This section of the Sermon on the Mount is all about giving and receiving, and it concludes with an exhortation to remember the Golden Rule. I just noticed this morning that our reason for doing so is that the Father embodies the Golden Rule. The Father does as He would be done by. “Ask, and …
That Magnificent JuJu Bean
One of the larger pastoral problems in the church today is the trend to ever-increasing fruitiness, coupled with the cowardice of those who see what is happening, and yet say nothing. Whenever someone proposes any particular pursuit in a singularly fruity way — and I am speaking of weird diets, oils with superpowers, medicinal oddballery, …
Wisdom From Above #2
INTRODUCTION:The central issue for evangelical faith is always the presence or absence of life. Recall that in the previous chapter, God Himself is the one who brought us to life of His own will (1:18), and He is the one who sustains and nurtures us in that life. The issue is not rule-keeping, but life. …
To Untie Every Knot
The Puritan William Bridge once said that “the word ‘father’ is a sweet word, for it sweetens all our duties.” So it is here. We have a duty or an obligation to come here to the Supper, but at the same time, it is a sweet duty. The Lord Jesus is here, His Spirit is …
Evicting Everybody
ExhortationGod expects our worship of Him to come from honest lips. We know that we are not capable of this on our own steam, but we should also know—just as certainly—that God’s grace makes honesty possible for sinners in this world. With it having been made possible, by His grace alone, it is therefore obligatory …
Is Your God Scary?
No one should be surprised at the announcement that women are now going to be serving in combat roles in the U.S. military. This has been heading toward us for a long time, and the only thing surprising about it is that so many people are surprised. Now the only thing that stands between your …
High Mountain Air
“Despite this, or perhaps because of it, she was doggedly loyal to the humidity levels of Camel Creek, and would have nothing to do with the high mountain air of Grace Reformed” (Evangellyfish, p. 66).
On Cat Feet
“The kingdom of God does not arrive like the Eighty-second Airborne. The kingdom of God works quietly, inexorably, over the course of many generations” (5 Cities, p. 199).
Nature Learning Natural
“The danger of artificiality in speaking is very great . . . As one unaccustomed to riding on horseback must learn to sit naturally, and feel at ease, in the saddle, so very many speakers, perhaps all, have to learn to be natural” (Broadus, Preparation and Delivery, p. 29).
Resumed Clarity
“And those unsavory questions involved things that had nothing to do with equality, dignity, or acceptable public summaries. The moment of resumed clarity was, for the detectives, not unlike that time when Wormtongue pitched the Palantir off the tower of Orthanc” (Evangellyfish, p. 62).