Sermon: Sin, Righteousness, and the Believer, Pt 1

Sin, Righteousness, and the Believer, Pt. 1 1 John 3:4-10 November 17, 2013 I was in college the first time I remember reading 1 John seriously. I’m sure I read the book before my college years; but it was in my freshman year that I really began to grow in Christ in a significant way. […]

Let us examine our ways

You may not know the name Wilhelm Roentgen, but his discovery has undoubtedly impacted you. It was in November of 1895 while the German physicist was replicating a common electrical experiment that he noticed an oddity. A little curiosity combined with further testing, and Roentgen was able to conclude that not only are there light […]

Sermon: Christ in Us

The Message of the Cross: Christ in Us Galatians 2:20-21 October 27, 2013 (Communion Sunday) There are many ways to talk about the cross of Christ. Over the years I’ve not only preached the crucifixion passages, but I’ve also preached many other sermons relating to the effects and accomplishments of the cross. We’ve seen how […]

Building idols

In a remarkable — almost comical — passage, Jeremiah exposes the folly of ungodly worship: “They decorate it with silver and with gold; They fasten it with nails and with hammers So that it will not totter. Like a scarecrow in a cucumber field are they, And they cannot speak; They must be carried, Because […]

Sunday Leftovers: How great is God’s love?

How great is God’s love to make you His child? God has told us that we are to look for, examine, contemplate, and be overwhelmed by the richness of God’s love for us (“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us…” 1 Jn. 3:1). So here are some ways in which we […]

Sermon: Children of God

Children of God 1 John 3:1-3 October 20, 2013 Say the words “family” or “father,” and not everyone has a positive response. A few examples: Former NFL coach Buddy Ryan was known for his intensity and explosive temper. He learned well from his father. Leaving Korea as a master sergeant and coming home, “he saw […]

Sermon: We Give Thanks to God

We Give Thanks to God Colossians 1:3-8 October 13, 2013 Picture Charlie Brown sitting at a desk and writing. In the second panel he utters the single word, “Rats,” and crumples up the paper. It joins a large pile of crumpled up pieces of paper in the third panel. And in the final panel he […]

Sermon: Abide in Christ

Abide in Christ 1 John 2:28-29 October 6, 2013 One of the hardest things in life is perseverance. Sticking with a project. Not quitting. That’s true of the spiritual life as well. It’s easy to want to quit. Life circumstances pile up on us and we become heavy-hearted and weary. It’s not that we’re overtly […]

Sermon: The Spirit’s Protection

The Spirit’s Protection Against Spiritual Deception 1 John 2:26-27 September 29, 2013 It’s always good to have a little protection — that’s why we have health and life and disability and car and house insurance, among others. But we don’t always realize the things that are protecting us. Like the little sister of Patricia Opfel. […]

Why pray?

This morning’s Old Testament reading recounts the story of Assyria’s threat against Judah. It seemed that Judah was hopeless. But Hezekiah, having received the threat from the king of Assyria through the words of his servant Rabshakeh, went to pray. The content of his prayer was direct: You are the God, you alone (Is. 37:16) […]

Real joy

How fickle our joy is. If our favorite sports team (or our child’s sports team) wins “the big game,” or even just “a” game, we’re happy. If a T-bone steak shows up on the dinner plate, we’re happy. Brussels sprouts and sauerkraut? Not so happy. If there’s more money than month? Happiness. More month than […]

Grab bag

Some helpful articles from the last week: David Murray has “20 Helps to Sermon Listening.” Number 1? “Read and mediate on God’s Word every day: Daily Bible reading whets our appetite for the main course on the Lord’s Day. We can’t expect to be ready to digest spiritual food if we’ve not been eating through […]

The Lord has planned…

“For the Lord of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?” (Is. 14:27; NASB) A few years ago, the United States Department of Transportation set aside $200 million for research and development of an automated highway system that would alleviate traffic congestion in […]

Sunday Leftovers: Christ as the infinite God-Man

Jesus Christ is the infinite God-Man. And that simply stated truth has been under attack since the advent of Christ. In the early church in Asia Minor, some heretics suggested Christ was deity but not man, but were that a case, Christ could not identify with us and could not bear our sin on the […]

Some benefits of believing in Christ

In expounding the provision of assurance for believers, the apostle John also reminds his readers in his first epistle of some of the benefits that come from believing in Christ: fellowship with God (1:3, 6, 7) Jesus Christ as his advocate (2:1) the command (and an ability) to love others (2:7; 4:21) the anointing of […]