Sexual Brokenness (John 7:53-8:11)
Regardless of who you are and where you’re coming from on this issue, we actually have a lot more in common than you think.
Today’s topic is important. We’re going to talk about sexual brokenness. I need to warn you: today’s sermon may seem a little negative at first, but I want to invite you to hang in there, because I think it’s actually good news for all of us. My goal is to elevate awareness of how sexually broken... Continue Reading
If God is Gracious, Why Can’t I do What I Want?
When we are united to Christ, his alien righteousness becomes our own.
Christians are united to Christ in his death and also in his resurrection in order to walk with him in newness of life. Christians simply can’t keep living like the old sinful person they were because that person has been spiritually crucified with Christ, laid in the grave, and been raised a new person. ... Continue Reading
Being Quick to Hear and Slow to Speak
When we listen well, we reflect God’s image, because God is the consummate listener.
Amazingly, the triune God also listens to us. He attentively hears and graciously answers the prayers of His people. This should never cease to boggle our minds and move our hearts—the God of the universe listens to us when we pray. It has been pointed out that God gave us two ears but only... Continue Reading
Is the Rod of Proverbs Literal or Metaphorical?
For children and adults, discipline paves the way for learning and wisdom.
Proposed rod substitutions are numerous. You’ve probably heard of many. Hot sauce. Time outs. Warnings. Withholding cartoons. A flick. Sometimes these are assumed to be hermeneutically legitimate variations of the commended rob in Proverbs. So, is the rod in Proverbs to be taken literally or metaphorically? It’s a question parents sometimes ask. “Is the... Continue Reading
Liberty of the Will
Each time you are faced with a decision whether or not to obey God, you will have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing.
Bear in mind that there will be very important choices that you will have to make in your life, especially in those seemingly insignificant moments each day and week as you encounter God’s word in your own reading of the Bible or during the hearing of sermons. Will you pay close attention, or allow yourself... Continue Reading
The Warmest Doctrine at Dort
The Preservation and Perseverance of the Saints
The certainty of the saints’ salvation is confirmed by the adjectives Peter uses to describe it: “incorruptible” meaning it is imperishable and immortal, “undefiled” meaning it is pure, and “fadeth not away” or “unfading” meaning it does not lessen over time. The salvation is certain along with those who participate in it—the saved: “who are kept... Continue Reading
The Stewardship of Blessing
From money to pay the bills to something stashed away for the days ahead, God has been good.
The response God wants of us is thanksgiving. He wants us to see our possessions being extended to us by His open hand of provision. The money we have derives from jobs He has provided and skills He has gifted and competencies He has honed. A life of thanks should adorn our lives like the... Continue Reading
Don’t Disconnect These 3 Vital Facets of Scripture
It’s really important that we reckon with who God is.
We’ve got events—what you might call history. We’ve got theology in terms of the meaning of history. We’ve also got literary artistry because God is a God of beauty. God is fully able to communicate to us in a way that draws us in, that has some of those qualities that stimulate our hearts and... Continue Reading
Four Contemporary Threats to Scripture’s Sufficiency
In our “counterterrorism,” we would do well to guard against all four of these attacks on the sufficiency of Scripture.
This article is my counterterrorism effort. That is to say, this is my effort to open our eyes to various ways we can drift from the sufficiency of Scripture. By “the sufficiency of Scripture” I mean the conviction that everything God thought we needed to know he put down in the Bible. As such, the... Continue Reading
Above Reproach
You don’t have a good name at all unless your ethical integrity is intact and above reproach.
Christians should not be concerned with issues like status, class, caste, or economic prestige. In that sense, we need to be like Christ, who made Himself of no reputation and took on the form of a servant (Phil. 2:7). There is a true sense, however, in which we do need to be concerned about maintaining a... Continue Reading