A man was given a tour of heaven in a dream. As the tour ended, he noted a particular building was skipped over. The angel warned that he did not want to see that building. This only heightened the man's curiosity. The angel showed him. It was a building filled with beautifully wrapped presents. When the man asked what these were, the angel answered these were gifts God had prepared for his children that were never claimed in prayer. If a building in heaven houses unclaimed gifts, many boxes would contain the unwanted gift of wisdom. When facing trials, we...

Canute the Great was King of Denmark, England, and Norway. He was praised as a great monarch. But he feared his people thought too highly of him. On one occasion, Canute ordered his servants to place his royal chair by the seashore. Sitting on this throne, he demanded the waves to recede. Waiting for the waters to obey his command, he got wet as the waters splashed around him. Finally, Canute stood and rebuked her servants, claiming that only the Lord who created the heavens and earth is worthy of praise. Psalm 93 calls us to put our seats by...

The preacher was a well-respected pulpiteer. The sermon was doctrinally sound. He seemed to preach with sincerity, reverence, and passion. But the sermon felt like we were driving on a flat tire. What went wrong? At the end of the service, the friend sitting next to me leaned over a said, “He had four alliterated points with three sub-points each. I don’t care what you say, he had sixteen points!” Yep. That’s what went wrong. A good sermon has purpose, unity, and movement. Well-crafted structure makes this possible. But an overcooked structure messes up the whole meal. On the other...

God Knows What He's Doing

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS (Ephesians 1:3) Ephesians 1:3-14 records what is called THE HYMN OF GRACE. It is so because scholars tell us that these verses record an actual hymn of praise that was sung in worship by the early church. Whether or not this is true, the content of this passage is still accurately labeled a hymn of grace. In the original Greek text, these twelve verses comprise only one sentence, even though no English versions translate it that way. In some remarkable way, this complex passage was one simple exclamation of praise in Paul’s mind. And this high praise...

Matthew 6:19-21 marks a transition in THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. In the first half of this chapter, Jesus explains how righteous people practice religion. Verses 1-4 address how righteous people give. Verse 5-15 address how righteous people pray. Verses 16-18 address how righteous people fast. In the later half of this chapter, Jesus moves from warning his disciples about the consequences of hypocrisy to calling his disciples to embrace the values of the kingdom of heaven. Verses 19-34 make it clear that true righteousness transcends religious activity. To be a citizen of the kingdom is to adopt a countercultural...

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A SAINTPhilippians 4:20-23 There is much confusion about what it means to be a saint. Of course, sainthood is misunderstood among the unsaved, unchurched, and uninitiated in biblical truth. But many who claim the name of Jesus do not understand sainthood, either. If given an essay requiring a formal definition of the term “saint,” some of us would fail. But that’s not important. What is important is that some of us do not know the right answer to the simple question: “Are you a saint?” Would you say, “No. I am not a saint. I’m...

Philippians 4:7 is a promise of peace. It promises that God’s peace will guard the heart and mind of the believer who prays instead of worrying. Philippians 4:9 is also a promise of peace. It promises that the God of peace himself will be with the believer who lives out the teachings of our faith. The tension between these two promises is the burden of this message. Both of these verses promise God’s peace. Verse 7 promises the peace of God. But verse 9 promises the God of peace. The difference is not mere semantics. The peace of God speaks...

Philippians 4:1-9 is a call to Christian steadfastness. Verse 1 exhorts the church to “stand firm in the Lord.” The next eight verses teach practical steps that lead to the steadfastness of faith verse 1 calls for. Our text is a part of this inspired strategy for Christian stability. It begins with a command: “Do not be anxious about anything.” The term anxious means “to deeply care about something or someone.” It can refer to proper or legitimate concern. Paul uses it this way in Philippians 2:20 when he says of Timothy, “I have no one like him, who will...

In his book Spiritual Burnout, MALCOLM SMITH writes of taking a walk one morning in the Catskill Mountains of New York. As he rested near an algae-covered pool, he was treated to an incredible sight. Mosquitoes danced near the surface of the water. Dragonflies darted between the reeds. Then his attention was captured by a frog sunbathing on a partially submerged rock out in the center of the pool. Something was happening to the frog. Before his very eyes, it collapsed – not falling over, but deflating like a balloon with a slow leak. It finally lay in a dreadful...

Psalm 67 is not as well known as some of the other psalms more famous psalms. But prominence and significance do not often walk together hand-in-hand. Such is the case with Psalm 67. Even though it is somewhat obscure, Psalm 67 has an important message that can change your life and change the world. The message is that the Lord God desires to use your life to reach the world for his glory. Psalm 67 is considered THE MISSIONARY PSALM, because of the emphasis it places on God being known, praised, enjoyed, and feared by all the nations. In fact,...

THE SALT OF THE EARTH Matthew 5:13 Sodium Chloride – SALT - gets a lot of bad press. It is blamed for everything from hypertension to obesity to heart disease. The need for salt is questioned. Its use is discouraged. And its presence on many tables is often more decorative than anything else. But this was not the case when Jesus announced to his disciples, “You are the salt of the earth.” In the cultural world of the ancient Near East, salt was an essential and valuable commodity. For example, the Roman government often paid their soldiers’ wages in salt....