Category Archives: Bible

Waiting on the Lord

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Most of us can get pretty impatient when confronted with an urgent challenge and then praying, hoping and looking for God to do something.  Isaiah offers a bunch of verses that include the declarations of those who are waiting upon God and promises to those who wait. 

Isaiah 8:17 (NKJV) And I will wait on the Lord,
Who hides His face from the house of Jacob;
And I will hope in Him.

Isaiah 25:9 (NKJV) And it will be said in that day:
“Behold, this is our God;
We have waited for Him, and He will save us.
This is the Lord;
We have waited for Him;
We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”

Isaiah 26:8 (NKJV) Yes, in the way of Your judgments,
O Lord, we have waited for You;
The desire of our soul is for Your name
And for the remembrance of You.

Isaiah 30:18 (NKJV) Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you;
And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
Blessed are all those who wait for Him.

Isaiah 33:2 (NKJV) O Lord, be gracious to us;
We have waited for You.
Be their [or our] arm every morning,
Our salvation also in the time of trouble.

Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV) But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 49:23 (NKJV) Kings shall be your foster fathers,
And their queens your nursing mothers;
They shall bow down to you with their faces to the earth,
And lick up the dust of your feet.
Then you will know that I am the Lord,
For they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me.”

Isaiah 64:4 (NKJV) For since the beginning of the world
Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear,
Nor has the eye seen any God besides You,
Who acts for the one who waits for Him.

Palmer St. Podcast: Acts 15 Part 3

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This ends our three-part sereis on Acts 15.  In the first part we looked at legalism; in the second we dealt with idolatry.  In this section we’ll talk about sexual immorality – something the early church felt a need to specifically address.

Acts15c.mp3

Acts15c.pdf

Palmer St. Podcast: Acts 15 Part 2

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Last week we looked at the decision of the Jerusalem council, which determined that the non-Jews who were now coming into the church didn’t have to become Jews in order to become Christians.  This was a very important decision and essentially ruled out all forms of legalism or works-based  merit before God.  We examined legalism and the difference between that and a biblical faith which leads to good works.

This week we will look at idolatry – one of the things the council wanted to emphasize to the Gentiles as prohibited.  They rightly assumed that non-Jews would need to learn that the God of the Bible is not to be worshiped with idols.

Audio: Acts15b.mp3

Notes: Acts15b.pdf

Palmer St. Podcast: Acts 15 Part 1

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In this chapter a conflict arises in the church.  Certain Jewish believers wanted to impose specifically Jewish rules and practices, including circumcision, on the newly converted Gentiles.  The conflict leads to a big meeting in Jerusalem among the recognized leaders in the church.  They conclude that clearly the Gentiles need not “become Jews” in order to be Christians.  Rather they come up with a short list of things that the Gentiles need to be aware of.  In conclusion, we’ll look at the whole issue of legalism in the church.   Here are the notes and audio:

Acts15a.mp3

Acts15a.pdf

Next week in Part 2, we’ll finish the chapter examining both idolatry and sexual immorality.  These are two points the early church leaders realized needed to be specifically addressed in the non-Jewish world of that time.  They are areas we need to address just as much today.