Every sin is worthy of the infinite wrath of God. The appropriate, rightly deserved consequence of all sin (and every sin) is God’s judgment and condemnation (Rom. 6:23). Every sin is worthy of God’s wrath because every sin is an affront to the glory of God and fails to achieve the glory of God (Rom. […]
Read More Some sins are worse than othersWednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from A Body of Divinity. All God’s attributes are in unity, and are the same with his essence. Though he has several attributes whereby he is made known to us—yet he has but one essence. […]
Read More The justice of God“God’s Judgments and God’s Faithfulness” Pt. 2 Romans 3:1-8 July 10, 2016 A few weeks ago, a woman took the book Myths and Legends of Maoriland back to her Auckland, New Zealand library. It was a little late and she was concerned about the potential fine. Actually, it was checked out in 1948, making it […]
Read More Sermon: God’s Judgments and God’s Faithfulness, Pt. 2“God’s Judgments and God’s Faithfulness” Pt. 1 Romans 3:1-8 July 3, 2016 Life is filled with perplexing questions — What color is a chameleon on a mirror? Where does weight go when you lose it? Why are Chinese fortune cookies written in English? Why is abbreviated such a long word? Is there another word for […]
Read More Sermon: God’s Judgments and God’s Faithfulness, Pt. 1“Rituals, Religion, and Transformed Hearts” Romans 2:25-29 June 12, 2016 A few months ago a sealed leather trunk that had been stored in a museum in the Netherlands was opened and what the researchers found was astounding — 2600 undelivered letters, perfectly preserved from the 17th century. About 600 of those letters were never opened; […]
Read More Sermon: Rituals, Religion, and Transformed Hearts“Remember Your Sin…And Christ’s Work” Ephesians 2:11-13 May 29, 2016 Many years ago I called a friend and when he answered his cell phone, he was noticeably quiet and subdued. So I asked him, “Are you ok?” “Yeah — I’m in D.C. on a business trip this week and I’m at the Vietnam Memorial, and […]
Read More Sermon: Remember Your Sin…And Christ’s Work“Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy: Why Practicing What You Preach Matters” Romans 2:17-24 May 22, 2016 A few years ago, Washington state Representative, Jack Metcalf revealed that the U.S. Forestry Service and a Washington state agency were working together to spend $18,000 to dye rocks on a scenic route to the Cascade Mountains brown and gray. It […]
Read More Sermon: Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy – Why Practicing What You Preach Matters“The Conscience: What It Is and How to Help It” Pt. 2 Selected Scriptures May 15, 2016 Jerry White provides a picture of how most people think about the conscience: Willie, in the comic strip Moon Mullins, is slumped in a chair in front of a TV set, coffee cup resting on his pot belly. […]
Read More Sermon: The Conscience – What It Is and How to Help It, Pt. 2“The Conscience: What It Is and How to Help It” Selected Scriptures May 8, 2016 In 2007, a 44-year-old Frenchman — happily married with two children and a white-collar job — went to a hospital in Marseille complaining of some mild weakness in his left leg. The ailment in his leg was remedied fairly quickly. […]
Read More Sermon: The Conscience – What It Is and How to Help It“Is God Fair?” Pt. 2 Romans 2:12-16 April 17, 2016 When I was in seminary, the professor for an introductory missions class had the same assignment for his students every year. They were to write a short paper answering the question: “will the heathen who have never heard and responded in faith to the gospel […]
Read More Sermon: Is God Fair? Pt. 2“Is God Fair?” Pt. 1 Romans 2:12-16 April 10, 2016 We love children and we love the things children say and do. Let’s face it — they’re cute and the things they do are cute. Like the little girl, who when she was told by her parents, “I love you,” regularly responded, “I love me, […]
Read More Sermon: Is God Fair?“A Day of Reckoning” Pt. 2 Romans 2:8-9, 11 April 3, 2016 There are many misconceptions about God, Christ, the Bible, the cross, the resurrection, and many other biblical doctrines. But perhaps the most dangerous truth to misunderstand is the truth about Hell and God’s coming judgment. Inaccuracies and vagueness about Hell are prolific. Consider […]
Read More Sermon: A Day of Reckoning, Pt. 2“A Day of Reckoning” Pt. 1 Romans 2:6-7, 10 March 20, 2016 Annie Dillard, in her book, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, writes: “A couple summers ago I was walking along the edge of the island to see what I could see in the water, and mainly to scare frogs.…At the end of the island I […]
Read More Sermon: A Day of Reckoning“God’s Day of Wrath” Romans 2:5 March 6, 2016 We like to celebrate special days and holidays. So each week we remember the work of Christ for us on Sunday. And of course in a few weeks there is Easter and we just finished Christmas. And we also like a few lesser known holidays, like […]
Read More Sermon: God’s Day of Wrath“The Reality of God’s Judgment” Romans 2:1-4 February 28, 2016 Just about the only time people enjoy hearing about the judgment of God is when it is spoken against. The world mocks and hates the judgment of God because it cannot bear the thought of it being real. And many believers don’t like to talk […]
Read More Sermon: The Reality of God’s Judgment
Words of Grace 