A Good Friday Message

The Triumphant Submission of Christ Mark 14:35-36 April 2, 2021 Of all the things that we don’t like to do and all the things we don’t like to think about, the thing most people most recoil from is death. When I had been a pastor just a few months, Martin’s Funeral Home called me and […]

Sermon: An Acceptable Debt

An Acceptable DebtRomans 13:8-10March 28, 2021 What makes a church a church? Biblical preaching and teaching. Corporate worship (including baptism and communion). Purity of the gospel. Evangelistic proclamation. Generous fellowship. Sacrificial service. Church membership and church discipline. What makes Grace Bible Church Grace Bible Church? What sets us apart and makes us unique? What identifies […]

Five reasons to submit to government

Submission isn’t easy. It isn’t easy for children to submit to parents. Or students to teachers. Or slaves to masters (or employees to employers). Or wives to husbands. Or church members to elders. And it’s not easy for citizens to submit to governing authorities. In 2021, it seems especially true that it is hard for […]

Sermon: You and the Government, Pt. 3

You and the Government, Pt. 3 Romans 13:1-7 March 21, 2021 While there are probably as many different political opinions in this room as there are people, we can all agree that we live in complex and difficult days politically and socially. While there have always been debated issues on the political and social spectrum, […]

Sermon: You and the Government, Pt. 2

You and the Government, Pt. 2 Romans 13:1-7 March 14, 2021 Romans 13-2 Pt 2 ser Someone told me this week (and I have forgotten the details) that the first word spoken by their grandchild (I think that’s who it was) was — “thank you.” That’s not the expected answer. Commonly, the first word of […]

Sermon: You and the Government

You and the Government, Pt. 1 Romans 13:1-7 March 7, 2021 If you are a baseball fan, you know this face — one of the most successful managers in baseball history. If you are not a baseball fan, you might still recognize his name: Casey Stengel. Casey had an ability to say the right thing […]

The Government and You — Some Resources

As I have been preparing for preaching on Romans 13 and the role of government, I have read a number of books, articles, and pamphlets that have helped me think through how to faithfully interpret and apply that passage — and to be aware of how other passages on the topic of government complete our […]

Sermon: The Government and You, Pt 2

The Government and You, Pt. 2 Romans 13:1-7 February 28, 2021 For those of you who have been to my office, you might have noticed a bank of file cabinets outside my office. Those are my resource files — Bible books and topics. And I also have a large digital file on my computer. One […]

Do you remember?

Recently I heard a song that took me back to my childhood and beyond — the Statler Brother’s, “Do You Remember These?” Maybe you remember the song, or some of the allusions in the song — Saturday morning serials Chapters one through fifteen Fly paper, penny loafers, and lucky strike green Flat tops, sock hops, […]

When we sin in terrible ways

I did not know Ravi Zacharias. I certainly knew of him and I have a couple of his books on apologetics, though I never read them. I never attended a conference where he spoke, though I have had conversations with several people who were helped by his ministry of speaking and writing. I heard of […]

I’m thankful today

I’m thankful today. The weather is crazy. I’ve lost track of how many days it’s been since it’s been above freezing. In Texas. I was born in Winnipeg, MB (that’s Canada, for the unaware). The last year I lived there (1973-74), the first snowfall was the last week in October and the last snowfall was […]

Sermon: The Government and You

The Government and You Romans 13:1-7 (Pt. 1) February 14, 2021 A number of years ago, U.S. Rep. Jack Metcalf (WA), revealed that the US Forestry Service and a Washington State agency planned to spend $18,000 to dye rocks gray and brown along a scenic highway in the Cascade mountains, because the rocks in question […]

What is the Fear of God?

Many years ago I saw a new title by a favored author and I immediately purchased the book for two reasons: one, I always benefited from all that author’s writings, and two, the book was on the topic of the fear of God, something I had struggled to comprehend as a believer. So with anticipation […]

Sermon: Preserving Unity, Building the Body

Preserving Unity, Building the Body Ephesians 4:11-13 February 7, 2021 Ted was discouraged. He had written what he thought was a pretty entertaining children’s book. But it had been rejected by multiple publishers — 27, in fact. He had just decided to go home and burn the manuscript to the book when he ran into […]

I went on vacation

Sunday evening Raye Jeanne and I returned from the longest vacation we have taken in years, if not ever. We were gone for 17 days. It was more vacation than we took in all of 2020. And in the week that I have been back in the office, I’ve come to two conclusions: One. Vacation […]