Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount was His manifesto which paralleled Moses giving the Law on Mount Sinai. In it we are given God’s requirements for us in living this Christian life. We are called to be Holy as God is Holy. We are called to be Right in our actions as God is, which... Continue Reading

People will make railing judgments about the salvation of an individual based on their position regarding how God may or may not use dreams, or if it is possible for someone to have some supernatural experience. It’s important to navigate these hotly debated waters with a great deal of grace, while still holding fast to... Continue Reading

Throughout most of church history, conferences didn’t exist. The closest you ever got to them were various councils to which the majority of people never went. Just a bunch of bishops who apparently had long faces, halos behind their heads and two fingers strapped together that look like they want to do a v-for-victory sign... Continue Reading

Our union with Christ makes us partakers of His death, first, so that our guilt is gone and second, that our former life in bondage to sin is gone replaced by our new life of fellowship with Him that began at our new birth. We are also resurrected with Christ. That means that we have... Continue Reading

Yes, it will take your whole life to get to heaven, and yes, your life may last longer than most, and yes, the Christian life will be a challenging journey from start to finish. But it’s worth it. Not only will heaven itself vastly outweigh the difficulties you knew in getting there, but the life you... Continue Reading

As a loyal husband, God leverages His influence to plead with his wife. He names her sins, but also offers an opportunity to forsake them. The same One who disciplines His beloved speaks kindly to her with words of renewal and restoration (2:14ff.). The call to repent is a compassionate plea to return to the... Continue Reading

Some try to delude themselves into thinking they can read the Bible without any framework…which is a lot like me driving without my glasses on. Our goal isn’t to read the Bible without a rubric, but to get the right one in our minds and hearts. The question isn’t whether to have a framework or... Continue Reading

The joy that Jesus wants to see in us is His joy. Earlier, Jesus spoke to His disciples about peace, saying, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you” (John 14:27). Where does the Christian’s peace come from? It comes from Him;... Continue Reading

Family is certainly a means of God’s grace, but eventually even family can let us down. The government and politicians can do a lot of good, but they are terrible rocks. Success might seem to provide protection for a time, but it will eventually move on to someone else. No, the only one who is immovable,... Continue Reading

The core evil of the original sin was believing the forbidden knowledge of good and evil would yield more satisfaction than God. The core evil of ancient Israel was believing idols would yield more protection and prosperity than God. The core evil in all our sins is believing some broken cistern will give us greater... Continue Reading