Blog (Page 5)

Blog (Page 5)

When Desires Aren’t Fulfilled

What do you do when God implants a desire to do something or have something and that desire is not fulfilled? For example, God gives you the desire to serve him as a pastor or missionary or engineer or military officer, and the desire isn’t fulfilled? Or, God gives you the desire to be married or to have children, and the desire isn’t fulfilled? How do you process these disappointments, especially considering Psalm 145:19, which states: “He will fulfill the…

The Great Ejection: Praying for the Persecuted Church

In the United States of America, we have freedom of religion and worship. We often take these freedoms for granted and complain about government intervention in religious matters. Nevertheless, we have a measure of freedom. Compared to our brothers and sisters in persecuted countries, we have much to be thankful for. We also have much to be thankful for compared to our brothers and sisters in the persecuted past. On August 24, 1662, 357 years ago today, more than 2,000…

Should We Follow Our Heart?

There is a modern-day way of life that says: “Follow your heart.” According to this philosophy, the way to happiness and freedom is to follow what your heart tells you to do. In a nutshell: if it feels good, do it. The problem is that this concept is fundamentally flawed for two important reasons. First, the philosophy of “follow your heart” is inherently inconsistent. No loving person would let a five-year-old eat an entire 64-ounce bag of tootsie rolls in…

Why Is God Enough?

In a recent sermon, I made the case that no matter what we experience in this world (good or bad), being in a close relationship with God through Jesus Christ brings lasting satisfaction and goodness, for God is good and enough. Of course, the key part of this sentence is the foundation upon which it is built: God is good and He is enough. God’s benevolence and sufficiency brings lasting satisfaction and goodness. But why? Puritan, Thomas Watson, helped me…

Encouragement During Temptation

We all need encouragement, especially when temptation to sin is weighing heavily upon us. Thankfully, the Scripture gives us two encouragements to help us fight temptation: Temptation is common to man. In temptation, God is faithful. If you’re familiar with Scripture, you will recognize that these two encouragements come from 1 Cor 10:13: “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able,…

The Reformation of Marriage

In the grand scheme of things, we view the institution of marriage as a normal part of society. But this wasn’t always the case – especially if you were a monk. The fact is that in the sixteenth century, if you were a religious worker (e.g., pastor, monk, nun), you didn’t marry. Given that marriage was not proper for religious workers, when Martin Luther (a monk) married Katharina von Bora (a nun), he was ferociously ridiculed. In fact, Luther’s opponents…

Hope for the Darkness of Depression

Of all the words to describe depression, one word stands out: darkness. If you have ever felt depressed, your world is dark. Darkness permeates every aspect of your life. Everything is dark. One author calls depression a “stubborn darkness.” The Psalmist, in a time of depression, said: “Darkness is my closest friend” (Ps 88:18). Turning to another Psalm, we encounter a man in deep darkness. He laments, “Why are you in despair, Oh my soul? Why are you distressed within…

Four Hundred Years of Grace

Exactly four hundred years ago today, the Synod of Dordt ended. What was the Synod of Dordt and why does it matter for my life today? I’m glad you asked! The Synod of Dordt was an international church gathering of pastors, professors, and politicians that met in the Dutch city of Dordrecht from November 13, 1618 – May 29, 1619. The Synod convened primarily to deal with teaching that threatened the gospel of grace. And that’s why the Synod mattered—and…

What Does God Hold Precious?

We hold items precious, not necessarily because of their intrinsic monetary value, but because of the emotional and situational value: a ring given by a lover, a home run ball caught from your favorite player, a homemade birthday card from your child. What we hold precious, we wouldn’t trade for the world. But something I hold precious might not be precious to you. As the saying goes: one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. But have you ever thought about…

What If the Resurrection Never Happened?

Easter has come and gone. So why post a blog about Easter? The simple reason is because the resurrection is not a holiday to celebrate once a year; the resurrection matters every day of the year. I know this because of what would be true about us if the resurrection never happened. If Christ were not raised, three devastating realities would be true about us: We would be liars. If Christ were not raised, “we are then found to be…

A Diet of Worms

On October 31, 2017 we celebrated the 500-year anniversary of Martin Luther’s nailing his 95 Theses to the Castle church door. If October 31 marks the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, another famous date made it official. That date was April 18, 1521 at the Diet of Worms. The Diet (=assembly or gathering) was called by Emperor Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire to convene in the German city of Worms (pronounced “Vorms”). The reason this Diet was called…

What is the Bible About?

I am convinced that many Christians functionally read their Bible as if it is about them.  For example, the temptation of Jesus by the devil in the wilderness is a well-known event. What many Christians do (I have done this in the past) is they read Matt 4:1-11 and ask the question, “How does this passage apply to me?” What they take away many times is this: Jesus memorized the Scriptures; during his hour of temptation he quoted Scripture to…

Institutes and Idolatry

If I were to tally a survey of the five most influential Christian books of all time, undoubtedly, John Calvin’s, the Institutes of the Christian Religion would make it on many lists. In fact, this very day, marks the 483-year anniversary (March 22, 1536) of the first publication of the first edition of his book. Contrary to popular belief, the Institutes of the Christian Religion is not a dry, heartless book of theology. The book is warm and pious, intended…

Spiritual Breathing

Prayer is like breathing – spiritual breathing. This analogy came to me via J.C. Ryle: “Prayer is to faith what breath is to life. How a man can live and not breathe is past my comprehension, and how a man can believe and not pray is past my comprehension too.” Ryle’s statement is based on 1 Thess 5:17: “Pray without ceasing.” Often 1 Thess 5:17 is seen as a command. And it is a command. But more than a command,…

Sausage Anyone?

Last year, as I was eating king cake with my colleagues on Fat Tuesday (the day before Ash Wednesday), we discussed how Catholics relinquish meat during the Lenten season. Our newest colleague was asked: “Are you Catholic?” “I used to be,” he said, “but I loved meat too much!” Chuckles filled the lunch room. As light-hearted as his comment was, the Reformed Reformation (not the Lutheran Reformation), of which Grace Community Bible Church can generally trace its roots, started by…

How Do You Know God Loves You?

In human relationships, love is expressed in blessing people. I wash the van, shovel the snow, and clean the house, in part, because I love my wife; I know these things bless her. In human relationships blessings demonstrate love. But in relation to God, blessings alone cannot serve as the measure of his love. Why? Because if we have affliction, pain, and sorrow, we cannot say that God hates us (or loves us less) than if we have health, wealth,…

The Gospel in a Verse

The God-man priest propitiates the Father’s wrath for his people’s sins. That’s the summary of the gospel in one verse in Hebrews: “Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (2:17). This verse unfolds with three attributes of Christ: the person of Christ; the office of Christ; the work of…

The Ministry of Every Christian

If you are a Christian, you are called to ministry. I don’t mean vocational ministry—few of God’s people are called to vocational ministry. But I do mean ministry. The question is, what is ministry supposed to do, and what is that ministry aiming to accomplish? Simply put, ministry is this: proclaim to present. This language comes from Col 1:28: “We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete…

Meditation in a Distracting World

I remember a day when my print version Bible sat on my nightstand. I would read it before bed. Now, instead of my Bible on my nightstand, I have something “better”—my smart phone. With my smart phone, I have access not only to a Bible in multiple translations, but I also have access to blogs, calendar, email, to do lists, and my alarm. And, oh, did I mention, a notepad to draft a blog post about meditating in a distracting…

Comfort and Christ

I inherited, for better or worse, cold blood and poor circulation. What I mean is that I often feel cold rather than warm. Consequently, I love warm weather . . . and space heaters! The other day while I was praying in my study, I literally laid right in front of my space heater, so my cold hands would warmup. Immediately, upon beginning my prayer, this thought crossed my mind: I am as pathetic as Jonah! If you remember the…