The First Commandment: God Above All
The first commandment is about true worship. Most people think of worship as something we do in various parts of the day. We think of participating in corporate, family, or private worship. When we aren’t engaged in one of those activities, then we are not involved in worship. But that is not true. Your circumstances may change daily or hourly, but the object of your worship must remain the same! Worship is not optional, it’s instinctive. We were made for…
The Grace of the Ten Commandments
One of the most important lessons we learn in life is the difference between personal beings and impersonal objects. All too often, we get into trouble when we think of other people as objects to be used much like we use our other possessions. There are some things that we value more than others. But people must always be given a higher priority than our stuff. We heard this debate carry out recently, during the early days of this coronavirus…
What is the Use of the Ten Commandments?
If you were to poll society regarding rules for life, you would get many different answers. Some of them might even contain a few examples from the Ten Commandments. But you would probably gather a large consensus around a few secular core doctrines. One popular sentiment would be that there is not one “right way” to live. Another might be that people should be allowed to do whatever makes them happy provided it does not harm someone else. Many would…
The Great Commission to Make Disciples
The mission of Grace Clovis states: “We exist to transform the people of Clovis by finding, equipping, and multiplying followers of Jesus Christ for the glory of God.” This mission really comes from a combination of the Great Commission to make disciples and Paul’s instruction in Ephesians 4: 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ… A lot of…
The Benefits of Christ’s Resurrection for Believers
Well, if you are anything like me, yesterday was difficult. We celebrated one of the strangest Easter Sundays of our lifetime. It was quite possibly the strangest Easter Sunday since that first Resurrection Sunday. Celebrating Easter from our homes was far from ideal, but it was nice to see everyone making the most of it. I want to encourage you to keep the benefits of Christ’s resurrection on your mind. I trust you were blessed by the many reminders you…
Worship Christ, the Risen King
The resurrection is crucial to Christianity. Calling people to embrace Jesus, the risen King is the central topic of Apostolic preaching and writing. Last week, Palm Sunday, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey to shouts of “Hosanna!” He was treated like a king. But by Thursday night he was being arrested, mocked, and beaten. By Friday morning the Romans were scourging and crucifying him. Easter or Resurrection Sunday transitions from Christ’s humiliation to exaltation. No longer the crucified King,…
What Should We Think About COVID-19?
Typically we have reserved this feed for sermon and devotional audio, but I thought it would be helpful for us to think about COVID-19 today.
The Triumph of the Cross (Matthew 27:45-51)
Have you ever felt alone? I don’t mean socially distant. I mean isolated from everyone. Maybe that sounds like a good thing to some of you. Maybe you are the kind of person who enjoys going to movie theaters alone. I can understand the value of getting away from the noise of this world, but we really were not created for isolation.
How to Pray to God
I simply want to recommend four resources to help you to pray. One is essential, and the other three are very helpful.
1. The Word of God
2. Praying the Bible by Donald Whitney
3. A Way to Pray by Matthew Henry, O. Palmer Robertson
4. Echo Prayer App
The Shame of the Cross
The Shame of the Cross (Mt. 27:26-44) One of the most embarrassing moments of my childhood was when I went clothes shopping with my mom and older brother. I didn’t care much for shopping or picking out my own clothes. I pretty much was just there to try things on that my mom picked out for me. My brother, on the other hand, enjoyed taking his time. He wanted to look at every item in his size and try them…