In our sermon this Sunday we considered 1 Timothy 3:1416. In many respects it provides the highpoint of 1 Timothy. Paul provides his purpose for writing and gives the context for the instructions that he has written to Timothy and the church in this epistle. He provides the instructions for how we ought to conduct ourselves in the household of God, the church of the living...
Keep Reading Who do you say you are? And what importance does your family play in defining your answer? On Sunday we completed part 2 of a message looking at the household of God in 1 Timothy 2:815. We also considered just how much our culture's individualism works against our understanding of the Bible, especially this passage. Throughout Scripture, God's work of salvation is always...
Keep Reading Second Timothy 3:16 says, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." On Sunday we had a good chance to apply that passage, as we saw how 1 Timothy 2:915 is profitable for all God's people. Unfortunately, Paul's words a...
Keep Reading Politics, prayer, and people. Those three things make for a volatile mix. Corporate prayer in itself can be a difficult skill for the people of God to master. Both those who vocalize prayers and those who participate have challenges, including -- but not limited to -- boredom, aimlessness, and even sermonizing during prayer. As we continue our journey through Paul's first ...
Keep Reading On Sunday we saw how Paul shares the story of his salvation and what God's grace in his life teaches us about the gospel. Amazingly, God's grace does not come in response to Paul's repentance and faith. Rather, God's grace is the source and start of Paul's faith. The same is true for you and I. And the more we see the source of our faith as God alone, the more God's grace...
Keep Reading This Sunday we considered 1 Timothy 1:811 and the good news of God's law. If there is anything in church history that has puzzled and divided Christians it is the relationship between the law and the gospel. Yet, in this passage we are given a clear understanding of how Paul read the Law of Moses. With application for today, Sunday's sermon sought to show how Paul read th...
Keep Reading All the Scriptures, butespecially the Pastoral Epistles, talk a lot about false teaching. This shouldn't surprise us. If the gospel is the priceless message of salvation inChrist, then false teaching and false teachers are the gospel's greatest threat. Yet, false teaching is not just what we may find on TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network), it is found in our own hearts and...
Keep Reading 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, 2 To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 1 Timothy 1:12 Mercy: The Theme Song for God's Household (1 Timothy 1:12) Am I not merciful ?!?!! I could not help but think of these words from the emperor in the ...
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On Sunday our elders proposed a new church mission statement. At its core is the commitment is to be a "Family of Believers Centered on the Gospel." In preparation for that "roll out," I preached a sermon on Galatians 1 and the importance of protecting and proclaiming the gospel. Here's the sermon audio, with a few additional resources and response questions. The Gospel ...
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The church is a gospel community. It is a community created by the gospel, and it is a community for the gospel. ...
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