Hold Up The Book

How should Bible believers think about the events in Israel right now? Should we be concerned that the end of time is coming near? Should we be in solidarity with the Jewish people because we have a shared faith with them? Should we be expecting Christ to come and set up a kingdom in Jerusalem? Or should Christians see both groups—Hamas and Israel—as being too violent and therefore both sinful? Th...

In John 6, Jesus fed 5000 people with one kids' lunch. And the Jews who saw him perform that miracle understood something about him that went a layer deeper into God's plan than what he could do with loaves and fishes. They saw a prophet for whom they had waited for a long time.

This talk, given as a meditation before communion, tells the story of Jesus' crucifixion as it might have been seen through the eyes of Simon of Cyrene — the man who was forced to carry Jesus' cross. It's historical fiction, so some liberties have been taken, and some extra-biblical events and perspectives have been added. But great care was taken to make sure that nothing was done...

Individuals and churches have the same tendency: To receive God's blessings in any number of ungrateful or arrogant ways. This message reminds us, based on some of Moses' words from Deuteronomy, that true gratitude allows us to enjoy the blessings we receive and the God who gives them.

At Northside, we're gearing up to start a new study among our adults on the wisdom literature of the Old Testament. With that in mind, here's a throwback recording of a class that I taught to introduce the book of Proverbs and to give a few general reminders about how to read wisdom literature. I hope that it piques your interest in this great segment of Biblical literature and that it c...

Chapters 12 and 13 of Romans present guidelines for living as people who have been completely transformed by Christ. It breaks down into four main instructions: Think like Christians Love like brothers Submit like citizens Walk like saints

This sermon, preached that Temple Terrace Church of Christ a few years ago, is part of a series called "I know I should be more..." In this message, we explore the Christian imperative of offering forgiveness to others. We had a guest speaker at my current congregation this weekend, so that's why I'm sharing a throwback message.

An egregious mistake makes all who witness it feel intense awkwardness. But an egregious sin makes all righteous people who witness it feel a painful kind of pity for those who've committed it. In this message, we look at the story of The Golden Calf—when the people of Israel forsook YHWH put another god before him, worshiped a graven image, and took His name in vain. We learn how bad the sin...

This message does a summary of Romans 9 thru 11, showing how they are one long argument making one main point: that God planned all the way through history to save ALL people (not just the nation of Israel), and since Israel generally rejected him, he rejected them and opened the door for  anyone who has faith in him to be made righteous and saved. The PowerPoint slides may be helpful for understa...

Romans 8 enumerates many of God's promises to those who choose to follow him. The apostle speaks to "those who" must choose to serve God or not, then to "you who" have already made the choice, then about "we who" are in the Spirit, and finally about "He who" is for us and has made all these great promises to us. This sermon tries to cram so much of the...

I believe that the best, most Biblical way to praise God in church assemblies is strictly with  a cappella singing—no instrumental music. In this part of a class that I taught, I talk to other believers who share that conviction, noting that: 1) In the broader scope of Christian history, a cappella church singing isn't unusual at all, 2) sometimes those who hold this conviction have articulat...

When Jesus was eating the Passover meal with the apostles, he told Judas to get up from the table and do what he was thinking about doing. The emphasis was simple: make up your mind—stop waffling between good and bad, just make up your mind to do one or the other.

In most of the Churches of Christ, you will find only  a cappella music in the church assemblies. Many wonder why we do this, and the answer to that is based on a Biblical rationale. This is a class recording from a few weeks back in which we talked about that rationale and its basis in New Testament teaching. Next week, we'll post part 2 of this class, in which we give several warnings for b...

The dissonant harmonies of some musical pieces help us appreciate the consonance of other passages in the same piece. Romans 7 is arguably the most dissonant passage in the grand symphony that is The Letter to the Romans, but there's a resolution for all the tension. This message attempts to smooth it out and help us understand Paul's expression of the good news.

What is it that motivates a man to want to minister to a church of God's people? There may be lots of motivations, and each man may articulate his personal sense of drive differently, but they should ultimately come down to a handful of basic things: a love for people, a conviction about the truth of God's word, and a willingness to serve. This episode explores some of those ideas and ho...

In Psalm 32, David expresses a series of ideas that ring with familiarity to anyone who, in an effort to take their faith seriously, has yet sinned and attempted to hide it from God rather than confessing it. In beautiful, accessible poetry, David explores the following ideas: vv. 1-2 —  Realization that forgiveness is far better than guilt vv. 3-4 — Refusal to confess, and all the problems that c...

The beginning of each new school year is a milestone moment in the lives of students and teachers.  And at that milestone, it's good to be reminded of some principles for godly living that will help us in the upcoming stage of the journey. This message pulls four principles out Moses' sermons in Deuteronomy that will help anybody who's going back to school to make the most of the sc...

One of the most important parts of my work in preaching for a congregation over time is  planning what to preach and teach. This helps to create a balanced diet of Bible teaching: covering topics of perpetual importance while also having enough variety to cover "the whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27). In the episode, I made reference to my personal planning method. You an click here to d...

Jesus made a promise to Peter with these words: "I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it." (Matt. 16:18) The promise is that his kingdom will stand, and it will thrive forever—as long as there are those who seek him through the word. How would Christians behave differently if we truly believed that promise?

Thanks for listening to Hold Up The Book, season 1. There will be a 1-month break of episodes in July 2023, and then we'll resume episodes — new ones and TBT's — around the first Sunday of August. I really appreciate those of you who've helped and encouraged me in this effort!

Miriam, the sister of Moses, teaches us some important character lessons through the narrative of her experience with God and throughout the Israelites' experience of leaving Egypt.

This sermon talks about some of the hallmarks of the church in Jerusalem — the first group of saints who'd been saved by faith in Jesus. Their faithfulness is a model for every church in every time and place, regardless of the size of church that we are.

If we believe that God is the king of our lives, then we'd better treat him as king, which means that we must respect his authority and simply  do what he says .

For Father's Day, this message reminds all of us to have high expectations for Christian fathers. Whether you're a dad, a mom, or even a Christian who isn't raising any kids... this message reminds all of us of some of the God-given responsibilities of dads who are called by God to, "bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" (Eph. 6:4).

The story of Samson is messy. Morally, he's all over the map: breaking vows to God, murdering and stealing, complaining against God, lying, and marrying non-Israelite women on multiple occasions. So how is it that he's considered a heroic figure in the overall plan of God to redeem his people? It's because GOD is the one who gains a victory, even if it comes through the actions of a...