Congregation, A text message came in early this morning: "This world is so sick and sinful. My heart is heavy. I need an encouraging word from my pastor today." I knew this person must be watching the news reports about the diabolical killing and wounding of...
Most Christians - and most people for that matter - struggle with a disease of the mind called forgetfulness. We can forget small things like our car keys or wallet, but there is an even greater tendency to forget more significant things. For the Christian, forgetfulness...
We are promised that with every temptation we face, God is faithful to provide a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). The way of escape is not a way that avoids temptation, but a way through it and a way to endure it. Temptation is a...
I have heard Christians use the word "legalism" when they have discussions about self-discipline. There seems to be confusion about what legalism is. Legalism is depending on our efforts to secure and maintain right standing with God. We become legalists when we fail to grasp...
This Sunday at Grace, we will consider the Apostle Paul's statement that he "became all things to all people for the sake of the gospel" (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). This is what D.A. Carson calls becoming a world Christian. Carson describes a world Christian as someone for whom...
As new people in Christ, we have a new way to walk in the world. Our new aim is to bring glory to God in everything we do (1 Corinthians 10:31). We need wisdom to walk this way. There are many issues and opportunities in life...
What is radical discipleship? Some think if it's big, out of the ordinary, and dangerous, it's radical. Some think "radical" is for a few, and the rest of us are just average. Not true on both accounts. In 1 Corinthians 7, the Apostle Paul gives us...
What a morning. I watched the riots in Baltimore, the devastation in Nepal, and a report on the Supreme Court arguments on same-sex marriage. I was reminded that Jesus told us to "watch and pray" (Mark 14:38). Today, watch. Watch the news reports, read your news...
One question many Christians ask is, "Am I doing what I am supposed to be doing in life?" One confusion many Christians have is that the most important thing in life is what we do. It seems this was the question and the confusion Paul dealt...
In 1 Corinthians 7, the Apostle Paul naturally moves to a discussion of marriage as a continuation of his teaching on sexual purity in 1 Corinthians 6. This is because sexual purity and sexual immorality necessarily have to do with marriage. And that is because...
