Shaking Scripture's Leaves

What is the process for a Christian to figure out the ethical thing to do in any given situation? Can Christians know what God expects of them as doctors? Government leaders? Teachers? Or anything else? In this episode, John Horning discusses whether or not the Bible is able to construct ethical systems to be applied […]

What does it matter if you have everything when you have no one to share it with? In this episode, John Horning discusses Solomon’s teaching on one of the most essential ingredients to experiencing all the blessing that life has to offer.

How can you offer a gift to God that He will accept? What gift does God want? And how do you deal with sin before it dominates your life, or how do you deal with sin that already dominates you life? In this episode, John Horning discusses some of the lessons that we learn from […]

Have you ever been afflicted by or watched the affliction of wealthy or otherwise powerful people? Have you ever gone to work not for the paycheck but to beat your neighbors or coworkers? In this episode, John Horning discusses Solomon’s evaluation and recommendation for dealing with the corruption of human economies and rat races.

Sometimes, you can see a thing most clearly when it’s standing next to its opposite. In a similar way, God’s attributes can be made more stark when compared to the attributes of mankind. In this episode, join John Horning as he walks through David’s comparison of the wickedness of every man and the generosity of […]

The world we live in is broken. The world we live in is full of corrupt people and institutions, so how does that affect our ability to enjoy our lives? In this episode, John Horning discusses Solomon’s description of the brokenness and corruption of a world living in the shadow of Adam’s sin.

How are you supposed to enjoy your life when your life has so much that lies beyond your control? How do you deal with shifting personal and geopolitical circumstances without losing your joy? In this episode, John Horning walks through Solomon’s solution to the sovereignty of God.

Can a person believe in the doctrinal truths of the Bible if they believe that the history of the Bible is unreliable? Whether the history of the Bible is denied wholesale or in specific instances, John Horning asks what the Bible says about itself concerning history and the relationship between history and doctrine.

What in the world is “self-existence”? What could that possibly have to do with the sovereignty of God? In this episode, John Horning demonstrates that if God is self-existent, and if only God is self-existent, then it is logically necessary that God is completely sovereign over absolutely everything — even human sin.

If the pleasures that exist in life are not sufficient to find ultimate meaning, then what about the strategy of leaving a legacy? What if your name is remembered and your accomplishments stand after you? In this lesson, John Horning continues through Solomon’s explanation that even a legacy doesn’t help when you can’t enjoy it […]

How does a Christian think about the consumption of alcohol? What standards exist surrounding alcohol, and how might a Christian make decisions about drinking? In this episode, join John Horning as he discusses his own wrestling with alcohol, the black, the white, the grey, and the choices.

After all Paul’s setup to answer the question of God’s promises to Israel, he is finally giving the knock-out punch. This week, join John Horning as we answer the question of why Israel seems to not be receiving God’s promises to her: She will, following her national conversion in the future.

Paul has been discussing the issue of the Reliability of God’s Promises in light of the fact that He seems to have abandoned Israel. This week is part 2 of Paul’s response to this objection, so join John Horning as he discusses the importance of faith in the truth and the Remnant of the people […]

Paul says God’s promises are secure. Paul says that gentiles can come to God and trust His word. But a gentile might look at Israel and say, “Israel doesn’t seem to be receiving God’s promises to them, so why should I trust Him myself?” In this lesson, John Horning starts Paul’s 3-chapter discussion of God’s […]

Once you’re a Christian, what do you need the Gospel for? Is the only need a Christian has for the Gospel the ability to share it with a non-Christian? In this lesson, John Horning discusses Paul’s demonstration that the Gospel only becomes more relevant when someone becomes a Christian.

If God’s grace covers all the sins of the believer, and if a Christian can sin and fail indefinitely without losing his salvation, then why would a Christian not live like a heathen? In this lesson, John Horning discusses the Apostle Paul’s answer to that question: because God changes the ones He saves.

Ecclesiastes can be heavy and confusing. In addition to the weighty subject matter, there are passages that can create confusion. In this sermon, John Horning attempts to lighten and clarify a notoriously difficult passage of Ecclesiastes. Today, we learn what it means to be abundantly righteous.

What is the first part of the Gospel of which Paul is so unashamed? What do both believers and non-believers have in common before God, and what makes them different? In this lesson, John Horning discusses the problem of sin in every person’s life, and the increased severity of that sin in the life of […]

Welcome to the Epistle to the Romans, the Apostle Paul’s magnum opus which deals with the doctrines of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In this lesson, John Horning discusses Paul’s writings on those we preach the Gospel to and why understanding these recipients is critical to our preaching.

What was Solomon’s story? How did he go about maximizing life? In this lesson, John Horning relates Solomon’s first of two life lessons: Prosperity isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Especially after it’s all dried up.

What will you say at the end of your life? What advice might you give to the people who still have time when your time is running out? In this episode, John Horning enters into Solomon’s sermon about living a life that isn’t wasted — a life lived in light of death.

Time for the big answer. If God is good and all-powerful, then why does God allow for evil, suffering, and brokenness in His world? In this episode, John Horning explains God’s explicit reason for allowing evil with a conclusion that grates against our very nature: God is God, and we are not.

Why is this world broken? Why is there suffering if the God Who created everything is good? In this episode, John Horning discusses the historical account of how exactly the world fell to this broken state.

If God is good and if God is sovereign, then why does God allow all the suffering, sin, and brokenness in the world? In this episode, John Horning starts a three part series with the answer in 2 Peter 3: God is patient with evil people.

There is sometimes a perception that Song of Solomon shouldn’t be read by young Christians or shouldn’t be read at all. In this episode, John Horning discusses the essential role of Song of Solomon in the life of Christians in general and in the life of young Christians specifically.