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.

John 16:10-11, The Conviction of the Holy Spirit: Concerning Righteousness and Judgment

The Holy Spirit’s conviction is not only about sin but also about righteousness of Christ and the judgment of Satan. With each of these additional convictions, the Holy Spirit draws the sinner to faith in Christ and to salvation in His name. It is the grace of God that brings a deep sense of guilt and need in the sight of God. This is how God draws repentant sinners to Christ and saves them from their sins.

John 16:7-9, The Conviction of the Holy Spirit: Regarding Sin

Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will bring conviction of sin upon the world. This is a boon for disciples show understand the Lord’s purpose for His world in this age. May we all have hearts that are in tune with the mission of our Lord that we be disciples and make disciples. Given the context in which Jesus spoke, He narrows the conviction for sin to the sin of unbelief. Unbelief is a serious matter in the sight of God, but there is great hope for those whom the Spirit convicts.

John 16:5-7, Jesus Promises the Helper

Jesus promises the Helper. To be without help is not what Jesus planned for His disciples. These whom He loved, shepherded, and guarded throughout His ministry years will not be left alone to fend for themselves. The Lord has been and continues to be their good shepherd. There are implications for us as to how Jesus has dealt with His disciples. He cares for us the same way. He sees our sorrows and He ensures that no suffering is for naught. He has sent His Holy Spirit (the “Alongsider”) to give us all that we need to fulfill the will of God for us in this age. This study kicks off another study on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit.

John 16:1-4, Jesus Our Guardian

The main idea of John 16 is best captured in the identity of Jesus as our Guardian. This idea is seen in vv 1-15 in that Jesus guards us from stumbling (vv 1-4a), from helplessness (vv 4b-11), and from ignorance (vv 12-15). In this first installment of our studies from John 16, we see how Jesus guards His disciples with His prescience (or foreknowledge) of their future persecution. Moreover, we see how Jesus also foretold us of the more general trials of life for His people (“tribulation” or “affliction” of 16:33). Amid all the trials of life, Jesus guards us from the greatest danger, the danger of falling away. He preserves His own to the very and He does so through means.

Isaiah 8:11-20, Stand Firm (Part 2)

We must stand firm on the word of God. The temptation to become like the world in what we say, what we fear, and what we hear are immense. The LORD speaks to Isaiah, the believers of his generation, and to us, to take this matter seriously and to not waver in our commitment and faithfulness to the word of God. The Holy Spirit’s aid is available to all who would humbly hear, believe, and abide in His truth. May the Lord heighten our spiritual alertness this year to stand up and stand firm on the word of God and be the influence we ought to be in this dark and dying world.

Isaiah 8:11-20, Stand Firm (Part 1)

The LORD knew that Isaiah would face the temptation to conform to the unbelieving world around him. Therefore, He spoke to exhort and admonish the prophet to resist conformity and to stand firm on the revelation He had given him. There is a wonderful lesson for us as we embark upon the New Year. We, too, must resist conformity to the world and remain faithful and steadfast in our commitment to the word of God. Stand firm on the word of God is the encouragement that we find in verses 11-15 and 19-20.

Isaiah 8:11-20, Stand Up

God made Isaiah and his sons into a witness for Him. They along with their God-given unique and prophetic names became the living testimony of the veracity of God’s word. Whom has God ordained to be the witnesses for His word in this day and age? This is the question we ponder in our study of Isaiah 8. May the Lord raise up a people to hold up and give testimony to His word for our generation.

Isaiah 9:1-7, Immanuel Has Come

God came down to earth in the person of Jesus. This is the stupendous message of Christmas according to Isaiah. This is the human ruler who is the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Eternal Father, and the Prince of Peace, who comes to deal with the root problem of all our ills at His first coming, then comes again in the future to bring about the fullness of salvation at His second coming.