“This is no general homily to faceless folks in pews. No, Peter is very direct and tells them what they must do with the gospel truth they are hearing. He pulls no punches. Surely, there is much eye contact, and the listeners know he is speaking with love right to them.”   The sermons found... Continue Reading

“Most Americans experience remarkable liberty when it comes to faith, church life, Bible reading and study, and worship. I still may worship as my communion deems fit, I have incredible access to a variety of religious goods, and I suffer no overt hardships because of my faith.”   Sorry folks but the recurring refrain that... Continue Reading

“Every Christian approach to world affairs should begin with the gospel. Although we work hard to promote justice in the time between the first and second advents, we know that the ultimate hope for mankind lies in the message of Jesus Christ. Looking out at the world, we seek ways to ensure that his message can reach as many... Continue Reading

“Preacher, when you go into the pulpit to speak the Word of the Gospel, do you realize that by the power of the Holy Spirit, it is as if God is saying, “Let there be…”?  Indeed, there is both an awesome responsibility and a wonderful comfort when we understand this.  The awesome responsibility is to... Continue Reading

“Over the last decade or so, we’ve seen a few lasting effects from the now-moribund emergent church movement. But even before that, we had seen the evangelical church (broadly reckoned), taking cues from the wildly successful charismatics, who had long since begun to take cues from the world around them. Not every church and not every... Continue Reading

“Just as God rested after his six-day “workweek” of creating the world, so his people must rest after their workweeks. At its core, this command was designed to remind the Israelites on a weekly basis that they were not God. Resting on the seventh day was a way of publicly recognizing God’s all-sufficient power.”  ... Continue Reading

“A helpful way to so submit to the Word read and preached is to heed something my Hebrew professor imparted.  Ask yourself two questions.  First, “What does the text teach that I am to believe about God?”  Second, “What does the text teach that God requires of me to do?”    How should you listen... Continue Reading

“Covenant puts boots on theology. It grounds biblical theology in history. It situates gospel hope in real life. It strips doctrine of any romantic gaze, and cloaks it in flesh, in substance, in life-giving truth. What water is to a fish and oxygen is to mammals’ lungs God’s covenant is to our spiritual lives.”  ... Continue Reading

“Reasoning with an awakened sinful appetite is like reasoning with a devil. It isn’t interested in or compelled by the truth; it is interested in a pleasure being offered. In fact, that appetite will seek to manipulate our reason in order to get the pleasure it seeks. It will twist every reasonable objection and minimize... Continue Reading

“Scripture does not say the humble person is Mr. Milquetoast, the wishy-washy person, the spineless man who is a doormat for the world; rather, the humble person is one who fears God. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and such fear flows from a heart that is in awe of God... Continue Reading