Sermon: Slavery, Wages, and Grace

Slavery, Wages, and Grace Romans 6:20-23 March 25, 2018 It started as a brief experiment on November 8, 2016. It was only going to last a few days. But those few days have now turned into a nearly 1-1/2 year event that Erik Hagerman calls his personal “blockade.” Upset over the results of the presidential […]

Sermon: Enslaved to…? (Pt 3)

Enslaved To…?: Obedience in Light of God’s Grace (Pt. 3) Romans 6:15-19 March 18, 2018 One of the sad verses of the Bible is 2 Timothy 4:10 — “…Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica…” Like Lot who moved to Sodom and his wife who yearningly looked back at […]

Sermon: Enslaved to…? (Pt 2)

Enslaved To…?: Obedience in Light of God’s Grace (Pt. 2) Romans 6:15-19 March 11, 2018 One of the great lessons in life is learning appropriate submission to authorities over us. And we must not only submit to (in attitude), but also obey (in action) those who have authority over us. Children must obey parents: “Children, […]

Sermon: Enslaved to…? (Pt 1)

Enslaved To…?: Obedience in Light of God’s Grace (Pt. 1) Romans 6:15-19 March 4, 2018 When the word “slavery” is spoken, it inevitably produces a sense of shame, regret, and sorrow. We don’t have to have been slaves or slave owners to feel the pain that is in that word. And we are hardly the […]

Sermon: Since grace is grace (Pt 5)

“Since Grace is Grace…” Pt. 5 Romans 6:12-14 February 25, 2018 In his book Comrades, historian Stephen Ambrose writes about the nature of war: Combat requires all the nerves, all the physical attributes, every bit of the training. It is only in combat, nowhere else, where time is measured in other ways than by clocks […]

Sermon: Since grace is grace (Pt 4)

“Since Grace is Grace…” Pt. 4 Romans 6:8-11 February 4, 2018 In her book, How Did I Get to Be Forty and Other Atrocities, Judith Viorst recounts her “Self-Improvement Program:” I’ve finished six pillows in Needlepoint, And I’m reading Jane Austen and Kant, And I’m up to the pork with black beans in Advanced Chinese […]

Sermon: Since grace is grace (Pt 3)

“Since Grace is Grace…” Pt. 3 Romans 6:6-7 January 28, 2018 In his tremendously helpful book, The Enemy Within, Kris Lundgaard writes this in the opening chapter, “Evil at My Elbow:” All I wanted to do was surprise my wife. Since we had moved into our new house almost a year ago, the refrigerator door […]

Sermon: Since grace is grace (Pt 2)

“Since Grace is Grace…” Pt. 2 Romans 6:3-5 January 21, 2018 Yesterday our family went to the Fort Worth Stock Show. We attempt to do that at least one day every year and yesterday was our day. Where we park, we always start with the animal barns. Though we didn’t do it completely yesterday, we […]

Sermon: Since grace is grace (Pt 1)

“Since Grace is Grace…” Pt. 1 Romans 6:1-2 January 14, 2018 Two years ago, the former director of Exodus International, a ministry designed to help people struggling with Same-Sex Attraction from a biblical perspective, said this about his understanding about sin: I think, as Christians, sin is irrelevant. I look at what Jesus did on […]

Sermon: Prayer and the Gospel

“Prayer and the Gospel” Ephesians 6:18-20 January 7, 2018 One of my annual goals is to read at least one book each year on evangelism. So this week I read Rico Tice’s book, Honest Evangelism: How to Talk About Jesus When It’s Tough. In his introduction he writes: I find evangelism hard. The problem with […]

Life’s Questions and God’s Word

“Life’s Questions and God’s Word” Psalm 119:81-88 December 31, 2017 It’s hard to think about Americans being persecuted for their faith for two reasons: While our country was founded largely for a pursuit of religious freedom, that very pursuit of religious freedom has largely kept believers from being persecuted for our faith since that time. […]

The Greatest Christmas Gift

“The Greatest Christmas Gift” John 6:37, 39 December 24, 2017 This might be the most extravagant, unexpected gift given this year. Two weeks ago a man walked into the “5 & Diner” restaurant in Scottsdale, AZ for a Saturday morning breakfast. He ordered an ordinary bacon and eggs breakfast with coffee. The bill came to […]

Sermon: The Story of Jesus

“The Story of Jesus” 1 Timothy 3:16 December 17, 2017 Christmas is full of surprises. But one of the surprises about Christmas in Scripture is the brevity of the NT narrative of Christ’s first advent. For instance, the four gospels tell the story of Jesus Christ, yet two of the four gospels do not mention […]

Sermon: Semper Reformanda

“Semper Reformanda: Always Needing Reformation” Romans 12:2 December 10, 2017 On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther posted 95 theses for theological debate in an effort to transform the Roman Catholic Church. He hardly anticipated when he posted and printed those 95 topics that he was lighting the fuse that would create the dynamic explosion that […]

Sermon: Sola Gratia

“Sola Gratia: a Pillar of the Reformation” Ephesians 2:8-10 November 19, 2017 In late November of 1988, a 19-year-old woman fell asleep while driving shortly after midnight on a Los Angeles freeway. The car went through a guard rail on an overpass. But the left rear wheel got trapped by that guard rail and left […]