Free audio biography of Jonathan Edwards

In recent years there has been a resurgence in appreciation for Puritan and Reformed writers. Among American writers who stand in that tradition, Jonathan Edwards is likely the greatest. He has been called the greatest or most influential American theologian. It’s hard to disagree with that assertion. And now, for only a few more days, […]

Addicted to electronic technology?

A week ago at our Biblical Counseling and Discipleship Conference, I gave a presentation on technology addiction. I gave a brief overview the influence of technology (which is far more than the internet, iPhones, and Facebook), and then demonstrated the relationship between technology and sin: technology is not inherently sinful, but technology is created with […]

Sunday Leftovers: How great is God’s love?

How great is God’s love to make you His child? God has told us that we are to look for, examine, contemplate, and be overwhelmed by the richness of God’s love for us (“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us…” 1 Jn. 3:1). So here are some ways in which we […]

Sermon: Children of God

Children of God 1 John 3:1-3 October 20, 2013 Say the words “family” or “father,” and not everyone has a positive response. A few examples: Former NFL coach Buddy Ryan was known for his intensity and explosive temper. He learned well from his father. Leaving Korea as a master sergeant and coming home, “he saw […]

Genuine repentance

Zachary Crofton, quoted by J. I. Packer, A Quest for Godliness: [Repentance] is a habit, power, principle, spring, root, and disposition; not a bare, single, and transient action.…Repentance is different and distinct from all penitential acts.…Repentance is not the work of an hour, or a day: but a constant frame, course, and bent of the […]

Sermon: We Give Thanks to God

We Give Thanks to God Colossians 1:3-8 October 13, 2013 Picture Charlie Brown sitting at a desk and writing. In the second panel he utters the single word, “Rats,” and crumples up the paper. It joins a large pile of crumpled up pieces of paper in the third panel. And in the final panel he […]

Sermon: Abide in Christ

Abide in Christ 1 John 2:28-29 October 6, 2013 One of the hardest things in life is perseverance. Sticking with a project. Not quitting. That’s true of the spiritual life as well. It’s easy to want to quit. Life circumstances pile up on us and we become heavy-hearted and weary. It’s not that we’re overtly […]

What is your true happiness?

Richard Baxter, The Saint’s Everlasting Rest: He that makes not God his chief good and ultimate end, is in heart a pagan and a vile idolater. Let me ask, then, dost thou truly account it thy chief happiness to enjoy the Lord in glory, or dost thou not? Canst thou say, ‘The Lord is my […]

Gluttony – it’s not just overeating

As someone who has battled with controlling his weight for most of his life, I appreciated this from The Christian Pundit: Thing is, almost nobody is seeing the fat issue as an expression of a heart issue: an idolatry of food. That’s what gluttony is, whether or not our BMI is over 30. Because gluttony […]

Sermon: The Spirit’s Protection

The Spirit’s Protection Against Spiritual Deception 1 John 2:26-27 September 29, 2013 It’s always good to have a little protection — that’s why we have health and life and disability and car and house insurance, among others. But we don’t always realize the things that are protecting us. Like the little sister of Patricia Opfel. […]

Free Live-Stream of Desiring God Conference

From Desiring God: The fun begins early Friday afternoon. First it’s the seminars, then the opening plenary. Saturday brings four main sessions and a panel with the speakers. And the grand finale comes Sunday morning with a sermon, just the way C.S. Lewis would like it. At long last, we gather this weekend in Minneapolis […]

Why pray?

This morning’s Old Testament reading recounts the story of Assyria’s threat against Judah. It seemed that Judah was hopeless. But Hezekiah, having received the threat from the king of Assyria through the words of his servant Rabshakeh, went to pray. The content of his prayer was direct: You are the God, you alone (Is. 37:16) […]

Living without God?

John Dyer: From the Garden to the City: Adam and Eve’s clothing, then, was not only designed to protect them from their environment; it also represents their attempt to hide their sinfulness from God. Moreover, they were trying to invent a means by which they could live without God and were therefore acting in rebellion […]

The HOLY Spirit

Sometimes in the simplicity of a statement or a situation we miss an obvious truth. “If it was a snake, it would have bit me,” we like to say. That happened to me as I read this familiar verse recently. Jesus, on the night of His betrayal, spent several hours instructing the disciples on the […]

Real joy

How fickle our joy is. If our favorite sports team (or our child’s sports team) wins “the big game,” or even just “a” game, we’re happy. If a T-bone steak shows up on the dinner plate, we’re happy. Brussels sprouts and sauerkraut? Not so happy. If there’s more money than month? Happiness. More month than […]