Sunday Leftovers: the believer with Christ

The New Testament speaks in many ways about our identification with Christ — our unity with Him. Considering only the words “with Christ” and “with Him,” Constantine Campbell notes the many ways the Epistles way we are unified with Christ (other words used are ones like, “in Christ,” “in Him,” “placed into Christ,” “abide in […]

Sermon: Christ in Us

The Message of the Cross: Christ in Us Galatians 2:20-21 October 27, 2013 (Communion Sunday) There are many ways to talk about the cross of Christ. Over the years I’ve not only preached the crucifixion passages, but I’ve also preached many other sermons relating to the effects and accomplishments of the cross. We’ve seen how […]

Preparing for communion

This Sunday morning we will practice the ordinance of communion. The apostle Paul exhorts the Corinthian believers to examine themselves prior to taking the elements of the Lord’s Supper so that they might not take them in an unworthy manner (1 Cor. 11:27-32). This is a principle that applies to every believer — thorough self-examination […]

Building idols

In a remarkable — almost comical — passage, Jeremiah exposes the folly of ungodly worship: “They decorate it with silver and with gold; They fasten it with nails and with hammers So that it will not totter. Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field are they, And they cannot speak; They must be carried, Because […]

Free audio biography of Jonathan Edwards

In recent years there has been a resurgence in appreciation for Puritan and Reformed writers. Among American writers who stand in that tradition, Jonathan Edwards is likely the greatest. He has been called the greatest or most influential American theologian. It’s hard to disagree with that assertion. And now, for only a few more days, […]

Addicted to electronic technology?

A week ago at our Biblical Counseling and Discipleship Conference, I gave a presentation on technology addiction. I gave a brief overview the influence of technology (which is far more than the internet, iPhones, and Facebook), and then demonstrated the relationship between technology and sin: technology is not inherently sinful, but technology is created with […]

Sunday Leftovers: How great is God’s love?

How great is God’s love to make you His child? God has told us that we are to look for, examine, contemplate, and be overwhelmed by the richness of God’s love for us (“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us…” 1 Jn. 3:1). So here are some ways in which we […]

Sermon: Children of God

Children of God 1 John 3:1-3 October 20, 2013 Say the words “family” or “father,” and not everyone has a positive response. A few examples: Former NFL coach Buddy Ryan was known for his intensity and explosive temper. He learned well from his father. Leaving Korea as a master sergeant and coming home, “he saw […]

Genuine repentance

Zachary Crofton, quoted by J. I. Packer, A Quest for Godliness: [Repentance] is a habit, power, principle, spring, root, and disposition; not a bare, single, and transient action.…Repentance is different and distinct from all penitential acts.…Repentance is not the work of an hour, or a day: but a constant frame, course, and bent of the […]

Sermon: We Give Thanks to God

We Give Thanks to God Colossians 1:3-8 October 13, 2013 Picture Charlie Brown sitting at a desk and writing. In the second panel he utters the single word, “Rats,” and crumples up the paper. It joins a large pile of crumpled up pieces of paper in the third panel. And in the final panel he […]

Sermon: Abide in Christ

Abide in Christ 1 John 2:28-29 October 6, 2013 One of the hardest things in life is perseverance. Sticking with a project. Not quitting. That’s true of the spiritual life as well. It’s easy to want to quit. Life circumstances pile up on us and we become heavy-hearted and weary. It’s not that we’re overtly […]

What is your true happiness?

Richard Baxter, The Saint’s Everlasting Rest: He that makes not God his chief good and ultimate end, is in heart a pagan and a vile idolater. Let me ask, then, dost thou truly account it thy chief happiness to enjoy the Lord in glory, or dost thou not? Canst thou say, ‘The Lord is my […]

Gluttony – it’s not just overeating

As someone who has battled with controlling his weight for most of his life, I appreciated this from The Christian Pundit: Thing is, almost nobody is seeing the fat issue as an expression of a heart issue: an idolatry of food. That’s what gluttony is, whether or not our BMI is over 30. Because gluttony […]