7 Encouragements in the Christian Struggle for Perseverance
Christians have a duty to endure. But how do we ready ourselves for it?
God has not called us to endure for nothing. There are eternal rewards which accrue to our accounts based on our perseverance. “This light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17). One moment in glory there will make up for the hardship we endure here. ... Continue Reading
Celebrate Christmas with Your Kids, Because They Already Believe in God
If we want them to celebrate Jesus, we need to help them see that the Christian worldview is reasonable and evidentially true.
Jesus matters so much to the history of humans, that the truth about Jesus can be reconstructed from the books and writings of authors, the historic paintings, etchings, and sculptures of artists, the lyrics of classic and contemporary songwriters, the campus buildings and founding charters of the world’s most prestigious universities, the writings of the... Continue Reading
A World Awash in Sheer Monkery
The modern world and its new forms of works righteousness.
While our modern world may not speak with the same theological vocabulary, modern people face just as much pressure to prove that we are right with ourselves and right with the world. We may not ascend a holy staircase on our knees, but many of us daily count our steps and count our calories. We... Continue Reading
Pastor, Preach Christology at Christmas
There are few times in the year that invite such concentrated Christological meditation like Christmas.
The Christmas season does more than just rehearse the birth story of Jesus. It also calls pastors to ponder the mysteries of the eternal Son become flesh. To celebrate the birth of Christ this year, our church is a reading through Isaiah, and in seven sermons I am preaching the whole book to show... Continue Reading
Any Unchecked Sin Is Ruinous
There is not a human alive who does not struggle every day with some sin that, if left unchecked, will bring him or her to spiritual ruin.
The reality is we are all daily in need of confession and repentance, daily in need of counsel and accountability within the body of Christ, and daily in need of longsuffering grace in order to strive together as Christians. Do not put off this vital warning until tomorrow. As the writer of Hebrews reminds us,... Continue Reading
Allow Me to Vent: How Not to Be a Grumbling Israelite
The danger with grumbling is that it comes naturally to us all as well as being so easy to excuse and even justify.
If we simply want a guilt-free moment to complain, then we are guilty of the sin of grumbling and also guilty of attempting to justify our sin rather than stomping on its head. Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us not justify or excuse our sins, even the seemingly little ones, but let us put... Continue Reading
Putting the Mess in Christmess
The history of Christmas is one big mess—with feverish disagreements, hostility, and even rioting!
Gerry Bowler observed in his book Christmas in the Crosshairs, that while the birth of Jesus has always been important to the gospel, the first generations of Christians “lived in profound expectation of [Jesus’] imminent return.” He suggested that, among other things, when those eschatological hopes weren’t immediately fulfilled, the birth of Jesus began to get... Continue Reading
Spurgeon’s Greatest Evangelist
Mrs. Lavinia Strickland Bartlett (1806-1875)
She was a woman in constant demand. Pastors from the US praised her for her importance to Spurgeon’s church. Women from across the world wrote to her for advice in their own endeavours. Even in semi-retirement, men begged her to speak to women at their churches. The streets of London were at a standstill.... Continue Reading
The Darkness Does Not Win
The True Light, which gives light to everyone, has come into the world.
If God can summon light into existence when there was only darkness, surely He can send His light into the world with assurance of complete success, no matter how impossible the odds. For this is the miracle and the wonder of Christmas: The Light of the world was born in the darkness of night, as... Continue Reading
Book Review: “Psalms,” by James M. Hamilton, Jr.
These two volumes should now be the minimum for the preacher’s library on the Psalter.
Hamilton has produced a landmark commentary on the Psalms. It is by no means the last word, but by placing each psalm in its canonical context Hamilton is introducing the wider Christian community into the conversation concerning the Psalter’s shape. Indeed, Hamilton models what preaching the Psalms in their canonical context might look like. ... Continue Reading
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