The Triumph of Grace through Righteousness …
God's purpose in giving the law was so that, in the end, grace would reign through Christ's righteousness on our behalf.
The Free Gift of God is Eternal Life, Part 2 …
Christmas Eve Day
How the Spirit Does What the Law Could Not Do …
The law can't overcome your rebellion and make you a loving person. But the Spirit can.
God Did Not Spare His Own Son …
God always does what is good for us. If you believe that he gave his own Son for you, this is what you believe.
God's Word Stands: Not All Israel Is Israel, Part 2 …
God’s election of the children of promise is what guarantees that his word never fails.
Treasuring Christ Together, Part 2 …
Lessons in Love from 1 John
The Peril of Partiality …
Riches and Race in the Christian Church
Racial Harmony Sunday
Showing partiality toward others, either because of their race or their riches, reveals a lack of trust in Jesus.
All Things Are from God, Through God, and to God. The Glory Is All His …
Do you love the thought that you exist to make God look good?
When Is It Right to Repay Evil with Pain? …
Does God ever intend for his justice—his right to punish wrong—to be shared with men?
The Kingdom of God is Righteousness and Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit …
The kingdom produces more than Christian liberty. It governs how you use your liberty too.
Final Judgment: Eternal Life vs. Wrath and Fury …
Every responsible person, on the basis of their actions and attitudes, will meet the final judgment of God.
The Aim of Dr Luke …
Sunday Evening Message
It is important to try to persuade people, like Luke in his Gospel, of the truth of Christianity.
The Son of God at 12 Years Old …
Sunday Evening Message
I feel tremendously challenged by the example of Jesus to strive for increased wisdom and understanding of Scripture.
The Local Church: Minimum Vs. Maximum …
There are at least seven qualifications if a group wants to be a church in the NT sense.
Quantitative Hopelessness and the Immeasurable Moment …
For the Encouragement of Sunday School Teachers
Sunday Evening Message
Never underestimate the power of truth spoken in a single sentence.
Can God Spread a Table in the Wilderness? …
Do not grumble; it is God's grace that sends you into the wilderness. He is inoculating you against the infections of wealth.
Jesus Is Precious as the Foundation of the Family …
Trusting Christ as Savior, surrendering to him as Lord, and orienting all of your family relations on him, transforms the home into a little heaven on earth.
Will the Next Generation Know? …
Silence about Christ is dogma. Not to teach the infinite value of Christ is to teach that he is negligible.
Cry of Distress and Voice of Thanks …
The Prayer of Jonah
The belly of a fish hardly seems like salvation. But it was.
The Donkey, the Stallion, and the Strategy of the Hills …
Palm Sunday
Though arrogance and rage assail, conspiracy will not prevail.
Walk by the Spirit! …
People who bear the fruit of the Spirit know they are worthy only of condemnation. They know that the only pay they can earn is the wrath of God.
The Holy Spirit: He Is God! …
There is only one power that can break the spell of Satan, waken the armies of the Lord, and rout the god of this age—the power of the Holy Spirit.
How the Spirit Helps Us Understand …
The first and most fundamental work of God's Spirit in the life of the natural man is to shatter pride.
My Name Is God Almighty …
The omnipotence of God means reverence, recompense, and refuge, for his covenant people.
The Good End of Godly Regret …
Regret can be good if it produces repentance and leads to salvation.
Job: The Revelation of God in Suffering …
It is presumptuous to assume you can counsel God about how to run a more just world.
Remember the Sabbath Day to Keep It Holy …
Humbly accept the fact that your true advancement in life depends far more on God's labor than yours.
I Will Sing of Thy Might and Mercy …
Authenticity and depth in worship characterize those who suffer with Christ by bearing the burdens of others.
Holy Women Who Hoped in God …
Mother's Day
The daughters of Sarah fight the anxiety that rises in their hearts. They wage war on fear, and they defeat it with the promises of God.
Urgency and Gratitude …
How are we supposed to understand and live out the paradoxes of Scripture?
The Pleasure of God in Election …
God takes pleasure in election because it magnifies his name.
Avoiding Sexual Sin, Part 1 …
Pitfalls and Protections for Christian Leaders
Sunday Evening Message
Ten reasons people fall into sexual sin and ten ways to protect ourselves.
The Glory of Priestly Success …
The ministry of the Word can destroy and the ministry of the Word can save.
The Danger of Being Merely Human …
There is a group of people whom Paul calls not spiritual and not natural, but "fleshly," or "babes in Christ."
The Great Invitation: Come! Drink! Eat! Live! …
Don't let the advertisements for the world drown out God's invitation to heaven!
Battling the Unbelief of Impatience …
God says he will bless us if we wait patiently for him.
Do Not Say, "I Am Only a Youth" …
Youth is no excuse for not venturing something great for God.
All the Promises of God Are Yes in Christ …
Are you living in the fullest enjoyment of God's YES to you in Christ Jesus? Have you said yes to all of God's YES to you?
Jesus Is Alive to Serve …
Easter Sunday
Jesus died to meet your needs. He rose to meet your needs. He reigns to meet your needs—and make you happy in him forever.
Jesus' Name Made This Man Strong …
The Father is the ultimate source of all healing. Through Jesus the Father does his healing will.
Six Gifts of the Resurrection …
Easter Sunday
The greatest news in all the world is in order to make you happy and glorify Jesus, God raised him from the dead to reign forevermore.
Christ's Power Is Made Perfect in Weakness …
The market wants power to escape weakness in leisure, but Christianity offers power to endure weakness in love.
The Straight Paths of the Lord …
God is not aloof or passive or indecisive. He is a searching and saving God, a God on a mission.
Behold, I Make All Things New …
God wants us to have assurance that no matter how much evil and suffering and futility we see now, he will make all things new.
How the Saints Minister to the Body …
Love abounding in knowledge and discernment is what builds Christ's body.
A Model of Covenant Exhortation …
Don't get into people's lives only when things are falling apart; get in when things are going well and help each other keep that course.
The Prayers of the Saints and the End of the World …
No believing prayer is in vain. Ever.
The War Against the Soul and the Glory of God …
The two greatest issues in life are how the soul of man might not be destroyed and how the glory of God might not be belittled.
How Elder-Shepherds Prepare to Meet the Chief Shepherd …
When the Chief Shepherd comes, he is going to call elders to account and say, "Did you feed my sheep?"
A Fast for Waters That Do Not Fail, Part 2 …
Let's trust the Great Physician—the Lord, our healer. Let's accept the fast that he has prescribed for us.
The Greatest of These Is Love: An Introduction to the Series …
God is love. The implications of this for the way we live are big.
This Man Receives Sinners and Eats with Them …
The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost. He sought them, he received them, he ate with them, and he saved them.
The Happiest Days of Heaven …
Jesus is the seeking heart of God going out after sinners and winning our repentance.
Good News to the Poor …
Unfolding Bethlehem's Fresh Initiative #5
The fact that Jesus was born to a poor couple in a cow stall tells us something about the way God meant to reach the world.
The Son of Man Came to Serve …
At the end of this season, receive the best present imaginable: Jesus giving himself to die for you and serve you.
He Made Purification of Sins …
Maundy Thursday
The purification that was made was made once for all.
He Sat Down at the Right Hand of Majesty …
Easter Sunday
We owe our purification to Jesus and we owe our being to him.
A Passion for the Supremacy of Christ—Where He Is Not Named …
What convictions drive world missions at Bethlehem Baptist Church?
When Does God Swear? …
God swears by his own name in order to give his people unwavering confidence in his promises.
The Faith of Noah, Abraham, and Sarah …
Installation of Chuck Steddom As Minister of Worship and Music
Saving faith isn't merely the one-time act of receiving Jesus. It goes on trusting him.
Amen …
A Word Common to Many Languages
God's beauty is magnified when it is echoed in prayer and preaching with agreements like "Amen!"
The Place of Preaching in Worship …
Why is the proclamation of the Word so prominent in corporate worship?
Why God Inspired Hard Texts …
What are some implications of the fact that God has founded Christianity on a book that has difficult passages?
We Exult in God Through Our Lord Jesus Christ …
The biblical portrait of Jesus must be the essential content of your joy in God.
Righteous Job and the Rock Star …
What is the Almighty that we should serve him? Good question, depending on the tone of voice.
Whence and Why the Earthquake in Turkey? …
When love has wept and worked, it must have some answers. Not all the answers, but some.
The Overflow of Easter …
A Whole Theology of Resurrection in One Chapter
In just one chapter Paul outlines a whole theology of the resurrection.
How Open Theism Helps Us Conceal Our Hidden Idolatries …
If we deny God's power over evil and suffering, do we deny his wisdom?
If Christ Predicted War, May Christians Pray for Peace? …
God ordains that some wars happen. Ours is to pray that justice, peace, and the proclamation of the gospel prevail.
God Is Not Boring …
God is worthy enough to inspire an infinite number of new and imaginative expressions of his beauty.
Is God Calling You to Give Your Life for His Sake and the Gospel in Missions? …
Ten Means God Uses to Compel Those Whom He Calls
An Open Letter To Governor Tim Pawlenty Concerning the Expansion of State-Supported Casino Gambling in Minnesota …
The desire to be rich is suicidal. Endorsing it by encouraging gambling is cruel.
Making Room for Atheism …
Thoughts on the Supremacy of God in a Pluralistic World
How do we express a passion for the supremacy of God in a pluralistic world?
