Theology That Bites Back
Introduction: The enemies of God are primarily the enemies of God, and only derivatively ours. The principal contrast is between the futility of their rebellion, as over against the constant life of the everlasting one. They perish, and He remains forever. And then, as a result of that, a secondary contrast is set up—between the …
This is not a moment for morbid introspection. There are times when we should examine ourselves, and there are times when we must confess our sins. But this moment is not designed or intended to be one of those moments. This is a moment to love and adore Your God, and to worship Jesus Christ, …
The Bible teaches us that the times of the new covenant are attended with a greater glory than the old covenant, as well as with a greater simplicity. In effect, that simplicity is part of the glory. The arrival of Jesus the Messiah was not a signal for us to lapse into some kind of …
Everyone is in favor of kindness in the abstract. Everyone in the world applauds kindness . . . until it looks like it might cost them something. It is then that our commitment to “realistic” standards kicks in. “Surely I can’t be expected to . . .” Unfortunately our commitment to realistic standards is actually …
The death of any of our little ones is pressing hard. We love our children, but we remember that we are only in a position to love them as we ought to because we love our Father in Heaven more than all. Whoever does not love Christ more than family cannot be a disciple, as …
Introduction: We are considering the two components of growth in grace. The first is getting rid of impediments to that growth, which is a necessary thing—but preliminary. The second thing is actual growth in grace. This growth in grace is a form of life, and like all life it requires food. Our spiritual life in …
Introduction:I would like to spend this week and next addressing honesty with God, and what it means to grow in grace. In brief, there are two elements to growth in grace. The first is the removal of impediments to that growth, which we will address this week, and the second is the presence of that …
Introduction: You have heard this stated a number of times before, but it is the kind of truth that all of us need to hear again and again. “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. to write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you” (Philippians 3:1, ESV). …
As we have gathered today, gathering as witnesses for this happy occasion, we are marking the inauguration of Boden and Shanna’s voyage of discovery together. They have already discovered enough about one another that they want to take the voyage together, but once they have embarked, the real discoveries will start. It will be a …
Introduction: One of the great challenges in Scripture is the challenge of rightly handling the blessings of God. The Giver gives His gifts, and the recipients receive them gratefully. But it is not long before what was initially accepted as sheer grace grows slowly into what is falsely assumed to be an entitlement. This is …
