The Friday Morning Men’s Bible Study is wrapping up our study of John Piper’s book, “Don’t Waste Your Life.” It has been an eye-opening, faith-defining study for a lot of us and has led to a deeper desire to walk in a manner worthy of our calling in Jesus Christ. On Friday the 25th of January, I wrote two titles on the white-boards in the room where we meet and I asked them to give me the words or phrases that came to their minds when they considered the difference between a man-centered, user-friendly Christianity (the left board) and a God-centered, Kingdom-focused Christianity (the right board). Continue Reading »

A couple of weeks ago while I was preparing the sermon that I was to preach that Sunday, I did something that I do not often do. I wrote the end of the sermon first. I was reflecting on the words of Isaiah in his incredible 53rd chapter:

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. (Isa 53:4-10)

I was focusing on the 10th verse and in particular these words, “it was the will of the Lord to crush Him.” In meditating on these words, I began to weep uncontrollably. For those of you who do not know me, that is not me. I don’t often cry uncontrollably, but I did on that day. Like a great weight upon my heart, I realized with stunning clarity the cost that was involved for God to demonstrate His love toward sinners. I was crushed over the crushing of the Son of God. Continue Reading »

When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia. But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ. (2Co 2:12-17) Continue Reading »

Someone asked me when I came to WSBC what my favorite hymn was. At the time it was “Be Thou My Vision,” but now, without a doubt it has become “Before the Throne of God Above.” When I read these words, I cannot help but be overcome with the greatness of God’s grace toward me. Just consider these lyrics that we do not often hear these days. Continue Reading »

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life? (Mat 16:24-26)

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about the cross-defined life, what it looks like and what it requires. The Lord’s true disciples paid the price. Jesus had no motels to offer them, no salary. There was no McDonald’s along the way. He had no camels, horses or slaves to bear them along on litters. So the disciples had to walk through the blistering heat of the desert and the chilling cold of the mountains. At first they might have thought this to be a great adventure to follow Jesus. It must have been quite a break from bone-crushing labor and grinding dull routine of normal daily life in Biblical times, but following Christ demands the death of self, the death of our pride, the death of our self-centeredness, the death of our reputation, the death of selfishness. Continue Reading »

I found my pen last week. It’s a great pen. It’s a platinum plated pen, given to me by a dear friend, with the words “Soli Deo Gloria” engraved on it. It’s my favorite pen. It just feels right when I use it…you know what I mean? Anyway, when I lost it a few weeks ago, it drove me crazy. I could not for the life of me figure out where I put it, so in order to recover my precious pen, I combed over every area that I could think I may have been. I tore my office at the church apart. I went through every part of my office at home, turning my desk inside out. I cleaned out my truck (which was horribly overdue). I went through the kids rooms and looked under their beds. I explored the junk drawer in the kitchen twice. I scoured my bedroom. I even went through Gretchen’s purse (it was kind of interesting). You know what? When I finally found my pen (in my computer bag…don’t laugh), you should have seen how my beloved pen responded – not at all. It did nothing. It didn’t rejoice. It didn’t cry. It didn’t say “thank-you.” It didn’t celebrate my diligence in looking for it nor did it magnify me as the one who found it when it was lost and all alone. Ungrateful pen… I almost threw it away again. Continue Reading »

Sorry folks. I know it has been a long time since I last blogged and since I have recieved certain harrassing e-mails (don’t worry Karen, I won’t mention you by name!), I’ve been shamed into posting a new blog. I am going to attempt to do it once a week, so pray for me that I will be able to fulfill my vow!

Lately, I have been reflecting more and more on the incredible nature of what it means to be a child of God. It truly is humbling. In the eighth chapter of the book of Romans, Paul writes that we “did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” (Rom 8:15-16) Consider with me what that means. Continue Reading »

On Sunday, June 24, we looked at the church as the pillar and the buttress of truth as Paul described it in 1 Timothy 3:14-16. That symbolism was not be lost on Timothy and the church in Ephesus. The centerpiece of the city was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Temple of Diana. One of the distinguishing features of the temple was the 127 pillars or columns that held up the roof of the Temple. The purpose of the pillars was not just to hold the roof up, but to thrust it high into the air so that it towered above everything else and drew attention to its massive, shining, marble roof. Continue Reading »

Sorry it has been a while since I blogged. Baseball with three boys on three different teams is a killer! One of the many questions that I am asked frequently is, “What does it mean that you are a Reformed Baptist?” I thought I would take a moment and answer that question. The word “reformed” can carry with it a lot of baggage, especially in Baptist life. Some people think “reformed = elitist” or “reformed = not evanglistic.” Neither of those assumptions is true. Being a Reformed Baptist means that I am committed to the central truths of the Protestant Reformation. The Biblical truths such as Sola Fide (justification by faith alone), Sola Gratia (salvation by God’s grace alone), Sola Scriptura (the Bible alone is the basis for faith and practice), Solus Christus (salvation through Christ alone), and Soli Deo Gloria (to God alone be the glory) are essentials to Reformed theology. Continue Reading »

I was reading again the story of Polycarp the other day and it got me to thinking about the way Christians seem to play fast and loose with their faith these days. You may not know his story so let me enlighten you and I’m pretty sure that it will have the same effect on you that it had on me. Polycarp was the pastor of the church in Smyrna. Around AD 155 or so, he was put to death by the Romans because he refused to swear an oath of allegiance to Caesar as lord. (Caesar was real big on being identified as a god.) He was an old man of 86 years and had served Jesus Christ for decades. Polycarp was arrested and brought to a stadium where a crowd had gathered to watch the gladiator games. As he was bringing him to the stadium, the irenarch, the equivalent of our chief of police, asked Polycarp, “What harm is there in saying, Lord Caesar? Respect your years.” (meaning “You’re an old dude. What’s the big deal?” Once inside the stadium, Polycarp was brought before the proconsul, the governor of the province, who said, “Swear by the fortune of Caesar; repent… I will set you at liberty, reproach Christ.” Continue Reading »