The blessings of God

When sharing the gospel, it is tempting to emphasize the “blessings” that come from being a Christian — we want to emphasize things like, “God will make your marriage better,” or “you’ll be a better parent and have better children,” or “God will provide everything you need — you’ll never lack for anything” (which is […]

The nature of unbelief

A believer in Christ might assume that anyone who truly understands the nature of the gospel would want the gospel. “Why wouldn’t they believe?” we might wonder. Yet they don’t all believe. Even when we assume that they will and should, they do not believe. A clear, but often overlooked illustration of this is in […]

They were brought safely to land

“…they were brought safely to land” (Acts 27:44). It sounds so tame and calm and serene. Sure, there had been a storm and a ship had broken up and people were forced to swim and hold on to scattered planks and other assorted flotation devices to make it to shore, but the understated declaration, “they […]

Is the psalmist a prosperity theologian?

This post is a republication of a post from August 25, 2011; the post that day dealt with Psalm 112, which is one of the psalms in our Scripture reading this morning, and I don’t think I can say anything better about the psalm today than I did a year ago. Every preacher has them: […]

What’s your 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 […]

When unrighteously accused

As Peter notes, when a believer sins and is accused of that sin and suffers for that sin, he is not to be considered patient for enduring that sin — he has suffered what is just (1 Pt. 2:20a). But what about when one suffers unjustly? What if accusations are made against us that are […]

Cultivating a clear conscience

Everyone has one, but not everyone uses it. Some are transformed by it, some ignore it, and some kill it. But everyone has it — a conscience. What is this thing that everyone knows, some acknowledge, some follow, and some pervert? Jerry White describes the conscience as “that part of every person which, willingly or […]

Courage for the hard things

Late in his ministry, the apostle Paul had been told by the Lord that he was to go to Jerusalem and that when he got there he would be imprisoned and suffer a variety of trials (cf. Acts 20:23). And Paul received confirmation of his impending suffering from others (cf. 21:4, 11). And while he […]

The kinds of men God saves

Jeremiah said that, “the heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?” (17:9). That statement affirms the doctrine of depravity — a man’s heart might desire sin far worse and far more than one can conceive. Depravity does not mean that a man sins as much as he […]

Christ is all

Meditating on Psalm 110 (the most-quoted OT passage by the NT — see Mt. 22:44; 26:64; Mk. 14:62; Lk. 20:42-43; 22:69; Acts 2:34-35; Heb. 1:13), Charles Spurgeon wrote of our Savior: Give me Christ, and I have no desire for anything beyond him, for Christ is all. Whatever of good we may wish for, it […]

Does the Spirit of God contradict Himself?

A cursory reading of the accounts of Paul’s intention to go to Jerusalem and the desires of others for him not to go to Jerusalem in Acts 21 might leave some readers thinking that the Holy Spirit has conflicted His own directions and work. But such is not the case, as John Stott explains: Thus […]

It is more blessed to give than receive…

You have likely heard it at a birthday gathering or around the Christmas tree: “I can’t wait for you to open my gift for you — I just love giving presents!” The speaker might even invoke the saying of Christ, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). And while that verse […]

Greet my friends

Romans 16 is a dreaded public Scripture reading for any young seminary student or pastoral intern. I know — I was asked to do that reading by my pastor as a first or second-year seminarian, and I poured over my Bible and Greek New Testament for much too long, attempting to sort out the correct […]

An encouraging word

“…that I may come to you in joy by the will of God and find refreshing rest in your company.” (Rom. 15:32; NASB) As a boy, Larry Crabb stuttered. Now a speaker, writer, and counselor, Dr. Crabb recalls an incident in the church he attended as a young man. Young men in that church were […]

When in doubt…

I was probably about 10 years old. I’d gone to the store with my folks, and I wandered off to find something of interest to me. Following my norm at that time, I found the baseball cards and books. Not only did they have baseball cards, but they had a clear-pack strip that contained the […]