How far will you go in your battle against sin and pride?

Jesus said, “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire. If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it […]

He did not answer

Several times the Scriptures point to the silence of Christ during His trial. The prophet Isaiah said it would be this way: “Like a lamb that is lead to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth” (53:7). It was indeed that way, as Matthew […]

What disobedience ultimately is

What is disobedience? Ask any child or teen and you will likely get a response something like, “not doing what I was told to do.” That answer is not significantly different from what most adults might say — “disobedience is a failure to do something commanded by a superior or authority figure in one’s life.” […]

How much sin is too much for Christ to forgive?

Even a few minutes of honest reflection and self-examination will convict a man of a vast expanse of sin in his life. Even a redeemed individual will see regular influence of the flesh and ungodly desires in the actions of his life and motives. Sometimes glimpses into the darkness of the soul will leave one […]

The Easter story

One of the things I have done intermittently for many years is to read chronologically through the events of the Passion week. The goal is to contemplate and meditate on the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ and anticipate the celebratory worship of Easter morning. One way you can do that is to purchase a Harmony […]

Three more sentences

Three sentences that were in my notes, but did not make it to my sermon on Sunday — A dead conscience and a misinformed mind is the result of failing to act on truth that has been heard and understood. There is probably no better barometer of our spiritual condition than how we handle the […]

Sunday Leftovers (3/28/10)

It is tempting to look at the crucifixion of Christ simply as the result of the unchecked sin of unredeemed men and the unbelief of the nation of Israel. Considering only the responses of the crowds can lead one to think, “well, if they had believed, then this would never have happened — Christ would […]

It is good for you…

Suffering appears in many different forms. As many different lives as there are, so there are that many different kinds and degrees of suffering. One thing we might be assured of, however. Every person will experience some measure of suffering in life. For the believer, the suffering is an examination to see if he will […]

Talk to yourself

My children somewhat regularly catch me talking to myself — “what did you say, Dad?” “Huh? Oh, nothing. I’m just talking to myself…” And even if it is not audible, everyone engages in much self-talk each day. In fact, the theologian you consult on the most regular basis is almost certainly yourself. For you listen […]

Deuteronomy and Ephesians

In the first three chapters of Ephesians, there is only one imperative — only one command by God for the Ephesians to obey. The command is in 2:11 — “remember.” Specifically, these believers were to remember their position prior to salvation — separate from Christ, excluded from Israel, strangers to the promise God made with […]

Reading Deuteronomy

We have just begun reading the book of Deuteronomy in our annual Bible reading plan. This final book by Moses is written as a second giving of the Law (the word “Deuteronomy” means “second law”). So it is a book of reminders. As such, it summarizes the previous books of the Pentateuch. It reminds the […]

Our duty and privilege

Echoing the thoughts of the privilege of ministry and service from last Sunday are two comments from pastors from other centuries: If anyone, therefore, appears before you who is in need of your kind services, you have no reason to refuse him your help. Suppose he is a stranger; yet the Lord has pressed his […]

Comfort the afflicted

Still mulling over yesterday’s sermon on the privilege of ministering the Word of God to people’s lives. This benediction by Jeremy Taylor was one I intended to include, but simply overlooked in my notes. He is right about the importance of encouragement and what it looks like when he says, Relieve and comfort all the […]

Sunday Leftovers (3/21/10)

The concepts of encouragement and admonishing are related, but different. Those who are discouraged and those who need admonishing both need to hear the Word of God. They both need the truth spoken into their lives, though for different reasons. Those who are discouraged need to hear a message that might embolden them and give […]

Pondering David and Paul, pride and hope

Pride is sneaky and subtle. When a man is humbled and broken, pride raises a small voice that whispers, “you are doing well to be so humbled. How good you are…” When a heart is weak, pride suggests, “You are strong and able…” When an obvious grace from God has been received, pride ponders, “how […]