A word to parents

If you’ve been a parent for a while one of two things is likely true — either you are confident in your role, knowing exactly what you need to do, or you have become thoroughly confused and you feel clueless. You may be like the dad who said, “Before I had children I had three […]

Something for every person

You have been a Christian for years. Ministry seemed intimidating at first, but you’ve been involved in your church for a number of years, you’ve volunteered in some civic organizations, and you have a fairly clear perspective on your spiritual giftedness and effectiveness. Ministry is much more natural now. Yet, while the patterns of life […]

Mark Talbot preaching on suffering

I have not yet listened to these messages given by Mark Talbot on suffering at the B. B. Warfield Memorial Lectures, but if they are anything like the message he gave at the Desiring God conference several years ago, this will be well worth hearing. (His message “Redemptive Curveballs,” given at Wheaton College is also […]

Two thoughts while reading Chronicles

This morning I began reading the two books of the Chronicles again. When reading these books, it’s easy to have your eyes become glassy and your mind distracted as you read name after name of unknown people. How can I read these verses in fresh ways so that the Lord uses this morning in redemptive […]

Truths to believe when suffering

We are more inclined to believe and enjoy and be satisfied with God’s sovereignty when we are in favorable circumstances. But what about when circumstances seem to be against us, when we are in difficulty, suffering, and even persecution? What then? What will we believe and cling to then? What will be our joy then? […]

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 […]

Life under the sun

Solomon found life under the sun to be vanity. The pursuit of all the attractions of the world was empty and void of any sustaining meaning and hope. But all those activities found empty by Solomon are infused with meaning and fulfillment as they are redeemed by Christ. The believer in Christ finds them […]

Re-thinking forgiveness

For a word that is so deeply biblical, there is far too much unbiblical thinking and talking being done about forgiveness. And it is not only unbelievers who are communicating poorly about this rich truth. Believers also seem confused about the nature of forgiveness. This morning I came across two articles that address the topic […]

New sermon series

Having just finished the book of Ephesians last Sunday, I am being asked pretty regularly these days, “what are you preaching next?” I have several topical series in mind that I’d like to do soon, along with a couple of book studies (Titus probably later this year followed by Hebrews and/or 1 John). But next […]

Do we pray? Let us pray.

On Sunday morning, I said something like, “Our tendency is to talk about prayer, admit our weakness in prayer, accumulate prayer requests, and then not pray. (It’s doubtful any believer would disagree with that statement of our practice, including me.) It’s time to stop talking about praying and time to start praying.” Then yesterday I read […]

The gospel and spiritual depression‬‏

Years ago, I came across the phrase, “the gospel is for every day.” That is, the gospel continues to have implications for the believer in Christ not only on the day of his conversion, but every day of his life. The gospel is the way we live. Each day we breath out confession and breath […]

Favorite commentaries on Ephesians

This morning I preached my last sermon in the series on Ephesians. Last week I put away the 75 file folders of sermons covering this series. Next week I will attempt to put my commentaries back on my shelves in their rightful place. (When I am preaching through a book, I pull all the commentaries […]

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 […]

Journal of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood

The new edition of The Journal of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood is now available online. Among the articles that look particularly interesting in this issue is one by Josh Harris, “A Word to Husbands (And a Few More for Wives): 1 Peter 3:1-7,” and reviews of books written by John Piper, Mary Kassian, and Richard […]

I’m going to play golf…

Years ago I went to visit a couple that had visited our church. They had recently moved to our community but their previous church experience was in a church with a very similar doctrinal position and philosophy of ministry as our own. I was encouraged that they might be a good match for our ministry. […]