Crossway Christian Church

Crossway is a Baptist church, and gladly so. We share much with other Baptist churches, but like any group, we are also quite different. Even amongst those who insist on creedal baptism, we differ quite a bit on the nature of baptism and what it represents. We at Crossway think that it is more than just a symbol (although it is at least that!). Today, we get to see in Jesus the importance of our b...

Jesus is a striking historical figure. Attempts to summarize him, to boil down his message or his work, have often failed for the basic reason that he comes to us, not as a simple person, but a complex one. He offers grace to the weakest and the most unholy of people, yet demands more from them than anyone in history had before. What are we to make of him? How do we rightly speak about these two d...

We often look to the skies for signs from God. Even as Christians, we know that the stars and heavens hold a message for us of God’s glory. Even so, we are also knowledgeable of our own failures in understanding that message, and humanity’s ability to pervert that message in the most foolish of ways. God has indeed given us a better revelation of himself. Today, as we think about the magicians fro...

Why do evangelicals hold the virgin birth in such high esteem? It is tempting to think that this doctrine’s importance is only held up in relief to the skeptical time in which we live; a fundamentalist response to the challenge of modern science. But such is not the case! The early church felt strongly enough about it to place it in the creeds, and the church universal has long confessed it. Today...

Where should biographies start? At the birth of the subject? But factors that shaped their lives were in place long before they were born. Parents, the nature of the culture that they were born into, the political situation? Each of our four Gospels starts in a unique position. Matthew, for his part, starts with a genealogy. We may question why Matthew would begin this way, but his introduction ha...

Today, we come to the end of our study in Exodus. The story has moved quickly for such a long book. God has seen his people’s trials and heard their cries, he has called Moses, destroyed their enemies, given them commands, forgiven their sin, and made a way to dwell with them. Yet, while so much has been completed and done, we are left with the feeling and implication at the end of the book that m...

In 1961, the Soviet Union detonated the largest nuclear bomb ever exploded during a test in the Artic Circle. The bomb was over twice the strength and size as the next largest bomb ever detonated, and remains so to this day. It is staggeringly difficult to imagine the power of the blast. We use numbers and analogies, but still cannot quite grasp it with any meaningful metric. If that is true for a...

Anger is a part of the world. With sin so prevalent, and wrong so near, it would be odd if it wasn’t. Anger is rightly applied to the Lord in the presence of sin, so it is likewise a legitimate reaction for his people. Yet, it is never to control us or to be characteristic of God’s people. How, then, shall we be angry and not sin? While exhaustive rules would never suffice, our text today provides...

Illusion in the form of magic is so interesting. It is equal part showmanship, psychology, and mechanics. There are a number of well-known and rehearsed illusions, one of my favorites being the quick-change. Exodus 32 provides us with a theological picture of a quick change, but for the worse: the people who were exuberant in their confession of obedience in chapter 24 have suddenly gone rogue in...

The light has come! What a glorious reality. In the deepest hours of the night, the light comes. In the darkest weeks of the winter, the light comes. Goodness and richness flow with it. But John promises something more: the darkness has not overcome it. Today, let us think through what John means by this little phrase as we celebrate the birth of our Lord together!

Moby Dick is considered by many the quintessential American novel, given over to the pursuit of vengeance and retribution, ephemeral monsters, and action pieces of grave import. Yet, it is also filled with much beside: talk of whale anatomy, uses for blubber, and the intricacies of whaling. The planning and building of the tabernacle are viewed in much the same light: distractions from the main th...

There are plenty of people who believe in a power beyond this world, a thing that controls through a plan long ago put in motion, but one who refuses to dirty themselves by interfering in the things of the world. Our God does not appear to be such a god. But, since we clearly see that as the case, why has God left justice completely up to the Israelites? Our text today reminds us that he hasn’t –...

Mike Tyson famously said that everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. God’s desire for his people has been laid out in the 10 commandments and in their further implications. But sin will punch back, and when it does how are the people to respond? Here, God begins to give his people the outline for justice, as they seek to right the wrongs that sin will cause among them. Justice is...

Modern America is littered with megachurches; that is, churches that have over 2.000 weekly attenders. What do many of these churches have in common, and what can we learn from them? This is part of an ongoing series at Crossway in Church history.

The ten commandments are not dissimilar to hot dogs in American culture; most know of them, have tasted of them, even like them, although they have a very limited idea as to what is in them. Today, we have the pleasure of thinking about these commands, their place among God’s people, and what they mean for our lives. They are much more than just black-and-white laws but represent a way of life for...

Historically, the black church has been quite involved with movements related to social justice, much more so than white churches. Today, we look at the reasons, historically and theologically, why that is so. This is part of an ongoing series during Crossway Sunday School looking at the history of the Church.

There are many works of literature in the world that mean more than what the plain words of the text mean. Animal Farm, the incisive novel by George Orwell, is one of those works. Clearly not meaning to write a book about the social order and governance of creatures on a farm, it is meant to have an importance beyond the animal world and tell us something of ours. The Bible often does this, and do...

The Catholic Church has both been maintained in its essentials and adapted to the modern world since the Council of Trent. Today, we look at some of those adaptations, and hope for more changes to come. This is part of an ongoing series during Crossway Sunday School looking at the history of the Church.

We are accustomed to war; it is part of the modern world, just as it has been a part of history. Fighting and bloodshed are part of the human condition. In the OT, those enemies were seen and known as the nations surrounding Israel. These both attacked Israel, and were attacked by them. Yet, this is not how we are instructed to handle our enemies – whoever they might be. What can we learn from a t...

How ought we to speak to God when we face grave difficulties? When does crying out to God bleed over into grumbling? We know that such grumbling is never right, but if that is so, are we to never speak to God about our pain and circumstances? And what of God? If God puts us in difficult positions, is he just tempting us to fail? Today, we have an opportunity to hear of the grumbling of God’s peopl...

Liberalism was a movement, beginning in the 18th Century, that led many to deny the clear and evident words of the text of Scripture. Today, we investigate what theological liberalism is, its effects, and the response to it. This is part of an ongoing series during Crossway Sunday School looking at the history of the Church.

America's religious freedom has provided much good to Christians, allowing freedom of conscience in religious matters. However, this has also produced fertile ground for the production of heresy and cults. While not all of the movements we speak of this morning are cults or heresies, or are even strictly American, they have been produced and encouraged in a large part due to the unique American si...

Christians have long been a singing people. Songs and singing have formed a part of our worship of God from the very earliest of days. But why? What is it about songs that is so important to our right worship of God? And what should our songs say? Today, as we eavesdrop on the song the Israelites sang upon the destruction of their enemies, let us consider the importance of song in the worship of o...

The history of the Christian church has placed a great deal of emphasis on God’s glory. It forms the center of our purpose in creation and our goal in life. As the reformation confessions say, the highest purpose of humans is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. This is good biblical exegesis, and most would agree with it, in theory. But in our lives, the glory of God can cost us much more than w...

When reading through history, we are struck with numerous stories of people overcoming great odds and physical pain, only to feel the elation of victory. The majority of us can try to empathize with the wonder they felt at that moment, but the best we can really do is project from our own experiences. It would be hard to know how an Israelite felt when the Egyptians knocked on their door and told...