Ephesians 2: The God-Centered Gospel

God is unrelentingly God-centered. He does all things to the praise of His glory. All things — including the salvation of sinners. It is within this God-centeredness that we find assurance of the gospel of mercy and love. This is the sixth post in my series on Ephesians 2. The lessons come out of a small…

An Active, Lively, Restless Faith

Jesus Christ has begun and He will carry on, He will finish the good work in our souls. — We have nothing to do but to lay hold on Him by faith, and to depend on Him for wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. Not but we must be workers together with Him; for a true…

For Whom We Have Waited

Isaiah 25:1-9 O LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; For You have worked wonders, Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness. For You have made a city into a heap, A fortified city into a ruin; A palace of strangers is a city no more,…

The Center of a Productive Life: God

These are probably the best few pages I have ever read on being productive. … Perhaps the chief competitor to God-centeredness is simply making our own aims our center. This, then, leads us to be work-centered, or possession -centered, or pleasure-centered, or having any of those other centers. So it’s important to say that not only do…

For the Sake of the Kingdom of Heaven

Never did he marry. He died alone. He never had a helper, a mate, a lover, a partner. He bought no engagement ring, had no wedding, had no home with a wife. Every night he went to sleep, he went to sleep alone. Every morning he woke from rest, he awoke alone. He did not…

Do Not Linger

Taken from J.C. Ryle’s sermon on Genesis 19:16 — “He lingered.” But to walk closely with God–to be really spiritually-minded–to behave like strangers and pilgrims–to be distinct from the world in employment of time, in conversation, in amusements, in dress–to bear a faithful witness for Christ in all places–to leave a savour of our Master…

Competent to Counsel

John Street comparing special revelation (Ps 19:7-11) to general revelation (Ps 19:1-6): And if it is true that the Word of God is greater in bringing about the glory of God in man than general revelation [and it is true], then why would the Christian want to return to the simpler and more fundamental truths…

Let Us Not Be Faithless, But Believing

J.C. Ryle on the difference between fake faith with true faith: …That man must be blind who does not see thousands around him who are daily preferring the world to God–placing the things of time before the things of eternity, and the things of the body before the things of the soul. We may not…

Only One Life

Only One Life By C.T. Studd Two little lines I heard one day, Traveling along life’s busy way; Bringing conviction to my heart, And from my mind would not depart; Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last. Only one life, yes only one, Soon will its fleeting hours…

Ephesians 2: The Wrath of God

There is hardly a more uncomfortable doctrine than this: the wrath of God.  And yet, it must be taught — and heeded. This is the fifth post in my series on Ephesians 2.  This series comes out of a small Bible study I teach every Friday at a local high school.  If you do happen…