Suffering as a ministry

We understand that the Lord often uses suffering as a means of sanctifying us — our trials are designed to conform us to Christ. We don’t necessarily “like” the process, but we understand that this is what God does. Paul makes that clear in several places: “And not only this, but we also exult in […]

Sermon: What to Pray When You’re Afflicted

“What to Pray When You’re Afflicted” Psalm 119:73-80 June 25, 2017 Scripture is filled with exhortations and examples of suffering: For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. (2 Cor. 1:5) For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to […]

Sermon: The First Thing on Your Second Wedding Day

“The First Thing on Your Second Wedding Day” Revelation 19:6-9 May 28, 2017 Weddings were always exciting in our home. So many things made weddings attractive and desirable: the wedding dress, the bridesmaid’s dresses, the flowers, the music, the food and friends after the wedding, the music and dancing, and (most of all?) the cake! […]

Sermon: Who Can Be Justified?

“Who Can Be Justified?” Romans 4:9-12 April 30, 2017 Put this in the category of unexpected blessings. When Kushikatsu Tanaka was a young girl, her father developed a particular recipe for deep-fried fried meat on a stick. Though he was a real estate agent, he spent many of his leisure hours perfecting the craft of […]

The guilt is gone

Guilt might be the most notorious five-letter word in our culture. Declarations of guilt are minimized — he’s not “guilty,” he’s just “struggling” or he “made a mistake.” And feelings of guilt are suppressed and denied. A New York Times article I found this week captures the cultural attitude towards guilt perfectly: A friend of […]

Sermon: The Old, Old Story, Pt. 2

“The Old, Old Story” Pt. 2 Romans 4:1-8 April 23, 2017 When I was in seminary, the church Raye Jeanne and I were part of trained its members in evangelism with the Evangelism Explosion materials. I went through the program and eventually also became a trainer for EE. One semester, one of my trainees was […]

What does the Scripture say?

A few days ago I backed my car out of my driveway. As is too often the case, I had tried to do too much before I left the house and hadn’t left myself enough time to get where I was going. So as I put the car in reverse and simultaneously buckled my seat […]

Sermon: Blessed Are Those Who Believe

“Blessed Are Those Who Believe” John 20:19-31 April 16, 2017 — Easter Morning As a young man, Benjamin Franklin wrote an epitaph for himself that he hoped would be used on his gravestone after his death (though it wasn’t): The body of B. Franklin, Printer, Like the cover of an old book, Its contents torn […]

Woman, Behold Your Son

When you talk about Jesus Christ you must talk about the uniqueness of Christ. He is different from every other person that has ever lived. There are similarities between us and Him — He was born, He developed intellectually, physically, and relationally like all others, He experienced physical pain and hunger and weariness, and He […]

A godly man is a lover of the Word

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. He loves the consolatory part of the Word — the promises. He goes feeding on these as Samson went on his way eating the honeycomb (Judges 14:8, 9). The promises […]

Prove it to me

In our world, skepticism abounds. Conspiracy theories flourish. Doubters disbelieve explanations they are told. Truth is questioned and lies are embraced. Things that are too far-fetched to be true are accepted as true. If it sounds “truthy” then it must be true. Truth is subjective rather than objective — “true for me” is more important […]

Sermon: The Old, Old Story

“The Old, Old Story” Romans 4:1-8 April 2, 2017 Every child loves a good story. It was not uncommon that when the girls were still living at home — even when they were in high school — they would ask at the dinner table, “Daddy, tell us a story.” And with a little prompting about […]

Sermon: He Gave His Life a Ransom for Many

“He Gave His Life a Ransom for Many” Mark 10:32-45 March 26, 2017 Over the years, I’ve preached about 25 Easter messages, and have also preached about the same number of Palm Sunday and Good Friday messages. I’ve preached several dozen communion sermons related to Christ and the cross, and preached through all of the […]

How do we use the OT Law?

My wife and I have entered another new phase of life. We have been told by our children when they have returned home (more than once!), “Dad, I don’t do that they way you and mom do…” It seems the “house rules” that we established when they were young don’t all apply when they’ve gotten […]

Sermon: The Christian and the Law

“The Christian and the Law” Romans 3:31 March 19, 2017 If you’ve ever been frustrated with other drivers on the road — people going to fast or too slow or weaving too much or not getting out of the way, here are some traffic laws that are sure to frustrate you even more! These are […]