If we understand that no man will ever genuinely repent without the grace of God changing his heart, then we will not feel that we have to dilute the demands of the gospel. We will put our confidence in God. We will remember that, if God is displeased with us, He will not bless us. […]
Read More Repentance and the grace of GodLate in David’s life, he make a foolish and sinful decision. You would expect a man to mature with age and his decision-making to become more God-honoring the older he gets, and in some regards, that was the way David lived. But not on this day. As David prepared to transition the kingdom of Israel […]
Read More Who made David do what he did?In one of his books, R. C. Sproul quotes a portion of Martin Luther’s final sermon — something preached just days prior to his death in 1546. Among those final words, Luther said: In times past, we would have run to the ends of the world if we had known of a place where we […]
Read More Sunday Leftovers: what in the world is the Holy Spirit doing?What in the World is the Spirit Doing Today? John 16:5-11 May 4, 2014 We live in a crazy world. I know it’s always been that way. But it certainly seems to be getting worse, doesn’t it? It is easy to look at the world and shake one’s head in disbelief at what is happening. […]
Read More Sermon: What in the world is the Spirit doing today?This month Christian Audio is making J. I. Packer’s classic work, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God available as a free download. Just go to Christian Audio, enter your email address and download. It’s that simple. (Of course, then you also need to listen to the book to benefit from it!) To whet your appetite, […]
Read More Free audio book – Evangelism and the Sovereignty of GodThe New Testament provides instruction about spiritual gifts in four primary passages: Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4, and 1 Peter 4. The lists in each of these chapters differ both in content and length. But it is the shortest reference to spiritual gifts that helps us to understand the structure and nature of […]
Read More The spiritual gifts“Humility is the product of ongoing repentance as one decides against, turns from, and by watching and praying seeks to steer clear of pride in all its forms. And as the battle against pride in the heart is lifelong, so humility should become an ever more deeply seated attitude of living at the disposal of […]
Read More Real spiritual growth is downwardApart from my father, the man who personally influenced me the most in my preparation for ministry was J. Dwight Pentecost. Yesterday, three days after turning 99, he entered the presence of his beloved Lord and Savior. Dr. P, as he was affectionately known by all, was the first pastor I remember having. He was […]
Read More Dr. P in gloryThis morning we considered the sign gifts — the gifts given by the Holy Spirit that were to authenticate the apostolic and prophetic message and messengers — and particularly the gift of tongues, which is the most commonly practiced sign gift today. It is impossible to consider all the biblical teaching on the subject in […]
Read More Sunday Leftovers: the gifts of the Holy Spirit (tongues)The Gifts of the Spirit, Pt. 3 1 Corinthians 14:1-28 April 27, 2014 Over the past two months, we’ve taken a brief excursus from our study of 1 John to study the work of the Holy Spirit. We did this because in 3:24 it says, “We know by this that He abides in us, by […]
Read More Sermon: The Gifts of the Spirit (tongues)In tomorrow morning’s worship service we will remember the death and resurrection of Christ through communion. Paul exhorts the Corinthian believers (1 Cor. 11:23-34) to examine themselves before taking the elements so that they do not take them in an unworthy manner and in so doing, invite the judgment of God on themselves. So self-examination […]
Read More Preparing for communionNathan Busenitz points out this morning that “next year’s Shepherds’ Conference promises to be one of the most memorable and impactful yet. If you’re thinking about coming, you should plan to register sooner than later. (The conference is already more than half full.)” Here is the brief promotional video: A website devoted to resources about […]
Read More Shepherds’ Conference 2015 | the CripplegateMy wife and I don’t often go to see a movie in the theater. It’s not that I am fundamentally opposed to going to the movies; we will attend one or two movies a year. Rather, I’m too frugal (i.e., cheap) to pay $15-20 for something we can rent for $1 in a few months. […]
Read More Going to the movies?He is Risen Mark 16:1-8 April 20, 2014 Some words are life-changing words. After they are uttered, the direction and course of one’s life is irrevocably changed. Words like the ones I said to Raye Jeanne a few months after we first met — “I love you.” Everything about our relationship changed after that. Words […]
Read More Sermon: He is Risen“Why Have You Forsaken Me?” Mark 15:33-34 April 18, 2014 (Good Friday Communion Service) How do you estimate something’s value? If you own a home, you can have a property evaluator or insurance adjuster come to your home and give you and estimate of your property’s value. If you own a car, you can take […]
Read More Good Friday: “Why Have You Forsaken Me?”
Words of Grace 