The Fight

On June 28, Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield fought a rematch of a previous boxing match. Holyfield had won the first battle, but some questioned whether he could withstand the powerful punches of Tyson again. It wasn’t the punches of Tyson that floored Holyfield, but the biting of Tyson that shocked the world. Tyson bit […]

How hopeless is hopeless?

In Ephesians 2:12, Paul notes that prior to their salvation, the Gentile Ephesians had “no hope.” Which God me to wondering. Just how hopeless is hopeless? Just what will one who has no hope say about his life? Now not all men will recognize their hopelessness, and even if they do, not all will verbalize […]

Sunday Leftovers (8/23/09)

“The greatest thing in the world is to be saved.” Many, obviously, have believed this. But one man spoke that to his pastor even while he was lying on his death bed. And one of the realities that will stimulate us to believe that salvation is great is understanding just how lost we were prior […]

The grace of giving

This morning as part of our Bible reading, we read 2 Corinthians 8-9 — the account of the sacrificial and gracious giving of the Philippians and the corresponding exhortations by Paul to the Corinthians to cultivate similar habits of grace giving. One writer has counted at least 16 principles of giving in these chapters. Let […]

Sunday Leftovers (8/16/09)

The truth of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone has been a part of the church now for almost 500 years. You would think we would understand it with clarity. It’s been repeated and explained over and over in church after church. Countless sermons have been preached about it. Innumerable books […]

Too much success

He had all the trappings of 21st century, American success. He was a master builder — massive revitalization projects produced much income and resources for a struggling city. He was a motivating leader — thousands of men served underneath him and gladly followed him. He was a successful soldier — he led his nation out […]

Sunday Leftovers (8/9/09)

“How often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” (Mt. 18:21; NASB) One South African home owner might have paraphrased that question, “how often shall I rescue a man who sins against me?” It seems that the man come home one evening to find nine men robbing his […]

God the Shepherd

At the conclusion of his book, Into Thin Air, outdoorsman and author Jon Krakauer recounts a conversation he had with fellow climber Neal Beidleman after they both successfully made it down from Mount Everest in May, 1996 — the same month when 12 people died attempting to climb the world’s highest peak. Beidleman had led […]

Sunday Leftovers (8/2/09)

One of my favorite verses is Ephesians 2:7 — so that in the ages to come, He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. God’s mercy, love, and grace that result in the salvation of sinners is for the purpose of demonstrating the magnitude of God’s grace […]

Take heed

The chair was moved away from the table. A mother’s head peeked around the corner and saw that it had been pushed against the counter and used as a stepping stool for a pair of three-year-old legs. The quest was the cookie jar. And at just the most inopportune moment, with his teeth crunching excitedly […]

Building sanctified memories

Memories. The first day of school. The first date with your wife. The night your child was born. The funeral of your best friend. The aching regret of a mistake — a sin — that cannot be undone. Water skiing on the lake with friends. The smell of hot-dogs and popcorn that takes you in […]

Book Review: Biblical Principles of Sex

Title: Biblical Principles of Sex Author: Bob Smith Publisher: Timeless Texts, 2003; 51 pp. $8.00 Recommendation (4-star scale): This week, in our daily Bible reading program, we’ve finished reading the Song of Solomon. Much has been written and preached about this book in recent years — with a new interpretation that is much more literal […]

How can you identify an unbeliever?

Last Sunday we examined Ephesians 2:1-3, where Paul’s reminder to the Ephesian readers is of all that they were prior to Christ — dead in sin — and how their depravity left them unable to please God in any way. The passage is also a means to identifying unbelievers. How can one determine if one […]

What grace have you received?

This morning I read a couple Psalms and an extended section in Hosea. Much of what I read carried the theme of “watch out, judgment is coming” for the nation of Israel. Reading of the coming judgment made parts of Psalm 95 stand out like bold-faced type: Come, let us worship and bow down, Let […]

Sunday Leftovers (7/19/09)

The depravity of man is not a subject that is often widely embraced or enjoyed. “Thanks, Pastor, for telling me what a terrible sinner and how awful my condition is,” is not a typical response to the topic of sin and depravity. Yet two truths must be acknowledged — Scripture is unrelenting in its affirmation […]