Hear the full audio of "Hope Because of the Blood of My Covenant" A sermon on Zechariah 9:9-12Palm Sunday / 9 April 2017 "Why should I dare to have hope?" The Daughter of Zion endured captivity, exile, and seventy years raising her family far from home. She cast her hope into a deep well, there … Continue reading Hope Because of the Blood of My Covenant
Faith Alone Works What the Word Commands
Sixth grade kids now know as much or sometimes even more about other world religions than they do about their own faith. Public Schools who once saw the wisdom of Moses’ words and warnings no longer allow his voice to be heard there. It's not their job, but our sacred task to teach them the … Continue reading Faith Alone Works What the Word Commands
Have You Seen Abraham?
What do we do with such a feisty Jesus? What of this name-calling, disagreeable Jesus in John 8? Religious conflicts and arguments remain as plentiful as ever. God's Name most often gets dragged into these modern conflicts about laws and rules, rather than matters of grace and forgiveness of sins, the presence of the living God among his people on earth, and His gift of eternal life. People stand and fight about all the wrong things. Jesus proclaims that heaven is for the living, not the dead... Listen in as Jesus fights about the living God and true religion, for you...
Faith Alone Works While Ruled by Grace
A contrast is drawn between the person living "under the Law" and the person "under grace." The person under the Law does good works from fear of punishment or with hope of gaining some reward or favor from God. The person under grace does good works freely and with a cheerful conscience, free of punishment … Continue reading Faith Alone Works While Ruled by Grace
Faith Alone Works in Humility Willing to Learn
God bestows on us many good gifts. Husband or wife, parents or children, home and property, birds, animals and more are all good gifts. But not all good gifts are able to save us, to make us righteous before God and holy in His sight. The Law also is a very good gift, but it … Continue reading Faith Alone Works in Humility Willing to Learn
Cast Out and Gathered With Jesus
"...In the heat of the day, the rattlesnakes will seek a cool spot in the shade of the rocks and boulders there. Even before cell phones and Instagram, traveling people unfamiliar with Sandhills wildlife liked to send their children to climb those rocks and family to pose for pictures. The locals knew better, thus the … Continue reading Cast Out and Gathered With Jesus
Faith Alone Works…with Imperfections Perfected in Christ
"Hear this, Christian: Your count of your own fruit will always be low. It is not yours to number. If it were, you’d always be off. You would count some things as fruit which God does’t, and many others you wouldn’t count at all as God does. The Vinedresser, God our Father, counts and harvests … Continue reading Faith Alone Works…with Imperfections Perfected in Christ
When Jesus Holds Back, Hold On!
None likes much to experience one's limits in the hour of need. Limits of time and place, talent and knowledge, strength and skill all frustrate our efforts to live and live as we want. Others can help us sometimes, but occasionally don't or won't help at all. A Caananite woman finds Jesus reluctant to respond … Continue reading When Jesus Holds Back, Hold On!
Faith Alone Works…In Freedom and Delight
God has given us great Freedom by faith in Christ and works in us a new Delight in the Law of the Lord. These two he joins together: Christian Freedom and Delight. Yet some separate them from one another, with devious and dismal result called Antinomianism. Antinomianism ends up denying the identity of God and … Continue reading Faith Alone Works…In Freedom and Delight
Enduring Temptation for You
Temptations come in wide variety, but with only one source and one goal: to sever us from our eternal hope as named children of God. We experience many temptations, but Christ knows them all firsthand and far many more temptations beyond what we bear. They're exhausting, even when overcome. God provides His comfort in Christ … Continue reading Enduring Temptation for You
Isaiah 50:4 Blues 