No one liked tax collectors, but Jesus befriended them and dined with them. It raised questions about who was in and out, and what it means to be close to God. The story teaches us that Jesus draws near to those who know they need him. Whoever thinks he is doing fine will keep him at a distance.Oleh Providence Church

Four men bring their friend to Jesus, presumably to fix their friend’s biggest problem, his paralysis. But Jesus has an even deeper healing in mind.Oleh Providence Church

We generally resist any authority but our own. So, what does it take for people with “authority issues” to come under the Lordship of Jesus? We must see that he has authority over everything, and that he uses his authority for our good.Oleh Providence Church

As Jesus begins his public ministry in Galilee, Mark immediately shows us the message of Jesus and the method of Jesus. And both of those things are more radical than they seem on the surface.Oleh Providence Church

Mark begins the story of Jesus in the wilderness. He is preparing us for a new exodus and a new covenant. If you want to see the real Jesus, you gotta go into the wilderness. It is a place of redemption, repentance, and renewed sonship.Oleh Providence Church

We all desire to change. And yet, true and lasting change can be quite difficult to achieve. What we need is a biblical understanding of how change works, which is exactly what we find in Philippians 2.Oleh Providence Church

The Songs of Ascent have taken us on a journey upwards toward Christ. And here at the end, Psalm 134 tells us the point of the whole journey. It tells us what we’re made for. We’re made to bless God and be blessed by God.Oleh Providence Church

We were made for community. It seems hard to come by, but this psalm assures us that it is possible because of God's blessing and grace through Jesus.Oleh Providence Church

Many of us journey through life at full speed, trying to accomplish big things, setting our sights on achievement and success. David says genuine rest can't be had that way. It comes, instead, as we embrace our limits, rest like a child, and hope in the Lord.Oleh Providence Church

The first half of this psalm is a prayer of the people based on David’s oath to God. The second half is filled with promises from God based on God’s oath to David. And as expected, God’s promises are greater than our prayers.Oleh Providence Church

What do we do with our guilt? Psalm 130 teaches us to cry out to, trust in, and wait for the Lord. With him there is forgiveness, steadfast love, and plentiful redemption.Oleh Providence Church

During uncertain and unstable times, the thing we need most is to be reminded of God. This psalm is thoroughly God-centered and each stanza points us to something particular about him. When it feels like the world is falling apart, we can trust him.Oleh Providence Church

This psalm addresses two aspects of human life that people have always cared about: work and family. It shows us that, without God, those things end up being pointless and fruitless.Oleh Providence Church

Psalm 126 speaks to us in the desolate places and invites us to sing a song of hope that God will turn our desolate place into a harvest. We can lean into that truth as we remember God's restoration, request it now, and sow in hope God's coming restoration.Oleh Providence Church

If we trust in ourselves and our resources, we will eventually falter, but those who trust in the Lord cannot be moved. They can rest secure in his sovereign love.Oleh Providence Church

What do we do when we feel like the world we’re living in is not our home? When we feel like exiles in a land that’s hostile toward the things of God? Psalm 120 expresses distress over the way of the world and cries out to God for help.Oleh Providence Church

Christians voluntarily gather for worship every week, all over the world, as they have for 2000 years. Psalm 122 answers the question why: we go because we belong to God, and we belong to God's people.Oleh Providence Church

The Christian life is a pilgrimage, a long obedience in the same direction. And on that journey, the LORD is your keeper. But what does that mean and how is it possible?Oleh Providence Church

In the last of the seven letters to the seven churches, Jesus delivers the harshest rebuke yet. They are lukewarm and in danger of being rejected. But then he makes the most incomparable offer. He invites them into intimate fellowship. This letter shows us what kind of relationship Jesus wants with us, and how that can turn our whole life upside do…

The church in Philadelphia is described as having "but little power." And yet, out of all these seven churches, it is this weak and vulnerable church that is held up as the one that is loved by Christ. This letter to the church in Philadelphia teaches us an important lesson about what God values in the lives of his people.…

The church at Sardis is the first church that Jesus doesn’t praise in any way. Which is surprising, because they have such a good reputation. But Jesus sees into their spiritual reality, and it doesn’t line up with their reputation.Oleh Providence Church

The church in Thyatira was a vibrant and fruitful church, but they had a serious problem of tolerating false teaching that led people into immorality and idolatry. We can be part of a church that is doing so well in so many ways, and yet, perhaps there are things that we have learned to live with that Jesus wants to shine a light on.…

How should the church respond when pressured to compromise its beliefs about what is true to better fit in with the culture? Pergamum was standing firm against pressure from the outside. But they had a problem on the inside.Oleh Providence Church

The church in Smyrna was being persecuted for their faith, and Jesus tells them that things will get worse. In order to conquer fear and doubt, these Christians needed the same thing that we need today: to catch a glimpse of what Jesus is doing in the midst of suffering. Only then will we find the grace to remain faithful.…

Jesus commends the church in Ephesus for their commitment to truth, but he critiques their lack of love. This passage tells us that we can drift to a place where we believe the right things but are far from the heart of God. A healthy church has truth and love, working together to bear witness to Christ.…

In Revelation 1, John has a vision of Jesus. The curtain is pulled back and he sees the risen and exalted Christ in all his splendor. It’s a vision that’s for all of us, because we need to see Jesus as he really is and know what's on his mind.Oleh Providence Church

Peter’s failure resonates because we all fail. And yet, we don’t like talking about it. We want to push our failures to the background, but this story brings them to the front. The point is not to tell us how bad we are, but to show us how good God is and how much we need him. God meets us in our failure to restore us.…

On the first Easter, the resurrected Jesus was met with various forms of unbelief. In John 20, Jesus moves toward different types of people in their particular form of unbelief to graciously give them the gift of belief. The unbelief we see in these people is common to all of us, as is our need for the grace of Jesus to help us believe in him.…

As Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the crowds gathered, hoping to see kingly glory. Jesus assured them that glory was coming, but in a form they never would have guessed: they would see the glory of God through the cross of Jesus.Oleh Providence Church

The last thing Jesus does for his disciples before he steps out into the night to go to his arrest is pray for them (and us). He prays for everything his disciples will need to continue his work in the world: protection, sanctification, and unity. This prayer from Jesus gives us our most intimate glimpse into his heart for his people.…

The spiritual reality in which sorrow can turn into joy has everything to do with the presence of God. When we know the Father's loving presence, our joy is made full. This text assures us God can meet us in our confusion, distress, need, and even in our failure.Oleh Providence Church

When the disciples heard that Jesus was leaving, and that the world would hate them, their hearts were filled with sorrow. But Jesus said it would be better because the Spirit is coming. How is it better? What would the Spirit do to help them bear witness about Jesus in a hostile world?Oleh Providence Church

If we abide in Christ like branches in a vine, then we will inevitably share some of his experience in the world. Meaning we will face opposition (even hatred) from the world. But he also promises help in the midst of the hatred!Oleh Providence Church

Jesus said the mark of his disciples is that they “bear much fruit.” We want to roll-up our sleeves and make it happen, but the kind of fruit Jesus is talking about comes from being connected to him. If we want to be truly fruitful, we must learn to abide in Christ.Oleh Providence Church

In the Upper Room with Jesus, on their final night with him before his death, the disciples were filled with anxiety and fear. Jesus tells them (and us) that what they need, the comfort for their troubled hearts, is not a prescription but a person—a person who will come to dwell with them.Oleh Providence Church

The disciples are deeply troubled by what is unfolding in the upper room. So, Jesus comforts them with words about the Father. He calls them to trust in the promises of the Father and the presence of the Father that they have in Jesus.Oleh Providence Church

We have plans to build our own little kingdoms, and that makes it hard to understand the way of Jesus and his kingdom. Jesus sets before us a vision for life that is about the glory of God. We see it in the love of Christ, in our love for one another, and even in our weakness.Oleh Providence Church

Betrayal is dark, one of the worst things we can imagine, a deliberate act of disloyalty. But even in the face of that darkness, the light of Jesus shines through.Oleh Providence Church

The disciples often argued about who was the greatest among them. Jesus taught them over and over that true greatness is about humility, sacrifice, and service to others, but they never seemed to understand. It was by a shocking display of humility that shows us why Jesus is truly great, why we are not, and how we can be.…

The Upper Room Discourse has been called “a window into the heart of Jesus.” Here in the first few verses, we get an inside look at the knowledge of Jesus and the love of Jesus. These two things not only establish the context of the upper room, they shape the entire discourse.Oleh Providence Church

Jesus invites us to come and see who He is and what life with God is like. It is also an invitation to be seen and changed, so that we can see even greater things as we follow Him.Oleh Providence Church

In this final Servant Song, Isaiah tells us that the Servant himself is the powerful arm of the LORD come to save. But who would have thought God’s saving power would look like this?Oleh Providence Church

The third servant song asks us to behold the obedience of the Servant. His obedience is born out of his intimacy with God, endures in the face of suffering, and is sustained through his trust in God's help. We are invited into that same kind of beautiful trust through Jesus, the Obedient One!Oleh Providence Church

The second servant song is the Servant’s testimony about himself. He makes an announcement about himself to the whole world, because he came to do something for the whole world. And we are the beneficiaries of this good news!Oleh Providence Church

The Servant Songs set before us the real Jesus, who he is and what he came to do. The first song is about the His mission to bring forth justice. What does that mean? And how does he do it?Oleh Providence Church

Paul wraps up Romans 5-8 with the strongest language possible to convince us that we are totally secure in Christ. We’re secure because God is for us, because God justifies us, and because God loves us. These life-changing truths are not only for us to believe in, but to revel in and rest in.Oleh Providence Church

We think we will be happy when we are in control or when we get what we want. Paul lifts our eyes to the joy of knowing that God is in control and trusting that his plans are so much better than ours.Oleh Providence Church

This passage sets present suffering and future glory right alongside each other. We live in the tension between the two: we live in the already, looking forward to the not yet. So even though we groan, we have great hope!Oleh Providence Church

Romans 8 tells us that the Christian life is life in the Spirit. And in verses 12-17, the Apostle Paul points to two aspects of life in the Spirit. Those who are in Christ have been given both a new obligation and a new identity.Oleh Providence Church

The Christian life is life in the Spirit. He sets us free from sin and gives us power to live for God. It is supernatural, but it is also normal for everyone who is in Christ.Oleh Providence Church