Sermon: The Believer and Sin (Pt 1)

The Believer and Sin (Pt. 1) Romans 7:14-25 July 22, 2018 For years, the bumper sticker and slogan, “Visualize World Peace” has been both affirmed and mocked. And while people want peace, war is a reality of the world in which we live. I think I mentioned a few weeks ago that historians have compiled […]

Sermon: The Worshipper’s Hope

The Worshipper’s Hope Psalm 121 May 27, 2018 The older I get, the more I realize I am prone to forgetfulness. I don’t usually lose my keys or glasses, but I often forget things like appointments (which is why I am thankful for my Google calendar), tasks that I need to do, what I need […]

Sermon: What Good is the Law? (Pt 3)

What Good is the Law? (Pt. 3) Selected Scriptures May 13 2018 While government was established by God to protect the innocent and to punish evildoers (Rom. 13), when you hear of some laws that are still on the books of some governments, you wonder who is protecting the government from itself. For instance: In […]

Sermon: What Good is the Law? (Pt 2)

What Good is the Law? (Pt. 2) Romans 7:9-13 May 6 2018 A news report in Oregon a few years ago said that a middle school in Oregon had a unique problem: A number of girls were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the bathroom. That was fine, but after they […]

Sermon: What Good is the Law? (Pt 1)

What Good is the Law? (Pt. 1) Romans 7:7-8 April 29, 2018 I’m not sure why, but the main Christmas gift I received in sixth grade remains the least-used, most under-appreciated Christmas gift I’ve ever received. It was an erector set by Meccano. Given how much I like to tinker and do maintenance and repair […]

Sermon: Dead to the Law (Pt 2)

Dead to the Law (Pt 2) Romans 7:5-6 April 22, 2018 A decade ago, A. J. Jacobs wrote a book in which he pondered the question, “is it possible to follow all of the commands of the Bible, particularly the Old Testament” (which was of interest to him because of his Jewish heritage)? And is […]

The gospel is good — today

Many years ago when doing evangelism training with him, a friend asked me, “what is the benefit of the gospel? I know we get Heaven, but is there good news in the gospel now? What good is the gospel for people today?” I don’t remember what I told my friend on that occasion, but I know […]

Sermon: Dead to the Law (Pt 1)

Dead to the Law (Pt. 1) Romans 7:1-4 April 15, 2018 We have a love-hate relationship with the law. When a criminal is caught and then brought to justice, we are grateful. When someone recklessly speeds past us and then we see him stopped by the side of the road with a police car behind […]

Sermon: Slavery, Wages, and Grace

Slavery, Wages, and Grace Romans 6:20-23 March 25, 2018 It started as a brief experiment on November 8, 2016. It was only going to last a few days. But those few days have now turned into a nearly 1-1/2 year event that Erik Hagerman calls his personal “blockade.” Upset over the results of the presidential […]

The mind and spiritual transformation

The spiritual life is simple, but not easy. To grow spiritually is not a complicated process, but it is (at least at times) difficult. It will take effort to grow spiritually, though what needs to be done is clearly explained in Scripture. And all efforts at change begin with the mind. What needs to be […]

Sermon: Enslaved to…? (Pt 3)

Enslaved To…?: Obedience in Light of God’s Grace (Pt. 3) Romans 6:15-19 March 18, 2018 One of the sad verses of the Bible is 2 Timothy 4:10 — “…Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica…” Like Lot who moved to Sodom and his wife who yearningly looked back at […]

Sermon: Enslaved to…? (Pt 2)

Enslaved To…?: Obedience in Light of God’s Grace (Pt. 2) Romans 6:15-19 March 11, 2018 One of the great lessons in life is learning appropriate submission to authorities over us. And we must not only submit to (in attitude), but also obey (in action) those who have authority over us. Children must obey parents: “Children, […]

Sermon: Enslaved to…? (Pt 1)

Enslaved To…?: Obedience in Light of God’s Grace (Pt. 1) Romans 6:15-19 March 4, 2018 When the word “slavery” is spoken, it inevitably produces a sense of shame, regret, and sorrow. We don’t have to have been slaves or slave owners to feel the pain that is in that word. And we are hardly the […]

Sermon: Since grace is grace (Pt 5)

“Since Grace is Grace…” Pt. 5 Romans 6:12-14 February 25, 2018 In his book Comrades, historian Stephen Ambrose writes about the nature of war: Combat requires all the nerves, all the physical attributes, every bit of the training. It is only in combat, nowhere else, where time is measured in other ways than by clocks […]

Our union with Christ

Our relationships will change us. If we are married, we are one with our spouses (Gen. 2:24) and through years together we increasingly become like one another — our life philosophies become unified, our desires become singular, our words and vocabularies mimic one another, and we become increasingly dependent on one another. What we were […]