Living in uncertain times

This morning I glanced at the headlines of the newspaper and commented to my wife, “The Lord must certainly be coming back soon.” It wasn’t just the headline about China’s financial troubles and the resulting uncertainties in our stock market that triggered that comment. It was also the moral chaos that we have seen unfolding […]

That we may at last come to enjoy God

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from A Body of Divinity. Let this be a spur to duty. How diligent and zealous should we be in glorifying God, that we may come at last to enjoy him! If Tully, Demosthenes, and […]

The biblical basis for God’s wrath

There are several common objections to the wrath of God: The wrath of God is inconsistent with God’s love The wrath of God is inconsistent with God’s forgiveness The wrath of God is unfair/unjust The wrath of God isn’t taught in the New Testament Yet Scripture consistently affirms that both the Old Testament and the […]

Sermon: The Wrath of God

“The Wrath of God” Romans 1:18 August 23, 2015 It was spring of my sophomore year in college (in Jacksonville, FL) and I had a bad case of spring fever. A group of friends was headed to the beach on one particular day, and I had a dilemma — “beach or class?” Sand and surf […]

Meditation is not memory or study

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from The Christian on the Mount. The memory, a glorious faculty that Aristotle calls the soul’s scribe, sits and pens all things that are done. Whatever we read or hear, the memory registers. Therefore, God […]

Sermon: The Greatness of the Gospel (Pt. 2)

“The Greatness of the Gospel” (Part 2) Romans 1:16-17 August 16, 2015 A few years ago an investment company produced a commercial advocating using their services to accumulate enough wealth for retirement — the commercial showed a couple sitting on a couch being bounced up and down from behind by their hosts in an attempt […]

Meditation is a duty

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from The Christian on the Mount. Meditation is a duty lying upon every Christian, and there is no disputing our duty. Meditation is an imposed duty and an opposed duty. 1. Meditation is an imposed […]

The saving gospel

The gospel is powerful to save. Both the Old and New Testaments provide ample illustrations of the saving power of God. While the Old Testament often stresses the temporal salvation of God’s people (e.g., Ex. 14:13; 15:2), there are other demonstrations also of God’s power to spiritually save sinners (e.g., Ps. 77:14-15; Is. 12:2; 52:7, […]

Sermon: The Greatness of the Gospel (Pt. 1)

“The Greatness of the Gospel” (Part 1) Romans 1:16-17 August 9, 2015 I have in my closet some important letters — Raye Jeanne wrote them to me when we were dating and not yet married. Over the 13 months that we dated before marriage I suppose I have 100 or more letters (hard copies — […]

The nature of meditation

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from The Christian on the Mount. If it be inquired what meditation is, I answer—Meditation is the soul’s retiring of itself, that by a serious and solemn thinking upon God, the heart may be raised […]

Reading Habakkuk (redux)

This is a repost of a blog from last year; since our Bible book of the month is Habakkuk, I thought it would be helpful to post this again. One of the most repeated sentences by young children is, “it’s not fair…” As in, It’s not fair that my brother can stay up later than […]

Sermon: A Life of Service (Pt. 2)

“Caring for One Another: A Life of Service” (Part 2) Romans 1:11-15 August 2, 2015 A number of years ago, London resident Simon Thompson was trying to push his stalled BMW off a road in a London suburb when another driver called out, “Do you want a hand?” And then the car’s back doors flew […]

The evil of affliction works for good to the godly

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from All Things for Good. It is one heart-quieting consideration in all the afflictions that befall us, that God has a special hand in them: ‘The Almighty hath afflicted me’ (Ruth 1.21). Instruments can no […]

What makes a good testimony?

When individuals at GBC want to be baptized or join the church, we ask them to publicly share a brief testimony of their life with Christ and how they came to know Christ. This is actually just a shortened version of what we ask them to do when they meet with the elders prior to […]

If we are lovers of God, we love what God loves

Wednesdays with Watson is a weekly reading taken from my favorite Puritan writer, Thomas Watson. This week’s selection is taken from All Things for Good. If we are lovers of God, we love what God loves. (1) We love God’s Word. David esteemed the Word, for the sweetness of it, above honey (Psalm 119.103), and […]