By the end of the first century, the Christian faith was under a new kind of attack. Not only were Christians being persecuted for their faith, but counterfeit forms of Christianity were multiplying. In response, the last living apostle, John, took pen in hand and began to write.

Whereas the Gospel of John is a defense of the deity of Christ (see John 1:1, 14; 8:58; 14:1-11; 20:28), the epistle of 1 John is a defense of the humanity of Christ (1 John 1:1-4; 4:2-3). False teachers, infected by Greek philosophy, had invented a new religion known as gnosticism, which mimicked certain features of Christianity, but contained many errors, including a denial of the full humanity of Jesus Christ.

1 John is written in a down-to-earth, almost child-like style — the kind we might expect from a blue collar fisherman from Galilee. Yet its themes are deep and profound. In it, we find the true tests of saving faith, are reminded of the greatest commandment to love, and learn that eternal life comes through faith in Christ alone.

In 2013, I preached through this precious little epistle, and you can listen to the messages below.

(To see a list of other sermon series I have preached, please visit my Sermon Hub page)

John, the Much-Loved Disciple

The Word of Life (1 John 1:1-4)

Fellowship with the Father (1 John 1:5-10)

Our Heavenly Attorney (1 John 2:1-3)

Does Your Walk Match Your Talk? (1 John 2:4-6)

A Song Worth Repeating (1 John 2:7-11)

Growing Up in God’s Family (1 John 2:12-14)

No Artificial Flavors (1 John 2:15-17)

The Tragedy of Apostasy (1 John 2:18-21)

The Truth You Know (1 John 2:20-27)

The Purifying Power of Hope (1 John 2:28-3:3)

Children of God (1 John 3:1-10)

Family Feud (1 John 3:11-15)

Love in Action (1 John 3:16-18)

Blessed Assurance (1 John 3:19-24)

Spiritual Discernment (1 John 4:1-6)

God is Love, pt. 1 (1 John 4:7-21)

God is Love, pt. 2 (1 John 4:8)

The Greatest Commandment, pt. 1 (1 John 4:19)

The Greatest Commandment, pt. 2 (1 John 4:7)

Says Who?? (1 John 5:6-12)

A New Way to Pray (1 John 5:13-17)

A Final Warning (1 John 5:19-21)

Romans is the Mount Everest of the Bible. It is Paul’s doctrinal masterpiece, expounding the truth and beauty of the gospel like no other book.

Romans explores the depths of our sins. It ascends the heights of our salvation. It equips us to live sanctified, holy lives. It untangles the mystery of election, and the future role of Israel in God’s redemptive plan.

Yes, all scripture is inspired by God. But if there is just one book in the New Testament you should master, it is the Book of Romans. I preached through this book at Crossview Bible Church from 2017 through 2019, and have included links to the sermons below. I pray it is a blessing to you as it has been to me and our church.

(To see a list of other sermon series I have preached, please visit my Sermon Hub page)

Grace to You (Romans 1:1-7)

Faith Gone Viral (Romans 1:8-15)

Let the Lion Out (Romans 1:16-17)

Truth Decay (Romans 1:18-32)

Not So Fast! (Romans 2:1-11)

Empty Boasting (Romans 2:12-24)

Virtual Reality (Romans 2:25-29)

Our Reliable God (Romans 3:1-8)

Pandemic! (Romans 3:9-20)

The Symphony of Salvation (Romans 3:21-31)

Faith of our Fathers (Romans 4:1-12)

The Footsteps of Faith (Romans 4:13-25)

The Best Three Words in the Bible (Romans 5:1-11)

The Overflow of Grace (Romans 5:12-21)

Dead to Sin (Romans 6:1-11)

Under New Management (Romans 6:12-19)

Obedience — Is It Worth Is? (Romans 6:20-23)

The Limits of the Law (Romans 7:1-14)

Fighting the Flesh (Romans 7:14-25)

The Holy Spirit: Your Friend in the Fight (Romans 8:1-11)

The Spirit of Adoption (Romans 8:12-17)

Groaning ‘Til Glory (Romans 8:18-25)

Called and Confident (Romans 8:28-30)

Victory in Jesus (Romans 8:31-39)

Agony over Israel (Romans 9:1-9)

Saved by God (Romans 9:10-18)

The Plans of the Potter (Romans 9:19-33)

The Word of Faith (Romans 10:1-13)

Beautiful Feet (Romans 10:14-21)

The Steadfast Love of God (Romans 11:1-10)

A Call to Humility (Romans 11:11-24)

All Israel will be Saved (Romans 11:25-36)

Under Construction

This page is a work in progress. I will continue to add more sermons from our Exposition of Romans. God bless and thanks for listening.

A Living Sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2)

No Small Gifts (Romans 12:3-8)

Authentic Love (Romans 12:9-13)

Love Your Enemies (Romans 12:14-21)

God and the Government (Romans 13:1-7)

Soldiers of Light (Romans 13:8-14)

A Guide to Christian Liberty (Romans 14:1-7)

The Judgment Seat of Christ (Romans 14:8-12)

Go the Extra Mile (Romans 14:13-23)

Gospel Harmony (Romans 15:1-7)

Reaching the Unreached (Romans 15:8-21)

Partners in Prayer (Romans 15:22-33)

The Family of God (Romans 16:1-16)

To God Be the Glory (Romans 16:17-27)

People who are new to the Bible often wonder where to begin reading. I usually suggest starting in the New Testament, and in particular, one of the four gospels.

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are all independent, eyewitness accounts of the words and works of Jesus Christ. If you want to know what Christianity is all about, and why the Bible is the best-selling book of all time, these books are the perfect place to start!

If you are looking for a Jewish explanation of how Jesus is the fulfillment to the Messianic promises, try reading Matthew. If you want a fast-paced, Cliffs-notes version of Jesus’ life, start with Mark. For a more thorough, orderly account of Jesus’ words and works with special focus on his last few months on earth, check out Luke. Or, for deeper thinkers who want to understand the Christian worldview and examine Christ’s claims to deity, read John.

In December, our church spent a few weeks studying the nativity story found in Matthew 1-2. Whether it’s Christmas time, or any other time of year, these chapters help us understand Jesus’ rescue operation, and how we must respond in faith. Along the way, we learned about his royal lineage and how he helps us in times of suffering.

You can download and listen to this mini-series on our podcast page, or stream right from this page using the links below…

(To see a list of other sermon series I have preached, please visit my Sermon Hub page)

Royal Blood (Matthew 1:1-17)

This sermon was actually preached a couple years ago, but explains the significance of Matthew’s genealogy at the beginning of his gospel.

Call Him Jesus (Matthew 1:18-25)

In this podcast, we learn…

• That Jesus is the central character of the whole Bible
• Why Joseph felt it necessary to “divorce Mary quietly” over the pregnancy, and what changed his mind
• Six reasons we must accept the miracle of the virgin birth
• What is the world’s greatest problem today

We Saw His Star (Matthew 2:1-9)

In this podcast, we discuss…

• Evidence that the “star” of Bethlehem may have actually been a comet
• The significance of the Magi bowing down to worship baby Jesus
• Several features of Christ’s rule that make him different from any other political leader past or present

Hunt for the Messiah (Matthew 2:13-23)

In this podcast, we discover that…

• Most Christians do not have an adequate theology of suffering
• How Herod’s slaughter of babies in Bethlehem was foretold 500 years earlier
• What to do when our experience (suffering) seems to contradict our theology (God’s goodness)
• Several evidences of God’s grace even in the midst of trials

Click here to visit our full sermon archive or subscribe on iTunes. Thanks for listening!

We don’t typically think of the church of Rome as a dysfunctional church like Corinth, Thyatira, or Pergamum. It was actually quite healthy and mature, “full of goodness … able to instruct one another” (14:14). Nevertheless, in the practical half of his letter to them (chs. 12-16), the Apostle Paul does spend a good chunk of time pointing out some concerning signs of division in the church.

In Romans 14:1, Paul confronts the “stronger” brothers who are enjoying their newfound Christian liberty and oblivious to how this is offending their “weaker” brethren. He says, “As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.” It would be oversimplifying things to say this was a Gentile vs. Jewish debate, but some of this was racial, as well as cultural, dealing with dietary laws, holy days, and many of the things that had separated Jews and Gentiles over the centuries. Even in the early church, race was a hot topic and source of conflict.

It must have come as a quite a shock for the “spiritually strong” to receive this rebuke from Paul for showing partiality at the expense of the weak. Indeed, any of us can fall into the bad habit of hanging out exclusively with our own “tribe” and neglecting those who may think, talk, or behave somewhat differently than us — even on non-essential issues. I think it is safe to assume when the strong brothers received this letter, they took Paul’s rebuke in stride, and began to welcome the weaker brother back into their worship and fellowship.

But Paul was not done yet. He spends the bulk of chapters 14 and 15 teasing out this issue of church unity, and showing us the implications of love. In short, he reminds us that love does not settle for the bare minimum, but is constantly on the lookout for ways to “excel still more.” There is a clear progression in the passage from “welcome” the weaker brother (14:1; 15:7) to “never put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother” (14:13) to “bear with [share the load of] the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves” (15:1-2).

In Matthew 5:41, Jesus says, “If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.” Jesus was probably referring to the Roman practice of “impressment” or forcing a civilian to hike and carry a soldier’s gear a whole mile. Jesus’ point was, instead of seeking revenge and returning evil for evil, learn to submit to others, turn the other cheek (v. 39), and serve even above and beyond what others expect. In like manner, here in Romans 14, Paul essentially says, “Go the extra mile.” Let your spiritual maturity and biblically informed conscience drive you not to demand your rights, but to serve your weaker brother or sister!

How are you doing at demonstrating love in your home, in the church, and toward your neighbor?

Our latest sermon podcast explores this interesting theme of “going the extra mile” in love toward one another.

In this podcast, you will learn…

• The danger of setting spiritual “stumbling blocks” in front of others
• The gospel principle of outdoing one another with love and honor
• The danger of flaunting your Christian liberty
• The importance of acting in faith and not violating your conscience
• The power of influence over your children (both physical and spiritual)

Click here to visit our full sermon archive or subscribe on iTunes. Thanks for listening!

Of all the words I hope to hear my Savior say some day, these two words rise to the top. “Well done.”

They are foretold in a story Jesus tell in Matthew 25, when a slave appears before his master to give an account for how he used his talents. Both the slave who had five talents, and the slave who had two talents, receive the same commendation: “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (verses 21, 23).

Sadly, a far different fate awaits the man with one talent, who instead of investing it, “went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money” (v. 18). The master calls him “wicked and slothful” (v. 26) and eternally commits him to “the outer darkness” (v. 30), a place of “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (v. 30).

Many people think that only non-believers will be judged. Not so. One day — not so long from now — each one of us will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ and give an account for what we have done in this life. This could be cause for fear and trembling. But I believe it could also be cause of anticipation. It all depends on what you do with Christ in this life, and how well you spend your life serving him.

For the wicked, the day of judgment will be a time of shame and horror. For the lukewarm, it will be time of sadness and regret. But for the faithful, it will be a time of unspeakable joy and reward.

C.S. Lewis once said, ” Aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’: aim at earth and you will get neither.” Are you aiming at heaven? In our latest sermon podcast, we take an in-depth look at one of the passages on our heavenly reward. You can listen here:

In this message, you’ll learn:

• What is our ultimate purpose in life
• A sneak peak of what our future judgment will be like
• The role of grace in our judgment
• The role of works in our judgment
• The specific reward we can hope to receive
• Why motivation by reward is not a selfish, ungodly pursuit

Click here to visit our full sermon archive or subscribe on iTunes. Thanks for listening!