Hill Country Bible Church Dripping Springs Sermons

We cannot over-emphasize the importance of the doctrine of justification, for every follower of Christ needs a strong understanding of this biblical teaching. But justification is not the end of the gospel. In fact, it may not even be the greatest truth in the gospel. The doctrine of justification makes us right before God the judge, but in the doctrine of adoption we are loved by God the Father.

Salvation comes through a promise from God and therefore cannot come from keeping the law. Then why the law? Paul explains promise and law in this passage.

Most Christians understand imputed righteousness (we are declared righteous by God through faith in Jesus) but we struggle to understand imparted righteousness (living a righteous life). We must understand that the same thing that saves us also keeps us.

Legalism leads to fear and fear leads to hypocrisy. Our hypocrisy condemns us but grace justifies us.

We must contend for the purity of the gospel and never compromise a single point. Anything we add or subtract from the gospel makes it no gospel at all.

In this passage the amazing, powerful, counter-intuitive grace of God is on display. Paul gives us a picture of God's transforming grace by relating his own story. Paul was transformed by his encounter with Jesus.

Paul writes to churches that are being tempted to trade the simplicity of the gospel for a false message of works. We need to learn how to recognize legalism in our lives and fight against it with the truth of the gospel.

How do you find joy in trials? Habakkuk has discovered the secret and leads us to the answer.

This week we looked at Habakkuk 3 where we are called to rely on God, remember who He is and rejoice in Him. In doing that we learn to look up to God instead of our circumstances.

If God is infinite, sovereign, all-powerful, all knowing and can do whatever He pleases, then what do we do with pain, suffering, loss and hurt? What do we do with those things since God is good and He is sovereign and those things exist? The Bible says we’ll have one of two reactions to that kind of thing.

What does it mean "to wait on the Lord"? How do we do that in the midst of struggles and suffering?

In moments of hardships and trials, we are going to have questions. Habakkuk show us that we can bring these questions and complaints to God. What we can’t do is come puffed up before God when his ways don’t make sense. We are not peers. We cannot take the position that God must do things in our understanding.

When our circumstances overwhelm us, when God's promises seem unfulfilled, where do we turn? For starters, we long for answers: Why, God? It is a question we have all asked at one time but it is not a new question.

The resurrection means that moving from darkness to light is possible.

How does prayer fit into the armor of God and spiritual warfare?

Prayer combats pride and cultivates humility in the life of the believer.

We know how to cry. But we may not know how to lament. Lament is an honest prayer to God about the emotions you are feeling and the questions you have in the midst of suffering and pain.

Jesus teaches us to bank our prayer life on God's love for you.

The primary purpose of prayer is not to gratify our natural desires but to magnify the glory of God.

Prayer is either the greatest insanity or the most wonderful news. Prayer is calling on God for his attention. We ask him to turn away from the exploding stars and supernovas and give attention to our trouble. We ask him to show us mercy. Why would we think this is a good idea?

The "Already/Not yet" feature of the kingdom of God is a truth that can shape not only our future but direct us in the present.

The kingdom of God provides us with a different way of thinking about our identity. Through the gospel our identity is received, not achieved. We are drawn into a royal story, it doesn’t depend on circumstances. It doesn’t change with trends. It doesn’t come and go with seasons. At the core of our God-given identity is this profound truth: we are God’s beloved children, sons and daughters of the K...

What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus in light of the kingdom of God?

What does community look like in light of the kingdom of God?

Sadly, many Christians today are promoting what amounts to a kingdom without a king. People talk about “kingdom justice” or “kingdom living,” in a way that eclipses the person and work of Christ the king. For some, “kingdom work” seems to be no different than a secular attempt to make the world a better place. This approach couldn’t be further from the truth. To genuinely embrace the kingdom, we h...