My 7/23/17AM sermon, Redeemed and Adopted from Galatians 4:1-7, is now online.

In this sermon, I agree with J.I. Packer:

“Our first point about adoption is that it is the highest privilege that the gospel offers” (J. I. Packer, Knowing God, 206).

J. I. Packer rightly considers adoption the highest privilege of the gospel—higher even than justification—because of the richness of the relationship with God that it begins.

In adoption, God takes us into his family and fellowship—he establishes us as his children and heirs. Closeness, affection and generosity are at the heart of the relationship. To be right with God the Judge [justification] is a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God the Father [adoption] is a greater. (207)

We underestimate the privilege that is ours when we’ve been adopted by the Father.  I hope this sermon helps you marvel at this and find encouragement.

We enjoyed an amazing Sunday at Crestview.

During the Sunday School hour, Luke and Julie gave us an update on what they’ve been up to in India.  Email me if you’d like a copy of this audio.

During the AM worship service, we enjoyed the Lord’s Supper and got to hear Vivek Jones preach Galatians 3:10-14, Assured in Belonging. The big idea was that no amount of performance or law-keeping can undo the curse that failing to keep the entire law means for us.  But, Christ bore the curse and now, by faith in Him, we get blessed with the Holy Spirit.  I hope you enjoy the audio and are helped by it.

My 6/11/17AM sermon, Gospel Change from Galatians 2:17-21, is now online.  One of the most famliar verses in Galatians is Galatains 2:20.  Being able to see the power this verse holds in context proved a very valuable thing for me.  But, the main point of this section is that the Gospel is able to transform us.  We fight sin differently, we know life, and we are united to Christ.  I hope this sermon encourages you.

This weekend, I was privileged to benefit from Ben Cornish visiting Crestview as he served at our body.  During Sunday School, Ben updated us on the work he does with Teaching Truth International, equipping international pastors with the basics of the faith.  Then, during the AM service, Ben preached Galatians 2:15-16 on The Gospel and Legalism.  The sermon really was encouraging, helpful, and stirring.  There were great depths of application explored and I’m still figuring out where legalism may exist in my heart and life.

I hope you had a great weekend, as well.  Connect with Ben’s sermon if you’d like to continue in our Galatians series.

My 5/21/17AM sermon, Gospel Conduct from Galatians 2:11-14, is now online.  This sermon unpacked the scrum between Paul and Peter.  Specifically, what was in view was conduct in keeping with the Gospel.  I hope this sermon encourages you and helps you move forward.

And, in Sunday School, we thought about what it looks like to cultivate individual habits of the heart by setting our minds on things above, putting on the new self, and allowing God’s Word to richly dwell in us (from Colossians 3:1-17).

My 5/14/17AM sermon, Entrusted With the Gospel, from Galatians 2:1-10 is now online.  The sermon wrestled with this idea that believers have been entrusted with the Gospel.  Paul was given this message.  And, in turn, this led to the message being tested as well as being something that brought unity with others.  So, I teased out those themes in the hope that we might understand what it means to be given the Gospel.  I hope this sermon encourages you.

My 5/7/17AM sermon, Not Man’s Gospel from Galatians 1:11-24, is now online.  This continues our series in Galatians and really sought to dig in to the autobiographical account that Paul gives in these opening chapters.  Specifically, I pressed to show why fidelity to the Gospel matters, highlighting the life-change the Gospel brings.  I hope it encourages you.

My 4/30/17AM sermon, No Other Gospel, from Galatians 1:6-10 is now online.  While this passage shows what brought about Paul’s shock and awe at the Galatians’ desertion of the Gospel, what I tried to drive at was application for believers.  In other words, yes, we should stand up for the Gospel.  But, we should suspect ourselves.  We might be tempted to drift.  Some angel might appear and seek to allure us away from Christ alone.  We must hold fast to Christ alone, banking all of our hope and trust in Him.

I hope this sermon encourages you.

My 4/23/17AM sermon, Why Galatians? from Galatians 1:1-5, is now online.  This sermon helped introduce the book of Galatians to our body and showcase why it’s worthy of our study.  Considering who Paul was, what our need is, and how God’s glory is the end of the matter helped clarify why we should study.  I hope this sermon encourages you.