Many people treat the Bible, and God's commands, like it is a buffet. I'll get a little of this and that and avoid all the vegetables that I don't like. However, is that the attitude we are supposed to have when it comes to serving God? I would suggest to you this morning that we … Continue reading All That the Lord Says
Sermon
Happiness
An article appeared in the New York Times back in 2018 about Yale University's most popular class ever. That class was and is on happiness. Within a week of the course's enrollment opening, about 1,200 students had enrolled (that's more than one-fourth of the undergraduate body of students!). But why is it so popular? Because … Continue reading Happiness
Leave Room for Wrath
Making Sense of the Imprecatory Psalms When we say that the psalms encompass every human emotion, we mean every human emotion. This includes not only grief and lament but also hatred and anger. There is a subtype of psalms known as the imprecatory psalms that deal with these very emotions. And, as Tremper Longman aptly … Continue reading Leave Room for Wrath
Josiah’s Right Choice
2 Chronicles 34:14-33 If you were told that everything you knew and all the people you loved would be destroyed and taken captive after you died how would you live your life? If you knew that doom was on the horizon would you think it was still worth If you were told that everything you … Continue reading Josiah’s Right Choice
The Salt of the Earth
Jesus opens the sermon on the mount with the beatitudes of the kingdom; He goes into what is called the similitudes. The beatitudes teach us the type of character a Christian is to have. The similitudes show us what effect Christian character is supposed to have. The first of these similitudes is that of salt. … Continue reading The Salt of the Earth
What the Bible Says About the Church
There was a series of books that College Press put out at some point in time called, “What Does the Bible Say About ________.” Each volume would address in length what the Bible had to say about a given topic. I like most of these books because they go systematically through the Bible, looking at … Continue reading What the Bible Says About the Church
Establishing Biblical Authority
When I sit down with someone to have a Bible study, most of the time, I will either draw or bring with me a printout of a box. Above the box, I have the Scripture 2 Timothy 3:16-17. Which reads, "All Scriptures is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for … Continue reading Establishing Biblical Authority
What Is Faithfulness?
In Galatians 5:22-23, we read of the fruit of the Spirit. Those qualities and character traits that every Christian should be seeking to grow in. While not all-encompassing, this section of Scripture presents a good portrait of what godliness looks like. While we could and should spend a lot of time on each of … Continue reading What Is Faithfulness?
The Mature Believer
Do you act your age? That is do you act your spiritual age? Paul in 1 Corinthians 16:13 said, “be on alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” This indicates to me that even adult believers can fail to act with the maturity they ought to. There are many other … Continue reading The Mature Believer
Am I Lukewarm?
A hot cup of coffee in the morning can wake us up and get us going. An ice-cold glass of water after working out in the yard refreshes us and gives relief. But lukewarm coffee does not warm, and lukewarm water does not refresh. Lukewarmness is abhorrent to Jesus. He says in Revelation 3:16 of … Continue reading Am I Lukewarm?