Colin Smith

Colin Smith is senior pastor of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in Arlington Heights, Illinois and a Council member with The Gospel Coalition. For more resources by Colin Smith visit Unlocking the Bible.
 

Dec

12

2009

Colin Smith|9:06 AM CT

Unlocking the Bible: Correction (Jeremiah 29:10-14)
Unlocking the Bible: Correction (Jeremiah 29:10-14) avatar

[Editor's Note: Pastor Colin Smith continues his Christmas season devotional to help you reflect on Jesus’ glory by taking a broad look at all that God has promised and accomplished in Him. The readings follow the pattern of his current sermon series, “The Plan: God’s Design For the Universe and Your Place In It.” You can read, hear or watch these sermons as they are posted at Unlocking the Bible.]

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When God’s redeeming work in your life is complete, you will love God with all your heart and you will love your neighbor as yourself. You will reflect God’s glory along with a vast community of redeemed people drawn from every nation in whom His image has been fully restored.

God receives us in our sin, but he never leaves us in our sins. He is relentless in calling us to follow His ways and in correcting us when...

 
 
 
 

Dec

11

2009

Colin Smith|7:35 AM CT

Unlocking the Bible: Dominion (2 Samuel 7:1-16)
Unlocking the Bible: Dominion (2 Samuel 7:1-16) avatar

[Editor's Note: Pastor Colin Smith continues his Christmas season devotional to help you reflect on Jesus’ glory by taking a broad look at all that God has promised and accomplished in Him. The readings follow the pattern of his current sermon series, “The Plan: God’s Design For the Universe and Your Place In It.” You can read, hear or watch these sermons as they are posted at Unlocking the Bible.]

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Every father wants the best for his son, so God had David’s attention when He spoke about David’s offspring.

God’s people had a taste of His blessing in the time of David that surpassed anything they had known before. With their enemies subdued and their borders secure, God’s people prospered. But what would happen after David?

God promised to raise up David’s offspring, and establish his kingdom. David’s son would fulfill David’s dream to build a house for God’s Name. ...

 
 
 
 

Dec

10

2009

Colin Smith|9:58 AM CT

Unlocking the Bible: Redemption (Exodus 12:1-13)
Unlocking the Bible: Redemption (Exodus 12:1-13) avatar

[Editor's Note: Pastor Colin Smith continues his Christmas season devotional to help you reflect on Jesus’ glory by taking a broad look at all that God has promised and accomplished in Him. The readings follow the pattern of his current sermon series, “The Plan: God’s Design For the Universe and Your Place In It.” You can read, hear or watch these sermons as they are posted at Unlocking the Bible.]

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God diverts judgment away from His people. This amazing truth, first seen in the curse falling on the ground rather than on the man and the woman (Genesis 3:17) is now demonstrated more fully through a slaughtered lamb.

God’s people painted the blood of a sacrificed lamb over the doorframes of their houses, indicating that “death has already come to this house.”

That powerful picture helps us to grasp how the death of Jesus applies to us today. Christ died...

 
 
 
 

Dec

09

2009

Colin Smith|8:01 AM CT

Unlocking the Bible: Election (Genesis 12:1-9)
Unlocking the Bible: Election (Genesis 12:1-9) avatar

[Editor's Note: Pastor Colin Smith continues his Christmas season devotional to help you reflect on Jesus’ glory by taking a broad look at all that God has promised and accomplished in Him. The readings follow the pattern of his current sermon series, “The Plan: God’s Design For the Universe and Your Place In It.” You can read, hear or watch these sermons as they are posted at Unlocking the Bible.]

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If God had waited for me to seek after Him, He would still be waiting.  “No-one seeks God” (Romans 3:11). No-one! Not even you. By nature we run from God. If we seek Him it is only because He has taken the initiative to seek us. I came to Christ because His grace first came to me.

Abraham was not seeking God. He was an idolater (Joshua 24:2). God swept into Abraham’s life uninvited, and promised, not only to...

 
 
 
 

Dec

08

2009

Colin Smith|9:49 AM CT

Unlocking the Bible: Destruction (Genesis 3)
Unlocking the Bible: Destruction (Genesis 3) avatar

[Editor's Note: Pastor Colin Smith continues his Christmas season devotional to help you reflect on Jesus’ glory by taking a broad look at all that God has promised and accomplished in Him. The readings follow the pattern of his current sermon series, “The Plan: God’s Design For the Universe and Your Place In It.” You can read, hear or watch these sermons as they are posted at Unlocking the Bible.]

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I wept when the Berlin wall came down. Oppression crumbled, freedom was restored, and joy was unleashed. It is right to rejoice when some things are destroyed.

When God said to the serpent, “Cursed are you,” His promise brought hope to the world (Genesis 3:14). When something is cursed it is consigned to destruction. God has promised that evil will not stand.

George Orwell painted a grim picture of the future in which he saw a boot stamping on a...

 
 
 
 

Dec

07

2009

Colin Smith|11:28 AM CT

Unlocking the Bible: Creation (Genesis 1)
Unlocking the Bible: Creation (Genesis 1) avatar

[Editor’s Note: For the next 21 days Pastor Colin Smith will post a daily devotional to help you reflect on Jesus’ glory by taking a broad look at all that God has promised and accomplished in Him. The readings will follow the pattern of his current sermon series, “The Plan: God’s Design For the Universe and Your Place In It.” You can read, hear or watch these sermons as they are posted at Unlocking the Bible.]


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Creation (Genesis 1)
Imagine nothing. It’s almost impossible. But before the creation there was nothing, except God. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1).



In schools, we challenge our children’s creativity by giving them materials to work with: ‘See what you can do with this,’ we say. But there were no materials for God to work with in shaping the universe. He created

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