Peter Chen
Micah 5:2-4 The Messianic Message of Micah

Micah prophesied of the Messiah that He is the LORD God and that He is the shepherd over His people. This is the true message of Christmas that woos us to worship Christ, to love, honor, and serve Him. May we ponder deeply the wonder of Christmas, that the LORD, the eternal God, came from heaven in human flesh, born in Bethlehem, born of a woman, in the person of Jesus, to seek and save that which was lost and to shepherd all His elect who repent and trust in Him, to guide them away from sin and in the pathway of sanctification all the way home to glory.

Peter Chen
Psalm 37 - God: Your only refuge!

Psalm 37 is a Psalm written by Israel’s greatest king, king David. It reveals only two possibilities for the end of a person’s life. The wicked will be cut off by God’s judgment. Although they prosper abundantly in the present, their end is certain. They are not satisfied with prosperity, so they seek to destroy the righteous. Yet, the righteous seek refuge in the LORD. A repeated refrain in the Psalm is, “do not fret.” The path for settling your soul is through seeking refuge in God. The Christian’s heart is encouraged through this revelation of God, who sustains the righteous. Moreover, the Psalm directs Christians to trust, with great hope, in the LORD. The result is that they can progress through life’s difficulties and into eternity because of the salvation of God. He truly delivers those who seek refuge in Him from evildoers.

Dan Lee
Revelation 4-6, The Reign of God

The revelation of the future is given from the perspective of heaven. God reigns as the supreme ruler and deity who is enthroned and worshipped in heaven. What is true in heaven becomes the reality on earth as the revelation of the future unfolds. This revelation commences with Jesus breaking open the seals and shows the backdrop against which the judgments of God will come: ordinary and natural suffering in the fallen world and the persecution of Christians and their holy prayer for justice. In response to their prayer, divine wrath is poured out upon the world (with the seventh seal [8:1] and the trumpet and bowl judgments that ensue). All of this affirms the resounding biblical call to be ready for Christ. He is indeed coming quickly. May we be dressed in readiness and keep our lamps lit.

Dan Lee
Revelation 2-3, Exhortations of our Loving Lord

Jesus knows the future, that judgment is coming. He, therefore, prepares His elect with strong exhortations to prepare for that day. He speaks strong admonishments out of His immense love for the churches. There is no greater proof of love than to warn your beloved of an impending danger. Divine judgment is coming and Jesus wants none to perish but for all to come to repentance. May we all have ears to hear what the Spirit says to the churches!

Dan Lee
Revelation 1, The Blazing Glory of Jesus

Revelation comes from the triune God who reveals the future return of Christ in blazing glory. This is John’s introduction to the riveting book of prophecy. Jesus is coming again bodily and visibly for all to see. The revelation of His return and all the events surrounding His return are given by the triune God. Christ is revealed in blazing glory with which He will come again.

Luke 1:46-56, The Excellencies of our God

As Mary considered the meaning of the coming of Christ, she exploded with a joyful psalm of praise, even a prophetic anticipation of the future blessing for the people of God. Her focus in this song was the magnificence of the Lord. She saw in the coming of Christ the power of God, the mercy of God, and the faithfulness of God. Though she had only heard of the promises and had seen no evidence of her supernatural pregnancy, she believed. And because she believed, she, therefore, also rejoiced. We rejoice this day because we, too, believe. May the Lord fill our hearts with wonder and joy as we by faith meditate on His glorious attributes which shine with unparalleled brilliance in the coming of Jesus His incarnate Son.

Isaiah 55:1-9, Seek the LORD

While many today do not wish to seek the LORD, it is indeed man’s supreme priority and chief end in life. We are creatures created by the Creator for His own good pleasure and will, and our greatest ambition in this life is to know the LORD who made us who has redeemed us through His beloved Son, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May the Holy Spirit wise us up to seek Him earnestly, listen to Him, repent from sin and toward the LORD, and delight our souls abundantly in Him and in His blessings toward us in Christ.

John 14:16-20, Who Is the Holy Spirit?

In this passage, Jesus’ first substantial teaching on the Holy Spirit, He shows us the Holy Spirit as His presence, the truth, the guardian, the life-giver, and the revealer. May the Lord make us into a church that proclaims and upholds His truth so that we may be a Spirit-filled people, always heeding the voice of our Shepherd and living in the fullness of His Holy Spirit.

John 14:12-14, The Promises of Christ for His People: Answered Prayer (Part 2)

It is the will of God that His people bear much fruit. Jesus described this in terms of the greater works (v 12). But how are we to bear much fruit and do the greater works? Were the disciples strong enough and godly enough to do these things? Are we strong enough and godly enough to do the same? Jesus shows us in this discourse that we are not. The one resource we need to do what we are incapable of doing on our own is Jesus Himself. He is our greatest resource to be and to make disciples (do the greater works), and we tap into this tremendous Christological resource by means of prayer (vv. 13-14). Prayer, in this sense, enables the greater works, because through prayer, we witness Jesus doing through us the remarkable works of God. Furthermore, prayer is worship, because in prayer, we affirm and uphold the revealed will of God as supreme and wise and righteous. Prayer is also worship because God is glorified in its effects. May we learn to pray in Jesus’ name and may we, through His doing in us, do the greater works for which God has saved us.

John 14:12-14, The Promises of Christ: Answered Prayer

Jesus promises answered prayer for His people. His promise brings up many questions. Is His promise a blank check or a magical formula for getting whatever we want? Is this just another version of the pagan idea of prayer? What does it mean to pray in Jesus’ name? How does this passage reconcile with the rest of the biblical teaching on prayer? The teaching of our Lord regarding prayer is this: We pray in accordance to His likeness and His will. We pray as those who abide in Him and His words abide in us (John 15:7). In short, we pray Christian prayers. We pray to seek the purposes of God to be advanced in this His world. May the Lord evermore teach us to pray as we should: in His name!

John 14:12, The Promises of Christ: the Greater Works

Jesus promises for His people provisions for the time of His physical absence from them. In John 14:12-20, Jesus assures His people that they will experience the greater works, answered prayer, and His Holy Spirit. The first of these is the focus of this study. What are the greater works? How should we respond if we are not seeing the greater works being carried out in our lives?