Christians are called to freedom, yet this freedom is not a libertarian freedom in which we simply get to do whatever we want. In fact, the Bible explains several qualifications of our freedom that indicate that our freedom is constrained. In Galatians 5:13-26 we are told that there are two key constraints to our freedom and …
The parable of the vine and its branches is a rich passage that Jesus used to explain four functions that are part of our union with Christ. Some people think this parable conveys something of the substance of the relationship of the branches and the vine, but this causes an interpretive issue that is inconsistent with the …
What does biblical motivation look like? In this article you’ll discover that there are three aspects of our union with Christ that Paul draws on to motivate the believers in Colossae to abandon false religion and to walk with Christ.
Do you sometimes think and act as if God is only concerned about whether you keep rules? In this article you’ll learn why Christianity isn’t concerned about what you do or do not do, and what it is concerned about instead. Listen to this message below.
I’ve spent lots of time thinking about our union with Christ in His death and resurrection lately. It is a crucial theological issue, essentially the hub around which all other doctrines about our salvation are centered. Recently I was able to preach on Colossians 3:1-4, one of the central passages dealing with our participation with …
One of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 32. I’ve preached it previously, and last Sunday I had the privilege to preach at our church, Placerita Baptist Church. This Psalm provides us with six steps to go from Misery to Joy, and traces David’s journey after his sin with Bathsheba in 1 Sam 11-12, from the …
Its been a while. Its been busy. But here is a sermon I initially preached in December on Joshua 1:6–9. This is a shorter edition (~30 mins) I recently preached again.
1 Corinthians 15 is focused on the centrality of the resurrection. But as Paul begins, he focuses on his own experience of the resurrection. As I was studying this passage earlier this year I wanted to try and understand what Paul was getting at in 1 Cor 15:8-11. As he finishes describing appearances of Christ …