In Gen. 17 Abraham asked God to let his son, Ishmael, be the one through whom the promise of blessing was fulfilled.  God said no.

Has God ever said “No” to you?  Here are a few reasons why he may have done so.

Three Reasons:

1. To teach us to have faith
2. To show us that He accomplishes great things in our lives, and not that we accomplish great things in our lives (aka exalt him, humble us).
3. B/c a 1,000 other things are providentially waiting their turn to fall into place and be better than any “Yes” we could have ever imagined.

What are some other reasons God may tell us NO???

If you knew that you only had one hour left on this earth, and if you were able to gather all of your closest family and friends, what would you tell them? What would you want them to know?  What parting advice or charge or word of encouragement would you want to leave them with?

This is a sobering situation to consider.  It was not merely an imagined scenario, however, for our Lord after he resurrected and was about to leave the earth and ascend to the right hand of the Father.

His last message was a passage known by most as “The Great Commission.”  It’s found in each of the gospels, but the most notable occurrence is in Matt. 28:18-20.  These are likely the final words Christ spoke to his followers before he left.  Notice these six characteristics of his parting message.  It was a:

1) Sovereign Message — (”all authority”)
2) Sending Message — (”Go”)
3) Saving Message — (”make disciples”)
4) Incorporating Message — (”baptizing”)
5) Instructing Message — (”teaching”)
6) Inspirational Message — (”I am with you always”)

(Screenshot from esvstudybible.org)

I’m currently reading through the Gospel of Mark.  Mark, not unlike the other gospel writers, emphasizes that Jesus was always teaching people (Mark 10:1).  Jesus would use any and every circumstance possible as an opportunity to teach his followers the ways of his kingdom.

In Mark 11:20-25 Jesus uses the occasion of a cursed, fruitless fig tree to teach his disciples about prayer.  Among other things in this passage, he explains in vs. 24 (highlighted above) that whatever we ask for in prayer, so long as we believe that we’ll receive it, we’ll get it.

This is puzzling to me.  I understand that we’re to pray by faith—that is, by believing that God is real, that he’s powerful, that he hears us when we pray, that he’s concerned about our lives, etc.  I get that.  What I don’t get is how this verse squares with all the things that I’ve prayed for that have not come to pass.  I’ve prayed for them believing.  Yet many prayers were not answered when and how I had hoped and even ‘believed’ that they would be.

When we’re puzzled like this by something we read in the Scriptures the best place to look for help is in other Scriptures.  That’s exactly what I did and here’s what I’ve learned.

When praying we most definitely should pray believing.  Our belief can be said to be blind (II Cor. 5:7), but it shouldn’t be said that our belief is dumb, uninformed, or ignorant of God’s truth—not when we’ve go the Bible to go by.  So when you pray make sure to put the following three things into practice.

1. Check Your Motives (James 4:3)

We’re not to pray for things simply because we want them.  In fact, James 4:3 explains that sometimes we don’t get what we pray for specifically because we want them for the wrong reasons.  So check your motives when you pray.  Make sure that your ultimate aim is as Jesus’ when he prayed to the Father, “Not my will, by yours” (Luke 22:42).

2. Know the Word (I John 5:14-15)

If we pray for what we know God already wants how can we go wrong?  We can’t!  So pray God’s will.  How do we know what his will is?  Well, thankfully he’s written it down for us in something called the Bible.  So READ IT, and by it know God’s will, and then pray for that.

3. Remember the Spirit (Rom. 8:26)

Don’t lose heart!  Don’t be discouraged in your prayer life.  Remember that Rom. 8:26 teaches that God actually helps us pray as we’re praying.  Now that’s reassuring!  So when you pray, rely on that help.  Ask for it.  Look for it.  Pray with it and by it…in faith.

Let me ask you:

What other truths from God’s Word can you think of to shed light on the subject of prayer?  I’ve only listed three.  There are many more.  Help me out.  Click here to leave a comment.

I helped to officiate a funeral this weekend.  My role, besides giving the invocation and reading the obituary, was to share a few words at the graveside.

I shared the verse, Psalm 116:15.  It says,

“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.”

I asked the question, “Why is it precious to God when a Christian passes through this life to the next?”  In an attempt to both encourage the family as well as faithfully bear witness to the gospel I answered this question as it relates to three different persons or groups of persons: the individual who passed away, the Christians affected by his death, and the non-Christians affected by his death.

So why is it precious to the Lord when his faithful pass?  Because its a homecoming, an encouragement, and a challenge.

1. Homecoming—for the deceased

→The deceased believer is at home with Jesus.  They were not made for this world with its sin, suffering, and shame.  They were made for God and now they are with him and enjoying him and worshipping in a more fully realized sense than ever before.

2. Encouragement—for the believing bereaved

→ This is not the end.  Your loved one is not lost and gone forever.  They are merely on the other side.  They are with God.  And one day we will be there with them.

3. Challenge—to the unbelieving bereaved

→ May this occasion be an opportunity for you to be challenged by considering the brevity of life, your need for a savior, and the invitation of the gospel.

Have you ever had some close to you pass away?  What words were shared with you that were helpful as you tried to endure the grieving process?

John MacArthur’s got a three-part series of articles on how to endure in the ministry.  Very beneficial stuff…and better still, very practical stuff.  Here’s are his 10 practical thoughts on an enduring ministry:

1. Don’t arrive unless you plan to stay.
2. Learn to be patient.
3. Don’t be afraid to change.
4. Study to know God, not just to make sermons.
5. Be thankful and be humble.
6. Don’t lose sight of the priority.
7. Expect to work hard.
8. Trust the Word to do its work.
9. Always depend on the Lord.
10. Don’t just leave to leave.

Some points on this list may seem a little ambiguous.  I’ll let MacArthur explain himself.  Find these ten points with additional commentary here:

• Practical Thoughts on an Enduring Ministry—Part 1
• Practical Thoughts on an Enduring Ministry— Part 2
• Practical Thoughts on an Enduring Ministry—Part 3

In case I’ve never mentioned it before on this site, John MacArthur is the man.  I listen to at least one of his sermons nearly every week.  In fact, I’m always looking for new places to find resources and new preachers to listen to.

What preachers or ministries help you most often?

Leave a comment and let us all know who’s online resources help you.  If possible, give a link to their website or online sermon archives.  Thanks!

Thoughts from Doug Wilson on magic.  Found the video here.

This can be a pretty divisive issue.  Some are opposed to any sort of ‘magic’ in literature or film.  Others aren’t offended by anything.

What are your thoughts on magic?

Last night I preached on the stand of faith taken by Joshua and Caleb in Numbers 13 & 14.  Perhaps you’re familiar with the story.

Directed by God’s leadership, Moses sends 12 spies into the Promised Land on a reconnaissance mission—to check out the land and the people.

The spies do that and return.  Their report is that the land is good but that the people there and their cities are too strong to be successfully conquered.  All of them felt this way except for two: Joshua and Caleb (more about them in a moment).

This report upsets the people of Israel greatly, so much so that instead of advancing forward into the land God had promised them they would rather go back into Egypt and be slaves.

At the heart of my sermon was a comparison between the “evil report” of the spies and and the stand of faith taken by Joshua and Caleb.

5 Observations Concerning Those Who Fell Prey to the ‘Evil Report’:

• They took their eyes off of the purposes and power of God and placed them on the problems they saw in front of them.
• They placed their faith in themselves instead of in the Lord.
• They grew content in a ‘backslidden’ state.
• They were afraid to take risks for the kingdom of God.
• The murmured and complained themselves into misery.

5 Observations Concerning the Faith of Joshua and Caleb:

• They experienced great grief over sin among God’s people (Num. 14:6)
• They knew that what God promises is both good and desirable (Num. 14:7)
• They trusted God more than anyone or anything else (Num. 14:8)
• They submitted to God’s leadership and were not afraid to advance into enemy territory (Num. 14:9)
• They did all of these things even though it wasn’t the popular thing to do (Num. 14:10)

Sermon Audio:

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• (Download link on this page)

I recently had some questions posed to me by a couple church members about baptism and church membership.  I’d already been feeling somewhat compelled to do a few topical studies on both subjects.  Their questions sealed the deal for me and Sunday night we did a topical sermon called, “On Biblical Baptism.”

Among other things I did in preparation for this sermon (like looking at this, this, this, this, and of course, this), I consulted a number of free online resources on the subject of baptism from the likes John MacArthur, John Piper, and Alistair Begg.

The most helpful was a sermon by Alistair Begg entitled, “Biblical Basis for Baptism.” You may click through to Begg’s site to download the sermon.  Or you can listen to it here:

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Begg explains helpfully that the reality of salvation is displayed in baptism, not dispensed—a very helpful and catchy distinction.  He covers the history, meaning, and practice of baptism.

I need your help:

I’m currently preparing for a sermon(s) on church membership.  I’m in the process of looking for helpful resources but I’m not having much success.

What resources (books, sermons, articles, etc.) have you found helpful on the subject of church membership?  Thanks in advance to any who respond.

Pastor Gumball, by Naked Pastor

This artwork from Naked Pastor is disturbing.  (Don’t be worried by his name, though.  I can assure you everything in this post is fully clothed.)

It’s disturbing because its true.  How many pulpits in churches around the globe are more like contemporary Christian candy stores than platforms from which the great and deep truths of God’s Word are passionately and consistently expounded?  I’m afraid the answer is a simple but scary, “Too many.”

Preachers, let’s make sure that we don’t, as Naked Pastor put it, “Trivialize the truth for the sake of popularity.”

What truths do you think are trivialized and turned into “gumballs” most often?

Ananias restoring the sight of Saint Paul, by Pietro da Cortona

(Note: this is a follow-up post to “Learning from the Apostle Paul: Sharing Your Testimony”)

I’m continuing to preach my way verse-by-verse through Paul’s 1st Letter to Timothy with my church.  Lord willing, we should wrap up the first chapter this Lord’s Day.

A couple of weeks ago I preached a sermon on “Paul’s Personal Testimony” out of I Tim. 1:12-17.  I’ve already posted some thoughts from that sermon.  This post seeks to draw seven practical conclusions from Paul’s salvation story.

Our testimonies should make Jesus look good.

• Notice how in I Tim. 1:12 it’s all about Jesus—Paul says he’s thankful to Christ, strengthened by Christ, counted faithful by Christ, and placed in ministry by Christ.  There’s a whole lot of Christ there…and that’s definitely to be a lesson for us.

Our testimonies should stir our hearts with affection and praise toward God.

• After Paul has finished sharing the details of his testimony its as if he just can’t help it but to burst forth into praise.  See in I Tim. 1:17 how he all of a sudden jumps into a word or adoration to his God.

God’s grace is enough.

• It didn’t matter that Paul was said to be the “foremost” of all sinners (I Tim. 1:15), when God’s grace “overflowed” in his life it was more than enough to to save and transform him forever (I Tim. 1:14).

The message of Christ is not simply about getting better, it’s about getting saved.

• I love how in these verses Paul gives a sort of Jesus-statement-manifesto (I Tim. 1:15).  He says unapologetically that the reason Jesus came into the world was to save sinners.  It wasn’t merely to help us become better people.  It wasn’t to help us figure out who we are.  Those things are good and do come with it, but the reason Jesus came was to save us.

It is possible to be very religious and yet not be saved at all.

• We know from another passage of Scripture (Phil. 3:4-6) that the ‘pre-Christian’ Paul was a super-religious guy.  And yet here we learn that he was the worst sinner of them all.  It just goes to show you that being a good person and playing by all the religious rules won’t get you anywhere with God.  He’s got to save you.  Apart from that we’re without hope.

No one is good enough to be saved.

• This is very similar to the point above.  Simply put: no one can earn there way into a right relationship with God.  I don’t care what good deeds you do or how long you’ve been doing them, God’s Word says that even if we only break one of God’s rules, its as if we’re guilty of them all (James 2:10)

No one is bad enough that they can’t be saved.

• Paul was the worst—he said so himself (I Tim. 1:15).  And yet God saved him.  That gives hope to even those who think themselves the most lost of all causes.  God can save you.

What else can we learn from Paul’s testimony?  I know there’s more.  Help me out.

Paul and Timothy

The Apostle Paul shares his testimony in I Tim. 1:12-17.  I preached out of this passage last Sunday morning (sermon available here | series available here).

What I noted was a sort of structure to what Paul shared, a structure that I believe should prove helpful to us as we consider how to best share our testimonies.

Paul share six different things with Timothy:

I. Who I am Now (I Tim. 1:12)

→Paul was a man thankful to Christ, strengthened by Christ, counted faithful by Christ, and placed in ministry by Christ.

II. Where I Used to Be (I Tim. 1:13)

→Before his conversion Paul was a blasphemer, persecutor, and an injurious man.

III. What Happened to Me (I Tim. 1:14)

→God’s grace super-abounded in his life with faith and love.

IV. How It Happened (I Tim. 1:15)

→Jesus did it—Jesus saved him.

V. Why It Happened (I Tim. 1:16)

→So that through Paul’s salvation God’s patience could be set on display in the most illustrious of ways.  Paul’s testimony is an example to us all of how God can truly save a man.

VI. When I Think About It (I Tim. 1:17)

→ Paul ends this passage by bursting forth into praise.  It’s as if by sharing his testimony he cannot help but to be be stirred up with affection for his Lord.

This same outline should benefit our understanding of salvation.  If Christ has saved us then we should be able to fill in each of these six points with our own details: who we are, where we’ve come from, what happened to us, how it happened, why it happened, and when we think about it…

If you’re a believer I encourage you to use these points to rehearse your own testimony right now.  Look for someone you can share it with today.

This past Sunday night I caved to the pressures of the calendar and preached a Valentine’s-Day-inspired sermon on love.  The quintessential biblical passage on love is, of course, I Cor. 13.  So that’s where we parked things for the evening.

I covered the entire chapter by dividing it into three sections, each relating to the theme of ‘What Love Makes.”

Here’s the sermon audio:

• (Go here for download link)

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And here’s a rough sketch of my outline:

Love is What Makes the Difference (I Cor. 13:1-3)

• In what we say
• In what we know and believe
• In what we give and are willing to sacrifice

Love is What Makes for Unity (I Cor. 13:4-7)

• Consider the 14 or so different ways that Paul describes what love is and what it is not, what it does and doesn’t do.
• I referred to this section as the perfect ingredients for the perfect recipe that makes for unity among the people of God.

Love is What Makes it to the End (I Cor. 13:8-13)

• Here Paul delineates between two phases of Christian existence: the here and the hereafter.
• Prophecies, tongues and knowledge—they will fade away and no longer be necessary.
• But not love—it will be around forever.

Archangel Michael fighting Satan on the Coat of Arms of Arkhangelsk, Russia.

I’m not one who typically gets into material on spiritual warfare—demons, Satanic influence, doing battle in invisible realms, etc.  I certainly believe in all of that, but I think that many who speak and teach on it are WAY too confident in their assertions and are dabbling arrogantly in things that they shouldn’t be.

That being said, I stumbled upon an excellent treatment of the subject by John MacArthur.  No surprise there—MacArthur is a master at sifting through troves of information and presenting the best of it in a clear and compelling manner.

I’ve been listening through his series on 1st Timothy (to see how’s its done!)—because I am currently preaching through 1st Timothy.  He does a two-part deal on I Tim. 1:18-19, a passage where Paul charges Timothy to “wage the good warfare.”

MacArthur uses the first part of this sermon to spread out and explain as much biblical data as he can on the subject of spiritual warfare.  He begins with the fall of Satan and works his way all through to making the point that, as Christians, we are indeed in a war.  Therefore, we should live like it.

Click here to read the sermon’s manuscript over at the Grace to You site.  Or listen below in the media player (which may not be functioning properly if you’re reading this in an email subscription or on Facebook).  If you can’t see the player below you’ll need to click-through to my site and view the original post.

• John MacArthur’s, “Fighting the Noble War—Part 1″

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Would you lend a hand (or book)?

Any good, solid resources related to this subject that you’d be willing to recommend?  I’m all ears.

James C. Christensen's, The Widow's Mite

I recently preached a sermon on giving and serving (more about that here).

My starting point was Ex. 35-36—a passage of Scripture that details the children of Israel’s construction of the Tabernacle.

Essentially they did two things.  They participated in: 1) giving precious materials and supplies for the building of the Tabernacle; and 2) serving by using their God-given abilities to skillfully craft together the entire structure and its manifold elements.

I concluded with three truths on the practice of giving and serving:

1. Giving and serving are not merely intentions, they are actions.
2. Giving and serving are not the special duty of a select few, they are the basic responsibility of all who dare call themselves Christian.
3. Giving and serving do not earn favor with God, they evidence a right relationship with Him.

Can you think of any other truths about giving and serving?

I’m currently preaching through the book of I Timothy at my church.   A couple of Sundays ago we covered Paul’s initial charge to Timothy against false teachers.  Of the many things that he says the false teachers are getting wrong, perhaps the clearest is that they’re not using the law rightly (I Tim. 1:7).

But Paul says in I Tim. 1:8 that “we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully.”  So how is the law to be used ‘lawfully?’  I suggest at least two ‘lawful’ functions of the law for us:

1. The law should show us our sin.
   →Paul says in Rom. 3:20 that “through the law comes knowledge of sin.”
2. The law should send us to the Savior.
   →The NASB says in Gal. 3:24 that “the law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ.”

The complete sermon is available here for download.

Or you may listen through the player contained at the bottom of this post.  (This feature may not be available if you’re viewing this through an email subscription or on Facebook.  If that’s the case you’ll need to click-through to my site to use the media player.)

Listen here:

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Here are a few posts I’m currently working on for the blog:

• 15 Temptations for Pastors
• What Does ‘Trusting God’ (a la Prov. 3:5) Actually Look Like?
• What Purpose Should God’s Law Serve in Our Lives?
• A Few Truths on the Practice of Giving and Serving in the Church

I’m curious whether anyone out there has input, or advice, or could point me towards resources (preferably free) to make these posts as biblical, relevant, and helpful as they can be?

So…anyone?

Bartolome Esteban Murillo's, The Return of the Prodigal Son

I stated “Five Truths About Forgiveness” last week.

This thought needs to be taken a step farther, though.  The issue of forgiveness can and should be brought to a more practical level.

The question must be asked, “What does forgiveness look like?

To answer that question I propose the following:

Seven Things Forgiveness Is and Does:

1. Resists revenge (Rom. 12:19)
2. Doesn’t return evil for evil (I Thess. 5:15)
3. Wish the person well (Luke 6:28)
4. Grieve at their tragedies (Prov. 24:17)
5. Pray for their welfare (Matt. 5:44)
6. Seek reconciliation from them so far as it depends on you (Rom. 12:18)
7. Come to their aid in distress (Ex. 23:4)

Anti-plagiarism safety net:

You need to know that I borrowed the ideas in this post from two others.  The content is not my own.

• John Piper’s sermon, “As We Forgive Our Debtors” is where I took most of this from.
• Chris Brauns offered helpful comments on this post.  Chris has written a book on forgiveness which you should most definitely check out—Unpacking Forgiveness: Biblical Answers to Complex Questions and Deep Wounds.

Make sure to do your part:

I’m sure there’s more application for this subject.  If I’ve missed anything, or you feel you can better articulate how to practically apply biblical forgiveness, by all means help us all out and leave a comment.

One of the most recognizable passages of Scripture in many Christian bookstores is Prov. 3:5-6.  There are untold thousands of promotional/inspirational products boasting these verses.

From posters, to coffee mugs, to calendars, to pens, to t-shirts, to mouse pads, and really to anything that a) can be printed on and b) people will actually buy, there is no shortage of contemporary Christian merchandise that feature these verses.  (Want proof?  Click here and here.)

If you’re unable to recall from memory what this couplet of verses actually says, or perhaps are but just don’t remember the reference, here it is in the Amplified Bible’s rendering:

“Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.  In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.”

I preached on this passage last night at my church.  My goal was to challenge the status quo of modern church culture which often only gives these verses value of an inspirational nature—that is, that it should inspire us or encourage us.

Instead, I made the point that the writer confronts us in no uncertain terms to consider our lives and to know that we have a very present and pressing choice to make: either we will place our trust in God (”trust in the Lord with all your heart”), or will we place our trust in ourselves (”rely…on our own understanding.”)

I listed several reasons why we should place our trust in God and several reasons why we should not place it in ourselves.

Why God?

• God is all-knowing.
• God is all-powerful.
• God is all-present.
• God is all-loving.
• And in all of these things…God is completely faithful and trustworthy.

Why Not Ourselves?

• We’re not all-knowing.
• We’re not all-powerful.
• We’re not all-present.
• We’re not all-loving.
• We’re not completely faithful and trustworthy.

It’s easy to see the difference:

• God is such that He is perfectly suited to be trusted in.

• We are such that we are perfectly suited to place our trust elsewhere other than ourselves.

We’ll continue this study later by addressing the following mindset which should follow from what we’ve learned already:

“Okay, so you’ve convinced me.  I agree that my trust should be in God, not myself.  So what?  What does that look like?  How do I do that?“

I’m interested  to hear other perspectives addressing this question.  Why should we trust in God?  What do you say?

Dr. Richard Mayhue contributed an excellent little chapter called “The Pastor’s Home”  in the book, Rediscovering Pastoral Ministry, edited by John MacArthur.

He writes that,

“Without the strength of my home, I would never have made it through twenty years of ministry.  My marriage and my family provide me a home where I can:

1. retreat—get away from the pressures
2. relax—enjoy a different environment
3. recharge—gain a new supply of energy
4. relate—enjoy my wife and children
5. rehabilitate—heal the wounds
6. reach out—to neighbors, friends, and flock
7. research—uninterrupted study/writing
8. raise a family—children and grandchildren
9. ripen—grow in God’s grace
10. rejoice—praise the Lord
11. reflect—quiet moments to contemplate
12. reinvest—in my grandchildren
13. regain perspective—in prayer and Scripture”

Mayhue closes this section by saying that,

“When I leave the fair haven nof my home for ministry, I depart in strength, not weakness.”

What a wonderful description and goal for all of us who minister.  Can you think of any other things that a godly, peaceful home can supply and accomplish in a pastor’s life?

Rembrandt's, The Return of the Prodigal Son

Last night I shared “Truths About Forgiveness” with my church.  It was a topical sermon wrapped up in the words and teachings of Christ.  Who better to teach us about forgiveness than He who is the Master of it.

I remember reading John Piper’s thoughts on this subject and he said that, “We do more dishonor to God in one day than everyone does to us in a lifetime.”  (Sorry, but I can’t remember the source.)

Here are five truths about forgiveness:

1. If anyone should be a pro at forgiveness it should be the Christian (Matt. 6:12).
2. An unforgiving attitude will absolutely devastate the spiritual life of a Christian (Matt. 6:14-15).
3. There is a very close relationship between judging someone and being unforgiving (Matt. 7:1-2).
4. There is no limit to how forgiving we should be (Matt. 18:21-22).
5. Great punishment awaits those who are unforgiving (Matt. 18:23-35).

As believers, these truths should move us.  They should prick our hearts at each and every point where we have an unforgiving attitude and they should cause us to bleed both conviction and repentance.

Can you think of any other truths about forgiveness that would be helpful to add to this list?

If you’re not familiar with the term, “church-hopping” refers to folks who bounce around from church-to-church looking for the latest and greatest that any given community has to offer.

At its worst, it represents the idea of God and the church serving the individual instead of the individual serving God and His Church.

• Jon Acuff wrote about it at his wildly popular ‘Stuff Christians Like” blog.
• Naked Pastor drew it perfectly in the picture displayed to the right.
• On a more serious note, both Josh Harris and the Kevin DeYoung—Ted Kluck tag team duo have tackled this subject as well.  For the former see the book, Stop Dating the Church.  And the latter, Why We Love the Church.

A pastor is an individual who, by virtue of what the word “pastor” means, behaves toward his parishioners in a way very similar to how a shepherd behaves toward his flock of sheep.

A shepherd in the Near Eastern world of the Scriptures was responsible for protecting, nurturing, feeding and keeping up with his sheep.  Likewise, pastors of local churches are responsible for all of these same things in a spiritual sense.

The Greek word from which most English translations get the word “pastor” is most frequently translated as “shepherd.”   In fact, of the 18 times the NT uses this Greek word, only once is it translated as “pastor.”  The other 17 times it is simply “shepherd.”

See for yourself.

The Apostle Paul uses this word to refer to pastors in Eph. 4:11.  Jesus uses it of Himself John 10:14.  There he says, “I am the Good Shepherd.”

As a pastor it’s important for me that I am a “shepherd” of the members of my church.  BUT…its also important for me to remember that I am also a sheep.  I think all pastors would do well to be reminded of and to remember that we too are sheep.  Our shepherd is Christ Himself.

For pastors to remember that they too are sheep is helpful in several ways.  It helps us to:

1. Fight against pride in our lives.
2. Cultivate humility in our ministries.
3. Engender trust in Christ who is our Shepherd.
4. Relate better to our fellow sheep.

Can you think of any other reasons why its beneficial for pastors/”shepherds” to remember that they are also sheep?

I added four new sermons this week to the Sermon page.

We (”we” being me and the church I pastor, Eastwood Baptist Church) did a topical Christmas sermon based on a few character traits of faith observed in the lives of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus:

• “Thoughtful, Humble Obedience in the Christmas Story”

We also finished up our church’s verse-by-verse study through the Letter of James.  I added three new sermons there:

• “Fighting in the Church” (James 4:1-10)
• “The Serious Sin of ‘Speaking Evil’” (James 4:11-12)
• “James’ Closing Admonitions” (James 5:1-12)

Enjoy and be blessed.

Over the course of his thirty years as pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church, John Piper has had plenty of opportunities to observe the end of one year dissolve into the beginning of another.

Often he has used this occasion to address his church with a sort of ‘New Year’s Eve Meditation.

Here are a few of those meditations.

• Dec. 28, 1980—“I Have Kept the Faith”
  

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• Dec. 29, 1985—“God Glorified in Good Resolves”
  

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• Dec. 31, 1989—“All the Promises of God are Yes in Christ”
  

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• Dec. 27, 1992—“A Year-End Look at Jesus Christ”
  

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• Dec. 31, 2008—“A New Year’s Eve Meditation”
  

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J. Oswald Sanders’ book on leadership is a classic in my line of work. Its titled, Spiritual Leadership: Principles of Excellence for Every Believer.  I was given a copy a few weeks ago as an ordination gift.

At about 60 pages in I’m finding it to be a very beneficial and humbling read.

Here are a few nuggets of wisdom he offers (or cites) on the subject of…well, of wisdom.  So its wisdom concerning wisdom.

“If knowledge is the accumulation of facts and intelligence the development of reason, wisdom is heavenly discernment.  It is insight into the heart of things.  Wisdom involves knowing God and the subtleties of the human heart.  More than knowledge, it is the right application of knowledge in moral and spiritual matters, in handling dilemmas, in negotiating complex relationships.”

“‘Wisdom is nine-tenths a matter of being wise in time,’ said Theodore Roosevelt.  Most of us are ‘too often wise after the event.’”

“Knowledge is proud that he has learned so much,
Wisdom is humble, that he knows no more.”

“D. E. Hoste knew the importance of wisdom for leaders:

‘When a person in authority demands obedience of another, irrespective of the latter’s reason and conscience, this is tyranny.  On the other hand, when, by the exercise of tact and sympathy, prayer, spiritual power and sound wisdom, one is able to influence and enlighten another, so that a life course is changed, that is spiritual leadership.’”

Get your own copy of this great work through the link below.



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Most of us are familiar with the little phrase, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.”  In my experience that has not proven to be true.  I suggest that the person who came up with it probably didn’t have a very balanced view of things. Either they never had anything negative said about them at all, or they had so many hurtful things said about them that they went into some sort of state of denial.

Compare the meaning of that phrase with what the wisdom writer of Proverbs had to say about the power of words: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Prov. 18:21).

As part of our ongoing series through the Letter of James I preached out of James 3:1-12 this weekend at my church.  Perhaps more than any other passage in the Bible these 12 verses describe the devastating power of the sinful words and ways in which we speak.  My message was titled, “The Power of the Tongue.”  Give it a listen.

• Here’s the sermon audio for this message.  Just click the ‘Play’ button (the little triangle pointing right) to listen now.

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• Or you can download the sermon and listen to it later via mp3 player or burnt CD by visiting my Sermon Download Page, finding the word “Download,” right-clicking on it, and choosing the ‘Save As’ option.

Unfortunately I was not able to record the second half of this sermon.  Due to time constraints it was broken into two parts and the second half took place during our Sunday PM worship service which is not recorded.

In case anyone’s interested, here’s the outline I preached from.  I’m always interested to see how others put their thoughts together.

The First Thanksgiving, by Jean Louis Gerome Ferris

While perusing the Scriptures and putting together some thoughts for a Thanksgiving sermon, it struck me that there are certain sinful attitudes that just can’t get along with thankfulness.

If we could know what these are and be aware of their tendency toward zapping the gratefulness out of our lives, then perhaps we’d be set on our way to more thankful living.

Here are the three ‘Thanksgiving-zapping’ attitudes:

• Pride

The proud individual does not give thanks.  He presumes to be above it.  The act of thanksgiving is essentially an exercise in humility.

• Self-Centeredness

The self-centered individual either fails to take notice of that for which he should be thankful or thinks that he deserved it anyways.  Either way, there’s no thanks.

• Unhappiness

The unhappy individual is not thankful, else their spirit would be lifted.  Think about it.  Have you ever been really thankful and really unhappy simultaneously.  I seriously doubt it.

This all fits rather well with a quote from John Piper in his book, Future Grace.  There he defines gratitude as,

“…a humble, happy response to the good will of someone who has done or tried to do you a favor.”

You can see the backbone of my post in Piper’s words: “humble, happy response.”

• The humble man is not proud.
• The happy man is obviously not unhappy.
• Somewhat less obvious, but still relevant, is that the self-centered man is not responsive.  Instead, he’s in his own little world.

[HT: had a little help from this post from this guy]