Seasonal Preaching Jeremiah Cox

John 2:13-17 records Jesus' cleansing of the temple at the beginning of His ministry. When He had driven the moneychangers and all the animals out of the temple grounds, the disciples remembered a Messianic passage, "Then His disciples remembered that it was written, 'Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.'" (v. 17) Jesus' intense zeal for His Father's will is admirable, and should be imitated by His disciples.

1 Kings 19 records the events surrounding Elijah after his victory over the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. In his despondency, Elijah learned a lesson from God about what God uses to effect His will, and bring others to faithfulness. The power is in His word.

In 1 John 2:3-27, John reveals how we can be confident that we know Christ, and know the truth. We must keep His commandments, and hold true to that which we have heard from the beginning.

Genesis 40 and 41 give the account of Joseph’s ascent to power in Egypt with God’s help. In time of severe famine, by God’s wisdom communicated through Joseph, not only was Egypt spared, but so also the surrounding countries. Important lessons can be learned as we reflect on the text.

1 John was written to give confidence in the knowledge of salvation (cf. 1 John 5:13). The first chapter sets the foundation for this confidence – fellowship with God. How do I know I have fellowship with God?

Romans 5:12-21 contains an important and powerful contrast between our sin and God’s grace. It is important for us to understand how sufficient and powerful God’s provision in Christ is. However, we must also be careful to fully understand how it works, how it is applied, and how it is to dramatically change our lives.