Live by the Spirit by setting your mind on Christ

Romans 8 is one of the most beloved chapters in Scripture. It speaks of the believer’s responsibility and ability to mortify sin. It speaks of the believer’s adoption to become sons of God. It speaks of the coming liberation from the sufferings of this world. It speaks of the intercessory prayer of both the Spirit […]

Sermon: The Spirit, Sanctification, and Security

The Spirit, Sanctification, and Security Romans 8 May 5, 2019 When I go to the mountains, the last morning I am there I invariably go outside for one last round of pictures of those majestic hills. Then, as we leave the area — when my car is about to take me out of view of […]

Sermon: Suffering and the love of Christ

Suffering and the Love of Christ Romans 8:35-39 April 28, 2019 We have questions about love. We want to know what love will do. When we are in love (or think we are in love), we will ask questions like: Will the person I love return that love to me? Will the person I love […]

A biblical mandate for missions

Last year, our church elder board developed a policy for missions to determine what missions is and what kind of missionaries our church is committed to support and what our expectations are for ourselves and our missionaries in the missionary endeavor. The process was enlightening as we began to see the breadth of God’s passion […]

Reflections on my recent trip to Russia and Israel

Earlier this month I took a trip to Siberia and Israel to teach biblical counseling with Pastor Dan Kirk and Eric Mock (SGA). I have traveled with these men previously and was particularly anticipating returning to one location in Siberia where we taught two years ago. The goal of the trip was two-fold: Finish a […]

Sermon: Since Christ is Resurrected…

Since Christ is Resurrected… Romans 8:33-34 April 21, 2019 Sometimes, when you are given a good gift, you don’t realize just how good that gift is: The first time someone gave us fresh eggs, I thought, “that’s nice…I like eggs…” And then I tasted them. Wow…the difference was remarkable! When I transferred seminaries in […]

“It is Finished” — a word of victory

What follows is the manuscript of the devotional given at our Good Friday worship service this evening. “It is finished.” “I’m done.” “It’s over.” When we use those words and say something is finished, we might mean one of several different things: We might mean we have simply endured a process — e.g., “the house […]

Final Words

When I take a trip somewhere without my wife, Raye Jeanne, as I recently did, I will remind her of some household essentials — repairs to the house that I have made or need to make, the status of our bills and check book, and similar items. As I leave my home in the morning, […]

Sermon: Sing the Song of Security

Sing the Song of Security Romans 8:31-33 March 24, 2019 Most of us probably don’t feel as secure as we did a few years (or decades) ago. When I was 8-years-old my family lived just north of downtown Dallas (not a good neighborhood now, or then), and on a Saturday morning, I would tell my […]

Don’t I have a part in my salvation?

Several years ago when I began a sermon on the early part of Ephesians chapter one, I said something like, “This morning we want to talk about God’s work in salvation, specifically His election of sinners to salvation. And as I said the word ‘election,’ some of you instinctively bowed up and already feel resistant […]

Sermon: God’s Golden Chain of Salvation

God’s Golden Chain of Salvation Romans 8:29-30 March 17, 2019 D.A. Carson [The God Who is There] has noted that all men need salvation: We need to be reconciled to God We need to be morally transformed or we will continue to rebel against God again and again We need the effect of sin to […]

Sanctification and all things working together for good

“What good is it going to do, anyway?” is a common lament among many people: an elementary student who is frustrated by his attempts to hit a baseball and wants to stop going to practice a high school student who is resigned to not getting a needed score on her SAT to enable her to […]

Sermon: All Things for Good

All Things for Good: Trusting God and Sanctification Romans 8:28-29 March 10, 2019 In his book Rise and Shine, Chuck Swindoll recounts a significant event from the past century: When the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations was opened by Queen Victoria in 1851, people flocked to Hyde Park to behold […]

Sermon: Hope in God

Hope in God Psalm 42 March 3, 2019 John Bunyan is one of the most well-known believers in Christ. He wrote numerous books, including the still-in-print, Pilgrim’s Progress. A bold pastor in a difficult time in the church, he was imprisoned for 12 years for preaching the gospel, yet he did not always exude confidence […]

There’s no boasting in Heaven

It often first surfaces in the seemingly innocent words of a three-year-old venturing into unknown tasks — “I can do it!” the child adamantly asserts to his parent. Yet he likely cannot do it and he may even be endangering himself in his quest. Oh, that we learned to stop bragging after those first foolish […]