A friend of mine–I’m not sure he shares my views–asked me why I believe that the Bible is God’s revelation. Having typed up my answer, I decided to post it here as well: I grew up with believing parents, and we went to believing churches. Unfortunately, the Bible was held up as authoritative more than …
Category Archives: Bible and Theology
Uzzah and Michal, David and Jesus: 2 Samuel 6
It was my privilege to preach at SBTS chapel this morning. You can watch here or below or download here. May the Lord bless his word.
OT Prayers Appealing to God’s Concern for His Own Glory
As I mentioned before, there are 77 tables in God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgment: A Biblical Theology, and I have permission from Crossway to make five of them available here for free. Each will be available for about 48 hours. The one linked in this post (cataloging prayers in the Old Testament that appeal to …
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To the Jew First and Also the Gentile
On Sunday, March 20, 2011, it was my privilege to preach Mark 7:1–37, “To the Jew First and Also the Gentile,” at Kenwood Baptist Church. At the exodus from Egypt Moses led Israel through the Red Sea into the wilderness where they immediately needed water and food. The Lord provided bread from heaven and water …
Yahweh’s Intent to Make Himself Known: Limited Time Offer
The kind folks at Crossway have agreed to allow me to give you, dear reader of this blog, a set of gifts, each of which will be available for a limited time. There are 77 tables in God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgment: A Biblical Theology, and I have permission to make five of them available …
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The Difference Between Jesus and Herod
On Sunday, March 13, it was my privilege to preach Mark 6:1–56, “The Difference Between Jesus and Herod,” at Kenwood Baptist Church. It was daylight savings time spring forward Sunday (a pox on the time change). The combination of the time change and my sister’s family being in town made for an exciting morning on …
Jesus Controls Nature, Demons, Disease, and Death
On March 6, 2011, it was my privilege to preach Mark 4:35–5:43 at Kenwood Baptist Church: “Jesus Controls Nature, Demons, Disease, and Death.” To this point, Mark has announced that the time has come (Mark 1:1–13) and shown a day in the life of Jesus (1:14–45), which prompted five controversies (2:1–3:6). Then Mark summarized the …
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Biblical Theology for Kids: Free Download
Need some help with family worship? Want to communicate the big story of the Bible to your kids in a way that they can easily memorize? Tired of reading board-books to your kids that are about nothing and less than nothing? Here’s a gift for you from me and my son Jake: Biblical Theology for …
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Why Isn’t Everyone Celebrating Jesus?
On Sunday, February 27, 2011, it was my privilege to preach Mark 4:1–34, “Why Isn’t Everyone Celebrating Jesus?” at Kenwood Baptist Church. To this point in Mark, we have seen the baptist prepare the way for Jesus (Mark 1:1–13), then Mark gave us a day in the life of Jesus (1:14–45). In spite of the …
Better to Honor God Than to Win
Here’s the guest post I was invited to contribute to the Family Ministry Today blog: I love basketball and baseball. I love leaving it all on the court. I love the exhilaration of teamwork, the ball off the sweet spot, the basketball whispering through the net, the discipline to play defense, after-practice ground balls (or …
Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit
On February 20, 2011, I had the privilege of preaching Mark 3:7–35 at Kenwood Baptist Church, “Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit.” You must either submit yourself to the authorized teaching of the Apostles of Jesus (Mark 3:13–19) or reject him as either a maniac (cf. Mark 2:21) or one whose power comes from an unclean …
From Every Tribe, and Tongue, and People, and Nation
Weep and burn indeed:
They’re Giving It Away
Exhausted your book budget? Promised not to buy anymore books for a while? Christianaudio.com has a deal for you: this month they’re giving away R. C. Sproul’s The Holiness of God for free. Why not redeem that time in the car on the commute? Or on the lawnmower, or whatever. The price is right. Enjoy. …
Would Rob Bell Rob God of Glory?
If there’s no hell, God can’t be trusted because he doesn’t keep his word and therefore doesn’t do justice, and if there’s no justice, mercy has no meaning. If you don’t understand what I just typed: “if there’s no justice, mercy has no meaning,” keep thinking about it. Look the words “justice” and “mercy” up …
The Controversial Jesus
It was my privilege to preach Mark 2:1–3:6 on February 6, 2011 at Kenwood Baptist Church, “The Controversial Jesus.” He came in humility and obscurity. Born of a peasant girl. Having always existed in heaven with the Father, where he was worshiped and served by the heavenly hosts with all power at his disposal, he …
A Day in the Life of Jesus
On January 30, 2011 I had the privilege of preaching Mark 1:14–45 at Kenwood Baptist Church, “A Day in the Life of Jesus.” In Mark 1:15 Jesus claims that the time is fulfilled (perhaps interpreting Daniel 9:24–27?) and that the kingdom of God is at hand. It’s a bold man who claims that his coming …
Life Is Short, So . . .
A helpful reflection from Gunner on how we tend to respond to the vanity of our vaporous existence. Here’s a wisp of the breeze he’s fanning: “My problem is that when Scripture talks explicitly about the brevity of life, it often emphasizes the opposite of our calls to ambitious action. Take this morbid salvo from …
The Time Is Fulfilled (Mark 1:15)
Long the world waited for him to come, At last, at last, Anointed Son. So hear the bold words and see the great deeds, Teaching with power and meeting needs. Is he your Lord? Did you answer his call? If not, friend, you have nothing at all. But if he is yours, and you are …
In the Wilderness Prepare the Way of the Lord
On January 16, 2011 I had the privilege of preaching on Mark 1:1–13 at Kenwood Baptist Church, “The Baptist and the Christ.” In this text John the Baptist prepares the way for Jesus in the wilderness, and there are some interesting statements in roughly contemporary texts from Josephus that shed light on the symbolic import …
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Daniel J. Brendsel on the Center of Biblical Theology
I’ve just re-read Daniel J. Brendsel’s essay, “Plots, Themes, and Responsibilities: The Search for a Center of Biblical Theology Reexamined,” Themelios 35.3 (2010): 400–12, which has me more convinced than ever that the center of biblical theology is the glory of God in salvation through judgment. I’m going to paste my notes on Brendsel’s essay …
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