Grammar Matters
One might wonder if all this analysis is no more than a pedantic waste of time. Actually, it gets to the heart of Paul’s understanding of the gospel. Continue reading
Tag Archives: trust
“Promises, Promises” Genesis 15:1-7
Read the Scripture One of the persistent questions plaguing the faithful is this: How do we continue to trust the promises of God when the evidence against those promises is all around us? Genesis 15:1-7 highlights this problem. When Abraham was seventy-five years old, he and Sarah left all the… Continue reading
Radical Doxology
Authentic doxology is experienced only by those who are lost in love, wonder, thanksgiving, and praise. Too many in our culture are lost in fear, boredom, selfishness, and cynicism. Continue reading
Paul and the Gospel, Part Three
The royal proclamation is not simply the conveying of true information about the kingship of Jesus. It is the putting into effect of that kingship, the decisive and authoritative summoning to allegiance. Paul discovered, at the heart of his missionary practice, that when he announced the lordship of Jesus Christ,… Continue reading
How Does God Keep Us? Psalm 121
(Please read this psalm, printed at the end of the blog entry, before reading the sermon.) In the movie How the West Was Won, there is a memorable scene. A groom rides from the prairie camp to thank God for his bride. While praying he hears a gunshot and returns… Continue reading
A Story of Grace Piled Upon Grace
[The following is my version of a story other ministers have used over the past decades. I have no idea of the identity of the story’s original author. What follows is the version I crafted and told many years ago. I find it helpful and hopeful, especially in a time… Continue reading
James 2:1-17 “Clubhouse Rules and Counterfeit Faith”
Faith is all about the basic trust of our lives and what we depend on for our identity and security. James says faith that is only objective belief or sentimental emotion is thoroughly counterfeit. If faith were just a matter of proper belief, then the demons who know God is One (the cardinal doctrine of Judaism and Christianity) would be on the front rows in heaven. And if faith were a matter of sentimental emotion, those with an overactive hypothalamus would be singing in the celestial choirs of the angels with big crocodile tears streaming down their faces. Genuine, 24K faith is a trust that takes concrete form in the way we live our lives. Only such faith is saving. Continue reading
John 20:1-10 “When Loving is Believing”
Read the Scripture One of the great mysteries in the New Testament is the identity of the beloved disciple in John’s Gospel. His first appearance in the Gospel occurs in chapter 13 at the Last Supper. In Jesus’ day, Jews reclined while eating their special meals. During the Last Supper,… Continue reading
Romans 8 12-17 “Scared to Death”
12 So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— 13 for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by… Continue reading
Psalm 23 “The Lord is My Shepherd” (Part Two)
1 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want; 2 he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters; 3 he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of… Continue reading
