Let’s Study the Beatitudes! Part 3, The Mourners
Mourning should be seen as the recognition that there is something within us that should bring us true sorrow.
The mourning that Jesus is referring to is a sorrow over our own unrighteousness. The Christian doesn’t bring one’s own worthiness before God but rather comes with the honest and humble recognition that we have no righteousness of our own. We are filthy sinners at enmity with God. We transgress the perfect law of God.... Continue Reading
Why You Shouldn’t Start Worship with Repentance: A Response to Sam Bray
The story of the universe does not begin in sin, but with God. He is the Alpha and the Omega.
God is always and ever prior to us. He was here before us, and before there even such a thing as “before”. The drama of the Gospel begins in his movement of grace toward us. Even the Law, read to us in the Sentences, is a gift of grace arising from the profound priority of God (cf. Jn 1:16).... Continue Reading
The Centrality of the Christian Faith
Receive the promise, and believe in the God who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
Abraham was saved by faith. So the question is: Do you believe in God and trust his promises, as the patriarch did? Here is what Paul says about Abraham’s faith: Abraham (1) believed God’s promise; (2) believed on the basis of the Word of God only; (3) believed in spite of adverse circumstances; (4) was... Continue Reading
1 Corinthians 6:12-14: All Things are Lawful, But Not All are Helpful
Ultimately things are lawful insofar as they are in harmony with the law of God revealed in Christ. They are helpful insofar as they align with the values and goals of the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We live by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we live in obedience to God’s holy law, and we do whatever we do to his honor and glory by giving thanks for all things in Christ’s Name. We have not been called to sadness, but to gladness. We have not been called to dourness but... Continue Reading
What Churches Can Do to Reconcile with Those Who Left
How the Church Can Model the Covenant of Grace
It is likely some pastors and elders, however few, erred and even sinned in their response to Covid and to the congregation. Where that happened they must confess those mistakes and sins and ask for forgiveness from their congregations. That act might be the most powerful sermon they preach to their congregations all year. ... Continue Reading
De-creation?
The loss of the sacred and the marring of humanity.
President Biden’s pathetic use of the image of God language to justify irresponsible policies toward children and to displace the role of parents is a damning indictment of his administration. Perhaps even more significantly, it is also a sign of the cadaverous stench of de-creation that now marks what is left of our culture. ... Continue Reading
The Grammar of Puritan Preaching
Understanding the basic components of Puritan preaching.
This twin focus upon God’s Word and the agent of that Word, namely Christ, was the essence of Puritan preaching. Every nuance and detail of their sermons was a mere reflection and out-working of those twin principles. Christ and His Word were the most basic facts of Puritan preaching—indeed they were the grammar of Puritan... Continue Reading
Let’s Study the Beatitudes! Part 2: The Poor
All self-sufficiency must be abandoned.
Being poor in spirit is being someone who knows that you have nothing, spiritually, to offer and therefore you stand completely dependent upon God—upon his grace, his mercy, his provision, and effort. Being poor in spirit is accepting that you are spiritually needy. There’s a bright thread of connection between the Tree of the... Continue Reading
Love Like Men (Part 3 of Biblical Manhood Series)
This is our warfare, brothers: to know and understand what the Bible says about Biblical manhood, to orient our lives in that Godward direction, and refuse to be moved from off that spot.
Do not let the enemy win in your marriage. And do not let the enemy win in your season of preparing for marriage. Repent when you fall short. Stand up, trust the Lord, obey His Word, and repeat when you miss the mark. Introduction Over the last couple of weeks we have been talking... Continue Reading
Jonah—The Preacher of Repentance: Who Was Jonah?
The story of Jonah is simple enough to be understood by a child, but profound enough that theologians and biblical scholars still debate its meaning.
When we look at the message of Jonah through the wider lens of redemptive history, his prophecy takes on a whole new and expanded meaning—God’s mercy extends to the ends of the earth–not just to Israel. Jonah’s actions must be interpreted in light of YHWH’s greater purpose. Moral Tale or Historical Event? A Well-Known... Continue Reading
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