Some evangelistic encouragements at Thanksgiving

There are certain times when believers are particularly aware that they might have opportunities to communicate the gospel with unbelievers: anytime they get on an airplane (or any other kind of mass transit, for that matter), when a neighbor comes over and offers a lament about his family life, when a homeless person approaches them […]

The wonderful love of Christ

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from The Lord’s Supper. It was wonderful love that Christ should suffer death. “Lord,” says Bernard, “thou hast loved me more than thyself, for thou didst lay down thy life for me.” The Emperor Trajan […]

Give thanks to God

I grew up in a home where we were taught to say “please” and “thank you.” Our children grew up in a home where they were expected to send timely “thank you” notes for gifts they received. And many of you experienced the same kind of training. While saying and writing “thank you” often seems […]

Sermon: In Everything Give Thanks?

“In Everything Give Thanks?” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 November 20, 2016 A few years ago the London Times reported about the many letters that are sent to God from around the world. Many of those letters end up at the post office in Jerusalem in the undeliverable mail department. “We have hundreds of thousands of letters […]

BCDC 2016 Teaching Notes, Weekend 3

This weekend I participated in the final weekend of the Biblical Counseling and Discipleship Conference, being held at Calvary Bible Church in Fort Worth. Both sessions that I taught were in the exam preparation track (for taking the ACBC exam for certification). Below are the notes and power points for both: The role of the […]

What’s the message?

A message. Every commercial has one. So does every television show, movie, book, and website. All sermons have them, and so does every conversation. Some messages are obviously better and more clear than others, but every form of communication is given to convey a message. This is true of gospel conversations as well. When we […]

A godly man weeps over his sin

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from The Godly Man’s Picture. How far from being godly are those who scarcely ever shed a tear for sin! If they lose a near relation, they weep; but though they are in danger of […]

A prayer for Election Day

[This prayer is based on 1 Timothy 2:1-8; it might be helpful to read that passage before beginning to read and pray the following prayer.] Our Father, we come to you this morning as needy individuals and as a needy nation. And as we come in need, we first of all also come recognizing our […]

Sermon: Essential Actions After the Election, Pt 2

“Essential Actions After the Election” Pt. 2 2 Timothy 4 November 6, 2016 This Sunday we conclude the brief sermon series, “Election Essentials,” where we have considered a number of topics related to the coming election. During this series we have examined: The role and responsibility of government — what should governments do and what […]

Consider Christ’s love

Three words are of great importance in any ongoing, vital relationship. Yet these words can often become trite, routine, and meaningless because they are used in unthinking habits. When first spoken, they are powerful and motivating. They thrill the heart and excite and inflame passions. Yet years later, though still spoken, they can become trivial […]

Harmless as doves

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is from Harmless as Doves. The second thing I am to speak of is the dove: “be harmless as doves.” The dove is an excellent creature; it was so acceptable, that in the old law God would […]

Expect persecution

In America, we feel entitled. We have a constitutional right to life, liberty, and happiness, we believe. The constitution actually says, “the pursuit of happiness,” but in this day, we believe that to mean that we should have happiness (and ease) without having to labor for it. We should not have trials, difficulty, suffering, or […]

Sermon: Essential Actions After the Election

“Essential Actions After the Election” Pt. 1 2 Timothy 3 October 30, 2016 I have done more than one fix-it project at my home where just past the point of no return something has happened that made me think, “Now what am I going to do???” Most of those happened with the water turned off […]

Grab bag

Some helpful articles I’ve bookmarked: Monday is Reformation Day — the 499th anniversary of the day that Martin Luther posted his theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. Here are 10 things you should know about the Reformation. Andy Naselli and J. D. Crowley wrote an excellent book on the conscience. Now […]

When you need Christ

“They have need of Christ when they are dark, to enlighten them; when they are dead, to quicken them; when they are straightened, to enlarge them; when they are weak, to strengthen them; when they are sad, to comfort them; when they are tempted, to succour them; when they are fallen, to raise them; when […]