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.

John 15:25-27, Only Two Camps (Part 4): against the Spirit

We serve the triune God. Even as Jesus teaches on the topic of persecution, the trinitarian nature of God comes up. This is because the true and living God is indeed triune. When the world rejects the preaching of Christ, they do not merely reject the preachers, or Christ, or even the Father, they reject the Holy Spirit who has made Christ known in this age. Woe to the man who rejects His message! There are implications to this. Furthermore, Jesus assures us that we ought not to be surprised at persecution, for nothing befalls Christ of His people apart from the plan and the purpose of our sovereign God.

John 15:21-24, Only Two Camps (Part 3): against the Father

Jesus explains in this passage that the world’s hatred of Christians and their Lord is actually a deeper hatred directed against God the Father. Their hatred is actually against the holy Trinity, for they reject the testimony of the Holy Spirit also (vv. 26-27). What Jesus shows us once again is that no one can have the Father apart from the Son, that to reject Jesus is to reject the only true and living God. What this shows us is the importantance of knowing the true Christ and to believe and follow Him for who He truly is. In knowing the true Christ of Scripture we know the Father also. May the Holy Spirit evermore direct our hearts and minds to cling onto Him and earnestly live out our faith in Him.

John 15:18, Only Two Camps: the World's Hatred

Out of His great love for His people, Jesus prepares us for persecution. He teaches us that there are only two camps in this world: there are those that belong to the world (“of the world”), and there are those who belong to Christ (“not of the world” and “I chose you out of the world”). Jesus assures us that the wrold’s hatred toward us stems from its hatred toward Him. Why does the world hate Christ and in what ways does the world persecute the people of God? Listen to learn more.

John 15:12-17, Christlike Love (Part 3): Gracious Love

The love of Christ is a gracious love. The Lord has chosen individuals unto salvation in eternity past based on pure grace, apart from any meritorious works. This is the grace of the Lord toward His elect. And it is based on His election that He orchestrates all things so that they would hear the gospel, believe and repent, and bear fruit for the glory of God and be glorified when they enter into glory. This is the stunning love of Christ toward His people. May the Lord give us wisdom to drink deeply from His grace each day and know therefore how to extend that same kind of grace toward one another, for this is what He commands and desires to see among His people, a love like His to permeate His community, the church.

John 15:12-17, Christlike Love (Part 2): Uplifting Love

The love of Christ is an uplifting love. The Lord has taken us who were lowly slaves and elevated our status to that of the friends of God. While we still relate to Him as obedient worshippers before God the Son, we are welcomed to Him as His friends. What’s more? The Lord has given us privileged knowledge of His will, purpose, plan, and mission on earth. In this life, we get to join Him in His glorious works on earth. This is the way the Lord has loved and served us, and His command is that we extend the same kind of uplifting love toward others. May the Holy Spirit evermore teach us love one another even as the Lord has so deeply loved us.

John 15:9-11, The Love And The Joy of God

The Lord Jesus Christ loves His people with the perfect love of His Father. He loves us with a love that is like the astonishing and spectacular intratrinitarian love of God. He calls us to then abide in that love so that our joy would no longer be meager, but that it would be full and complete. Jesus calls us to obedience to His commands toward this end. May the Holy Spirit evermore teach us to live a life of obedience in the footsteps of Christ so that we would know this magnificent love and joy which He seeks for His people.