Sermon: Paul’s Missionary Message

“Preach Christ:” Paul’s Missionary MessageRomans 15:17-21August 29, 2021 Some sermon topics invariably provoke listeners to experience a sense of guilt: Sermons on prayer lead to thoughts of “I don’t pray enough…” Sermons on evangelism lead to thoughts of “I don’t tell enough people about Jesus…” Sermons on missions lead to questions like “should I go?…” […]

The last miracle of redemption

I would not say that miracles “abound” in Scripture. There are miracles in the Bible. There are many miracles. By definition, miracles are astounding, incredible, unusual, and wondrous. And the miracles of the Bible are all those things. Think of the miracle of 2 million people crossing the Red Sea on dry land, getting across […]

Grab bag

Some helpful articles I’ve bookmarked recently (or not so recently): “I’ll See You in Court” (Jesse Johnson, The Cripplegate) — a helpful explanation of 1 Corinthians 6 and its application in lawsuits and insurance dilemmas. “Unmarried Sex Is Worse Than You Think” (TGC, Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra and Collin Hansen ) “The Conversation About Sex You […]

Remember the basics

I think I first read this account in Jerry Kramer’s football classic, Instant Replay, though it has been retold many times in many contexts (and several times by me as well). At the beginning of training camp for the Green Bay Packers in 1961, coach Vince Lombardi wanted to remind his players of the importance […]

Sermon: Where We Go From Here

Where We Go From HereRomans 15:14-16August 15, 2021 What verse or passage of Scripture is most meaningful in your life? What verse has changed your life? There have been multiple verses that I have repeatedly referenced and found helpful: Jn. 14:27; Ps. 19:14; Eph. 5:25ff; 1 Pt. 3:7. And more. What are your “influential verses?” […]

Subscribe to Words of Grace

Recently, the host of Words of Grace (WordPress) changed subscription platforms (at least that’s the way I understand it). So we had to find a new way to send out content. From now on, if you want to receive posts from Words of Grace by email, you will need to sign up by using the […]

Ecclesiology matters

In the past two months I have heard several allegations (some public and some private) about pastors who have plagiarized sermons. The allegations also appear to be much more than allegations; some of the video evidence I’ve seen seems indisputable and indefensible. I don’t know what motivates a pastor to take sermons that do not […]

Sermon: Accept One Another

Accept One Another Romans 15:7-13 August 8, 2021 In the early 1980s I moved with my parents to a new city and our family began looking for a new church. One Sunday we entered worship at another new place that (at least by name) sounded orthodox — and things seemed normal enough. But as I […]

The Gospel in a few words

“…to believe the gospel is not only to accept the awesome truths that 1) God is holy, 2) we are hopeless sinners, 3) Christ died and rose again for sinners, and 4) this great salvation is enjoyed by faith in Christ-but believing the gospel is also to treasure Jesus Christ as your unsearchable riches. What […]

Best books of 2021, so far

For all the hard things that happened in 2020, one of the best (for me) was that I was able to read more books last year than I read in many years. My pace is slower this year, but I’ve still read about 55 books, so far. Here are some of the ones I have […]

Fighting for Church Unity

Unity in the local church is the goal of every church (or it should be). It is not always easily or readily attained, as a newspaper account about a church in Wales a couple of generations ago testifies: Yesterday the two opposition groups both sent ministers to the pulpit. Both spoke simultaneously, each trying to […]

Why it is worth following Christ

“Are not we, the doers, weak and infirm, bent to backslide, unskillful in the word of righteousness, not only backward to but awkward in everything that is good? And have we not then great need of an example, one to go before us to show us how and which way? Our heavenly Father, who knows […]

Sermon: Liberty and Unity

Liberty and Unity Romans 15:1-6 August 1, 2021 I began praying for this church long before I knew the name of this church. I knew that coming straight out of seminary to pastor a church that both the church and I would need particular attributes if we were going to thrive together. Because I didn’t […]

Sermon: Encourage One Another

Encourage One Another 1 Thessalonians 5:11 July 24, 2021 I love the story told by Larry Olsen in Outdoor Survival Skills: A guy has been lost in the desert for days. He’s out of food and water. His lips are parched, his tongue swollen. His legs are bruised and bleeding from crawling, his skin is […]

Grab bag — evangelism edition

Some helpful articles I’ve bookmarked recently (or not so recently) on the topic of evangelism: “The Motivation of Evangelism” (Mike Riccardi) “Getting beyond ‘Do you believe in Jesus?’” (Jordan Standridge) “How To Share The Gospel With Roman Catholics” (Jordan Standridge) “How Do I Evangelize Someone Who Says That They Don’t Trust the Bible?” (Jordan Standridge) […]