A few verses on the sacrifice of Christ

Here is the list of verses that I came up with from the Gospels that either directly stated or implied the sacrificial work of Christ (these are the verses that were the foundation for yesterday’s message): Matthew 16:21ff Matthew 17:9-12 Matthew 26:26-29 Luke 2:34-35 Luke 17:31 Luke 22:37 Luke 23:15 Luke 23:28 Luke 24:6ff, 26ff […]

Sunday Leftovers (5/4/08)

Since I didn’t quite finish my sermon, here are a couple of thoughts that remain in my mind from this great passage: What is interesting to note is that not only does the NT picture Christ as the lamb sacrificed, but also as the priest who offers Himself as that sacrifice (Heb. 9:10ff). It is […]

Sunday Leftovers (4/27/08)

As I mentioned in my message, I have long been struck by the repeated emphasis on the necessity of Christ’s death. He had to go to the cross. It was not optional. Why is it important to stress the necessity of the cross? Because there is a connection between what we believe about the cross […]

Solus Christus Audio

The audio from the Solus Christus conference held at Countryside Bible Church last weekend is now online. Here are the links to the various sermons: Christ: Our Only Mediator (Al Mohler) Christ: Our Only Righteousness (Tom Pennington) Christ: Our Only Advocate (Phil Johnson) A Tale of Two Covenants (Phil Johnson) Christ Alone: The Heart of […]

Book Review: The Cross He Bore

I regularly look for and purchase and read books about Jesus Christ — and particularly Christ and the cross. The cross is of first importance for the believer. We cannot think about it too much. We often think about it too little. So when I read an encouragement by Tim Challies to purchase The Cross […]

What are you giving up for Lent?

As today is Ash Wednesday, this is a common question — “what are you giving up for Lent?” I’ve heard a variety of answers — from the sublime to the ridiculous (but mostly ridiculous) — cole slaw, eye-liner, premarital sex with a fiancé, running yellow lights among them. Even giving up Lent. Hmmm. I am […]

The sacrifice of Christ

I was introduced to the poetry of George Herbert 25 years ago in a college literature class. In fact, I had to purchase a textbook comprised almost entirely of his poetry. I didn’t have an appreciation for his writing at the time — even after reading a significant amount from that book. Now I do. […]

The great "I am" and a correction

Tozer said it well when he wrote the following in The Pursuit of God: There must be somewhere a fixed center against which everything else is measured, where the law of relativity does not enter and we can say “IS” and make no allowances. Such a center is God. When God would make His Name […]

Sunday Leftovers (1/27/08)

The gospel of John was written to introduce the readers to Christ in such a way that they would be stimulated to believe Him. John accomplishes this through the seven-fold declaration of Christ’s “I am’s,” through the seven miracles of Christ, and even through the very names that John uses to refer to Christ. Each […]

A new blog of interest

Bible.org has a wealth of exceedingly helpful Bible study tools. They have also begun posting a number of blogs, and this week initiated another one that looks to be helpful — Primetime Jesus . The intent of the blog is to “,” and to that end, they are employing the services of a number of […]

Sunday Leftovers (1/6/08)

The triumphal entry of Christ prior to His crucifixion testifies to His Messiahship and Kingship, and prefigures His victory at the cross. What is not understood by the massive crowds and even the disciples that day was the significance of the triumphant Christ. He came as Messiah. He came as the One appointed by God […]

Sunday Leftovers (10/28/07)

In today’s passage, Jesus refers to two familiar figures of speech to explain who He is — I am the door of the sheep (vv, 7, 9) I am the good shepherd (vv. 11, 14) Jesus and the rest of Scripture frequently use such images to help us understand the character of God and His […]

Sunday Leftovers (9/16/07)

The heart of pride is not only the exaltation of self, but even more tragically, it is the diminishing of God. As Thomas Watson has noted, “pride is the greatest sacrilege; it robs God of his glory.” Every prideful act is a defiant gesture of the inadequacy of God, and the self-exaltation of self. This […]

Sunday Leftovers (9/9/07)

The story of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery (John 7:53 – 8:11) is fundamentally not about the woman, not about her sin, and not about the scribes or Pharisees. It’s not even really about judgmentalism. It is about Jesus Christ. And specifically, it is about how Christ is the bridge between the Law […]

Sunday Leftovers (4/8/07)

The life of Christ has been called “The greatest story ever told,” and the resurrection has been called “The greatest event in history” and “The key to everything.” All those statements are not only true, they are crucial. Christianity hangs on the validity of the resurrection, as Paul notes in 1 Corinthians 15. It is […]