Why a study of God’s attributes is important

We are now three sermons into a series on the attributes of God. Why study about God? Why spend 45 minutes each Sunday just thinking about one aspect of God’s character? Is there really that much that is important that can be said about God? In the past week, I’ve come across two statements that […]

Sunday Leftovers (8/17/08)

Two quotes about God’s immutability that didn’t make it into the sermon yesterday: “One of two things causes a man to change his mind and reverse his plans: want of foresight to anticipate everything, or lack of foresight to execute them. But as God is both omniscient and omnipotent there is never any need for […]

Sunday Leftovers (8/10/08)

There is a malady in America that has been labeled by at least one epidemiologist as “John Henry-ism.” The so-called disease refers to the eponymous folk hero who in an original “man vs. machine” contest, worked himself to death driving railroad spikes more rapidly than a steam-driven hammer. He won but he lost. He proved […]

Idolatry and minimizing God

I came across this statement about idolatry in preparing for my sermon Sunday. I will not have the time to develop this idea, but thought it worthwhile, in assessing what happens when we construct and worship idols in our hearts instead of God. Read carefully: All idolatry, whether ancient or modern, primitive or sophisticated, is […]

Sunday Leftovers (8/3/08)

The eternality of God is one of the (many) truths about God that is incomprehensible to God. Oh, we can understand the words and concepts, but the actuality of the truth is beyond our ability to digest. Thinking about Moses’ psalm, A. W. Tozer wrote this, “‘From everlasting to everlasting, thou art God,’ said Moses […]

I am a disciple of Jesus Christ

I am a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been cast, I’ve stepped over the line; the decision has been made; I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I will not look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still. My past is redeemed; my present makes sense; my […]

Sunday Leftovers (7/27/08)

One of the reasons there is so much confusion about the gospel is that we have misunderstood and misapplied the intent of the gospel. We (in the American church at large) have come to believe that the gospel is all about a decision instead of a lifestyle. Our efforts are predominantly decision-oriented. We encourage people […]

Sunday Leftovers (7/20/08)

When Jesus said to Mary, “Go to My brothers…” He was saying something not only about His relationship with them, but about their relationship with each other. [Side note: that Jesus was talking not about his biological half-brothers but about His disciples is clear from the fact that Mary went to the disciples.] As they […]

Sunday Leftovers (7/13/08)

The seven statements of Christ from the cross serve as a reminder not only of what is important to Christ as He contemplates and evaluates the cross, but they also serve as an anchor for our faith, directing us to the truths to which we must hold fast in defending that faith. For instance, the […]

Sunday Leftovers (7/6/08)

Yesterday I was attempting to make the point that our understanding of the weight and significance of our own sin is immeasurably weak. In a sermon recently preached at Resolved, John Piper expands that idea by illustrating how the weakness and frailty of the physical creation is designed to demonstrate to us the horror of […]

Sunday Leftovers (6/29/08)

It’s easy and tempting to read the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector and presume that I am safe from self-righteousness and that the account is given for someone unlike me. In truth, all men tend towards self-righteousness (it’s called “pride,” in its most basic form). And that tendency is dangerous. Self-righteous people […]

Sunday Leftovers (6/22/08)

It is not unusual for me to leave out things from a sermon that I had originally intended to say. It is unusual that I intentionally leave out as much as I did Sunday. I not only left out a complete point, accounting for a full page of notes (out of about 3-1/2 pages total), […]

Sunday Leftovers (6/15/08)

Galatians says much about the Fatherhood of God, but not everything. One more truth that is found elsewhere is this: God loves and is (and always will be) “well-pleased” with His Son (2 Pt. 1:17); we are in His Son (Eph. 1:17; Col. 2:20) — therefore He loves us with a Son-like love! The pleasure […]

Sunday Leftovers (6/8/08)

Why is substitutionary atonement so important? Two reasons — one theological and one applicational. For the first, J. I. Packer offers a summary definition of the atonement in his article, “Sola Fide: the Reformed Doctrine of Justification”: This is the characteristic doctrine of the Reformation concerning the death of Christ. It was an act of […]

Sunday Leftovers (6/1/08)

Communion is remembrance and celebration not only of what Christ has accomplished already at the cross, but also an anticipation of what will yet be fulfilled completely. Thinking about the themes concerning the cross we have already talked about the last several weeks, that means: we recall His work of salvation and anticipate salvation from […]