Hold Up The Book

The Christian experience is one that must be defined by perseverance. It's a concept that the Holy Spirit talked about a lot to our early brothers and sisters in the faith, because life is full of reasons to give in and give up. But Christians persevere in spite of all the things taht threaten to overthrow our faith. And we persevere because the reward of knowing Christ is worth all the trial...

The narrative about the Ethiopian nobleman (Acts 8) is the story of a man who already possesses some of God's gifts, and who receives many more blessings in addition. This message reminds us that baptism is a necessity that we must obey... and more than that, it's a gift.

This message, in which we sang several hymn (not included in the recording) reminds us of the connection between thankfulness and praise, reminds us that thankfulness is more than a nebulous feeling (it's got to be directed toward a person), and that it's the job of saints in every generation to make songs of thankfulness and worship an integral part of our lives. Happy Thanksgiving this...

I was out of the pulpit yesterday, so here's a TBT for the regular listeners. In this message from the autumn of 2018, we look at one of David's poems that illuminates the experience of sinning, trying to hide that sin from God, and then finally confessing it and being forgiven. It's a good reminder for how all of us process sin and repentance, and it reminds us that God is good to...

This sermon was part of a series titled "Unity In Action," and it explores a simple but oft-overlooked aspect of what makes a congregation great: that her members are  friends  with each other. The early saints were often characterized by friendship, and so his people should continue to be in every generation.

This message is another installment in our 2022 theme series: "I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me." In this message, we hone in on temptation: What it is and isn't, how we often think rightly or wrongly about it, and where the power to bear it comes from. It's a good lesson for new Christians and seasoned Christians, because it reminds us that God's grac...

In this 2-part sermon series, we explore some of the temptations that are common to humanity. Loosely inspired by insights from C.S. Lewis' "The Screwtape Letters," this message reverses the perspective, reminding God's people that, "If I were the devil, I would work on destroying your faith by..."

If God is the sovereign authority of the universe, and if he has spoken through the Bible, then we must listen to the Bible and respect its authority. This message adds a few more reasons for  why  we should live our lives under the authority of the Bible.

In this 2-part sermon series, we explore some of the temptations that are common to humanity. Loosely inspired by insights from C.S. Lewis' "The Screwtape Letters," this message reverses the perspective, reminding God's people that, "If I were the devil, I would work on destroying your faith by..."

Mercy and grace differ from each other by a matter of quality and of degree. All mercy is grace, but not all grace is mercy. But both are seen in abundance when we look at the Gospel plan as realized in the cross and in the empty tomb. This communion meditation reminds us to be grateful for God's mercy in the Cross and for his grace in the Resurrection.

The Bible gives so much guidance for how we ought to live as Christians. But in many cases, what God gives us is wisdom about moral choices, and he leaves it to us to decide exactly how we will apply that wisdom. In many of those cases, we would do well to draw clear lines for ourselves that we will not cross—not that we bind our self-imposed rules on others, but that we draw the lines that we wil...

Who is in charge of Christianity and Christians? And how do we know what that being wants from us? This message reminds us of the Bible's claim that God is sovereign—that he rules the universe in his own good way. And if we believe that, then we will also accept that he has spoken to us through the Bible and that we should do all we can in life to respect his authority through the Bible. This...

In 1 Kings 18, God's prophet, Elijah, faced off with 400 prophets who served the god, Baal. And their conflict teaches us some powerful lessons about God's eternal nature, whether we choose to trust him or not.

God's people are called to be honest in all of our dealings — the big stuff and the small stuff. We are supposed to be people who keep our commitments; who do what we say we will do. We shouldn't need large piles of legal documents and ultra-serious-sounding language to hold us to our agreements; we should just be trustworthy in all of our dealings. This lesson reminds us why that's...

In this message, we talk about why it's important to take deep dives into the Bible. It can be intimidating, and it will always challenge us... but it is  always worth it. The treasures to be found in it are wonderful—whether old or new. PS — Click here to read a recent article that I wrote from Matt. 13:52 along these same lines of thought.

Generosity is a defining hallmark of God's people throughout our history, all the way back to the first century, when The Apostle Paul organized an effort for Christians from all over the Mediterrenean to give generously to their brothers in Judea to buy them food in a time of famine. In this message, we learn these lesson from a straightforward textual study of 2 Corinthians 8-9.

This message, preached on Father's Day 2015, discusses the importance of passing our faith down on to our children. Obviously, they don't just  inherit that faith—they must choose to make it their own. But, there is so much that we can do encourage them to do just that: to lay hold of the truth about Christ and develop their own lasting convictions in that. Note: This sermon was heavily...

Sometimes, trying to raise godly kids can feel like trying to build something with no blueprints; we're never quite sure what the next move should be. But, God hasn't left us to completely wing it — he's taught us some wisdom for thinking about how to train our kids to maturity. In this lesson, we look to the book of Proverbs for four parenting concepts that will help Christian moms...

This message talks about the unity of believers, based on a prophecy about the city of Jerusalem from back in Isaiah. The prophecies of the Old Testament were  already  teaching God's people so much of the grand truth about the church; we would do well to look back and see that once in awhile for the clarity it can add to our understanding the present.

It is God's nature, as revealed through the whole Bible, to be creative. That is, he often creates new things, bringing life again and again. This message highlights that element of his nature and shows why we can have the hope of salvation by seeing that nature at work and trusting in him to create new spiritual life in us. God creates. God resurrects. And God redeems.

The most important determining factor for our effectiveness in worship is this: Do we understand who GOD is? If we can  tune our hearts to that reality, then our ability to worship will take a qualitative leap forward. This message reminds us of his nature as it pertains to how we worship him.

In the years that I have spent teaching and preaching, a few subjects have garnered a good deal of pushback from Christians. One of those subjects is the virtue of Christian joy. This message was one lesson in a series on basic Christian character traits that I and several other men participated in. The goal was to give some clarity on the subject and to help people who genuinely struggle with the...

Some believers are more accustomed to the term "The Lord's Supper" than to the designation, "Communion." But both terms are biblical, and they both describe an element of this worship activity that is important for us to consider. In this message, we talk about the fellowship aspect of communion—that it's something we share with Christ and with our fellow believers. T...

Jehoiada the High Priest is not a particularly well-known Bible character, but his story of integrity serves as a powerful example for us if we take the time to notice it. This message shines a light on his life and his interactions with the kings of God's people.