The Hard Work of Sanctification

As believers we cannot expect a life of ease; in fact, we should anticipate a life of labor. We labor to serve one another in the church. We labor to disciple and discipline our children well. We labor to cultivate and develop our spiritual gifts. We labor not to sin — to control our personal […]

Sermon: It’s Time (Pt 3)

It’s Time (Part 3) Romans 13:11-14 May 2, 2021 In 1899 just months after being sworn in as governor of New York, Theodore Roosevelt gave a speech in Chicago which remained one of his most well-known and well-loved oratorical masterpieces. In it, he calls the technologically-growing, wealth-amassing Americans to be wary of the life of […]

Sermon: It’s Time (Pt 2)

It’s Time (Part 2) Romans 13:11-14 April 25, 2021 In 1940, Japan formed an alliance with Axis powers Germany and Italy, to the dismay of Isoroku Yamamoto, the commander-in-chief of Japan’s Combined Fleet. He protested the alliance without success and then set about the task of preparing for what he perceived as an inevitable war […]

Sermon: It’s Time (Pt 1)

It’s Time (Part 1) Romans 13:11-14 April 11, 2021 Larry Walters had always dreamed of flying, but because of poor eyesight was unable to get into the US Air Force. So he made his living with another kind of transportation service — driving a truck. But he would still frequently think about flying. At some […]

Sermon: The Resurrected and Revealed Savior

The Resurrected and Revealed Savior John 21:1-14 April 4, 2021, Resurrection Day What is your source of discouragement today? What is keeping you awake and night and occupying your thoughts when you have quiet moments during the day, or even when you are in conversation with friends? What is enticing you to not just buy […]

Sermon: An Acceptable Debt

An Acceptable DebtRomans 13:8-10March 28, 2021 What makes a church a church? Biblical preaching and teaching. Corporate worship (including baptism and communion). Purity of the gospel. Evangelistic proclamation. Generous fellowship. Sacrificial service. Church membership and church discipline. What makes Grace Bible Church Grace Bible Church? What sets us apart and makes us unique? What identifies […]

Five reasons to submit to government

Submission isn’t easy. It isn’t easy for children to submit to parents. Or students to teachers. Or slaves to masters (or employees to employers). Or wives to husbands. Or church members to elders. And it’s not easy for citizens to submit to governing authorities. In 2021, it seems especially true that it is hard for […]

Sermon: You and the Government, Pt. 3

You and the Government, Pt. 3 Romans 13:1-7 March 21, 2021 While there are probably as many different political opinions in this room as there are people, we can all agree that we live in complex and difficult days politically and socially. While there have always been debated issues on the political and social spectrum, […]

Sermon: You and the Government, Pt. 2

You and the Government, Pt. 2 Romans 13:1-7 March 14, 2021 Romans 13-2 Pt 2 ser Someone told me this week (and I have forgotten the details) that the first word spoken by their grandchild (I think that’s who it was) was — “thank you.” That’s not the expected answer. Commonly, the first word of […]

Sermon: You and the Government

You and the Government, Pt. 1 Romans 13:1-7 March 7, 2021 If you are a baseball fan, you know this face — one of the most successful managers in baseball history. If you are not a baseball fan, you might still recognize his name: Casey Stengel. Casey had an ability to say the right thing […]

Sermon: The Government and You, Pt 2

The Government and You, Pt. 2 Romans 13:1-7 February 28, 2021 For those of you who have been to my office, you might have noticed a bank of file cabinets outside my office. Those are my resource files — Bible books and topics. And I also have a large digital file on my computer. One […]

Sermon: The Government and You

The Government and You Romans 13:1-7 (Pt. 1) February 14, 2021 A number of years ago, U.S. Rep. Jack Metcalf (WA), revealed that the US Forestry Service and a Washington State agency planned to spend $18,000 to dye rocks gray and brown along a scenic highway in the Cascade mountains, because the rocks in question […]

When we’re unhappy with the government

Several years ago I had a conversation with another believer after a Sunday worship service about a believer’s relationship to the government. We differed on when it was appropriate to disobey the government. He was refusing to pay taxes. I wrote a follow-up letter, which I reproduce below (with some modifications) as a reflection on […]

After jury duty

I spent the first two days of this week serving our community in the juror’s box. On Monday I was part of the selection process for two different juries before eventually being seated as a member of the second jury. I’ve been called for jury duty before but never had the privilege of sitting on […]