly are not so. They are like chaff which the wind drives away (Psalm 1:4) , sinners by nature, unable to stand in the judgment, without righteousness, without hope (Romans 3:10-12) . But Christ stood in the place of His elected ones. He bore their sin, and in Him they are made the Righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). “The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous” (Psalm 1:6). That way is Christ Himself— “ I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6 ). God knows His way because it is His own way, the way of His Son’s obedience unto death. And all who are found in Him are righteous, accepted, and blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3). The ungodly shall perish in their way, but the way of the righteous shall stand forever in Christ, the Blessed Man. So we look to Him, rest in Him, and rejoice in Him. He is the Blessed Man, our Mediator, our Surety, our Savior. Blessed is He—and blessed are all who are in Him (Psalm 2:12).

Judges 5:23,24 "Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty. Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent." In the song of Deborah and Barak, we find both a curse and a blessing: “Curse ye Meroz… because they came not to the help of the LORD”   (v.23), and “Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be”   (v.24). Here, the Spirit of God draws a sharp contrast between indifference and devotion. One town is remembered for its cowardly refusal to stand with the LORD’s cause, while one woman, seemingly insignificant in the eyes of men, is forever honored for her courage and zeal. These two voices set before us the clear and unavoidable reality that God divides all men into two groups. There are no shades of gray, no safe middle ground. You are either blessed by God in Christ or cursed under the condemnation of sin. The curse fell on Meroz not because they openly fought against Israel, but because they stood indifferent. They would not come to the help of the LORD against the mighty. Indifference is never neutral. To stand aloof from Christ and His people is to stand opposed to Him. The LORD Jesus said, “He that is not with me is against me” (Matthew 12:30) . He shows us in Matthew 25 that the cursed are those who had no regard for His brethren, who gave no food, no drink, no clothing, no shelter. They sought a false refuge in their own indifference, but in the end, the curse of God swallowed them up. But then, in stark contrast, we hear the blessing upon Jael. She was no one of reputation, no one of renown. She was, in the world’s eyes, insignificant. Yet God purposed her place, and at the appointed time, He brought Sisera to her tent. Though her very name meant “wild goat,” reminding us of what we are by nature—unruly, unclean, unfit—God set her apart for His glory. In this, she is a picture of God's sovereign grace in Christ. The apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:9–11 that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, thieves, drunkards—all these are under the curse. And then he says, “Such were some of you, but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” That is the blessing. It is not earned, not deserved, not achieved, but freely given. Blessing means being set apart by God’s sovereign choice. As Paul wrote to Titus, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5). It is God Who sanctifies, God Who justifies, God Who redeems. Jael reminds us that it is not the greatness of the instrument but the purpose of God that brings blessing. Her life and her place were ordained. She was in her tent, not in the battle, because God had placed her there. And when Sisera came, God delivered him into her hand. So it is with Christ’s people. Every detail of our life, every relationship, every circumstance, is ordered by His sovereign providence. Nothing is random, nothing is wasted. "" And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). But how is it that sinners are made blessed, when by nature we are Jaels—wild, guilty, condemned? The answer is the cross. Christ, the blessed One, became a curse for us. As Paul declares in Galatians 3:13, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us.” He bore the curse that was ours, that we might be clothed in the blessing that is His. On that tree, the wrath that was due to His people was poured out on Him. In His death, He finished the work. In His resurrection, He obtained the blessing forever. And the end is sure. Judges 5 closes with these words: “So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might” (v. 31). The enemies of Christ will perish under the curse, but His people, loved and chosen, washed and justified, will shine in the light of His glory. Outside of Christ, there is only the curse, whether in indifference like Meroz or in open rebellion. But in Christ there is Blessing without end, Blessing that sets apart the unworthy, Blessing that ordains every step, Blessing that flows from the cross where the curse was borne. To be in Christ is to be blessed above all, not in ourselves, but in Him Who loved us and gave Himself for us. Let us therefore rest in His finished work, rejoice in His sovereign grace, and look forward to the day when we shall shine forth as the sun in His eternal kingdom.

2 Peter 2:10-22 "But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the LORD. But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet. These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire." This solemn chapter reminds us of the danger of false prophets and false preachers. They are religious but lost, men marked by self-glory, self-will, and self-gain. The Word of God describes them as those who " walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, despise government, and are presumptuous and self-willed"  (2 Peter 2:10) . They build empires for themselves, love titles, and speak great swelling words of vanity   (2 Peter 2:18). Yet their promise of liberty is empty, for "they themselves are the servants of corruption" (2 Peter 2:19). Scripture declares they are " wells without water, clouds carried with a tempest, to whom the mist of darkness is reserved forever"   (2 Peter 2:17) . But why are these warnings given to us? So that we might look not to men but to Christ. Were it not for sovereign Grace, we too would be deceived. We would remain entangled in the pollutions of the world. But God, Who foreknew His people and by His Spirit brought them to Christ  (1 Peter 1:2), has multiplied to us grace and peace through the knowledge of the LORD Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:2). Consider the contrast. These men are described as "brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed" (2 Peter 2:12). But Christ—though made a little lower than the angels (Psalm 8:5; Hebrews 2:9) —humbled Himself even to the death of the cross. He, the One Who could have called ten thousand angels to deliver Him (Matthew 26:53) , submitted Himself rather to the Father’s will, laying down His life for His sheep (John 10:15) . He bore the wrath of God in their place, and by His obedience unto death accomplished that perfect Righteousness necessary to satisfy God's Law and Justice. As Paul writes, " He was made sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). The false preacher feeds on self.  But the true servant of Christ feeds the flock of God, " not for filthy lucre, neither as lords over His heritage, but as examples to the flock" (1 Peter 5:2–3). Their testimony is not of self, but of Christ crucified, risen, and reigning. "We preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block, to the Greeks foolishness, but to them which are called, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Corinthians 1:23–24). Notice again the imagery: "wells without water, clouds without rain." They stir up expectation but bring no peace. Why? Because Christ alone is the Well of Living Water. To the Samaritan woman, He declared, "Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:14). Empty preachers cannot give this water. Christ alone satisfies. The warning is pointed and sharp. "It had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment" (2 Peter 2:21) . Why? Because to harden oneself against the truth of Christ crucified leads only to deeper darkness. Hearts become Gospel-hardened. " Today if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts" (Hebrews 3:15). But for those who belong to Christ, there is no perishing. " My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand"   (John 10:27–28). Their sins are put away forever. " As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us"   (Psalm 103:12) . The debt is paid, the righteousness of Christ is imputed to them, and God is forever satisfied. This is the difference: false preachers bring hearers into bondage, but Christ brings liberty for His elect. "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed" (John 8:36). False teachers lead in darkness, "the blind leading the blind" (Matthew 5:14), but Christ is " the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12). So we bless His name. If He has granted us grace to flee from every false refuge and to behold Christ alone, then it this is His Sovereign Mercy and Grace. He is the Shepherd Who feeds His flock, the Well Who never runs dry, the Righteousness in which we are justified forever. " Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood… to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen" (Revelation 1:5–6).

Proverbs 14:34 "Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people." When we speak of a righteous nation, we are not speaking of earthly kingdoms built on morals or outward order. No nation in this world has ever been made up of citizens who are perfectly righteous before God. Even Israel of old, though called holy, was only a shadow of something greater. The true nation that is exalted is a spiritual nation — a people chosen of God, redeemed by Christ, and born of His Spirit (1 Peter 2:9). Who are these righteous ones? They are not those who work out their own righteousness or rely on the law. They are those whom God the Father has declared righteous through the righteousness that His Son earned and established in His spotless, sinless life, and laid down that life as the spotless Lamb of God to redeem each one that the Father sent Him to save. Christ, Who knew no sin, was made sin for His people, that they might be made the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). On the cross, He bore the guilt of those given to Him by the Father. He accomplished their redemption, satisfied Divine justice, and clothed them in His own perfect obedience (Romans 5:9-11). This is why righteousness truly exalts that spiritual nation for whom Christ died and God the Father justified. Not morality, not human effort, but the Righteousness of God worked out perfectly for each of the elect sinners for whom He died. In Him, the wrath of God has been turned away. In Him, the guilty are declared justified. In Him, the condemned are set free. And this righteous nation is not limited by borders or bloodlines. God promised Abraham a great nation, and that promise was fulfilled not in physical Israel, but in Christ and His seed (Galatians 3:16). Out of every tribe, tongue, and people, God calls a holy nation, a chosen generation, a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9) . Christ is their King, and His honor is magnified by the multitude of His willing subjects who serve Him in the day of His power (Psalm 110:3) What marks the citizens of this kingdom? They honor their King with willing hearts. They have been given an understanding that is not natural, but the gift of Christ through His Spirit (1 John 5:20). Their hearts, once dead and deceitful, have been made sound by grace. They are merciful, for they know the mercy of God in Christ. They are delivered from the evil one, for at the cross the prince of this world was cast out, and Christ prayed that His redeemed are kept from the wicked one (John 17). They walk in wisdom, guided by His Spirit. And in death they have hope, for Christ in them is the Hope of glory. This is the glory of Christ’s people — not their works, not their efforts, but His righteousness. If we try to work out our own righteousness, it will end in failure and reproach. But in Christ, justification and sanctification are complete, and the believer stands perfect before God. "For by one offering, He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified" (Hebrews 10:14). And so the citizens of this holy nation serve their King faithfully, as wise servants under His favor. They serve not in fear, but in grace, knowing that His wrath is satisfied and His mercy is sure. What a blessed kingdom in which to dwell —to be born of the Spirit, to be joined to Christ, to have Him as Head and King. Here is the great call of the Gospel: Look to Christ. Trust Him alone. In Him is righteousness, in Him is Life, in Him is Peace. He is the exalted King, the sovereign Redeemer, and the Righteousness of His people.

Luke 24:19 "And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:" When we open the Scriptures, we find Christ on every page, and here in Luke 24:19 He is revealed as the Prophet—mighty in word and deed before God and all the people. On the road to Emmaus, those disciples were walking in sadness because their eyes were held. They could not see the risen Christ walking beside them. Just like Hagar in Genesis 21 , whose eyes were opened to see the water right before her, so too it is with us: until the LORD opens our eyes, we remain blind. We can read the Bible for years and yet miss Him, but when He is pleased to reveal Himself, suddenly all becomes clear—Christ the Prophet, the One Who speaks for God. Deuteronomy 18:18–19 gives us God’s promise: “I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren… and will put my words in his mouth.” That Prophet is Christ. Moses was but a type; Christ is the Fulfillment. Every prophet of the Old Testament was a shadow; Christ is the substance. He is the Anointed One, the Christ—the Prophet, Priest, and King. When He came, He spoke faithfully on behalf of His Father, never compromising, never shrinking back. And as John the Baptist warned, so did He: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Repentance is not a human work or a mere outward show. It is a gift of God. Acts 20:21 speaks of “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” The prophet’s role was to call sinners to turn, and Christ fulfilled that role perfectly. But His words went further than warning. He foretold His own death and resurrection. In Luke 18:31–33 He declared that He would be delivered, mocked, scourged, and killed—and on the third day rise again. The disciples did not understand, but His Word was sure. He prophesied, and it came to pass. Everything He did was in perfect fulfillment of the Scriptures. Isaiah 9:6 calls Him “the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” Micah 5:2 says His “goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” When He cried on the cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30) , He was declaring that every prophecy, every jot and tittle, every word spoken by God’s prophets had been fulfilled in Him. His death was not a tragic accident, but the sovereign purpose of God, accomplished by Christ the Prophet. And unlike all other prophets, Christ did not just speak the word—He is the Word. John 1:14 says, “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” He lived out the very message He proclaimed. The prophets could warn and foretell, but only Christ could accomplish redemption. The prophet Hosea, commanded to take an unfaithful wife, became a living picture of God’s love for a sinful people. Christ fulfilled that in reality—coming to dwell among sinners, bearing their sin, laying down His life to redeem them. He was without sin, yet counted among transgressors, that His people might be counted righteous before God. As the Prophet, He not only declared salvation but also condemnation. In Luke 4:16–21 , when He read Isaiah in the synagogue, He declared, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” Yet the people rejected Him, filled with wrath when He spoke of God’s sovereign choice to save whom He would. And still, Christ went forward, unshaken, sovereign in His mission. Even when they tried to thrust Him out of the city, He passed through their midst—for His appointed death was at the cross, not on that hill. This is Christ the Prophet—faithful, sovereign, and mighty. He spoke of judgment more than of heaven, for He came not to make sinners comfortable in condemnation but to save those that the Father gave Him. And having accomplished that work, He rose again in power. Now we do not look for another prophet, for God has spoken once and for all in His Son (Hebrews 1:1–2). The whole Bible points us to Him. From Moses to Isaiah, from Micah to Hosea, all the prophets spoke of Christ. And when our eyes are opened, like those disciples on the road to Emmaus, our hearts burn within us as He opens to us the Scriptures. All glory belongs to Him—the Prophet Who declared the will of God, the Priest Who offered Himself as the sacrifice, and the King Who reigns forever. So let us rest in His completed work, rejoice in His sovereign grace, and listen to His voice in the Scriptures. For this is Christ, God’s Prophet, mighty in word and deed, the One Who has spoken and fulfilled every promise at the cross and declared so openly in His resurrection from the dead.

Philippians 3:15  "Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you." That word perfect is not about sinless flawlessness, but about being of full age spiritually—about maturity. It is possible to be justified before God, standing complete in Christ, and yet still be a newborn in understanding. Just as an infant has all his faculties from birth, yet grows into maturity, so in the new birth the children of God possess already all that Christ has accomplished for them —pardon, adoption, justification, sanctification, and forgiveness. Yet over time the Spirit continues to cause them to grow in their understanding of all that He accomplished for them as their Substitute in His obedience unto death in their place. Growth is needed, and that growth is the gracious, ongoing work of the Spirit of God in them and through them. They grow in grace and the knowledge of the LORD (2 Peter 3:18). This is not any perfecting of the sinful flesh; otherwise, grace would not be needed. However, there is, by the continual working of the Spirit of God a growth in the need for grace, because of the ever sinful flesh, and the knowledge of the LORD Jesus Christ, and what His righteousness earned, established, and imputed has already accomplished for them in the death of the LORD Jesus at the cross. The more any grow in grace, it is because the ever continual revelation of Christ in the heart causes that heart to yearn after Him, and not put any confidence in the flesh, ( Philippians 3:3). Christ Himself has obtained all things for His people. At the cross, He finished the work of redemption, and our standing before God is unchanging. Whether a believer has just been brought by the Spirit to Christ in faith or has walked for decades, the Righteousness of God imputed at Christ's death is ALL that the Father requires for their acceptance before Him. That is His sovereignty: salvation rests not in our grasp of Him, but in His work accomplished at the cross to the satisfaction of God the Father. Paul, even as an apostle, confessed that he had not arrived. He pressed toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14) . That attitude of humility is what he calls us to in verse 15—" be thus minded". It is a call to recognize that we have not apprehended perfection ourselves, nor can we by any amount of effort, but that we are still learners under the headship of Christ our Righteousness. When the LORD Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 5:48, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect,” it was in the sense of maturity, being full of age in our dealings with others. And how does this maturity show itself? In love, in patience, in refusing to judge according to our own standard, but discerning according to the Word of God. For the Father makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good; He sends rain on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45) . If He has shown such mercy, then we who have tasted His grace will reflect that mercy toward others. This is Christ’s sovereign work in us. He continues to teach us by His Spirit, who continues to draw us and keep us looking to Christ alone, the Author and Finisher of our Faith (Hebrews 12:1,2) . And so, the call is to humility—to rein in our thoughts, to not think of ourselves too highly, and to avoid the critical spirit that says “no one is right but me.” Rather, we are to be mindful of Christ’s sovereign hand in our lives and in the lives of others. Galatians 6 reminds us: "if a man be overtaken in a fault, you who are spiritual—(those mature in Christ)—restore such a one in a spirit of meekness, considering yourself, lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." Maturity, then, is not pride but meekness. It is not presuming we have arrived, but pressing forward, hungering for the fresh Manna each day. Yesterday’s knowledge, yesterday’s experience, cannot sustain us today. The Spirit feeds us daily with Christ, that we might savor Him anew, (Titus 3:5,6) Christ is the One Who saves, the One Who teaches, the One Who keeps. From beginning to end, salvation is of the LORD. We are to be thus minded—lowly in heart, teachable in spirit, patient with one another, and ever looking to the LORD Jesus. For He alone is the Prize. He alone is the Glory. And one thing is certain: in the end, we will never be guilty of giving too much glory to Christ.

Colossians 2:1-3  "For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Paul speaks of a “great conflict” he had for the believers at Colossae and Laodicea—believers he had never even seen face to face. This conflict was not against them, but for them. He wrestled in prayer for them, bearing the burden of their spiritual well-being. He desired that they would be strengthened and comforted, that they would be knit together in Love, and that they would come to the full assurance of understanding in Christ. His labor was for their steadfastness in the Truth, for their stability in the Gospel, and for their confidence in the sovereignty of Christ. This kind of Gospel conflict is no small thing. The Gospel is never easy on the flesh. It does not flatter us or make much of us. Instead, it humbles us. It strips us of every false refuge and lays us bare before Holy God. The Gospel brings down human pride and leaves us with Christ alone as our Hope. That is why Paul’s prayers were so earnest. He knew that only Christ could comfort their hearts, only Christ could unite them in true Love, and only Christ could establish them in saving Truth. When Paul speaks of hearts being “knit together in love,” he is not describing a shallow unity built on human sentiment. This is not about holding hands and agreeing to overlook the Truth as it is in Christ, in the name of harmony. No! Hearts knit together mean hearts bound in Christ, joined together by the Spirit, resting upon the finished work of the Savior. It is a unity anchored in the Gospel. Love divorced from truth is merely temporal. True Love is born out of the Truth of Who Christ is and what He has done to save His own. The danger in Colossae—and in every generation—was the pull of enticing words, the lure of philosophy and human tradition. False teachers have always known how to cloak their message in spiritual language. They talk of God, of wisdom, even of love. They may appear sincere, even compassionate. But Paul warns: "Beware". For their message, no matter how it sounds, shifts the glory away from Christ. Instead of Christ being ALL, they make man something. They give the sinner something to cling to in himself—some work, some ritual, some feeling, some philosophy. And in doing so, they rob the gospel of its glory and power. They pervert the Gospel! That is why Paul directs the church back to Christ. The comfort of the Gospel is not in our works, not in our emotions, not in our supposed faithfulness, but in Christ crucified and risen. Paul reminds us that Peace with God comes only “through the blood of His cross” (Colossians 1:20). Reconciliation is not a cooperative effort between man and God. It is the sovereign work of Christ alone. By His obedience, by His death, He reconciled His people unto God. That is why Paul speaks of the “riches of the full assurance of understanding.” Assurance comes not by looking within, but by the Spirit of God giving spiritual eyes to look to Christ and His finished work alone. Christ Himself is the Treasure. In Him are hid all the treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge (Colossians 2:3). All the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Him bodily (Colossians 2:9). And in Him, Paul says, we are complete. What more could we seek? Why turn to philosophy, to ritual, to man-made religion, when in Christ all is finished, and redemption, justification, and sanctification already obtained for God's elect? To look elsewhere is to declare Him insufficient. To rest in Him is to find Him as our ALL. And so Paul’s conflict is the preacher’s conflict, and it is the believer’s conflict as well. It is the struggle to remain settled and established in Christ in a world that offers countless substitutes. It is the labor of love to point one another back to the Savior, to remind each other where comfort truly lies. Comfort lies in the Christ of the cross. Assurance lies in His finished work. Unity lies in the truth of His Gospel. Hearts knit together in Love are hearts knit together in Christ. That Love is not a sentimental feeling—it is the bond of the Spirit, binding redeemed sinners to one another because they are bound first to Christ. Truth and Love meet at Calvary. The Love of God is revealed in the death of His Son. The Truth of God is revealed in the Righteousness of His Son. And together they bring sinners into the comfort of full assurance. So let us take Paul’s prayer to heart. May we, too, be knit together in Love, steadfast in the Truth, comforted by the Gospel, and filled with assurance in Christ. For He is sovereign. He has reconciled His people to God. He alone is worthy of all glory. Christ is ALL and in Him, we are complete (Colossians 2:10).

Genesis 16: 7-13 "And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?" In the quiet wilderness, by a fountain on the way to Shur, a lonely, desperate woman was met by the Angel of the LORD. Hagar, the Egyptian servant, had fled from affliction and reproach, carrying with her only sorrow and fear. Yet there, in her lowest estate, the LORD sought her out. The passage before us is among the first in Scripture where the Angel of the LORD appears, and it records one of the most tender revelations of God’s heart. To the outcast, He shows Himself as the God Who sees. Genesis 16:7–13 directs us to consider both the condescension of God's grace and the nearness of God in the midst of affliction. It is not Hagar who finds Him, but He who finds Hagar. The fountain becomes a meeting place between misery and mercy, between human weakness and divine compassion. And the name that Hagar gives— El Roi , “Thou God seest me”—is a testimony for every believer who has felt forgotten, forsaken, or cast aside. Hagar fled into the wilderness, having been despised, mistreated, and cast off. Sarai’s cruelty collided with Hagar’s pride, and with nowhere to go she simply ran. Yet in running from her mistress, she could not run from the LORD. “The angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness”   (Genesis 16:7). This angel was no mere messenger. The Angel of the LORD is none other than the LORD Himself — a pre-incarnate appearance of the LORD Jesus Christ. We see Him later in Genesis 22 with Abram, in Exodus 3 with Moses, in Judges with Gideon, and even with Samson’s parents. Over and over, the Angel of the LORD  comes to meet His people. And here, He comes to Hagar — alone, weak, hopeless. This gracious manifestation of Christ Himself reveals Him as the One Who comes to the weary and heavy-laden, and speaks life to the soul. Here is a well of comfort in the desert of our need as outcast sinners, where we may drink deeply Christ the Water of Life and that our God both sees and knows us, and in Christ, remembers us with mercy. Isn’t that just how the LORD Jesus Christ comes to us? Not when we are strong, but when we are weak. Not when we have something to offer, but when we are at our lowest. As the LORD Jesus said, “They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance”  (Mark 2:17). The LORD asked her, “Whence comest thou? and whither wilt thou go?”   (Genesis 16:8) . He knew the answer already, but He drew it out of her, just as He drew confession from the woman at the well in John 4 . Hagar admits, “I flee from the face of my mistress.”   How often our own hearts do the same — fleeing instead of submitting, resisting instead of trusting. But the LORD’s Word to her is both hard and merciful: “Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands” (Genesis 16:9). Repentance means turning back. Her mind was going one way — away — but the LORD called her to turn around. That is grace, not punishment. To return, to submit, to quit taking matters into her own hands. And with the command came a promise: “I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude”  (v. 10). “Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction”  (v. 11). Ishmael — “God will hear.” Before this child was even born, God named him, showing His sovereignty. Just as He named Isaac before his birth, and just as He named His own Son Jesus — “for He shall save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Yet even in the promise, God foretold Ishmael’s nature: “He will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him”  (v. 12). Nations would war, conflicts would last for centuries. And still, the LORD was directing every step. Nothing was out of place. And here is the wonder: Hagar, an Egyptian servant woman, far from home, despised and despairing, is the first in Scripture to give God a name. She called Him El Roi  — “Thou God seest me”   (v. 13) . She testifies, “Have I also here looked after Him that seeth me?”   She thought she was forgotten, but the LORD had His eye on her all along. The God Who sees. The God Who knows the end from the beginning. The God Whose foreknowledge is not passive sight but sovereign decree. Our steps and our stops are ordered of the Lord . Even in her flight, He purposed mercy. And so, we see how this passage draws us to Christ. He is the Angel of the LORD Who meets sinners in the wilderness. He is the God Who sees us in our weakness. He is the sovereign One Who directs every step — even the missteps — for His purpose. And He is the merciful Savior Who names us His own before we are born, Who calls us not to flee but to return, not to despair but to trust. Let us rest in Him today. For the LORD Who saw Hagar sees you. And the God Who met her by the spring meets us in Christ Jesus, with mercy, with direction, and with unfailing sovereignty.

Numbers 19:1-10 "And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke: And ye shall give her unto Eleazar the priest, that he may bring her forth without the camp, and one shall slay her before his face: And Eleazar the priest shall take of her blood with his finger, and sprinkle of her blood directly before the tabernacle of the congregation seven times: And one shall burn the heifer in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall he burn: And the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer. Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the even. And he that burneth her shall wash his clothes in water, and bathe his flesh in water, and shall be unclean until the even. And a man that is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up without the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water of separation: it is a purification for sin. And he that gathereth the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: and it shall be unto the children of Israel, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among them, for a statute for ever." In the Book of Numbers, chapter 19, the LORD gives a solemn ordinance: a red heifer, without spot or blemish, and never yoked, was to be taken, slain outside the camp, and wholly burned. Its ashes, mingled with cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet, were carefully gathered and laid aside for the people of Israel. From them would come the “water of purification,” a cleansing for sin. At first, these details can seem complicated. But every detail matters, for they point us to Christ: The heifer was to be red, a sign of the redemption accomplished by His blood. It was to be without blemish, showing the sinless perfection of our LORD Jesus (1 Peter 1:19) . No yoke was ever laid upon it, signifying that Christ laid down His life freely. As He Himself said, “I lay down my life for the sheep… no man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself” (John 10:15, 18). The sacrifice was performed outside the camp, for the offering itself was counted unclean. This reminds us of our Savior Who suffered “without the gate” (Hebrews 13:12–13) , bearing reproach for His people. Yet unlike those priests, who became unclean by handling the ashes, Christ bore our sins without being defiled. He remained holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners (Hebrews 7:26). The ashes were to be kept and mixed with water for cleansing. But this was not a beauty treatment, not a cleansing of the body. It was a picture of sin being dealt with before God. Still, it was only a shadow. The blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of a heifer, sanctified to the purifying of the flesh, but they could never remove sin. “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:13–14). Here is the connection: the ashes point to Christ’s death, and the water to the purifying work of the blood of the LORD from the cross in the heart of the elect sinner when given life in the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit (setting the sinner apart) to Christ in God-given Faith. Baptismal water cannot purify the heart. You can go into that water a lost sinner and come out a wet lost sinner. Only the Spirit of God , through the finished work of Christ, can purify the heart and bring peace with God, cleansing the guilty conscience from dead works . The LORD Jesus said, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). The ashes were mingled with running water (living water as a type of Christ), and this mixture became the “water of separation” (or “water for impurity”), used for cleansing those who had been defiled by death (touching a dead body, bone, or grave). The central issue is that death’s defilement separates the person from the camp and the tabernacle, which is what our sins do in separating us from God in spiritual death. The water of separation was applied with hyssop, signifying the need for purifying grace coming from outside oneself, through the blood shed of the LORD Jesus. When Christ was pierced, blood and water flowed out (John 19:34) . This is not an incidental medical detail but an important Gospel truth: The blood  signifies death and the immediate justification of those sinners for whom Christ died because of the satisfaction of God’s justice completed at the cross. The water  signifies cleansing and sanctification — the elect sinner, having been set apart in justification at the cross, is then set apart by the Spirit and His sanctifying grace because of Christ's death. This sanctifying does not render the flesh progressively holier. The flesh is continually sinful, and therefore, there is a need for the continual sanctifying work of the Spirit to draw the heart outside of itself for righteousness in the finished work of Christ. John himself later reflects on this, emphasizing that both water and blood came forth together as a testimony to Christ’s sacrificial death as the Substitute for His people (1 John 5:6, 8). Even the details of cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet cast into the fire remind us of the cleansing of lepers in Leviticus 14. Leprosy was a picture of sin, and all of it was consumed in the burning. So when Christ died, He bore all the sins of His people—past, present, and future. “He put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Hebrews 9:26). And how often was the heifer offered? Only once. The ashes were preserved for generations, a lasting provision until Christ should come. This also points to Him, for “ by the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10). Once. Finished. Complete. So what is our hope? Not our works, not our zeal, not our attempts at righteousness. As Paul wrote, many go about seeking to establish their own righteousness, but refuse to submit to the Righteousness of God. Yet “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth” (Romans 10:4). And so, we who believe by God's grace rest in this Truth: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1) . In Him, your sins are taken away—every spot, every blemish, every trace of leprosy consumed in the fire of His Sacrifice.

Matthew 20:28 "Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." This verse silences our pride and turns our eyes to Christ alone. Notice carefully—our LORD did not come into this world to be ministered unto. That may shock some, for so much of religion today revolves around what we are doing for God: ministering, serving, building, teaching, striving. But Christ Himself declares that He did not come to be served. He came to serve. He came to minister. Why is this necessary? Because sinners have nothing to bring to Him but an empty hand and a sinful heart. Left to ourselves in spiritual blindness, we imagine that our ministry, our service, our sacrifices, even our best efforts, will commend us to God. But Scripture shows us otherwise: “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). Notice that it does not say "all our sins" but "all our righteousnesses." What can we minister to Christ but sin from a sinful nature? It is impossible for anything in our sinful flesh to please God. As Paul said in Romans 3:19 , the law was given that "every mouth may be stopped, and all the world become guilty before God." That is where we must be brought—silenced before Him, seeing ourselves as nothing but spiritually impoverished beggars. As sinners, we are poor as beggars, yet proud as devils, blind to our true condition. But here is the Grace of God: Christ came to minister. He came to do everything for the sinner that the sinner could never do for himself. He came to live a life of perfect righteousness, satisfying God’s law in both letter and spirit, and then to die the death that justice demanded, laying down His life as a ransom for many. Think of that word “ransom.” It is the price paid for the release of captives. That is exactly what we were—captive, guilty, under the sentence of death. But Christ, by His obedience and His sacrifice, has paid the full ransom. Nothing remains for us to add. Nothing remains for us to boast in. He came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and that ministry was His very life poured out for sinners. And for whom did He give His life? The text says, “for many.” Not for all without exception, but for those the Father gave Him from eternity (John 17:2). For them, Christ came. For them, He lived in obedience. For them, He died as their ransom. For them, He rose and ascended, and for them, He will come again. “ All that the Father giveth me shall come to me,” He says, “and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37). What then does He minister to His own? Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 1:30 : wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Wisdom —for apart from Christ, we would never know God. 1 Corinthians 1:24- “But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.” Righteousness —for we could never establish our own, but Christ has worked out that perfect righteousness that God imputed to the spiritual account of every one of His elect when Christ died on the cross. 2 Corinthians 5:21  – “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” Sanctification —He sanctified Himself for His people that His sacrificial death might sanctify them by His obedience unto death. In Him, they were set apart to God in holiness. John 17:19- “And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.” Redemption —the final redemption, when even our bodies shall be raised incorruptible at His coming. Romans 8:23 “And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” Oh, the fullness of Christ’s ministry! We are nothing, and He is everything. We have no works to bring, no goodness to offer, only our sin and our need. But He came to minister. He came to meet the sinner’s poverty with His abundance, the sinner’s guilt with His righteousness, the sinner’s death with His life. 2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us, "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ," (His obedience that He earned and established and God the Father approved on behalf of those for whom Christ died). Let every attempt to commend ourselves to God be seen as dung. Let us take our place low at Christ’s feet, confessing with Paul, “He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.” And let us look away from ourselves to Him Who came, "not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many."

2 Chronicles 26:16 "But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense." The story of King Uzziah is both a warning and a lesson written for our learning. Here was a man marvelously helped of the LORD, raised up in strength and prosperity, yet brought low by pride and presumption. His fall reminds us of the deceitfulness of the human heart and the danger of trusting in our own wisdom, strength, or position. Apart from the sovereign Grace of God in Christ, pride always leads to ruin. But the greater lesson is this: in Christ Jesus, the true King and Priest, we find what Uzziah failed to be. The LORD Jesus alone has entered the holy place with perfect Righteousness, not presuming upon God but fulfilling His will. Where pride destroys, Grace restores. Where man’s strength collapses, Christ’s strength endures forever. This passage turns our eyes away from ourselves—weak, unstable, and prone to destruction—and fixes them upon the LORD Jesus Christ, Who is our Righteousness, Wisdom, Sanctification, and Redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30). This Scripture in 2 Chronicles 26:16 is the turning point in Uzziah’s life. The chapter shows how the LORD marvelously helped him. He was blessed in battle, in building, in farming, in engineering. He was marvelously helped until he was strong. And then comes the stark change! “ But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction.” This is where the story comes home to us. Pride is the great danger. Here we see the clear example of what we read in Proverbs 16:18-" Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." Can God prosper men, bless them, even make them men of renown—and yet, in the end, cast them into destruction? Absolutely. That is what we see here. Notice how the Scripture describes King Uzziah's fall. It’s as if there was one transgression. Just like Adam’s one sin. It was not adultery, nor drunkenness, nor material robbery, although it was a spiritual adultery and robbery of God's way of Glory. His was the simple, deadly presumption of stepping where God had not ordained. Uzziah went into the temple to burn incense. And the priests withstood him—eighty valiant priests, warning him: “It pertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah.” But his heart was lifted up in him. He thought himself worthy of entering into God's presence in another way, as did Cain in Genesis 4:3-5. This is where the Word of the LORD presses upon our own hearts in our approach unto God. The heart of sin in self-righteousness would lead us to think that we can approach God in our own way rather than through the Mediator. Many are those who presume upon God, having made an outward profession of faith, yet still living as though the work of Christ on the cross was not necessary. Yet in all of this, we see the sovereign Hand of God. He had given Uzziah his success. He had given him his natural wisdom, strength, and power to rule. And at the same time, in His sovereignty God had struck him down when he trespassed. Just as God had raised up Pharaoh in the day of His power, for one purpose—to manifest the power of God in his destruction (Romans 9:17). So Uzziah’s rise and fall were in the Hand of the Sovereign LORD. What does this show us of Christ? That apart from Him, there is no access, either to the altar, or to the throne, nor to God Himself. “There is one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). We need Him now as much as ever. Even throughout eternity, there will never be a time when we do not need Christ the Mediator. In glory, the song is still the same: “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain” (Revelation 5:12). So let us take the warning: pride will lift the heart to destruction. But let us also take the Hope: in Christ Jesus, there is therefore now NO condemnation (Romans 8:1) . He alone is the High Priest, the Sacrifice, the Way to the Father. We do not come in our own strength, but through Him Whom God has ordained. And in Him, we are received—at the throne of Grace—to find mercy and help in our time of need.

1 Corinthians 7:23-24 "Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men. Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God." When we open God’s Word, we are not merely studying history, doctrine, or moral advice. We are beholding Christ Himself.  From Genesis to Revelation, He is the theme—the Lamb slain from (since) the foundation of the world, revealed in the types, pictures, and prophecies of the Old Testament. He is the One in Whom all the promises of God are "Yea and Amen" (2 Corinthians 1:20). In this letter to the Corinthians, written to a fledgling church in a chaotic city, Paul continually draws them back to Christ as the One True Foundation. The Corinthians were unsettled in many ways —questions about marriage, singleness, slavery, and social standing filled their minds. Yet Paul does not provide them with a system of rules. Instead, he calls them to remember who they are in Christ. Our LORD is sovereign over every circumstance of life, and He has purchased His people with His own blood. That purchase is the Anchor, the unshakable Foundation—the reason God’s elect, His redeemed ones, endure storms without being swept away. It is not that they were holding on to Christ, but Christ holding them in His Almighty Sovereign Hand, from which nothing could or would remove them! (Romans 8:38–39). This is why Paul wrote earlier:  “That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:31). And again, “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). The sum of all Truth is Christ—His Person, His work, and His sovereign rule. He is the One Who has called us, and He is the One Who holds us. In 1 Corinthians 7:23–24, Paul reminds us of two aspects of the Truth as it is in Christ:  the price that bought the sinners for whom He died, and the call to abide with God wherever He has placed them. Both flow from Christ, and both call His sheep to rest in Him. “Ye are bought with a price.”  What is that price? Nothing less than the precious blood of Christ. This is not a transaction of silver or gold, nor the empty traditions of men, but the very Life of the Son of God given for His people. “He purchased His church with His own blood” (Acts 20:28). Christ bore the wrath of God alone, fulfilled all righteousness, and obtained His people's salvation forever. This means we are not our own. Our identity is not tied to outward things—whether circumcision or uncircumcision, slave or free, high or low in this world. None of these defines us. Paul, in all his writings, presses the point of whose we are in Christ: “Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ” (Galatians 4:7). What matters is not man’s opinion, nor subjection to men’s systems, but the Eternal Truth that Christ has laid hold of us at the cost of His own life. Then Paul says , “Be not ye the servants of men.”   The believer does not live under the dominion of human traditions, religious demands, or social hierarchies. Though in the flesh one may still be a servant, yet in Christ he is the LORD’s freedman. And if one is free in this world, he is Christ’s servant. Either way, we belong wholly to Him (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Herein lies the sovereignty of God in Christ—He rules His people, and He alone has purchased the right to claim them as His own. And then verse 24:   “Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.”   This is a call to contentment, to rest in the providence of God. It is not the changing of our outward condition that saves us; it is Christ. Whether in marriage or singleness, in wealth or poverty, in freedom or servitude—God has called us where we are, and there we are enabled to abide with Him. This does not mean we never move, nor that circumstances cannot change. Paul says if a slave can be free, use it rather. But the believer’s peace does not depend on outward change. True Peace is knowing that in every condition, Christ is our Foundation. Like the ship in the storm, we hold steady because He holds us steady. To “abide with God”  means to live in constant remembrance that He is present with His elect, ruling over them, sustaining them, and sanctifying them in the very place He has placed them. It is to walk with Christ, whether in the palace or in the prison, knowing that His will is good and His Grace sufficient. This is the glory of the Gospel for those of us who are His chosen, redeemed, and called out ones: Christ has bought us, Christ owns us, and Christ keeps us. We are rooted not in the traditions of men but in the eternal Son of God Who gave Himself for us. And because He reigns sovereignly over all things, we abide with Him and are kept by Him in contentment wherever we are. So hear again the Word of the LORD :   “ Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men. Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.”   May we live each day remembering whose we are in Christ, resting in His sovereign Hand and His finished work at the cross.