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.

Dan Lee
Deuteronomy 12-26, The Place and The Prophet

In this final legal section of the Pentateuch, Moses touches on a wide range of laws. Among these, two stand out as the most prominent in the main message of Moses regarding the Messiah: the place of worship and the future prophet like Moses. These two ideas propel us to build up God’s church, hope in Christ’s return, and listen to Christ.

Dan Lee
Deuteronomy 1-11, Remember and Obey

Moses speaks his final message to the children of Israel before heading up Mount Nebo and see the land of Canaan and die there. His aim is to expound the law but he is gripped by the urgency of the spiritual needs of his people and thus he earnestly exhorts them with a long introduction (nearly all of 11 chapters) to remember and obey. In this three part study of Deuteronomy, we examine the practical relevance of this exhortation and consider the ultimate Israelite who lived up to all that this exhortation required.

Dan Lee
Numbers 22-24, The Messianic Prophecies of ...

The very perplexing figure of Balaam shows that God can use even a wicked pagan priest to speak forth His truth. Unbeknownst to this man, the LORD intended to use him to reinforce His immutable commitment to bless Israel and send the Messiah for our salvation. Balaam’s prophecies show that Jesus is the coming king who will reign supremely over all the nations, crushing all His enemies. They also show that Jesus is the promised seed of the woman, the seed of Abraham, who grants the blessing of salvation to all the elect of God.

Psalm 100, Thankful, Thoughtful, Cheerful Worship

God is worthy of the most excellent kind of worship. In Psalm 100 we find a universal summons for all the earth to bring to God this most elevated and acceptable worship to Yahweh, our Maker, Sustainer and Redeemer. In this first study in Psalm 100, we look at the grounds for gratitude in worship, namely, creation, care and the cross. May the Lord purge any tinge of unbelief from our hearts and by His Holy Spirit enable us to be true worshippers who evermore come to Him with thankful hearts.

John 12:1-8, What is Christ Worth to You? (Part 3)

We were saved primarily to be worshippers, not benefactors. In this study, we examine the final verses of this passage and consider the great value and importance of worshipping Christ over the admirable yet lesser priority of charity and the abominable ambition of selfish gain. The chief end of man is indeed to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. May we worship and serve the Lord as He so rightly deserves.

John 12:1-8, What is Christ Worth to You? (Part 2)

Christ was worthless to Judas. His protest of Mary’s lavish gift puts on display what was in his heart: atheism and contempt. He has no understanding of God who is to be worshipped, who is revealed in the Son of God incarnate; and he expresses disdain for the Lord whom he values far less than Mary’s perfume. This is the heart of the unconverted: worship-less and contemptuous toward Jesus. But to the converted, Christ is everything to us, and we long to worship the Lord day and night forever and ever, as we will in heaven, for we are His worshippers.

John 12:1-8, What is Christ Worth to You?

John takes us from the conspiracy of the Jews to Jesus’ triumphal entry by way of a burial preparation. Jesus heads to Jerusalem to die. In this transition passage, John highlights for us the worthiness of Christ. The Son of God who bore our sins is worth more than anything else in this world. We find this front and center through two individuals of Mary and Judas. Christ’s worth was superlative and supreme for Mary. The opposite was true of Judas. May the Holy Spirit probe our hearts and help us see just what Christ is worth to us.

John 11:45-53, No Setbacks for Our Sovereign God

The aftermath of Lazarus’ resurrection may be seen as a setback to Jesus’ ministry. While many of the Jews who had come to Bethany believe, some take word to Jesus’ enemies, the Pharisees, and this triggers a chain reaction that sets the stage for Jesus’ crucifixion. Is this all a setback in the plan of God? No. This is all a part of God’s plan of redemption. Whether it is hostility in general or it is the highest level of government authority, God is bigger them all and weaves the black thread of evil into His beautiful tapestry of redemption, to bring many sons to glory, first His only begotten Son, then His many adopted sons.

John 11:40-45, Jesus is no hyper-Calvinist

We live under the sovereign control of God whose purpose cannot be thwarted. But should this make us passive and lazy in our sense of participation in the works of God? In this study of the gospel of John, we see Jesus also living under the sovereignty of God, and yet He is in no way passive. He actively maintains a sharp focus on the purpose of God, He prays and seeks for God’s purpose to come to pass, and He actively participates in the work of God to raise Lazarus ultimately for the glory of God. May we like Christ actively pray and labor to bring to pass the revealed will of our sovereign God.