Crossway Christian Church

Gender is a problematic and difficult issue in our day. It is a point of contention in the secular world and in the church. But such contentions are nothing new. Paul knew of the difficulties that were brought about any time that roles for men and women were addressed. And because of this, he has some difficult things to say to both his culture, and ours, even as each stand likely opposed to one a...

Paul’s gospel was summarized in the brief but memorable phrase “Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.” It was the goal of Christ, the proclamation of which became the goal of Paul, who passed the torch to Timothy. As we open chapter 2, then, we would be right to expect something about evangelism, especially as Paul begins by stating “First of all, I urge you…” Instead, what we get is a...

Last week we ended in 1 Timothy with Paul’s statement that sound doctrine was in “accordance with the good news of the glory of the blessed God.” Good news can mean so many different things. We declare good news when babies are born, promotions are gained, games are won, dinner is served. This good news is not just any news, though: it is the good news of the glory of the happy God. It is the anno...

Paul often tells us of the importance of every believer, sets forward the need for communal submission, and tells us that gifts are given for the mutual edification for all people. So why do we need elders? What purpose do elders serve if, as we would rightly confirm, all are equal at the foot of the cross? Paul insists on having elders to ensure right teaching within the church. Doctrine is not a...

We are often told that certain activities are bad for us: if we continue smoking, drinking the wrong things, or eating poorly, we face the prospect of early death. But these warnings are often blunted by the fact that we are always promised death – and what is a couple of years spent not doing what you love? Jesus promises something better, and thus his warnings have teeth, an edge that other warn...

John routinely presents Jesus speaking over the heads of his hearers, as if he is in on a joke no one else in the narrative gets. Yet, all the while, John seems to expect that we are in on the joke, understand its background, and laugh at its punchline. Here, that routine occurrence happens again in Jesus’ enigmatic statement that he will be leaving, and we will neither find him nor are able to fo...

We would like to think that we are part of the most knowledgeable time in history. We have the facts of history at our fingertips; we have pictures of matter from billions of light years away; we have the ability to take pictures of atoms and watch the movement of light; we can hear and watch news, instantaneously, from across the other side of the world. We know the big and small, the far and nea...

If you were to ask the man on the street, or the people in the pews, or the scholar in the University about Jesus, almost universal recommendation would be given to his teaching of love, kindness, and forgiveness. His miracles? Not so much. Our culture would be quick to distance themselves from his miracles, but just as quick to affirm his role as one of the great teachers in history. Ironically,...

As we look again at John 7:1-13, let us see a warning about our own times, as we think through how we live out our faith in this world. How should we walk faithfully in the world?

Jesus has claimed great things in the last two chapters of John. In chapter five, he was shown to be God, while in chapter six shown to be all that mankind could ever need. Given these things, his brothers plead with him to make himself known. But such requests (demands?) are not the marks of faith. How should we speak to Jesus about what he has claimed and promised? Should our prayers be marked w...

Gospel is meant to be “good-news”; it is meant to be a comfort to restless souls, water for the thirsty, and food for the hungry. But this does not mean that the gospel doesn’t come with difficulties. For many, the best way to deal with these trouble spots is to ignore them. But this is unthinkable for us, if for no other reason that Jesus refused to do so himself! The gospel proclaims good news,...

Jesus said, "Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life." Such a thought is difficult to digest but, we believe what the Bible says, and so we believe that this is true, in some sense. But how?

Jesus is hard to present as just a normal guy. After all, he did wonderful acts, was brilliant in response, holy in spirit, and loving to all. For anyone who has spent any time dealing with people, or ourselves, we know that such qualities are rare indeed. Yet, Jesus is much more than just a good man – he is God Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; the Great I Am. His presence as a man, no matter...

Jesus is presented in John 6 as the provision of God for us. But this provision is not just to give us life as we might conceive of it. Rather, to understand what the symbolism means we must understand the picture that it is derived from: the wilderness wanderings of the Israelites. If the picture that Jesus intends to place in our mind is of the exodus from Egypt, what does that symbolism mean fo...

Christ is risen! This statement is simple, and yet for Christians since that fateful morning some 2,00 years ago, it is the most profound thing we can utter. It is the core and center of our faith, and thus of our salvation. But if this is true, why is it such a New Testament phenomenon? The Old Testament didn't make much out of the resurrection, did it? Today, we think through the nature of the p...

We have gathered to celebrate and remember Good Friday, the day that the Lord of life was crucified and killed. It is, admittedly, an odd day to celebrate, but we understand by faith the life giving power and the sin cancelling nature of his death. Tonight, as we look at the four words Jesus uttered on the cross in Matthew 27:46, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani” we have a chance to think through the g...

Everyone does what they think will give them the most pleasure, given the limitations of the options before them. You may find owning a yacht pleasing, but given the $5 in your account, you are unlikely to have one. Yet, you still spend (or save) that $5 in the way that you think will bring you the most happiness and satisfaction. Given our limited resources, where are we to find satisfaction? Or,...

If we were to summarize John 5, we might say that it presents Jesus as our rest; Jesus gives us healing and life. Like any beautiful jewel, though, Jesus is best viewed in multiple lights. In John 6, John switches perspectives on Jesus, and instead views his glory through the lens of provision. In Jesus, God has given us what we all lack, and our lack is great indeed! Beginning John 6, we have the...

In John 5, Jesus has claimed some great things: not only equality with God but the accompanying power and authority. Such claims are naturally wild - what kind of man claims such things? And, more importantly, what proof does he have? No doubt these were the questions that were floating through the heads of the Jews which stood before Jesus. Great claims need great evidence! Fortunately, those of...

Jesus has implied that he is equal with God, something that he has then clarified (while not backing down from) in 5:1-24. Here, having mentioned the resurrection, Jesus gives some more elaboration on the nature of the resurrections, and his authority to give life to whom he will. To speak of the resurrections, plural, is important as an implication of this text. We are not simply waiting for the...

The Jews rightly realized Jesus’ claim to equality with God. But Jesus wants to make sure that all might know rightly his relationship to his Father. So today, we look at what it means for Jesus to be the true Son of God, how this impacts his relationship with the Father, and how this makes him equal with God. Such teaching will touch at the very heart of the Trinitarian relationships and essence,...

The Sabbath has a controversial history. Does the Sabbath translate to the “Lord’s Day” in the New Testament? Are we supposed to keep it still? What would “keeping” the Sabbath look like today? How does the work of Christ fit into our understanding of the Sabbath? While such questions abound, my guess is that many of us have given little thought to the Sabbath, other than assuming it was another w...

Money is a touchy subject for many people. We are told the best things in life are free, which is often true, but the basic necessities of life often are not. Money is essential to life, even if it comes with many dangers and difficulties. Many of us struggle with money, regardless of how much money we make. Unsurprisingly, the Bible has much to say about how we think about, use, make, and esteem...

We are said to be made in the image of a God who creates using just his words; it should come as little surprise that Scripture has much to say to us about the nature of our speech. What’s more, given that the fall has marred the image of God placed in us, it is also unsurprising that we struggle to speak rightly before God and the world. Proverbs, as the very wisdom of God, seeks to help us under...

Sex seems to linger close to the center of most of the greatest points of contention in our country today. These divides typically occur over the nature and purpose of sex, spilling out into issues over LGBTQ and transgender rights, divorce law, and further downstream, abortion. This is not a modern issue, arising because of the decadence of our land in an age of prosperity. These issues seem to b...