Mark Dever and Jonathan Leeman spoke with Sam Emadi about his new booklet, What Should I Do Now That I Am a Christian? The discussion is encouraging and edifying whether you are a new Christian or not.
Kobe and Corona
One was a world-famous basketball player. The other is a world-famous virus. Kobe took the world by storm with high-flying dunks, incredible fadeaways, and game-winning jump shots. Corona captured our attention by making hundreds of thousands sick, killing others, and shutting down entire economic systems.
What does Kobe have to do with Corona? Nothing. Except they both awakened the world to the reality of death in recent months. Last month, we watched the world mourn the death of Kobe Bryant. His sudden and unexpected death made us feel death’s sting. Kobe’s tragic end reminded us that death is not natural. We don’t mourn natural processes. We don’t mourn the setting of the sun, the digestion of food, or rain falling from the sky. We mourn death. We mourned Kobe’s death because death is terrible, and people weren’t made to die. Yet we all do. Our lives are short, and Kobe reminded us of that. No one is guaranteed tomorrow.
Continue reading “Kobe and Corona”Our Church May Shrink in 2020 and I Am Excited
No pastor wants his church to get smaller, especially a pastor of a small church. Then why am I excited that our small church might get smaller in 2020? Because we would be shrinking for the sake of the gospel. Our desire is to send out two gifted and qualified leaders, and their families, to plant a church in Syracuse, Utah. We will be losing two servant-hearted families in the process, but I could not be more excited about the possibility. Here are a few reasons for my excitement.
Continue reading “Our Church May Shrink in 2020 and I Am Excited”Is Hell Eternal Conscious Torment?
The doctrine of hell is a serious, sobering, and terrifying doctrine. For some, the thought of hell as eternal conscious torment is too difficult to accept. They would rather believe that hell is temporary. People who die outside of Christ will suffer punishment for a period of time, but eventually, God will cast them into the lake of fire and they will cease to exist. This view is known as annihilationism. But is it biblical?
We cannot allow our emotions to drive our theology. Scripture is our final authority. We must submit to the Bible’s teachings on difficult doctrines trusting that God is God and not us. He is good, righteous, and holy and he always does what is right.
Continue reading “Is Hell Eternal Conscious Torment?”Uncommon Sermon Prep Advice
I’m not sure if it is original to him, but I have heard Alistair Begg tell pastors that sermon preparation should involve at least four components:
- Think yourself empty
- Read yourself full
- Write yourself clear
- Pray yourself hot
Anyone who has spent time preparing expository sermons knows the wisdom of this advice. If I might be so bold, I would add a fifth component I have found very helpful during my own sermon preparation:
Continue reading “Uncommon Sermon Prep Advice”Pastor’s Talk on Francis Chan
This is a gracious, helpful, and clear response to some misguided comments made recently by Francis Chan. I am thankful for the wisdom of these men.
You Are a Priest Forever
Melchizedek remains a mystery to many students of the Bible. Here is my attempt to make sense of Melchizedek and the Melchizedekian priesthood in the storyline of Scripture. The article linked below appeared in the most recent issue of SBJT.
https://equip.sbts.edu/category/publications/journals/journal-of-theology/sbjt-231-spring-2019/
The Responsibilites of Church Membership
I have not blogged in a long time, but I have not given up on writing! I have been working on some other writing projects in my absence from the blogosphere. Here is one of the articles I wrote during that time for 9marks.
The Knowledge of God
There are two different extreme positions on the knowability of God. On the one hand is agnosticism. Agnostics argue that, if there is a God, we do not know anything certain about him. We have no sure and certain proofs of his existence and we cannot be sure that he has revealed anything about himself. On the other hand is a belief, usually among cult religions, that God can be fully comprehended by his creatures. Those holding this view have created a god in their image that fits their creaturely sensibilities. If human beings cannot fully comprehend God, they suggest, then they cannot love and worship him. Continue reading “The Knowledge of God”
Understanding the Olivet Discourse
I recently preached five sermons on the Olivet Discourse as recorded in Mark 13 (cf. Mt 24; Lk 21). You can find my take on this hotly disputed passage of Scripture here (weeks 48–52). Whether you agree with my interpretation or not, here are a few major issues that you must wrestle with: Continue reading “Understanding the Olivet Discourse”