Nothing can hurt us if we receive it as God teaches. No one can do us real harm if we remain faithful to God. The six categories of life experience that most commonly cause damage — temptation, sickness, pleasure, sorrow, slander, and the general experiences of…
The church was in the eternal purpose of God and the mind of Christ from the beginning; it is the true Israel, the saved remnant, the “little flock” that receives the kingdom — so that there is no Christianity without the church. People speak today of…
What looks like defeat is often the path to victory in God’s kingdom: we lose life to save it, find it by losing it, gain by spending, live by dying, and conquer through the cross — for the way of the cross leads to life, and…
The outline defines forgiveness this way: to hold one as though no offense had been given — in love, in sympathy, with full interest and goodwill, as though nothing had happened. That is a demanding standard, and most of us know it. The question is not…
Psalm 8 is a psalm of wonder: “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained; what is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him?” (Ps….
The sermon frames itself as a solution to the fundamental problem: What is the right way to live? Not in the sense of technique or discipline, but in the sense of ultimate orientation. Every person who does not live the Christ life is living a life…
The Bible is the source of all fundamental sermon material. Everything a preacher needs to address the human condition is present in the revealed facts about God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, the church, sin, and promised blessing. Secondary material — illustrations from experience — supplements but…
Three theories of inspiration have been proposed that do not adequately explain all the facts of the Bible. The mechanical theory fails to account for the genuine human diversity in the biblical text. The natural inspiration theory fails to account for the divine content that exceeds…
A Christian is not forbidden recreation, but he is governed in it; the same Lord who owns his worship owns his leisure, and every amusement must be measured by whether it can be carried on to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). Few questions reach…
The church is by its very nature a missionary institution: its God-given mission is to uphold and spread the truth of salvation and to seek and save the lost — the same mission as Christ’s — and every member shares it. A congregation that forgets why…