Paul is writing to the unincorporated in Rome—largely a gentile audience. There are apparently Jews there. Here, her explains that Jews are not true Jews if they transgress the Law. Further, Gentiles who keep the Law without having it are true Jews—the people of God. Paul gives us a clue as to the nature of... Continue Reading →
Against Human Religion
Jesus is in a conversation with the chief priests and elders who challenged his authority. He tells his second parable against them. https://youtu.be/o0CFBQCFU6Y Matthew 21:33-46 “Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard and put a wall around it and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and... Continue Reading →
When Jesus Went To Sin City
I was told by another pastor that the church I pastor is full of horrible people. This other pastor was not wrong. The Church at Sunsites is a local church full of unrighteous people whose only hope is to be clothed in Christ’s righteousness and be sanctified by His Holy Spirit. Really, I pity those... Continue Reading →
According to Jesus, The Kingdom of Heaven is a Gift- Not The Result of Human Religion or Righteousness
We have finished our current study of the previous section of Jesus’ sermon on the mount and are entering into Jesus’ closing application and final remarks. This section of Jesus’ sermon (7:7-29) follows the same overarching theme of the previous part of the sermon. Jesus has: https://youtu.be/H7Wm_eCENro addressed his intended audience (5:1-12),declared His commitment to... Continue Reading →
Dear Leader, part 18 (Dangers of Self-Will and Prohibition)
This exercise is a continuation of a series we started at Grace with our leadership while I served as interim there. For those who are not pastors or deacons, but who lead in some capacity in any arena of life, these books are a tremendous resource in Scripture. I encourage all of those who would... Continue Reading →
Hypocrisy and Jesus
We are a people lost in our own hypocrisy. I often get to talk with people who claim to love Jesus about why they are not a member of a local church. Almost always, the answer is that the church is full of hypocrites. We might jokingly say, “There is always room for one more!”... Continue Reading →