Sunday Leftovers (8/8/10)

A couple decades ago, Yogi Berra had opportunity to attend a White House dinner. After the event he was asked about the experience, and he replied: “It was hard to have a conversation, there were so many people talking.” Indeed. Yet he was right — for where there is an abundance of words, there is […]

Sunday Leftovers (8/1/10)

A letter to Dear Abby a number of years ago reveals the heart of what many believe about giving: Is it considered proper to make change from the offering plate when it’s passed at church? A member of our family says it’s not OK. I say, it’s better than not putting anything in. Your opinion […]

Sunday Leftovers (7/25/10)

There is a kind of anger that is righteous. We know that because God is wrathful and Jesus demonstrated anger during His time on earth. It is also quite evident that virtually all human anger is unrighteous — and even when it is righteous initially, it tends towards unrighteousness over time. And that is why […]

Sunday Leftovers (7/18/10)

Human anger is almost always portrayed in Scripture to be something unwise, foolish and ungodly. And even when men exhibit genuinely righteous anger, it is always prone to degrading into ungodly, unrighteous anger. A few observations about anger from Scripture: Anger, like every sin, is the result of allowing the flesh to rule one’s mind […]

Sunday Leftovers (7/11/10)

There is no place for lying in the life of the believer because there is no place for lying in God. It is not necessary for God to lie (Num. 23:19), and it is impossible for God to lie (Tt. 1:2; Heb. 6:18). There is nothing in God that is ever attracted to any form […]

Some particularly helpful resources in the battle against sin

This morning in the sermon notes, I had a fairly lengthy list of resources — books, audio, and articles — that I believe will be helpful encouragements in your battle against sin. I had intended to make a couple of comments about those resources, and simply forgot to do so (which is happening more frequently […]

Sunday Leftovers (6/20/10)

Since it is true that God has provided in our salvation all that we need to live godly, and since it is true that sin is no longer our master, and since it is true that we have been liberated from the power of sin, then why do so many believers struggle with sin? Why […]

Sunday Leftovers (6/13/10)

It is an unfortunate reality that it is possible to be regular in reading the Scriptures and being exposed to Biblical teaching and preaching and yet remain unchanged. The hymn writer said that we are “prone to wander…prone to leave the God I love?” Why is that so? A number of possibilities exist: We substitute […]

Sunday Leftovers (6/6/10)

Worldliness is not a battle that is unique only to the contemporary church. Every church in every age has faced the temptation to accommodate the world. As one example, take a letter written by John Newton to another pastor — …the progress of wickedness amongst the unconverted here is awful. Convictions repeatedly stifled in many, […]

Sunday Leftovers (5/30/10)

Thinking a little more about worldviews and the world system and the way unbelievers think… It might seem daunting at times to try and sort out what others think about life and the world — what are the core values that drive that individual? James Sire has formulated a series of seven questions that help […]

Sunday Leftovers (5/23/10)

Simon Stylites was a man who took seriously the call to holiness and the command to live distinctly from the world. But you have to wonder if he really understood. After several other attempts to distance himself from worldly desires, he developed a plan that he followed for the final 39 years of his life. […]

Sunday Leftovers (5/9/10)

Writing of the importance of the home and in particular, the mother’s role in the home, John MacArthur has said this The family might survive the problems with children and husband-fathers if the women who are wives and mothers were faithful to their godly calling. Their influence is so strong and pervasive in the home […]

Sunday Leftovers (5/2/10)

Who has influenced you for the cause of Jesus Christ? Who has been a dominant, guiding influence in the progress of your faith? The list is invariably substantial (and my best guess is that in heaven when our eyes are opened to the vastness of the expanse of God’s grace, the list will be greater […]

Sunday Leftovers (4/25/10)

Ministry is often perceived to be for “ministers” only — for pastors. Individuals in the church might “help” or “serve,” but real ministry is for the paid “professionals,” the thinking goes. Yet as Ephesians 4 demonstrates, ministry is for everyone. At GBC, one of the core values that we affirm and encourage is “every member […]

Sunday Leftovers (4/18/10)

My first semester of seminary, I took a church history course that was taught by a gentle-looking, long-tenured, dry-speaking professor who appeared to be on the cusp of retirement. The required text was as plain, unassuming and dry as the professor. It wasn’t long before I was lost in an avalanche of dates, names, and […]