The Christ Church Conway Podcast: Recent Episodes
Kevin Hale
This podcast is a feed of sermons and teaching at Christ Church Conway, a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America in Conway, Arkansas.
Luke gives a very helpful perspective on who Jesus is and what he came to do through his birth narrative.
Mary’s song of praise at the news of bearing the Christ child teaches us that mercy is central to God’s kingdom.
The angel Gabriel appears to Mary telling her she will have a son using OT language to indicate that he will be the promised Messiah who will bring the kingdom of heaven.
The Angel Gabriel visits Zechariah telling him he and Elizabeth will have a son. He is to name him John, and John will prepare the way for the Messiah.
Luke introduces his gospel, telling us he wrote it that we might have certainty about Jesus.
Matthew 1:18–32 teaches us about the fulfillment, situation, and purpose of Jesus’ birth.
For the fourth Sunday of Advent we see how Matthew uses a genealogy to present Jesus as the promised seed of Abraham, the promised seed of David, and the promised priest king who would restore his people from exile.
For the second Sunday of Advent we look at David’s promised seed in the Davidic Covenant.
Abraham receives a promise from God. He explains, hustles, bargains, and finally trusts. We do the same thing with the promises of God.
Once again, David spares Saul, picturing the work of Christ in bringing deliverance to his people, and even when they sin against him.
Five psalms written in response to this time in David’s life help us understand this was a season of learning to trust God and find refuge in him for David.
Jonathan and Saul are both trying to live in the Kingdom. Jonathan seems to understand the security of the Kingdom is found in God. Saul is trying to secure it himself.
Saul doesn’t obeys the Word of the Lord given through Samuel and is rejected as king. A new king who will do God’s will is promised.
The Lord simultaneously acknowledged Israel’s sin and tells them he will not forsake them.
The beginning of Saul’s reign looks pretty good, but there are cracks in the foundation, reminding us we need a better king.
The Israelites try to use Yahweh to accomplish their will, and the ark is captured in the process.
Eli’s sons are contrasted with Samuel on the way to the promise of the coming faithful priest, Jesus.
Up to this point in his Gospel, Mark has not explicitly called Jesus King. Suddenly, He is called King six times. While this title is mostly given to Jesus in a mocking way, its sudden appearance signals to us that Mark has something for us to learn about the true nature of Jesus’ Kingship.
Jesus had said He would be betrayed, handed over the Chief Priest, denied by Peter, and abandoned by His disciples. Here, Jesus shows himself to be the true Messianic prophet.
The institution of the the Lord’s Supper is sandwiched between two stories in which Judas’ betrayal and all the disciples falling away are foretold, giving us great hope that the Supper is actually for sinners like us.
The Scribes had a history of missing the point of the Messiah. In this passage, Mark concludes his record of Jesus’ visit to the temple and shows how ministry is about Christ’s glory.
As Paul closes his letter to the Corinthians, he calls them to examine themselves. What does this mean?
Paul expresses his concern that the Corinthians have been deceived and led away from the gospel.
Paul explains how he his compelled by the love of Christ in ministry and urges the Corinthians to be reconciled to God.
Paul continues his defense of his ministry reminding us that the value is not the minister but the One he proclaims.
The law is a ministry is condemnation and death. The gospel is a ministry of righteousness and life.
Paul tells the Corinthians about his own affliction to remind them that God will deliver them, because He is a God who raises the dead.
Surprisingly few details are given about Christ’s birth. Why does Luke include what he does? What do we learn from the birth narrative?
As we read the story of Gabriel visiting Mary to tell her she will give birth to the Christ, we continue to learn how to wait for Him.
Advent is about waiting. As we consider how those who came before us waited on the coming of the Messiah, we can learn how we are to wait on his second coming.
The doctrine of God’s providence teaches how to understand and respond to suffering, but only if we go through Jesus.
God is in control of salvation from his decreeing to its final fulfillment in glory, and Jesus is central to every stage.
When you show up at the temple and announce that it and it’s keepers will be destroyed, it’s going to raise some eyebrows. When Jesus did this, eyebrows indeed were raised and the powers that he came,e with all kinds of challenges.
When the Sanhedrin challenges Jesus’ authority he refuses a direct answer to them but announces who he is and what God is doing in the parable of the tenants.
In contrast to his disciples’ seeking glory from Jesus, Bartimaeus calls out to Jesus for mercy.
The disciples and Jesus exemplify the differences between being a theologian of glory and a theologian of the cross.
Jesus intended to go to Jerusalem, and he intended to go knowing full well what was coming, His condemnation, abuse, death, and resurrection for our salvation. His love for us was both intentional and aware of the cost.
Yahweh is the only one who can heal the wounds of grace designed to bring us to repentance.
Immediately on the heels of heartbreaking judgment, Hosea is sent to the people with god news.
Hosea begins with a tragic announcement of judgement on the people of God, wherein Yahweh declares they will no longer be his people. How does this text speak to us today?
The Gospel and the Covenant of Grace are first found not in the New Testament, but in Yahweh’s response to man’s sin.
Paul sees the resurrection of Jesus as both central to the gospel and the basis for the Christian life.
In answering the Pharisees question about divorce, Jesus reminds us the concessions for sin are not where we need to begin our thinking about marriage.
Jesus uses the analogy of self-amputation to get us to understand the gravity of not following him.
Paul does not call us to suit up and go gain the victory, he calls us to be strong in Christ who has gained the victory and stand.
Paul tells wives to submit to their husbands. How are we to understand this? What has this to do with the gospel.
Paul calls us to walk carefully, to seek to understand God’s will, and be filled by the Spirit.
The visit of the Magi shows the whole world is in the reach and reign of the One who was born in the city of David.
God providentially prepared His Servant for ministry and preserved His Servant in Ministry.
The four Servant Songs of Isaiah are both instructive and comforting as we wait for return of Christ.
Paul calls us to put off the old man and put on the new man, created after the likeness of God.
Christ, the conquering King, has given gifts to the church that we might grow together.
Paul moves from the indicatives to the imperatives of his letter. His first urging is that we would live a life that is in line with the gracious call of the gospel.
Paul comes back to his prayer for the Ephesians again. His prayer is the Christ might be formed in them. May that be our prayer for one another as well.
The inclusion of the Gentiles through Jesus Christ was a really big deal, proclaiming God’s wisdom throughout the cosmos.
The division between Jew and Gentile that the law established has been undone by Christ. We are no longer aliens and strangers.
We were dead, but God… Hear what God has done through Jesus Christ to make us alive again.
Paul prays for the Ephesians that the eyes of their hearts might be enlightened to see the wonders of the gospel.
Why does it matter that we are “in Christ”? Paul helps us understand the importance of this union in this theologically rich passage.
We are transitioning away from a daily podcast to posting sermons and other teachings at Christ Church Conway.
Esther 6 illustrates the godly encouragement to humility and warning against pride found in Proverbs. Mordecai who didn’t demand a reward for his service is exalted, and Haman who tried to secure his own glory is humiliated.
There is an incredible contrast set-up between Esther and Haman. She is presented in humility, he in pride. In light of the biblical wisdom of Proverbs, we have here an incredible foreshadowing of where the story is going.
Haman’s plot is announced, and the Jews go into mourning. Mordecai encourages Esther to go to the King and plead for her people because it just might be that this is exactly why God has put her in the palace to begin with.
We don’t like to think about the discipline of our Heavenly Father; nonetheless, it is a reality. Further, it is a reality that flows from His fatherly love, not contrary to it.
Haman’s lie about the Jew’s way of life is very instructive for our own thinking about how we live as Christians in the world.
The story continues, but now an enemy of the people of God is introduced. This enemy has been given authority to destroy the Jews. Even in this, if we look close, we see God’s providential rule at work.
Jesus’ healing of the dead man not only shows us Christ’s ability to heal, but also his ushering in the Kingdom of God.
This section seems somewhat disconnected from the its context. However, in telling the story of this plot against the king, several somewhat minor details are set in place that will become significant in the coming sections, reminding us that God’s providence extends even to the things we might take for granted.
In this paragraph the divines tackle the very difficult problem of God’s providentially ruling all things and the reality of sin.
As we read the story or Esther becoming queen, the questions abound. The story is presented with incredible ambiguity throughout, barring us from being able to answer many if the questions we have. One thing we do know, God is providentially at work through profoundly sinful and broken people and circumstances to bring about the deliverance of his people.
As the story continues, the king is shown having lost control. However, his loss of control is God’s providential working out the deliverance if his people.
In this episode we begin our study of Esther, a book that reminds us that nothing can undo God’s will for his people.
David gained the victory for his people, and they followed him in that victory. This is a wonderful picture of the Christian life, following Christ our King in the victory that he has won for us.
God provides the true king to fight for his people and deliver them from their enemies in order to remind them of their true story.
The Israelite should not defeat their enemy. Even their king, Saul, had forgotten the story. They needed a better king if they would survive.
Paul wraps up his letter to the Galatians reminding them of what the has already so thoroughly laid out- that our only boasting is in the cross of Jesus Christ.
Saying we are saved by grace alone does not mean there is not a Christian life to which we are called. The key to the Christian life is sowing to the Spirit rather than our flesh.
One extension of being a product of grace is extending grace to others. Here Paul tells us to restore sinners bearing one another’s burdens with gentleness.
We got started in the Christian life by the Spirit. We can only continue in him as well.
The Spirit of a Christ will not lead us in lawlessness. Our flesh has been crucified. We are new creatures who need to think of ourselves in a new light.
God has foreordained the means as well as the end. We struggle to hold these realities in tension, but Scripture is clear that God, the First Cause, has ordered things to come about by second causes.
Paul says those who do the works of the flesh won’t inherit the kingdom of God? Is he now adding a works principle to the gospel? Well, no. He is reminding us that the Spirit is real and is at work in us.
What is the antidote to our flesh? Well, it’s not a what but a who. The Spirit of Christ, he is the one who can deal with our flesh.
We are all self-justifying, self-interested people. The bad news is that doesn’t get is very far. The good news is, there the gospel.
Paul does not back off his statement that we are free from the law in Christ; however, he also teaches us that we are therefore free to love one another.
Paul reminds us once again that we are justified by faith alone, but he introduces the idea that that faith will bear the fruit of love.
WCF 5 lays out the doctrine of God’s Providence with an introductory statement reminding us of The Who, what, how, and why of God’s providence.
Here we find some of Paul’s harshest statements as he reminds us there can be no addition of even a single law to Jesus.
Paul turns to the Christian life, helping us understand what it means to live in the light of the gospel.
In giving us this summary of Jesus ministry around Gennesaret, Mark shows us that Jesus’s mercy is unending.
Paul dives back into the Old Testament, using the story of Sarah and Hagar to illustrate the difference between our works and God’s promise.
For a brief moment Paul breaks from his theological arguments to make an emotional appeal to the Galatians.
Paul provocatively equates enslavement to false gods and enslavement to the law of God as enslavement to elementary principles. This is a bold statement indeed.
The benefits of the gospel are not limited to our justification. They also include our adoption. Paul reminds us that because we have been adopted, we are now heirs of the most high God.
The truth of the resurrection is a glorious truth, declaring Jesus to be the Son of God and declaring to us that all that is needed for our salvation has been accomplished.
The atoning death of Christ is one of the central points of the gospel. This sermon reflects on the death of Christ in John 19.
The law has a function, leading us to Jesus. It’s a tutor. Once we are found in Christ, we no longer need the tutor to do the same job.
It’s easy to forget that the while the law and the promise accomplish different things they are contrary to each other. Rather they work together. The law drives us to Christ to receive the promise he secured.
Here the Westminster Divines introduce the work of creation reminding us, among other things, that the work of creation was a work not of one person of the godhead but of all three persons.
If the law is not the way to God, then why on earth was it given? This is the question Paul answers for us in today’s section of Galatians.
One brig question in Galatians is, how do the law and promise relate? Paul begins to answer that question, first reminding us that the latter covenant, the law, does not annul the previous covenant, the promise.
Under the law we stand cursed. The good news is that Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the law.
Continuing his tour through the OT, showing that the gospel is not something new that he dreamed up, Paul takes a minute to remind us why the law offers us no hope.
In these verses Paul links together six different OT passages to show that the gospel is an ancient promise.
The doctrines we have been discussing pertaining to God’s eternal decree are difficult. It their wisdom, the framers of the Westminster Confession of Faith reminded us that they are to be handled with care.
Through a series of rhetorical questions, Paul gets at the heart of the issue with the Galatians.
Paul makes clear. We are either justified by faith in Christ or by law. It can’t be both. These two propositions are mutually exclusive.
The point of the law is to show us our sin and lead us to Jesus. If we don’t let it do that, but try to justify ourselves by our law keeping, we only make ourselves greater transgressors of God’s law.
We are always tempted to offer our works for our justification. Paul reminds us, that will always fail. We are justified by faith alone in Christ alone.
Here we have the difficult other side of the election coin. The key to this doctrine is recognizing that it is actually biblical.
Paul was committed to the gospel. He refused to have the truth if the gospel shaped by fear of man. When Peter made that mistake, Paul had something to say about it.
Paul eventually made it back to Jerusalem. On his trip back he visited with the apostles. Here he lets us know that they added nothing to his ministry but their confirmation.
This popular story may have more than meets the eye. When we follow the clues pointing to why the crowd was there, we realize their being fed might have been something other than what they wanted.
Paul continues his brief autobiography in order to dismiss the false accusations made against him.
Paul was literally killing Christians when God called him in grace. You can read the story in Acts 9. Here Paul reminds the Galatians of this story in order to remind them how he received the gospel - it wasn’t from man.
One of the accusations Paul faced was that his gospel was just something some group of people were wanting to spread. Paul reminds us how he actually received the gospel, but from man, but from Jesus.
Having looked at the fact that God has decreed our redemption. The Westminster Divines now remind us that he has also decrees the means by which we are redeemed.
Jesus said we can’t serve two masters. Paul makes the same point here. We either are seeking to please man or we are serving Christ.
Paul takes the gospel very seriously. In these verses, we see just how seriously he takes the right preaching of the gospel. Getting the gospel right matters. It’s the first order of business.
There is a lot we learn from the beading of John. It both foreshadows the fate of Christ and the apostles and warns us of a fleshy response to being challenged by the Word of God.
The Galatians’ issue wasn’t rank idolatry or open sin. It was much more subtle than that. Their issue was a distorted gospel, adding good works to Jesus. This serves as a warning for us that turning from Christ doesn’t always look like turning to blatant sin. It might look like turning to good works in Jesus’ name for our hope.
Jesus didn’t die for our sins by accident. It was according to God’s will and for his glory; therefore, so is our salvation.
Paul announces why Christ died for our sins- that we might be delivered. What hope that this age does not speak the final word.
Some present predestination as a mean doctrine, but here we see it is just the opposite. The reality of the doctrine of predestination is that it is a great comfort because it reminds us that our salvation is all of grace.
Paul tells us that Christ gave himself for our sins. There is not a more hope-filled sentence that can be written or uttered.
In this episode we look at Galatians 1:1-2. Here Paul reminds the Galatian that his calling is from God not man.
In this episode we look at Jonah 4:5-11. Here we are reminded that God is not concerned with our agendas, but he is concerned with our concern for his.
In this episode we look at Jonah 4:3-4. Jonah is angry at God because he showed grace to sinners.
In this episode we look at WCF 3.4. Here we see the doctrine of particular redemption, or limited atonement, defined. This is a difficult, but ultimately comforting doctrine.
In this episode we look at Jonah 4:1-2. In these verses we get to the heart of Jonah’s issue. Surprisingly, his issue is that he knew God would be gracious, because it’s just how he is.
In this episode we look at Jonah 3. Here we see the effect of gospel preaching played out. Jonah preaches. Nineveh believes God and repents. God shows mercy. The gospel is so very sweet.
In this episode we look at Jonah 3:1-2. God’s gracious purposes for the world will not be derailed by the disobedience or failures of his messengers.
In this episode we look at Jonah 2:10. Here we find the end of Jonah’s stay in the fish. This a good spot to tighten up our categories for thinking about miracles.
In this episode we look at WCF 3.3. This a very difficult doctrine, but not because it isn’t clearly taught in Scripture.
In this episode we look at Jonah 2. Here Jonah calls out to God in thanksgiving for his deliverance.
In this episode we look at Jonah 1:17. Jesus uses this verse in Matthew 12:40 to present Jonah as a type of Christ, thereby giving us a lense through which we understand Jonah’s story.
In this episode we look at Mark 5:21-43. Here we see that Jesus uses his authority over uncleanness and death to care for the desperate who come to him in faith.
In this episode we look at Jonah 1:11-16. Everything is going wrong for these poor sailors, so they toss Jonah overboard, and the storm ceases.
In this episode we look at Jonah 1:7-10. The sailors’ questions for Jonah are an attempt to figure out what is going on and whose fault it is. They are rightly assessing the situation, but that doesn’t mean all suffering should be assessed similarly.
In this episode we look at Jonah 1:4-6. Jonah is trying to run from Yahweh’s presence, but he doesn’t make it. It hard to run from the One who is omnipresent and committed to pursuing His people even in their sin.
In this episode we look at WCF 3.2. How freed is God in His decree of whatsoever comes to pass? Completely! This is a hard teaching and somewhat technical theology, but there is great comfort in knowing God freely brings about His will.
In this episode we look at Johan 1:1-3. The story of this prophet starts with his running from God, but his running away might make more sense to us than we like to admit.
In this episode we begin our study of Jonah by thinking about the historicity of this minor prophet.
Ep. 77: In this special episode of the Daily Devotion we sit down with Franklin Holbrook and Chris Hervey to talk about how the African American Church has learned to suffer in light of the gospel.
In this episode we look at 1 Peter 5:10-14. Peter concludes his letter reminding us that our suffering is neither out of God’s control nor the final chapter. God will strengthen us because he has called us.
In this episode we look at 1 Peter 5:8-9. Peter reminds us that clear thinking and firmness in our faith is just what we need in our battle against Satan and his lies.
In this episode we look at WCF 3.1. Here we are taught that all things have been ordained by God. This is a comforting doctrine indeed.
In this episode we look at 1 Peter 5:6-7. Peter calls us to humility, which is really nothing more than fully trusting God with our lives.
In this episode we look at 1 Peter 5:1-5. Peter gives instructions both to the elders and to the flock of God. Both are to do what they are called by God today with humility.
In this episode we look at 1 Peter 4:17-19. Peter instructs us that the suffering we face is the beginning stages of the great eschatological sorting out, and therefore we ought, in the face of it, continue entrusting ourselves to God.
In this episode we look at 1 Peter 4:12-16. Often times we are shocked by suffering. Peter reminds us that we should both expect it because Christ suffered and rejoice in it because we have His Spirit.
In this episode we look at 1 Peter 4:10-11. Peter instructs us to use the various gifts we have from the Spirit by God’s grace to serve one another.
In this episode we look at 1 Peter 4:9 where we are called to show hospitality to one another.
In this episode we look at 1 Peter 4:8. Peter calls us to keep loving one another. The difficulty of this call, is that it is always a call to self-denial.
In this episode we here the sermon preached at Christ Church Conway on 1/24/21 on Mark 4:35-41.
In this episode we look at 1 Peter 4:7. Peter calls us to self control and sobriety of thought so that we will turn to God in prayer.
In this episode we look at 1 Peter 4:7. Peter sets up the drawing near of the end as the basis for how we live in this world.
In this episode we look at 1 Peter 4:1-6. Peter calls us to think about suffering the way Christ did.
In this episode we look at WCF 2.2. Seeing the self-sufficiency of God makes redemption all the more sweet, because we realize it wasn’t out of anything lacking in Him that He redeemed us but only out of His desire to do so.
In this episode we look at 1 Peter 3:21-22. These are the last two verses in a very difficult section of Scripture, but they offer incredible hope to the Christian, reminding us that Christ is the victor.
In this episode we look at 1 Peter 3:19-20. These verses have troubled exegetes for years, but offer incredible comfort to the suffering Christian when understood. Christ has proclaimed victory over those who would trouble his people.
In this episode we look at Mark 4:30-32. Jesus tells us that although the kingdom may have humble beginnings it will grow into something glorious.
In this episode we look at 1 Peter 3:18. This is the first verse in a difficult section of this letter. Here we are reminded that we can suffer because Jesus suffered in our place in order to bring us to God.
In this episode we look at 1 Peter 3:13-17. These verses remind us that it is better to suffer for righteousness than evil and that when we do, our hope is still secure.
In this episode we look at 1 Peter 3:9-12. Peter reminds us that the inheritance that comes with our calling gives us the freedom to not try securing an inheritance for ourselves.
In this episode we look at WCF 2.1. Here the assembly began their attempt at offering something about who, and how God is.
In this episode we are looking at 1 Peter 3:8. Peter turns from particular groups to all Christians, reminding us of the ethic that flows from the reality of who we are in Christ.
In this episode we look at 1 Peter 3:7. Even though Peter seems to have less to say to husbands, what he says is full of culturally subversive ideas regarding husbands and wives because of the reality of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
In this episode we look at Mark 4:26-29. Jesus teaches us that while we can and should sow seed, we don’t know and can’t control how the Kingdom of God grows.
In the episode we look at 1 Peter 3:1-6. Peter gives instructions to wives regarding living their life with their husbands in light of the gospel.
In this episode we look at 1 Peter 2:21-25. After calling us to suffer like Christ, Peter explains the reality and result of Christ’s suffering for us.
In this episode we are looking at 1 Peter 2:18-20. We are reminded that we are to face our suffering, even when it is unjust, as Christ faced His, which was also unjust.
In this episode we look at WCF 1.9-10. The Confession teaches us that Scripture is the final authority both in interpreting itself and in deciding various matters of disagreements of faith.
In this episode we are looking at 1 Peter 2:13-17. Here Peter reminds us that God desires our submission to the earthly authorities He has put in place.
In this episode we look at 1 Peter 2:11-12. Here Peter moves into the body of his letter, urging the elect exiles to abstain from fleshy passions.
In today’s episode we are looking at John 1:14a. The incarnation of the Son of God brought the sanctifying presence of God to his people in fulfillment of the OT promises.
In this episode we look at 1 Peter 2:9-10. Here we find on of the richest, biblical-theological passages pertaining to the identity of the people of God.
In this episode we look at 1 Peter 2:6-8. Peter supports his argument of being rejected by men but chosen and precious in God’s sight with the Old Testament, reminding his people that the kingdom of God, and we the living stones of the kingdom, can only be built around Jesus.
In this episode we are looking at 1 Peter 2:4-5. Peter compares us to Jesus, the living stone, reminding us that like him, though we be rejected by men, we are chosen and precious in God’s sight and being built up into something beautiful.
In this episode we look at WCF 1.8. Here we are reminded while God has preserved his word in Hebrew, and Greek, and while these original texts are authoritative, in God’s care for His people who don’t know Hebrew and Greek, He works through His Word translated.
In this episode we look at 1 Peter 2:2-3. Having called us put off our self-protective flesh, Peter gives us the better way of sustenance, the Lord himself.
In this episode we are looking at 1Peter 2:1. Peter begins to help us understand how to love one another earnestly.
In this episode we are looking at WCF 1.7. This paragraph reminds us that even though some parts of Scripture are difficult to understand, the gospel is clearly given in such a way that all may understand.
In this episode we are looking at 1 Peter 1:24-25. Peter takes us back to the book of Isaiah to remind us that God’s Word will endure.
In this episode we look at 1 Peter 1:23. Here Peter reminds us of the reality of our new birth in Jesus Christ, through the Word.
Today we look at Mark 4:24-25. We are commanded to pay attention to what we hear, that is the Gospel, because faith comes through hearing.
In this episode we are looking at 1 Peter 1:22. Here Peter calls us to love one another even in the midst of suffering. We can only do this if we are thoroughly grounded in the hope of the gospel.
In this episode we look at 1 Peter 1:21. Here Peter reminds us that our hope is in the God who undoes death and humiliation.
In this episode we are looking at 1 Peter 1:20. Here we are reminded that Jesus was both foreknown and revealed for us. Our redemption is secure because it began with the triune God before the foundations of the world.
In this episode we look at WCF 1.6. This paragraph is about the sufficiency of Scripture; however, it also reminds us that although Scripture is sufficient, we need the Spirit to illumine our hearts and minds if we are to understand and accept it.
In this episode we are looking again at 1 Peter 1:17-21. Peter reminds us that our motivation in the Christian life is not to be ransomed, but that we have been ransomed by the blood of Christ.
In this episode we are looking at 1 Peter 1:17-21. We will study this passage over the next several days. Today we see that having God as our Father means we are to live as his children.
In this episode we are looking at Mark 4:21-25. Jesus reminds us that we must let the light of the Word shine and not be hidden.
In this episode we continue looking at 1 Peter 1:14-16. As Christians, we are called to holiness. This call is based on and patterned after the holiness of the one who has called us into fellowship with himself.
In this episode we continue looking at 1 Peter 1:14-16. Peter sets up a contrast between conformity to our former passions and holiness, calling us out of the passivity or conformity.
In this episode we are taking our first look at 1 Peter 1:14-16. Here Peter calls us to holiness, but we must first see the basis for this call - we are children of God.
In this episode we look at WCF 1.4-5. In these paragraphs the Confession answers two questions— 1) Why ought we accept Scripture as authoritative? 2) How are we convinced of the authority and truth of Scripture?
In this episode we are looking at 1 Peter 1:13. We don’t just walk into suffering unprepared and get great results. We have to prepare our minds and think rightly about the gospel and life.
In this episode we look again at 1 Peter 1:10-12. Neither the sufferings of Christ nor our sufferings in Christ are in vain or random, but are God’s plan.
Today’s sermon is on Mark 4:10-12. In this passage Jesus explains why he was teaching in parables. He was giving people what they needed, not what they wanted.
In this episode we take our first look at 1 Peter 1:10-12. These verses remind us of the consistent faithfulness of our God, a faithfulness in which we can find great comfort in the midst of our suffering.
In this episode we look again at 1 Peter 1:8-9, this time with an eye toward exploring our struggle with joy. Why is it that we are so often joyless? This our question today.
In this episode we look at 1 Peter 1:3-9. It is easy for us to think of the benefits of the gospel as only future. Peter reminds us that just as we presently love and believe in Jesus, so too do we presently rejoice in him.
In this episode, we look at WCF 1.2-3. In these paragraphs, the Westminster Confession defines the content, nature, and use of the Word of God, relegating all other human writings, including the Confession itself, to a lower rank than Scripture.
In this episode we look at 1 Peter 1:6-7. How are we to process suffering? Peter answers this for us. We rejoice! Why? Because, through our sufferings, our faith is being perfected that one day we might share in Christ’s glory even as we now are sharing in his sufferings.
In this episode we look at 1 Peter 1:5. In this verse, Peter reminds the elect exiles and us that the uncertainty of our circumstances does not inform our future. Rather, we can take comfort in our suffering knowing we are being kept by God’s power and will be kept to the very end.
In this episode we look at 1 Peter 1:4. Life in this world is profoundly insecure. We feel that insecurity deeply. The elect exiles to whom Peter wrote did as well, so Peter reminds them and us of what is true. Our security comes from the inheritance we have in Christ, and that inheritance is kept for us.
In todays episode we look at 1 Peter 1:3d and the glorious truth that God has caused us to be born again into a living hope. 2020 has been, for many of us, a year of hopelessness; however, as Christians we need not lose hope. Peter reminds the elect exiles that the Christian hope is not based on their circumstances but on the resurrection of their Savior. The same is true for us.
In today's episode we look at WCF 1.1. How can we know God? Why is the Bible necessary? Why has God bothered to make himself known? These and other questions are addressed in today's episode of the Daily Devotion as we look at the first paragraph of the Westminster Confession of Faith. As we go through this study it may be helpful for you to have your own copy of the Westminster Standards. You can purchase a copy here. As we work through the Confession I will lean heavily on Chad Van Dixhoorn's very helpful book, Confessing the Faith: A Reader's Guide to the Westminster Confession of Faith. If interested, you can purchase a copy here.
In today's episode we look at 1 Peter 1:3c. The idea of being born again is thrown around in Christian circles a lot, but what exactly does it mean to be born again? In this episode of The Daily Devotion, we answer this question, recognizing that as identity comes with our natural birth, so a new identity comes with our spiritual birth.
In today's episode we look at 1 Peter 1:3b. What is the basis for the Christian's identity, hope, and security? Peter reminds us that the basis for these realities is the great mercy of God.
In this episode we are looking at the thorny soil in the Parable of the Sower, Mark 4:1-20. This is the fourth sermon in an ongoing series at Christ Church Conway.
In today's episode we look at 1 Peter 1:3a. Peter opens his letter reminding his readers that God is blessed even in the face of suffering.
In today's devotion, we look at Peter's introduction to his letter, 1 Peter 1:1-2. We learn that God is in control of suffering and that suffering is for our sanctification and obedience to Christ our Savior. In these truths we find comfort and strength in the midst of suffering.