A Site for the Teaching Ministry of Nick Batzig
The entire life of David was a series of typological deaths and resurrections until he was delivered and exalted. The whole of Christ’s life was one of suffering followed by resurrection glory. Jesus is “the root and the descendant of David” (Rev. 22:16), the One “who has the key of David” (Rev. 3:7). Christ has been exalted to the right hand of God to rule on the throne of David (Luke 1:32). The crucified, risen, and exalted son of David rules forever over the kingdom of God in righteousness, truth, and grace as the new David....
If we treated the quest for unity in our marriage as being more important than the quest for truth, duplicity, deceit, and infidelity would run rapid and ultimately destroy any and all unity. It is unimaginable that any Christian would desire anything less than loving unity in truth with his or her spouse. How equally zealous ought we to be for loving unity in truth in the Church of God, the bride of Christ which He purchased with His own blood!...
Jesus' victory over the evil one surfaces at three periods of his Messianic ministry––at the beginning of his ministry when he was tempted by the devil in the wilderness, at the point of Peter's confession of Christ's messianic identity at Caesarea Philippi, and at at the close of his ministry in the garden and on the cross. While we often meditate on how Christ overcame Satan by his obedience to his Father in the wilderness and in his ultimate victory over the evil one on the cross, it is possible that we have not given adequate attention to the fact that Jesus was conquering the devil with every conscious act of obedience to the will of his Father. ...
As we consider anew the divine activity in the lives of the wise men, we are met with the reality of God's sovereign grace to those who were once far off from God. We are reminded of the way in which God chooses and calls pagans to trust in His Son. We are warned that we can have a deep knowledge of the Scriptures yet no grace in our hearts. We are motivated to believe in Christ despite any visible miracles or outward displays of glory. We are taught to trust in Jesus even when others around us show deep disinterest. And we are encouraged to give of our time, possessions, and persons to the King of Kings and the advancement of His kingdom--especially when the work of His kingdom seems to be lacking in outward impressiveness....
A digital hireling is an individual who has set himself up online with self-promoting interest. Like the evil shepherds of Ezekiel’s day, the digital hireling feeds himself, doesn’t truly care about the sick, weak, or injured, doesn’t seek the lost and wandering, and deals harshly with the sheep. The digital hireling opportunistically sets up himself or herself up for self-aggrandizement and financial gain....
God calls gospel ministers to give themselves fully to 'the interests of Jesus Christ' (Phil. 2:20–21). But what exactly does it mean for ministers of the gospel to seek the interests of Christ? When the apostle Paul wrote the believers in the church in Philippi about Epaphroditus and Timothy, he referenced their selfless service to God's people and their ministerial support of him as a co-laborer in the gospel (Phil. 2:19–30). Sacrificial service to the people of God and the mutual support of other ministers of the gospel are two of the primary characteristics of what it looks like for faithful gospel ministers to care for the interests of Christ....
The better part of men and women in the church are called by God to do whatever work He has gifted them to do with all diligence, quietness, contentment, and an eye to God's glory and the good of their fellow men. This was a principle in the early church, and one that was ultimately recovered by the Reformers during the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century. . .We should cherish the high calling of pastoral ministry, foreign missions, college ministry, and recognize that God does call certain individuals to full time Christian ministry. However, we should never do so while downplaying the significant value of believers laboring diligently in the vocations into which God has called them to serve. After all, the physician is God's physician; the merchant is God's merchant; the laborer is God's laborer. Every vocation is of divine right....
God has ordered things in His church in such a way that prayer is one of the foremost means by which He gives His people spiritual power and vitality for the advancement of His Kingdom through the preaching of the Gospel and the carrying out of deeds of love and mercy. So why does the church in the Western world fail so miserably at coming to the throne of grace in order to receive the grace and mercy needed on a daily and weekly basis (Heb. 4:16)?...
What the church needs more than anything at present is for men who have been called by God to be faithful preachers of His word, and adherents to worship that is formed by the word of God. Of course, they must do this for His glory and the salvation of His people--not for self-aggrandizement, promotion, or church growth. There will always be those with "itching ears," who heap up for themselves teachers (2 Tim. 4:3). However, if more churches and ministers wholeheartedly committed themselves to this all-important work, the church would have examples to follow and the spiritual expectation of God's people would necessarily rise. As Packer noted, "those who seek little, find little." Let's commit to being those who seek much and find much. ...
A significant downside to living in an affluent country with endless organizations, service opportunities, and events is that professing believers can begin to grow discontent with the ministry of the ordinary means of grace in the context of Lord's Day worship in a local church. They then begin to grow discontent with serving those in the same body of believers as needs arise. When this begins to happen, individuals start to look for programatic ministries that makes them feel useful in their Christian lives....
The entire life of David was a series of typological deaths and resurrections until he was delivered and exalted. The whole of Christ’s life was one of suffering followed by resurrection glory. Jesus is “the root and the descendant of David” (Rev. 22:16), the One “who has the key of David” (Rev. 3:7). Christ has been exalted to the right hand of God to rule on th...
Keep Reading If we treated the quest for unity in our marriage as being more important than the quest for truth, duplicity, deceit, and infidelity would run rapid and ultimately destroy any and all unity. It is unimaginable that any Christian would desire anything less than loving unity in truth with his or her spouse. How equally zealous ought we to be for loving unity in truth in the...
Keep Reading Jesus' victory over the evil one surfaces at three periods of his Messianic ministry––at the beginning of his ministry when he was tempted by the devil in the wilderness, at the point of Peter's confession of Christ's messianic identity at Caesarea Philippi, and at at the close of his ministry in the garden and on the cross. While we often meditate on how Christ overca...
Keep Reading As we consider anew the divine activity in the lives of the wise men, we are met with the reality of God's sovereign grace to those who were once far off from God. We are reminded of the way in which God chooses and calls pagans to trust in His Son. We are warned that we can have a deep knowledge of the Scriptures yet no grace in our hearts. We are motivated to believe in ...
Keep Reading A digital hireling is an individual who has set himself up online with self-promoting interest. Like the evil shepherds of Ezekiel’s day, the digital hireling feeds himself, doesn’t truly care about the sick, weak, or injured, doesn’t seek the lost and wandering, and deals harshly with the sheep. The digital hireling opportunistically sets up himself or herself up fo...
Keep Reading God calls gospel ministers to give themselves fully to 'the interests of Jesus Christ' (Phil. 2:20–21). But what exactly does it mean for ministers of the gospel to seek the interests of Christ? When the apostle Paul wrote the believers in the church in Philippi about Epaphroditus and Timothy, he referenced their selfless service to God's people and their ministerial sup...
Keep Reading The better part of men and women in the church are called by God to do whatever work He has gifted them to do with all diligence, quietness, contentment, and an eye to God's glory and the good of their fellow men. This was a principle in the early church, and one that was ultimately recovered by the Reformers during the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century. . .W...
Keep Reading God has ordered things in His church in such a way that prayer is one of the foremost means by which He gives His people spiritual power and vitality for the advancement of His Kingdom through the preaching of the Gospel and the carrying out of deeds of love and mercy. So why does the church in the Western world fail so miserably at coming to the throne of grace in order t...
Keep ReadingWhat the church needs more than anything at present is for men who have been called by God to be faithful preachers of His word, and adherents to worship that is formed by the word of God. Of course, they must do this for His glory and the salvation of His people--not for self-aggrandizement, promotion, or church growth. There will always be those with "itching ears," who ...
Keep Reading What the church needs more than anything at present is for men who have been called by God to be faithful preachers of His word, and adherents to worship that is formed by the word of God. Of course, they must do this for His glory and the salvation of His people--not for self-aggrandizement, promotion, or church growth. There will always be those with "itching ears," who ...
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