Jesus is the answer

In Colossians 2:8 Paul warns about the dangers of the base and elementary philosophy of the world. What are those principles? He is non-specific, but the most basic philosophy of the world is this — anything must be made supreme so that God and Christ will be minimized. The base philosophy of the world it […]

Sermon: Why the Gospel?

Why Evangelism?Colossians 2January 29, 2023 All Steve wanted to do was clean his fish tank. He had no idea of the problems that would create for him. Here’s a report of the incident: [He] was trying to get rid of a colony of zoanthids — a relative of corals and sea anemones — that was […]

The blessing of repentance

Sin is not the final word. Sin is not (necessarily) the end of the story. Charles Spurgeon rightly notes the power and blessing of repentance: Reader, has sin pulled you down? Have you become like a ruin? Has the hand of the Lord gone out against you, so that in estate you are impoverished, and […]

Prepared to Serve

Every year before every sports league resumes its games, all the players for all the teams gather for training camp. Fundamentals are practiced. Plans and plays are designed, learned, and practiced — repeatedly. Only after several weeks of preparation are the teams declared fit for beginning the season and “the games that count.” Whenever a […]

Sermon: Equip the Saints

Equipping the SaintsEphesians 4:11-13January 22, 2023 In 1851 Queen Victoria of Great Britain, through the influence of her husband, Albert, opened the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations. The event was held in Hyde Park in London, and people streamed to the exhibit from England and from around the world. […]

Sermon: Pray for God’s Glory

Pray for God’s GloryJohn 17:1-5January 15, 2023 Relationships are hard work. Communication is hard work. Listening carefully, thinking rightly, talking, and talking graciously are all hard work. There are times it seems like it might just be easier or better to be silent. (It’s not better.) Unfortunately, we sometimes consider the hard work of […]

Two questions for your Bible reading

In the last week of December (or the first week of January), many believers made renewed commitments to read their Bibles in the coming year. They found a reading plan that they thought would serve their needs and began to read according to the schedule. Perhaps you are one of those people. Now we are […]

Sermon: A Heart for the Word

A Heart for the WordPsalm 119:161-168January 8, 2023 This morning, at the beginning of the new year, we want to remind ourselves about the importance of the Bible. What do you know about the Bible? There are 66 books in the Bible (39 in the OT, 27 in the NT). There are 1189 chapters […]

An “Amazing Grace” Story

This morning, Pastor Keith Palmer reminded us of the significance of the hymn “Amazing Grace.” The most commonly sung hymn in the world was sung for the first time 250 years ago today — January 1, 1773. There is no way to recount how many times I have sung the hymn or heard it sung […]

A Goal for the New Year

As you think about personal goals for 2023, here is an old goal from an old writing that will work well in the New Year —

Best books I read in 2022

I’m still rushing to finish a couple more books before the end of the year, while also eying my growing pile of books to see what will be first off the pile in 2023. But most of what I will read this year has been finished. Maybe you are curious about what others read, or […]

Sermon: The Fulfillment

The FulfillmentTitus 3:7December 25, 2022 Almost a generation ago, Rabbi Lawrence Hoffman wrote an article entitled, “Being a Jew at Christmas Time,” in which he wrote, “There is nothing wrong with sleigh bells, Bing Crosby, and Christmas pudding, but I should hope Christians would want more than just that, and as Christmas becomes more […]

Sermon: The Appearance

The AppearanceTitus 3:4-6December 18, 2022 NASA’s Apollo Missions program successfully sent 24 astronauts to the moon and 12 of those actually walked on the moon. The last Apollo mission was sent up in 1975; since then, there have been numerous Space Shuttle flights as well as flights to the international space station. But no one […]

Consider Christ

Everyone has a Christmas dream. In another generation it was sugar plums. Today it might be an iPhone 14. Or an Xbox. Or a new pickup truck. Or a book (or a loaded Kindle). Or maybe a family trip. Or a family meal where all the children and their families gather together. Or a stocking […]

I am Christ’s

As followers of Christ, we do not always reckon well the provision of Christ for us. In this brief meditation, Philip Dodderidge helps us consciously meditate on our position in Christ and some of the infinite blessings that flow from the cross: I am yours!Your mercy is mine to pardon me.Your blood is mine to […]