Dan Lee
John 17:9-13, For the Joy of God's Elect

Jesus’ first petition for His disciples is found in these verses. Jesus prays that the Father would keep them in His name. Jesus prays for a special people, His disciples and He does so because He was about to physically leave His disciples. What He would no longer be able to do in His physical absence, He asks the Father to accomplish. May the Lord grant to us a greater work of His Spirit to draw us to walk in Jesus’ ways and thus live with His joy evermore in our hearts.

Dan Lee
John 17:6-8, Two Realities of Salvation

Jesus describes the salvation of His disciples from two perspectives, one from heaven and the other from earth. In heaven, salvation was the product of the intratrinitarian transaction between the Father and the Son. On earth salvation was the product of divine revelation through the word of God and the hearty response of faith on the part of believers. The heavenly realities evoke worship, humility, and thanksgiving. The earthly realities compel us to take seriously every word of our Lord Jesus Christ and act upon them by faith.

Dan Lee
John 17:3-5, Salvation for the Glory of God ...

In His prayer, Jesus defines eternal life for our benefit. Contrary to popular belief, eternal life according to the Son of God is a reconciled relationship with God that begins in the present and stretches out to eternity. Jesus also reveals to us that He is the God of eternal glory which is demonstrated through the cross which He was about to bear. In the cross of Christ, the glory of God’s grace shines brilliantly so that all the redeemed and all the angelic host would glorify God forever and ever.

Dan Lee
John 17:1-2, Salvation for the Glory of God

Jesus’ prayer in John 17 begins with a focus on the glory of God. Jesus prays that His impending death will ultimately glorify the Father and that this would come about through the granting (gifting) of eternal life to His elect. What Jesus’ crucifixion puts on display is the glory of God’s grace in salvation.

Dan Lee
Deuteronomy 27-34, Two Ways to Live

As Moses closes his final message to the children of Israel, he focuses on the consequences of obedience and disobedience. He does so by setting down before them two pathways: the pathway to life, good, and the blessing, and the other pathway to death, evil, and the curse. Along with these options for their future, he reveals to them their future in apostasy, judgment, and even a restoration afterwards. The Pentateuch closes with an allusion to the prophet like Moses to come, the Lord Jesus, who speaks from the LORD and all the people ought to hear. The call to choose life echoes throughout the ages, calling all to be reconciled and restored to God and to enter into His blessing through the Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.

Proverbs 2:1-15 Conflicts in the Church [Part 5]

Not all biblical principles are on an even plain with others. Some are higher (vs. lower) priority, and some are more general (vs. specific) than others. To navigate through the complexities of life and conflicts, we need wisdom to decipher what is the peak (high priority), what is the mountain range (general) and what are the hills immediately before us (specific). May the Lord grant us wisdom as we seek Him prayerfully and biblically!

Luke 6:27-28 Conflicts in the Church [Part 4]

“Love your enemies” is our 8th biblical mandate regarding conflicts. We are to respond to those who wrong us, not with a counterattack, but with love, with the intent to bless them and to do them good. Number 9 is “Do not let the sun go down on your anger,” where we are to deal with the cause of our anger. May the Lord help us to respond to conflicts His way.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Conflicts in the Church [Part 2]

God wants us to trust Him and to respond to conflicts His way. In this second installment on conflicts in the church, we look at the implications of upholding the principles of righteousness in 1 Cor. 6 and 1 Tim. 5. Additionally, we dive into the third biblical mandate regarding government: the church is subjugated under this entity which God has established for punishing evil-doers.

John 6:70-71 The Bread of Life [Part 8]

The Lord’s remark about Judas reveals two final truths. #1 Sin is Satanic. As the rest of Scripture reveals, those who live in sin are children of the Devil. This is the way the Lord saw Judas in his sin long before Satan enters him. May God help us see sin the same way! #2 God is sovereign. His will cannot be thwarted. Judas was never saved, and the Lord never loses those who are His. Our salvation is secure because God is all poweful.