I Thessalonians 5:23-24 The Cause of Complete & Certain Sanctification
“[Sanctification] is a principle of grace savingly wrought, whereby the heart becomes holy, & is made after God’s own heart. A sanctified person bears not only God’s name, but His image” – Thomas Watson But where does Sanctification come from? Is it ultimately a work of God or do we play a role in becoming […]
I Thessalonians 5:19-22 Your Role in Becoming Holy
Sanctification is not like regeneration. Regeneration is all God’s work- Sanctification is a joint endeavor. We cooperate with the Spirit of God to be sanctified…we actually work at it. It’s what Kevin DeYoung calls Spirit-Powered, Gospel-Driven, Faith-Fueled EFFORT. Listen as Pastor Matt explains things we must incorporate into our lives to become more like Jesus.
I Thessalonians 4:9-10 Now as to Love of the Brethren
Christian love just won’t quit. Christian love is counter-intuitive. It is not based on the desirability of it’s object. It can seem reckless and dangerous. It is vulnerable. In the world’s estimation it is foolish; because it gives even when it doesn’t get. Listen as Pastor Matt shows four aspects of Christian love from I […]
I Thessalonians 4:1-2 Obedience and the Gospel
Far too many in the church today think that there is a contradiction between the law and the Gospel. They seem to believe that any demand on the life of a believer is legalism. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Obeying the commands of Christ while trusting in the completed work of Christ is […]
I Thessalonians 3:10-13 An (Almost) Ever Raising Bar
Last week we saw Paul thanking God for the faith, love, and perseverance of the Thessalonians. Our next text is Paul praying that the Thessalonians will grow in faith, love, and steadfastness. What gives? How can Paul be thankful when growth is needed? Listen as Pastor Matt explains the beautiful paradox of rejoicing with thanksgiving […]
I Thessalonians 1:2-4 Cultivating Continual Thanksgiving for ALL Believers
People, even Christian people, can sometimes hurt your feelings, let you down, and, let’s admit it, just get on your nerves. But in I Thessalonians 1:2-4 Paul says he ‘gives thanks to God always for all’ believers. How did he sustain such gracious feelings toward flawed people? Listen as Pastor Matt shows four things in […]
Philippians 3:15-16 The Imperfections of the Perfect
Immediately after saying in Philippians 3:12 that he has not yet been perfected Paul immediately includes himself as numbered with those who are perfect. Is this a contradiction in the Bible? Not at all! A paradox is a statement or group of statements that is/are seemingly contradictory or that goes against one’s natural intuition. Philippians […]
Philippians 3:12-14 Three Keys to Reaching the Goal
A Christian’s greatest desire is not attainment in this life but the attainment of the life to come. But in order to lay hold of that goal a few things had to be in place. Listen as Pastor Matt examines three keys to attaining the ‘prize of the upward call in Christ Jesus; 1) The […]
Philippians 3:7-8_ A Christian’s Accounting: The Surpassing Value of Knowing Christ
A Christian’s value system is completely different than the non-Christian’s. In Philippians 3:7-8 we get a great description of these fundamental differences. Listen as Pastor Matt unpacks this texts to show three things: 1) A Christian’s assessment of his own good works- worthless and tainted by sin 2) A Christian’s assessment of temporal things- a […]