Preparing for Sunday – Daniel 1-12

Preparing for Sunday – Daniel 1-12

by | Aug 29, 2013 | Biblical Studies, Eschatology, Expositions, Featured Articles, Pastoral Ministry, Preaching

How do you prepare yourself during the week to engage with God and participate in corporate worship on Sunday? Every week our church gives a number of ways to interact with the passage to be preached, and lists the songs that will be sung, in order to help our congregation be better prepared. These posts will also begin to populate THE CAPRANICA each Thursday. Carefully Think Read Daniel 1:1; 2:1; 5:1, 30, 31; 6:1; and 10:1. Where is Daniel? How many kings does he interact with? Read Daniel 1:1-20; 2:26-28; 6:1-10. Why is Daniel where he is and how would you characterize his character? Glance through the headings in your Bible of Daniel 1-6. Make a list of the sort of events recorded about his life. Glance through the headings in your bible for Daniel 7-12. What are these chapters primarily about? Read 12:5-13. What era of human history is being described in these events and when will they be completed? Read Daniel 2:20-23; 4:2-3, 34-35; 6:25-27; 7:9-10, 13-14. What is emphasized about God in these chapters? Prayerfully Meditate What do you learn about Daniel, his friends and what commitment to God looks like in the midst of opposition? Have you every experienced opposition from those outside of Christianity to your faith? When? How? How would Daniel be a helpful example to you? How could Daniel’s overt, God-centered life-style instruct you and how you conduct yourself at work, in your neighborhood, or in our culture generally? Read Daniel 9:1-19. How could this be a helpful prayer to model your own (or congregational) confession of sin? What is the primary...
Expanding the Sermon-The Worthiness of Jesus

Expanding the Sermon-The Worthiness of Jesus

by | Mar 1, 2011 | Biblical Studies, Expositions, Featured Articles, Pastoral Ministry, Preaching, Worship

Hear this week’s message HERE. Know The sermon manuscript gives additional references you can review to see how some of the details of the passage were derived. This may serve as a helpful way to digest more of the material.  See the manuscript below. Sermon Manuscript The worthiness of jesus 5.6 10 View more documents from Summit Woods Baptist Church. The slain lamb was central to the worship of Heaven.  In order to expand your contemplation on the role of redemption in the life of the church and individual believer, consider reading the following books that unpack the theme of Christ’s work on the cross: Books on the Cross The Cross of Christ, John Stott The Cross Centered Life, C. J. Mahaney Be Review the major points of the message and ask yourself How has the perfect sacrifice of Jesus enhanced your public praise of Christ? How has the perfect power of Jesus given you greater confidence in Him regarding the challenges you currently face? How has the perfect knowledge of Jesus comforted you and given you a greater since of joy in your worship? Have you been able to enter worship with your problems and see God’s wisdom at the center of them? Think through the final point (the praise of Jesus) – perhaps read through the manuscript above and consider how the heavenly praise of Jesus should affect the way your praise Christ in our corporate gathering.  Write out some responses. Do Jesus’ praise was seen in how he vindicates the saints’ suffering-it is a vivid reminder of those who are persecuted for their faith.  How have you...
Notes From the Study

Notes From the Study

by | Aug 13, 2009 | Expositions, Preaching

Here are a few salient quotes from my commentary reading for last week’s sermon on Zephaniah 1:14-18: Contrary to the assumption that God is transcendent but not imminent in history, there is a God to whom the human race will one day have to give an account, however marginal they may seek to make him in the present. The day of the Lord is not arbitrary; it is the logical outgrowth of what humankind is (1:17b), it will bring what humankind deserves (1:17a, c), and it will expose the uselessness of what humans trust (1:16b, 18a). Humans may categorize their sins into the serious, the mediocre, and the insignificant.  To Zephaniah (see James 2:10-11) the mere fact of sin excited and merited the whole weight of divine rage. J. Alec Motyer,”Zephaniah,” The Minor Prophets: An Exegetical & Expository Commentary, Thomas Edward MComiskey, ed., 912,...
Shelving Some Good Friends

Shelving Some Good Friends

by | Aug 4, 2009 | Biblical Studies, Expositions, Featured Articles, Preaching

It was a sad day last week when I said good-bye to some very close friends who had helped me out in ministry over the past three years. They were by my side through some rough waters. I didn’t always agree with their conclusions on matters, but I valued everything they had to say. Many in my congregation will never know the impact these friends have had not only on me but all who sat under my preaching over the last three years. Amazingly, these close friends are some I have conversed with on a weekly basis, but have never personally met (well, I have met two of them personally, but they would not remember me). Anyhow,it was a sad, but gratifying day last week as I packed away and shelved all of my commentaries on the book of Romans. What a pleasure to preach through the book and have such good friends to help me think through critical issues. Here’s a list of the commentaries I have used and consulted. Top 5 – I never missed a page of reading these each week as I studied. This is the order I would read each of them. I found Cranfield and Schreiner to be the absolute best of the lot 1. C.E.B. Cranfied, International Critical Commentary, Romans 1-8; Romans 9-16. The best on the details of the Greek Text. 2. James D. G. Dunn, Word Biblical Commentary, Romans ““ Volume 1 Volume 2 (if you want to see the New Perspective on Paul, Dunn is essential). 3. Douglas Moo, New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Epistle to...