The theology of an active church.   more...

The blessings of an active church.   more...

The pragmatics of an active church I.   more...

The pragmatics of an active church II.   more...

Witnessing I: External service.   more...

Witnessing II: The pragmatics of evangelism (1).   more...

Witnessing III: The pragmatics of evangelism (2).   more...

Witnessing IV: The pragmatics of evangelism (3).
(Prayer - Care - Share)   more...

Our vision for All Saints'.   more...

How Scripture directs us to respond to the good news of Christ’s birth.   more...

Do not be discouraged, you are precious to God.   more...

"But you are a chosen race..."   more...

The Lord's Supper as a Sacrament.   more...

The Lord's Supper as a meal.   more...

The Lord's Supper as Communion.   more...

The Eucharist as the future now.   more...

Waiting on the Lord.   more...

Waiting on the Lord.   more...

Waiting on the Lord.   more...

The degree that you lesson the severity of sin, you diminish the glory of the Gospel.   more...

Thanksgiving as therapy - WHY.   more...

Thanksgiving as therapy - HOW.   more...

What we will find is that Thanksgiving is not only an expression of our gratitude for what God has done but God intends your giving thanks to minister to you and equip you to deal with the stress, anxiety, and worry that confronts you throughout daily life.   more...

Why is true repentance so important for my everyday life?   more...

At its heart true Confession is public (vs. private). Remember, by definition confession involves an openness and disclosure to another.   more...

Every sin is always a threefold strike against God, self and others.   more...

Simply put, throughout Scripture restitution seeks to restore that which was damaged or lost due to sin.   more...

The favor that God showed to Mary is a favor that He intends for His whole people.   more...

Deny the Virgin Birth and the cross, the empty tomb, forgiveness of sins, and the hope of life eternal all vanish.   more...

The Holy Spirit in the Virgin Birth points to the nativity as a new work of creation.   more...

Barrenness was seen to represent man’s inability and his loss of a future.   more...

Biblical fasting is always a turning of our undivided attention to God.   more...

On 1 Kings 19:9.   more...

How Scripture directs us to respond to the good news of Christ’s birth.   more...

Baptism is a Sacrament that represents and guarantees the way that God responds to faith. It assures the believer that God responds to his faith by including him in Christ and Christ's body.   more...

God’s promise directly involves the children of believers.   more...

God completes His work. God rests from His work. Life in the new creation begins.   more...

Death is a judgment against sin; but Christ paid the full price of sin and therefore completely removed the judgment of death.   more...

At the heart of the ascension is the idea that the new life presented is now administered to God’s people. The new life Christ accomplished is presented to the Father and applied to His people.   more...

How do these feasts prepare us for and help us better understand the amazing gift of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost?   more...

It is not enough to believe in a god. Rather, Scripture calls you to believe in the God as He has revealed Himself in His word.   more...

God is the all powerful, all knowing, unchanging God, who works all things after the counsel of His will. That is, God interacts with creation but is not subject to nor determined by any of the limits of creation.   more...

Every promise and every hope that the Bible gives is what it is because God is who He is. Notice then the heart of God. God is not a God who is ignorant or indifferent to what His people face. Rather, He is a God who is passionate in His love and commitment to you.   more...

That is God’s word does not deal in abstract ideals that have no relevance to real life. Remember because God is sovereign, because He governs every detail of existence according to His plan, existence is never beyond God’s reach.   more...

The problem that Haggai addresses is a problem of the heart. Therefore, rather than giving us a list of unfortunate events, Haggai allows us to listen to the way that God’s people have responded to events.   more...

God calls His people to consider their ways. Importance: At once we see the great mercy of God. God does not leave His people in their sin nor does He allow their self-deception and self- justification to continue.   more...

In our text this morning Haggai allows us to watch the way that God's people respond to God's correction and call.   more...

God called His people to build His Temple. However, instead of working on God’s house, God’s people have pursued the world’s riches and the world’s desires. Therefore, God disciplined His people in order to call them out of their sin.   more...

It is at this very moment, when God’s people are celebrating God’s presence with them and His dwelling place among them, that Haggai stands up to address the complaint against the Temple.   more...

Haggai turns his attention to the restoration of God's people. In other words, Haggai began by seeking a Temple fit for God's purpose. Now in 2:10 Haggai seeks a people fit for God's mission. Why? It is through the witness of this people no less than through the witness of this Temple that God will bring about the Messiah.   more...

God wants His people to understand the difference between those things which bless life and those things which diminish life.   more...

If you forsake God and neglect His ways, will the very particulars of your daily life become unfit/unclean as well?   more...

God wants His people to understand the difference between those things which bless life and those things which diminish life. Why? So they can avoid their past mistakes and live faithful/fruitful lives.   more...

God’s people are faithfully rebuilding the Temple. Therefore, God has promised to bless their crops and the work of their hands. However, that is not all. As it turns out, God has something much bigger in store for His people.   more...

Now remember last week we saw that Haggai was sent to announce that God was going to bless His people in an extraordinary way. However, before Haggai announces this blessing he shows God's people the three main ingredients that make up this blessing. That is, Haggai draws your attention to three great promises/themes of Scripture that he wants fresh in your mind before he announces the blessing. Why? This blessing will fulfill of each of these promises.   more...

Because the grace that saves you is rooted in Christ’s righteousness it is not morally neutral. Rather it is a grace that produces like righteousness in its participants. For Peter then salvation and godliness go hand in hand. Listen.   more...

Peter’s readers are being besieged by false teachers who claim that it does not matter how you live. Therefore, Peter responds by reminding his readers that the grace that saves you not only forgives your sins, it not only secures your eternal life, it also provides everything that you need for godliness and growth. In other words, for Peter, salvation and godliness go hand in hand.   more...

Peter has stressed the fact that it matters how you live. God’s grace has provided everything that you need for godliness and growth. Therefore, because God’s grace is already at work in you, renewing you and changing you, your efforts are not to resist grace. Instead your efforts are to reflect the work that grace is doing in you.   more...

Notice at once why growth is so important to Peter: First, Peter tells you that if you are growing, you will be neither useless nor unfruitful in your relationship with Jesus. Importance: remember that the purpose of grace is not only to redeem you it is also to make you a healthy and productive member of God’s Kingdom.   more...

Peter’s purpose is to keep his people focused on the heart of the Gospel. Why? It is the heart of the Gospel (and not some new or esoteric teaching) that provides direction and hope for God’s people. (For Peter, the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing)   more...

Peter wants to remind his readers of the centrality of godly living to grace and the Christian walk (godliness is not some peripheral or optional issue). In our text this morning Peter turns to provide the basis for this claim. That is Peter provides proof that godly living is an essential part of the Christian walk.   more...

Peter underscores the centrality of godliness by demonstrating its central place in the Old Testament’s teaching concerning the Christ. Godliness has always been an intrinsic and vital part of God’s plan for His people. Therefore, if your godliness is so important to God, should it not also be important to you?   more...

Grace not only provides everything you need for eternal life but it also provides everything you need for godliness and growth. In other words, for Peter, the grace that saves you is a grace that really changes you. Therefore, godliness is a central part of the Christian walk.   more...

Peter wants God’s people to understand the severity of the threat that false teaching presents to the life of the whole church and to be ready to respond faithfully. In our text this morning, Peter turns to deal with the specific false teaching that is confronting his readers. Listen.   more...

Our text this morning continues our study of II Peter. Now remember, like the church today, Peter’s readers are being confronted both from within and from without by those who say that it does not matter how you live. Last week, Peter confronted the false teachers, who threaten God’s people from within. This week Peter turns to respond to the mockers, who threaten God’s people from without. Listen.   more...

Notice that Peter reminds us that there will always be those who distort the truths of Scripture. Therefore, he warns us to stay on our guard, lest we be deceived or carried away by their error.   more...