Three times in today’s Bible reading* Jesus talks about people who misunderstand justification. Justification has to do with the question of, “What does it take for a person to be right with God?” It was the central question of the Reformation. As I said in my sermon series on the Five Solas of the Reformation,…
Have you ever lost something that you treasure? Maybe it was a family heirloom. Maybe it was a gold coin that you put in a “safe place” so you wouldn’t lose it, but you lost it because you forgot where the “safe place” was. If you’ve been around church for very long, you’ve heard the…
Once again, Jesus teaches that His disciples must count the cost to be His disciple in today’s Bible reading*. It seems to be a recurring theme. I’ve said it many times, if you see words or a concept repeated in the Bible, it’s probably pretty important and you need to take note of it. “If…
Our Bible reading* for today includes a parallel passage from Matthew 7:22-23. In that sad story, Jesus reminds us once again, that not everyone will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, including many who think they have “eternal security”. In the preaching of cheap grace, preachers often invite their hearers to “ask Jesus into their hearts”…
Jesus has some hard words for would-be disciples in today’s Bible reading*. Many would say that Jesus wouldn’t turn away anyone, but He actually does! In Luke 9:23, He says, “Then he said to them all, ‘If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.’”…
There are so many things about God and His Kingdom that I don’t understand. And it seems the longer I walk with Him, the more I know… and the less I know. In today’s Bible reading*, Paul talks about a partial hardening of the hearts of Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come…
