Preaching: The Abuse of Redemptive-Historical Preaching Part I
Flattening the Scriptures in such a way – where every passage says exactly the same thing – obscures the richness of God’s Word and stunts the spiritual growth of God’s people
If the point of every sermon is “just believe the Gospel” and this is the only exhortation of the message week in and week out, then there is actually very little room for application. What more could one say with such a message? I suppose that there is some nuance on how precisely a person... Continue Reading
He is Risen Indeed. Hallelujah!
The gospel is the good news of God who defeated death through the atoning death of Jesus and his miraculous, non-mythic resurrection, which happened in time and space.
That gospel is the good news we all need. God stepping into our world, and defeating death through the atoning death of Jesus and his miraculous, non-mythic resurrection, which happened in time and space. It is a bodily resurrection that we will also know, if we are in Christ. May you be given power and... Continue Reading
Was Easter Borrowed from a Pagan Holiday?
The historical evidence contradicts this popular notion.
So Christians in ancient Anglo-Saxon and Germanic areas called their Passover holiday what they did—doubtless colloquially at first—simply because it occurred around the time of Eosturmonath/Ostarmanoth. A contemporary analogy can be found in the way Americans sometimes refer to the December period as “the holidays” in connection with Christmas and Hanukkah, or the way people sometimes... Continue Reading
What Is the Mercy Seat?
Christ is our mercy seat. There, in and through Christ, God meets us.
God desires to meet with His people, and the blood of the spotless lamb is the only means by which that meeting is made possible. The mercy seat of the Old Testament, and the blood sprinkled upon it by the high priest, prefigured Christ to come. Christ did come, and Christ did make the sacrifice,... Continue Reading
Being a Pentecost Christian: Sanctification
The third person of the Holy Trinity is no less zealous in applying redemption to us than was the second person in accomplishing it for us.
If you are a believer in the grace and glory of Christ’s death and resurrection, then the Spirit is already at work within you. He has lifted you from death into life. He is even now pressing you out of sin-laden paralysis. He is pressing you into prayer. He is pressing you to hear preaching.... Continue Reading
The Incredible Reality of Who We Are Now Because of Jesus
One of the incredible results of Jesus’ resurrection is that God makes believers into completely brand new creations.
Someday we all will die unless Jesus comes back first. But because Jesus rose from the dead, believers will rise from the dead. We will have new glorious heavenly bodies. We will be like Jesus and see him as he is. In the meantime, though we live in this dying world, WE are right now,... Continue Reading
At the Garden
Jesus’ suffering for us began in the Garden and continued as he was arrested, put on trial, nailed to the cross, and ultimately was pressed or crushed in our place.
If there is any doubt that our Savior doesn’t understand the heartaches we face in this life, this account dispels that. In the Garden of Gethsemane, we see a vivid account of Jesus experiencing all the things we experience: fear, temptation, sorrow, despair, betrayal, and abandonment. Had Jesus not felt the weight of this sorrow,... Continue Reading
The Prince Who Came to Serve
In coming as a humble servant, full of grace and truth, Jesus reveals our sovereign God’s paradoxical approach to the world.
Jesus’ lowly service is a practical picture of how Jesus inverts our normal view of authority, dignity, and power. Jesus’ unselfconscious act of service was a picture of God’s upside-down approach to our world and to us. The ultimate picture of this is Jesus’ humbling himself to endure the death of the cross and bring... Continue Reading
Let Us Never Grow Weary of the Cross
Beware when the cross and the empty tomb cannot compete with March Madness and The Masters.
Let us not wander far from sin, salvation, and judgment. Let’s not strain to make ourselves relevant to the politics, the pop culture, or the presidential controversy of the day. Christ’s death and resurrection will be relevant on its own. The message of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John is still the message people need. They... Continue Reading
The Gospel From Womb to Tomb
God looked after me when I was unable to look after myself at the beginning of my life
“You may lose all your loved ones, all your friends, all your strength, beauty, and usefulness. But you will never lose the love and interest of the Lord. He comes to you through Bible reading, listening to sermons, worship services, prayer meetings, and good books. He comes to you as you reach out over the... Continue Reading