Summary The word 'epistle' isn't used much in everyday language anymore, except every now and then to you learn that you've "been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God, and are being sanctified (made

an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take The Son took the “form of a servant” and was made in the “likeness of man,” truly assuming a real human So it makes sense that after trying to wrap his mind around this crazy situation that Joseph "had in As strange as this entire story sounds, it most certainly wasn't something that God was making up as God sent His Son, born of a woman, not just to take away your sins, but to also still your fears.

Word of this made it to the captain of the temple, who had the disciples arrested. Instead, Peter makes a bolder declaration in their midst: “And there is salvation in no one else, for Despite Jesus having already ascended to heaven, the Disciples were out healing the sick and making the

little children are commanded to honor their parents, that you too will honor the Lord your God in every

(NIV) CONTEXT: Jesus has just famously called a child to Him, and tells His followers that 'whoever takes We often rightly apply Jesus' warning to those who harm children, but Jesus makes it clear that the term Most of us have a visceral reaction to those who hurt children, so it makes sense that our Father does The phrase 'go to hell' has a somewhat muted effect because it gets used vulgarly so often, but in a very With so much on the line, Jesus' hyperbolic advice makes sense: whatever it is in your life - even if

always been some, who look at all of the strife and division in the Church and trace it to these 'man made But not only is every word and phrase of our creeds and confessions meticulously based in scripture,

For his power and goodness are so great and incomprehensible that he arranges and does his work very People want to hear positive, encouraging messages when they come to church that build them up and make But perhaps the most shocking claim that Peter makes is about God. Peter makes clear in his sermon the primary message of the gospel: that "God raised Jesus from the dead Peter makes this clear as well.

gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very produced in man by the hearing of God’s Word and by the work of the Holy Spirit, regenerates him and makes Therefore, far from making people cold toward living in a pious and holy way, this justifying faith, out here in this passage is that you've been "redeemed from all wickedness" and purified to be God's very LIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will keep yourself in a grace-filled environment which makes

Dig Deeper It might seem like we should be taking much more advantage of the promise Jesus makes in v19 We certainly should be taking more advantage of the this promise, but we also better understand the parameters of the promise being made here. First of all, the promise is made in conjunction with the formal administration of the Church, but although to be coming together to ask Him for, especially now that you've been reminded of the promise Jesus made

God's grace is stronger than we are, and how it is that He produces both our will to believe and our very Summary It had all made sense up to this point. It did seem strange that so many of them had rejected the grace that the Messiah had made possible, but That in itself isn't really a surprise, since the Bible makes it so clear that preaching is God's most What could have made such acceptance possible?