Sunday Leftovers – Relationships According to Proverbs

We are to do everything humanly possible to be at peace with all men (Rom. 12:18). Yet harmony in human relationships cannot always be accomplished. Elizabeth Barrett was an accomplished writer and poet, yet her marriage with Robert Browning caused an irreconcilable rift with her parents. As he did with all his children who married, […]

Sunday Leftovers (10/2/11) — Relationships

Fifty years ago, Sam Rayburn was in his 17th year as the Speaker of the House when he discovered that he had terminal pancreatic cancer. He then surprised everyone by announcing that he was leaving Washington D.C. to return to his hometown, Bonham, Texas. Why would someone leave Washington with its fine hospitals for a […]

Sunday Leftovers (9/18/11)

As I mentioned in my sermon yesterday, it is far more important why we pray than what we pray. In general, our attitude in prayer is more critical than the mechanics of our prayer. Yet there are also some “mechanical” things we can do to help our prayer life — a consideration of time, location, […]

Sunday Leftovers (9/11/11)

From Thomas Watson, The Godly Man’s Picture, who reiterates some of the same principles of how to read the Scriptures that we spoke of this morning: A godly man shows his love to the Word written: (i) By diligently reading it. The noble Bereans “searched the Scriptures daily” (Acts 17:11). Apollos was mighty in the […]

Sunday Leftovers (9/4/11)

It won’t substitute for a trip to the doctor’s office. And it usually isn’t adequate for an employee review. And a building inspector certainly won’t allow it. But for the believer, self-examination is not only allowed, but it is commanded. A believer is called to examine his salvation — is he genuinely saved (2 Cor. […]

Sunday Leftovers (8/28/11)

Looking back her tennis career and all the fame that came with her 146 victories, Chris Evert Lloyd said one day, “We get into a rut. We play tennis, we go to a movie, we watch TV, but I keep saying [to my husband], ‘John, there has to be more…’” The good news is, there […]

Sunday Leftovers (8/7/11) – Sanctification

When communicating the gospel to unbelievers, it is tempting to make conversion the end of the conversation. That is, it is possible to be so concerned about the salvation of the individual that we ignore what happens to the convert after his salvation decision. But God cares about what happens to us after our salvation. […]

Sunday Leftovers (7/31/11)

In his book Licensed to Kill (a book about the mortification of sin), author Brian Hedges notes: One of the reasons some people fail to benefit from their study of Scripture is that they interpret it in gospel-ignoring, Christ-neglecting ways. Too many never overcome sin because they never benefit from the Bible because they have […]

Sunday Leftovers (7/24/11)

Sin is evil. And temptation is the tool Satan uses to draw individuals into sin so that they are destroyed by it. He seeks to deceive and delude unbelievers so that they are prevented from seeing the light of the gospel. And he seeks to devour believers as their adversary. There is nothing inherently good […]

Sunday Leftovers (7/10/11)

One writer has observed about the tendency not only of our culture but even believers, “We are willing to worship God only if God makes us safe. Thus you get the silly question, ‘How does a good God let bad things happen to good people?’” Too many want God only for the safety and comfort […]

Sunday Leftovers (7/3/11)

Ask someone what some of the main themes of Ephesians are, and you will likely receive answers like salvation, family, how to relate to others, the church, spiritual armor and warfare, and theology. But it’s unlikely that you’ll hear the answer, “love.” Yet love is a dominant theme in this letter. The word “love” appears […]

Sunday Leftovers (6/26/11)

Tychicus was a faithful servant (lit., “deacon”). Don’t read over those words too quickly, assuming that it is a standard and ordinary commendation for a friend. Only two men in the NT receive this commendation, or the similar “faithful slave” — Tychicus (Eph. 6:21; Col. 4:7) and Epaphras (Col. 1:7). This, then, is a remarkable […]

Sunday Leftovers (6/5/11)

A Christian in ancient Rome was being pursued by a lion. He ran through the city streets and into the woods, dodging back and forth among the trees. Finally it became obvious that it was hopeless. The lion was going to catch him. So he turned suddenly, faced the beast, and dropped to his knees. […]

Sunday Leftovers (5/29/11)

When attacked by Satan, we will be tempted to give up on God’s promises. Those realities that we know and have experienced about the sufficiency and ability of God will seem distant to us when the burdens of life are close. So in our hearts we will question God (though we likely would not do […]

Sunday Leftovers (5/22/11)

Somewhere around the end of my junior year in college, a buddy and I decided to take a camping trip. Living in the Southeast at the time, we decided to spend about a week in the Great Smokey Mountains — a decision that proved to be an excellent choice. What proved not to be such […]