Sermon: The Believer’s Great Longing

The Believer’s Great Longing Romans 8:22-25 December 9, 2018 Life is difficult. But you don’t need me to tell you that to know that it is true, do you? And suffering has always been the way of living in this world — especially for believers. One historian says this about the early church: Every Christian […]

Sermon: What in the World is Going on with the World?

What in the World is Going on with the World? Romans 8:19-21 November 25, 2018 It’s quite a world in which we live, isn’t it? Everywhere you look, there seem to be problems. I’m not talking about the problems from people who sin against us, or the problems that come from corrupt and ungodly legislation […]

Thankfulness — they said it better than me

Do you have trouble cultivating a heart of gratitude this week of Thanksgiving? Perhaps you are discouraged by your circumstances, despairing of some relationship, struggling with some sin, or just simply tired. It seems like others have many things for which they can be thankful, but you have few or even no reasons for gratitude. […]

Sermon: Today’s Sufferings, Tomorrow’s Joys

Today’s Sufferings, Tomorrow’s Joys Romans 8:17-18 November 18, 2018 This coming week we will celebrate Thanksgiving. But those who are suffering often find it difficult to be thankful in the midst of their suffering. There may be turkey, dressing, and pecan pie on the table, but there is resentment, anger, hostility, and ingratitude in the […]

How great the Father’s love

In what almost seems to be a passing comment at first, Paul tells the Romans that if they are mortifying sins by the power of the Spirit of God (Rom. 8:13), it indicates that they are being led (controlled and indwelt) by the Spirit and since the Spirit only indwells believers, then they “are sons […]

Sermon: Sons of God

Sons of God Romans 8:14-17 October 28, 2018 Many children, if not all children, at some point will ask their parents, “Am I adopted?” They want to know their place in the family. They want to know if there is a biological connection between their parents and them. They ask the question out of a […]

Prayer and temptation

I’ve been to the Grand Canyon once. I was in my early 20s and was just there for one afternoon while on a cross-country trip. Because I wasn’t sure when or if I would ever return, I took many pictures. But I wanted only the pure beauty of the canyon; I didn’t want man-made objects […]

Help for mortifying the flesh

This morning I finished preaching a brief series on the mortification of the flesh (Rom. 8:12-13 and Col. 3:1-17). Fighting against remaining sin is the greatest difficulty in the believer’s life and the greatest opportunity to experience the sufficient power of Christ and the Spirit. As I have studied and thought about this topic over […]

BCDC Teaching Notes

Yesterday concluded the second weekend of our Biblical Counseling and Discipleship Conference (BCDC). This year, in addition to the basic training track (the first step in ACBC certification), we are also providing the teaching for specialization in marriage and family counseling and reconciliation counseling. I taught in both tracks and am happy to provide my […]

Sermon: Life Against the Flesh (Pt 4)

Life in the Spirit, Life Against the Flesh (Pt. 4) Colossians 3:10-17 October 21, 2018 How can one become good? Only by God’s transforming work — which is what Colossians 3 has said — 3:1 — “you have been raised up” (i.e., God raised you) 3:3 — “your life is hidden with Christ” 3:4 — […]

Beware of the seasons of temptation

Every believer in Christ has been freed from the domain of Adam and placed in Christ, meaning that sin is no longer his master. Sin no longer controls him; Christ controls him. Jesus is his master. He no longer gives his allegiance to sin. Yet he still has capacity to sin. He still on occasion […]

Sermon: Life Against the Flesh (Pt 3)

Life in the Spirit, Life Against the Flesh (Pt 3) Colossians 3:1-9 October 14, 2018 Several years after inventing the radar, Sir Robert Watson Watt was arrested in Canada for speeding. He’d been caught, ironically enough, by a radar trap. To commemorate this infamous event in his life, he wrote a brief poem about himself: […]

Sermon: Life Against the Flesh (Pt 2)

Life in the Spirit, Life Against the Flesh (Pt 2) Colossians 3:1-17 October 7 2018 “In April, 1983, Robert Vierling of Winchester, Missouri was found in his bed, crushed to death by his sixteen-foot, one hundred pound, pet Burmese python. Vierling’s wife said he had complete trust in the snake and often played with it […]

Sermon: Life Against the Flesh

Life in the Spirit, Life Against the Flesh Romans 8:12-13 September 30, 2018 One of the hardest parts of the spiritual life is dealing with the daily reality that we are in a fight. Spiritual maturity does not come easily. Sin rarely waves the white flag of surrender. The flesh often proposes a truce with […]

Sermon: Life in the Spirit, Pt 2

Life in the Spirit, Pt. 2 Romans 8:9-11 September 23, 2018 A couple of years ago a Great Dane was brought into the DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital in Portland, Oregon because the dog had been retching and vomiting all through the day. The doctors examined the dog with abdominal radiographs and found “a severely distended […]