Belief is not circumstantial but is a gift of God’s grace and must be received as such. You cannot will it to be, and it will never be on your terms. Try harder and do better, exhaust your efforts on the treadmill of works, if you please, but the gift of grace is just that, a gift so that no one may boast.
Category Archives: Sermons
From the Heart
The promise is not of a better heart but a new one, one with which we may love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind” (Matt. 22:37).
Faithless Familiarity
Let not our familiarity lead us to the hometown of faithlessness. Rather let us rejoice in the Lord Jesus Christ, treasuring His gospel, and embracing His means of grace with faith and devotion.
Faith Comes from Hearing
Through our union with Christ we bear fruit. There may be varying yields according to God’s grace, but a true disciple is identified by bearing it.
Eyes to See and a Tongue to Speak
The unbeliever’s treasure is himself, and therefore his evil heart and the words it sends forth are for his own glory. But, for the Christian, our treasure is Christ, and out of Him and His Spirit’s indwelling presence flows words of praise to God and His glory.
Evidence of a Depraved Mind
And while Herodias held what she perceived to be her trophy of triumph, the Word of God triumphs through the faithful preaching of the Word that by the work of the Holy Spirit the depraved mind be conquered and sanctified by the Word of truth.
Apostolic Ministry
So, let us rejoice in the apostolic ministry commissioned by our Lord, first to Galilee and then to the ends of the earth. Let us thank our Lord for so sure a foundation, so glorious a mission, so faithful a message, the gospel of Jesus Christ.
An Advancing Kingdom
The kingdom of heaven is flourishing on earth since its inauguration but is disregarded by the world. It advances while sin, wickedness, and rebellion continue, but as the advancement continues there will be a conclusion, the close of the age (Matt. 13:39), and the consummation of the kingdom of heaven.
The Gift of Faith
Therefore, the gift of faith is, in a sense spiritually, a gift of life, health, sight, and deliverance, in which we are the blessed recipients of God’s grace, recipients who marvel at such gracious favor from today and forever.
The Feasting and Fasting of Redemption
And fasting prepares our hungry souls for the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. So, there is a feasting and a fasting of redemption which we find in fellowshipping in His Spirit, a fellowship known only by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Planter, Pastor, Preacher 