Put yourself in this situation. It is somewhere between 70 and 95 AD, and the church is under siege by the world. You have seen Nero take some of your brothers and sisters in Christ, tie them to poles, cover them in tar, and set them on fire to light his parties. The enemies of God have even … Continue reading When Downcast, Look to the Throne
We all tend to examine others more quickly than we examine ourselves. How many sermons have we sat through only to critique the pastor afterward without ever considering how we measure up to the text he was preaching? Below is the second sermon I had the privilege of preaching this weekend, addressing this tendency. CLICK TO READ MORE...
This weekend, I had the privilege of preaching a couple of sermons at the First Christian Reformed Church in Artesia. This sermon looks at sin and its consequences through the life of Gehazi in 2 Kings chapter five. There are times when the hand of God is heavy upon us because of our sin, but … Continue reading Sin and Its Consequences
If we have been nursing secret sin and not been exposed, that is because God has not decided to reveal it up to this point. Nothing we do is unknown to God, and in his omnipotence, he could expose us at any moment if he so chooses. Sin is only as hidden as God allows. We see … Continue reading Sin is Only as Hidden as God Allows
Sin is filth. It is soul pollution. It makes us vile in the eyes of God, and no matter how much pride we take in our sin now, we will one day even be offensive in our own eyes. As sinners, we may do everything we can to maintain our delusion that we are honorable, but every … Continue reading The Filthy Will Be Filthy Still
My biggest struggle with daily devotions is not carving out the 20 to 30 minutes needed to read the word and spend time with God. The most difficult part is slowing down my heart and mind enough to get anything from it. Here is the challenge. I usually wake up to an endless list of tasks … Continue reading My Biggest Struggle with Daily Devotions
We have already given too much of our lives doing things godless people do. It is time we consider ourselves dead to sin (Romans 6:11). We were born in iniquity. Adam's sin brought condemnation to us all (Romans 5:8), and before we complain that we should not be condemned for Adam's transgression, let us be sure that we have done … Continue reading Consider Yourself Dead to Sin
It was the 1960s, and he was a doorman at the Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. However, that was about to change. He was in his early thirties, and not only was the pay good, but he was also meeting some of the biggest names in show business; people like Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, … Continue reading A Pastor’s Story: I Left Vegas a Winner
There are times as Christians when we miss the forest for the trees. People in our life may admire the depth of our theological understanding. Others may wish they could quote scripture as quickly as we do. Still, others see our involvement in the church and think, "there goes one of the godliest men or women I know." … Continue reading Missing the Christian Forest for the Trees
It does not matter if we follow all the rituals of Christianity perfectly; if the sinfulness of our hearts has not been cut off, our condemnation is justified. We cannot be children of God outwardly only. A child of God is one inwardly. Paul tells the Romans this very truth. He says, "For no one is a Jew … Continue reading Circumcision was a Matter of the Heart
The Fight of Faith 