If you have listened or read much of Tim Keller, you know that he does a great job of reminding us how the gospel is different from self-righteous religion and from irreligion. I find this to be a helpful contrast to keep in mind as I read through the Scriptures and think about the Christian […]
Tag: Jesus
A Portrait of the Pharisees, Sadducees, Chief Priests, Scribes and Religious Leaders from Matthew Our church in Naperville, Cross of Christ Fellowship, is working its way through the Gospel of Matthew. We have reached a point in the Gospel where Jesus confronts the Pharisees and Jewish leaders of his day (Matt 21-23). As this is […]
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BEAUTIFUL Humility
Jesus warns that being part of God’s people is only for those who reject prideful self-ambition and embrace a posture of humility (Matt 18:1-4). To become a Christian requires humility as we acknowledge our sin against God and our need for a Savior (Rom 10:9-10; John 3:16). And this humility is something we seek to […]
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NOT YOUR STORY
NOT YOUR STORY At the end of John’s Gospel, we learn of a conversation between Jesus and Peter about how Peter’s life will end. Jesus said this to Peter: “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you […]
3 Ways the Gospel Changes Who We Are The truths of the gospel are STAGGERINGLY GOOD. In Titus 2:13 we see that Jesus is our “Great God and Savior.” He came to save us, we who wanted nothing to do with him. This saving came about as he “gave himself for us” (Titus 2:14) on […]
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A Kingdom Without SIN
A KINGDOM WITHOUT SIN One of the extraordinarily wonderful claims of Christianity is entrance into an eternal and glorious kingdom free from sin. When Jesus came to earth he said, ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!’ (Matt 4:17). With his arrival—the arrival of God the Son who took on human flesh and […]
How Jesus Transforms Our Approach to Fear (This was originally something I wrote for a facebook discussion with a friend, slightly tweaked and updated here) Knowing Jesus transforms how a person understands fear in MANY ways. First, as Jesus upholds the Old Testament, he leads us to embrace the biblical perspective that the “Fear […]
Knowing God Week 3 Discussion Guide KNOWING GOD MEETUP: A 3 WEEK INTRO TO THE CHRISTIAN FAITH—WEEK 3 Intro: This is a 3 Week introduction to the Christian Faith. We are using the concept of “Knowing God” as a way to explain and summarize what we as Christians believe. When I say, ‘what Christians believe,’ […]
Original Case of Identity Theft The original identity theft happened in the Garden of Eden, when the first humans assumed they could take the place of God and decide on their own autonomous reason how one ought to live and think. The creature sought to usurp and displace the place of the Creator. The result […]
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Bread of Life Meditation
Bread of Life Meditation Jesus, you are the bread of life (John 6:35). My life can only be nourished by feeding on the knowledge of you. My heart can only be happy when its happiness is rooted in joy (Augustine). Apart from you, my soul withers. All other sources of joy, wonder, and meaning only […]
