Sin is often far more subtle and insidious than many realize. When the Lord exposed the elders who came to Ezekiel (14:3), He again revealed that humanity’s fatal flaw is no mere act of disobedience, but wholly defective affections, perverted worship – “idols in their hearts.” After observing the presence of idolatry throughout human history, [...]
February 1, 2012Exaltation of Christ, Holiness, UncategorizedSocial media guru, Erik Qualman, recently enumerated 40+ Things Tech Will Kill This Digital Decade. He predicts items as commonplace as wristwatches, paperbacks, DVD’s, alarm clocks, greeting cards – and even the Post Office that once delivered them – will soon go the way of the Dodo, supplanted by “smarter” technology. Surprisingly, he listed at [...]
January 24, 2012UncategorizedOh how Jesus, our glorious, risen Shepherd, so perfectly cares for His own! How richly is this truth revealed in Jn. 21, as Jesus powerfully feeds and leads His weak disciples. What lessons there for us in learning to trust and follow our Master all the more fully! With keen insight, Alexander MacLaren offers these [...]
January 11, 2012Uncategorized1 Peter 4:12-19 (NASB) 12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; 13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His [...]
December 13, 2011UncategorizedAs we have recently seen from Jn. 20:30,31, God is continually declaring throughout His Word: “Behold My son…Believe My word…Be My children.” The blessings of eternal life are abundantly given to all who believe in God as He has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ His Son, the promised Messiah! Pastor C.H. Spurgeon, preaching in the [...]
December 6, 2011UncategorizedWhat grace the Lord gives to His people as we sing to one another from hearts filled with thankfulness! The great exhortation of Colossians 3:16 continues to stir my heart and mind: Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual [...]
July 14, 2011UncategorizedBeloved, in connection with the “richly indwelling Word of Christ” we’ve been considering from Colossians 3:16, let me encourage you to prayerfully meditate on and live in this great passage from 1 Peter 1:22 – 2:3 22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another [...]
June 20, 2011UncategorizedAs we saw yesterday in corporate worship, there is a blessed mandate for believers to “Let the word of Christ (about Christ – the Gospel!) richly dwell within you…” (Colossians 3:16). How do we grow in having our lives, individually and corporately, more and more consumed and saturated with the glorious wonder of the Gospel [...]
June 13, 2011UncategorizedAs we saw yesterday in corporate worship, there is a blessed mandate for believers to “Let the word of Christ (about Christ – the Gospel!) richly dwell within you…” (Colossians 3:16). How do we grow in having our lives, individually and corporately, more and more consumed and saturated with the glorious wonder of the Gospel [...]
June 13, 2011UncategorizedWith our preaching series on “Biblical Worship” drawing to a close, we thought it would be timely to have a “Question & Answer” time. We’re planning on doing this during our Evening Gathering this coming Lord’s Day, June 12. If you have particular questions regarding Biblical Worship, please either email them to me ahead of [...]
June 6, 2011UncategorizedSooo…..why, as God’s people, should we sing? One of the many places this is answered is Scripture is Psalm 59:16-17 But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. [...]
May 23, 2011UncategorizedOne of God’s primary purposes in giving His people the Psalms is to teach us to “Sing to Him a new song…” (Ps. 33:3) And it’s clear that He intends us to sing these new songs in any and every circumstance He ordains for our lives. Consider just some of the contexts in which the [...]
May 9, 2011UncategorizedBeloved, as we observed in corporate worship yesterday from Phil. 2:9-11, the reality of the exalted reign of our Lord Jesus Christ is the true Christian’s source of unspeakable joy, comfort, and motivation in all of life. Near the end of my sermon, I shared how this text profoundly impacted the young C.H. Spurgeon, in [...]
April 25, 2011UncategorizedMay God give us grace to individually and corporately follow David’s example in seeking Him, and may He answer this prayer among us over and over again! (A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.) O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, [...]
April 4, 2011UncategorizedCreatures of habit that we are, it is easy for us to lose sight of why we do many of the things we do. We can certainly be prone to this regarding why we gather for Corporate Worship each Lord’s Day. The weekly pattern of gathering for corporate worship was established in the Old [...]
March 28, 2011UncategorizedIn view of the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that have occurred in Japan, we need to be much in prayer for the Japanese people, and for God’s sovereign purposes in these events. RCG has connections with people in Japan, primarily through the ministries of the Kinjos and the O’Dells. Great needs abound both spiritually and [...]
March 14, 2011UncategorizedThanks to all of you who were praying for the other RCG Elders and me as we met this past Saturday. We were together from 9 am – 4 pm, and had a fruitful time praying and talking together about how we can best fulfill our God-given mandate to “…shepherd the flock of God among [...]
March 7, 2011UncategorizedIn response to, and in the power of the word of Christ richly dwelling in us, believers are ever to be “…teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in our hearts to God.” (Col. 3:16) As we’ll be learning in weeks to come in our sermon [...]
March 4, 2011UncategorizedIn response to, and in the power of the word of Christ richly dwelling in us, believers are ever to be “…teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in our hearts to God.” (Col. 3:16) As we’ll be learning in weeks to come in our [...]
February 28, 2011UncategorizedOver the last few years, the incredible truth of John 13:1 has increasingly been gripping and overwhelming me: “…Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.” The holy, persevering love [...]
February 23, 2011UncategorizedA searching question we should frequently ask ourselves is “why do I do what I do?” We are constantly making decisions that affect everything, from relationships, to priorities, to our use of time and money, etc. What motivates and informs what we do? What dominating factors influence why we make the decisions we do? As [...]
January 5, 2011UncategorizedOverwhelmed. That’s how I’ve felt these last couple of months as we’ve been surveying the wondrous cross in John 19:16-30 on Sunday mornings. the display of God’s glory in the sufferings of Christ, the wonder of His transcendent love manifest at the cross, all He calls His sheep to through the cross, has simply been [...]
October 15, 2010UncategorizedUntil the day we die, or the Lord Jesus returns, we will fight sin. The relentless forces of Satan, the world and our own sinful corruptions ever oppose the cultivation of holiness in our daily lives.Where do we find hope in this battle, particularly when we often fall? We must ever look by faith to [...]
September 13, 2010UncategorizedA short summary of yesterday’s sermon on John 19:17,18: As the ultimate demonstration of His holy love, Jesus willingly went outside the camp and bore the humiliation of His cross. True believers must now, in the power of all the blessings that are theirs because of His humiliation, take up their crosses and follow Him [...]
August 30, 2010UncategorizedA short summary of yesterday’s sermon on John 19:17,18: As the ultimate demonstration of His holy love, Jesus willingly went outside the camp and bore the humiliation of His cross. True believers must now, in the power of all the blessings that are theirs because of His humiliation, take up their crosses and follow Him [...]
August 30, 2010Uncategorized