The Shepherd’s Voice Archive
The Common Made Holy
On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came …
Independence Day–Our True Freedom
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery …
Autonomy or Security?
And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent …
What Do We Do Now?
For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy …
Shepherds, Sheep, and Discipleship
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by …
Living in the New Covenant
In the last two posts, we’ve been discussing the heart of fallen man and the New Covenant as the solution …
A Cure for the Incurable
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will …
An Incurable Diagnosis
“The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron; with a point of diamond it is engraved on …
The Armor of God
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, …
Fasting and Fighting
“Shout loudly! Don’t be quiet! Yell as loud as a trumpet! Confront my people with their rebellious deeds; confront Jacob’s …
The Greatest Gift of All
[The LORD said], “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the …
A Day of Thanksgiving–or Anxiety?
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is …
God’s Path or Man’s Party
And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn …
Unintended Consequences
In January 2019, I wrote a post that was triggered by New York’s abortion law that legalizes abortion up to …
The Fall of Nations
If you have watched the news recently, you likely have seen the stories of the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan …
The Mind of Christ
Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort provided by love, any fellowship in the Spirit, any affection …
On the Road with Jesus: The Cost of Devotion, the Price of Forgiveness
We’re continuing our journey with Jesus and His disciples in Luke’s gospel. In this post, we’ll look at what it …
On the Road with Jesus: Out of Time, Out of Hope?
We’re continuing our journey with Jesus and His disciples in Luke’s gospel. Today, we’re going to look at what happens …
On the Road with Jesus: Living in the Kingdom (Pt. 2)
We’re continuing our journey with Jesus and His disciples in Luke’s gospel. Today, we’ll finish our discussion of Luke 6 …
On the Road with Jesus: Living in the Kingdom (Pt. 1)
We’re continuing our journey with Jesus and His disciples in Luke’s gospel. Today, we’re going to look at the first …
On the Road with Jesus: Food, Healing, and the Sabbath
We’ve seen so far that Jesus was not what the people of Israel expected in a Messiah. He talked about …
On the Road with Jesus: They Knew Him When
Starting today, we are embarking on a journey with Jesus. We’ll look at some of the scenes from Luke’s gospel, …
Pressing Forward, Not Shrinking Back (Pt. 3)
But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly …
Pressing Forward, Not Shrinking Back (Pt. 2)
For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice …
Pressing Forward, Not Shrinking Back (Pt. 1)
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and …
How Then Shall We Live? (Pt. 5)
In this post, our final post in this series, we are continuing our discussion of spiritual transformation and growth. Specifically, …
How Then Shall We Live? (Pt. 4)
In our last post, continuing our discussion of how we are to live in light of the New Covenant, we …
How Then Shall We Live? (Pt. 3)
In our last post we talked a little about what it means to be holy and to grow in Christ …
How Then Shall We Live? (Pt. 2)
The New Covenant is what God uses to change and transform us, making us holy as He is holy. We …
How Then Shall We Live?
The promises of the New Covenant mean that there is no sin from which God cannot free us. Change and …
Better Promises, Better Covenant
But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the …
Jesus, the Spotless Sacrifice
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and …
Jesus, the Highest Priest
For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and …
A Better Word than Abel
But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to …
The God Who Sees
Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see (2 Kings 19:16). The Lord is …
Words of the Heart
Save, O LORD, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man …
Same Same but Different
Loving My (Different) Neighbor, Part 3 But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you …
Seeing Christ in Them
Loving My (Different) Neighbor, Part 2 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with …
Breaking Down the Walls
Loving My (Different) Neighbor, Part 1 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, …
Hope and a Future
For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill …
Desiring to Do Good
With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and …
The Fellowship of Suffering
I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in …
Your God is Too Small
When the disciples saw [Jesus curse the fig tree], they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” …
Who Are We? Christian or American Pt 2
In the last post (“Christian or American,” 1/12/20), we asked some hard questions about the church and believers. We suggested …
Christian or American?
I had hoped to start the New Year off with a more encouraging post. In the light of recent events …
Idols in the Heart
Then certain of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. And the word of the LORD …
Christmas: God Enters Our Battle
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only …
On Waiting
Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as …
The Hope of the Nations
For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm …
The Law of the Lord II (Ps. 119:17-32)
Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word.Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous …
The Law of the Lord I (Psa. 119:1-16)
Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD! Blessed are those who keep …
Politics and the Gospel: A Special Message
Two years ago I posted a blog (We Interrupt This Program…., 11/5/18) “on the eve of one of the most …
Homesick–Living Life in the Minor Key
Most of us in the church are familiar with Hebrews 11, the so-called “Hall of Fame of Faith.” Many of …
A Father’s Cry
Many years ago, the Christian artist Mark Schultz came out with a song entitled “He’s My Son.” It’s a powerful …
Asking the Wrong Questions
In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And …
Looking Forward not Behind
Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we …
Getting Rid of the Rubbish
Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we …
Looking into the Mirror: The Root of Sin
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his …
Looking into the Mirror: A True Witness
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor (Exodus 20:16). When Peter and John were arrested by the Jewish …
Looking into the Mirror: Not Yours But His
You shall not steal (Exodus 20:15). Years ago, a Colorado woman sent in two eight-cent stamps to make up for …
Looking into the Mirror: The Great Sin
You shall not commit adultery (Exodus 20:14). Do not commit adultery. This command, like all the Commandments, seems so simple …
Looking into the Mirror: The Sin Behind Murder
You shall not murder (Exodus 20:13). Like many of the Ten Commandments, most people know (or think they know) what …
Looking into the Mirror: Honor Father and Mother
Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God …
Looking into the Mirror: Remember the Sabbath Day
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the …
Looking into the Mirror: The Name of the Lord
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him …
Looking into the Mirror: The Image of God
You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or …
Looking into the Mirror: No Other Gods
You shall have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:3). The first commandment that God gives to Israel (and thus …
Looking into the Mirror: The Ten Commandments
And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land …
Running the Race
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run …
The Righteousness of God: The Results
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called …
The Righteousness of God: God’s Provision–Jesus
For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes …
The Righteousness of God: God’s Wrath and Man’s Need
God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day (Ps. 7:11). For the wrath of God …
The Righteousness of God: The Gospel
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who …
Last Words: Lukewarm Laodiceans
And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: “The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, …
Last Words: Perseverance in Philadelphia
And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: “The words of the holy one, the true one, who …
Last Words: Soiled in Sardis
And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: “The words of him who has the seven spirits of …
Last Words: Tolerance in Thyatira
And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes …
Unworthy but Worth it
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall …
Last Words: A Divided Church
And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: “The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword …
Last Words: Faithful Unto Death
And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: “The words of the first and the last, who died …
Last Words: Our First Love
To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his …
Last Words: The Author and Judge
When people die, they often leave behind a last will, detailing messages or bequests to loved ones and friends. With …
Conversations With Jesus: A Difficult Final Conversation
After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this …
Conversations With Jesus: The Trial Before Pilate
So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” …
Conversations With Jesus: The Q&A Session
Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow …
Conversations With Jesus: Different as Night and Day
It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world …
Conversations With Jesus: A Visit from the Greeks
Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the festival. They came to Philip, who …
Conversations With Jesus: A Family in Grief
Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary …
Conversations With Jesus: Born Blind–A Trial in 5 Scenes
As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this …
Conversations With Jesus: Caught in the Act
Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down …
Conversations With Jesus: The Jesus Groupies
On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been …
Conversations With Jesus: Healing at the Pool
After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem …
Conversations With Jesus: From Faith to Faith
After the two days he departed for Galilee. (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in …
Conversations With Jesus: High Noon at the Well
[Jesus] left Judea and departed again for Galilee. And he had to pass through Samaria. So he came to a …
The Sin Behind the Sin
In a previous post (“The Root of the Problem,” 9/30/19), we talked about our underlying fear/belief that God is not …
Conversations with Jesus: One Confused Guy (Part 2)
Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet …
The Root of the Problem
They tested God in their heart by demanding the food they craved.They spoke against God, saying, “Can God spread a …
Conversations with Jesus: One Confused Guy (Part 1)
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus …
On Rebuilding: Adversaries Among Us
In the previous post (“On Rebuilding: Starting from the Ground Up”), we saw how Ezra and the Jewish exiles returned …
On Rebuilding: Starting from the Ground Up
They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations;they shall repair the ruined cities, the …
Lost then Found (Luke 15:11-32)
And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, …
Dying of Thirst
Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the Lord, for my people have committed two …
Toward Christ: The Areas of Change
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you …
A Kingdom That Cannot Be Shaken (Heb. 12:25-29)
See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him …
Toward Christ: The Ingredients for Change
I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house …
Toward Christ: A Model for Biblical Change
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your …
A Cry of Repentance, a Plea for Mercy (Psa. 51)
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out …
Toward Christ: On the Road to Growth and Change
Today we begin a series about growing in Christ. It’s common for believers to reach a point where they ask, …
Confidence After Passing the Tests (1 John 5:13-21)
[Note: This is the final post in a six-part series looking at the First Epistle of John. Some of the …
The Tests of the Believer (1 John 4:1-5:12)
[Note: This is part 5 in a six-part series looking at the First Epistle of John. Some of the material …
Hindrances to the Mission–Money
From the title of this post, you “might” conclude that you’re going to read about an encouragement to give to …
Marks of the Believer Part 2: 1 John 3:1-24
[Note: This is part 4 in a six-part series looking at the First Epistle of John. Some of the material …
When Our Faith is Shaken (On Faith: Part 3)
What happens when our faith is shaken? Those around us seem to be enjoying the blessings of God, yet He …
Antichrists Among Us: 1 John 2:18-29
[Note: This is part 3 in a six-part series looking at the First Epistle of John. Some of the material …
The Realm of Faith (On Faith: Part 2)
Last week’s post (On Faith: Part 1) drew a broad outline of what faith means. This week we are going …
Marks of the Believer Part 1: 1 John 2:1-17
[Note: This is part 2 in a six-part series looking at the First Epistle of John. Some of the material …
The Shepherd and His Sheep (Psa. 23)
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me …
On Faith: Part 1
There is a lot of talk about faith these days, both inside and outside the church. We speak of, “having …
Walking in the Light: 1 John 1:1-10
[Note: This is part 1 in a six-part series looking at the First Epistle of John. Some of the material …
Introducing a Friend: Meet Billy
Allow me to introduce you to my friend Billy Charles (not his real name, but we’ll get to that later) …
From Slave to Prime Minister: Lessons from Joseph
If you’ve been in church or read the Bible for any length of time, you’re probably acquainted with the story …
The Supremacy of Love (1 Cor. 13)
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong …
Scared of Grace
Several years ago, I took part in an Easter Outreach with a local church. For several hours, we drove through …
Lessons from Abraham (Pt 2)
This week, we continue looking at the life of Abraham, the man of faith, to see what we can learn …
Pressing on to Maturity (Heb. 6:4-8)
For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, …
The Cornerstone of Our Faith
We talk a lot about the gospel. And well we should. It’s the story of redemption, after all—our redemption. We …
Lessons from Abraham (Pt. 1)
The Bible is full of examples of faithful men and women who heeded God’s call on their lives. In today’s …
Bondage No More (Gal. 5:1-6)
Welcome to the first installment of #WordforWednesday. In this series, we will study a passage of Scripture once a week …
Not of This World: Social Media and Discipleship
In this first installment of #MissionMonday, we are going to think about the goal of the church (making disciples) and …
Legalism, License, or Liberty?
Today, we are going to look at an oft-asked question by Christians: What can/can’t I do as a believer? It’s …
The Slaughter of the Innocents—Then and Now
Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and …
All Are One: No “Ism” in the Gospel
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you …
Rejoice and Be Glad—A Call to Biblical Action
Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on …
The Other 60% of the Bible
If you have read or followed this blog for any length of time, you probably have noticed a strong emphasis …
Just Who He’s Looking For
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to …
Growing in Christ: On the Job Training
Unlike most jobs that have a period of training before starting, the life of the disciple (and thus his calling) …
Growing in Christ: Kingdom Perspectives
Have you ever looked at the world through a frosted glass or frosted window? Perhaps you had those cool colored …
Growing in Christ: The Law of the Kingdom
After seeing the title of this post, you might be inclined to ask, “Law? What law? I thought we were …
Growing in Christ: Life in the Kingdom
In thinking about growing in Christ, becoming like Him, the question might naturally come up, “What does (or should) a …
Growing in Christ: Our Training Manual
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, …
Growing in Christ: Starting our Training
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 …
Mature Faith: 7 Marks of Faith That Endures
And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise …
The Gospel—Or Not? 7 Ways We Pervert the Gospel
Recently I witnessed several conversations on social media between believers and those who either might be considered “liberals” or out-and-out …
Biblically Informed Passion
In the previous post, we affirmed that there is something more needed in the believer’s life than correct doctrine. We …
More than Just Truth
In the last post, we suggested that it’s indeed possible to have both sound doctrine and true heart-felt passion in …
Head, Heart, the Whole Person
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your …
One Body, Many Parts
Continuing in our series on the fundamentals of the faith, we’re going to talk about the church. The Church (also …
Faith Alone–Start to Finish
Salvation is secured by trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ. No other act (including baptism or keeping the law) can …
The Image of God
We’re continuing our series on the fundamentals of the faith. Today we turn to humanity, being made in the image …
The Heart of the Matter
So far in our series on the fundamentals of the faith, we have examined God the Father, Jesus, and the …
The Spirit of Christ
We are continuing our series on the fundamental doctrines of the faith. What are the core truths of the Gospel? …
The Reality of Jesus
Continuing on in our look at the core truths of the faith, we come now to Jesus. Now, we have …
God: One and Three
We are continuing in our series on the fundamentals of the faith. The first of these ideas deals with the …
The Fundamentals of the Faith
“How can you support that person/group?” This question is heard often in Christian circles. So many churches and groups have …
Come Just As You Are–Or Not at All
In Second Chronicles 30, we read an amazing story of celebrating the Passover. What makes this story interesting is that …
God Came Near
“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their …
The Gospel of Life
What was the purpose of Jesus coming to earth, dying, and being raised from the dead? Was it only so …
The Gospel in the Old Testament
When Jesus came to earth preaching the Gospel, He wasn’t preaching a message that was unknown to the Jews. Centuries …
What It All Means
What does it mean to be a Christian? There have been many answers over the centuries, some of which contradict …
Count the Cost
We’ve established that the road leading to eternal life is the Narrow Road. The Wide Road only has destruction at …
What the Narrow Road Looks Like
Christ calls us to walk the Narrow Road in order to enter eternal life. He called this road “the hard …
A Day of Thanks
It’s good to take a break on this day from the stresses of life. Pause and reflect. Today is a …
Two Roads, One Choice
Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and …
Which Road Will You Travel?
Now that we have discussed the Gospel and what it means, we must also discuss the cost. “Cost? I thought …
We Interrupt This Program……
On the eve of one of the most watched elections in U.S. history, at a time when the country is …
The Rest of the Story
We’ve learned that the Gospel is the story of Jesus coming to rescue His people from their sin and its …
Jesus: Our Rescuer
As we have seen, Jesus is the Son of God (fully God) and the Son of Man (fully man). Some …
Jesus: Son of Man
Not only is Jesus the Son of God, equal to and of the same essence of God the Father, and …
Jesus: Son of God
Many have heard of Jesus as “God’s Son.” We sing of Him at Christmas and Easter that way. But, few …
The Centerpiece of the Gospel: Jesus
After an introduction to the Father, we now turn to the One who was sent to reveal the Father’s very …
The God of the Gospel (Part 2)
I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the …
The God of the Gospel (Part 1)
Have you ever described someone that you knew to a friend? Or perhaps you’ve tried to describe yourself? What words …
What is the Gospel? Bad News and Good News
Most of us in the West (at least here in America) have heard of “the Gospel.” We know it relates …