1. Focus on building the kingdom of God, not the church. (Hugh Halter) Jesus told us to make disciples. He said he would build his church. Taking on the job of building the church places a burden on our shoulders we weren’t meant to bear. 2. The church is a sail boat, not a motor […]
Top Ten Triennial Takeaways Read More »
Romans 5:1-11 This post is a condensed recap of two sermons from this text. I’ll post the audio from the first sermon once Posterous fixes the glitch. I won’t post the audio from the second sermon because it was a train wreck. The big idea is this: Christians can rejoice in suffering because they know
Productive Suffering Read More »
Romans 4:13-25 We’ve been hammering the belief nail each week for a while, asserting that it is the only way in which people can be saved and find life in Jesus. Yet it can still be a nebulous idea. We’ll clarify by examining its substance, process, and enemy in this passage.* Belief’s Substance …fully
Understanding Belief | Romans 4:13-25 Read More »
Romans 4:1-9 In this passage, Paul is articulating an important distinction for any church goer to consider. There are basically two lanes the common church-goer can fall into: The Lane of the Worker and The Lane of the Believer. Workers earn wages. Believers receive blessing. Brick masons lay brick and their bosses pay. Workers perform
Workers and Believers | Romans 4:1-9 Read More »
Romans 3:21-31 We know God is super righteous because his standards are so high. But there is another way his righteousness is manifested (made visible): his ability to turn guilty people into innocent people. Just judges condemn guilty people. God turns guilty people into innocent people without overthrowing the law, ignoring the crime, or compromising
God is Righteous to Justify Guilty People | Romans 3:21-31 Read More »
Romans 3:9-20 All are under slavery to sin. The rules God gives us in the Bible reveal this, but cannot free us. Paul quotes several passages in the Old Testament to back up this devastating claim: None is righteous… There are over 600 commands in the Old Testament. God summarized them into a top ten list in Exodus 20. Let’s see
Diagnosis and Cure Read More »