Look at the Book

The baby lay in the manger and the man hung on the cross, that by his life and death we would be free to enjoy God forever.

When a Christian Hedonist says, “Merry Christmas,” he means much more than a warm holiday with friends and family.

How Jesus Christ came to lay in the cradle, has massive implications for what he did on the cross.

Although the world may send us into its furnace for not bowing our knees, we know that the Son of God is with us in the flames.

No matter how bad your sufferings are in this life, rejoice that they can only cut so deep and last for so long.

It’s hard to hear in the moment that God is sovereign over our suffering, but in the long run it makes all the difference.

If the Father judged Jesus on our behalf, doesn’t that mean that we won’t be?

We know we should never be ashamed of Jesus. But when that coworker asks, or that relative puts us on the spot, we can be slow to own the name Christian.

Non-believers often tell Christians to mind their own business. They may be more right than we might think.

The cross defangs the fatal bite of sin — but it can still have devastating consequences. Don't consider yourself to be a martyr when you suffer because of your sin.

We read stories about Christians being horrifically persecuted for their love of Christ. We marvel at their endurance and secretly wonder: if I were in their place, would I endure?

For the joy set before him, Jesus endured suffering. For the joy set before us, we must also.

Jesus was persecuted. Many in the early church were persecuted. Many Christians today are persecuted. You also will be persecuted.

God invites us to cast our cares upon him because he cares for us. How can we do that honestly and yet not complain in a way that dishonors him?

Those who know the horrors of war are thankful for peace. Those who understand justice get excited about grace. Christian, grace and peace are yours.

God gives gifts to his people to bless others. If you want to glorify God: steward your gifts, speak God’s words, and serve with God’s strength.

When we speak, we speak in God’s power and with God’s words. When we serve, we serve in his power and point to his glory.

Sin is a sticky, entangling web that traps and blinds those who live in it. But where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Spiritual gifts do not lift us above others, they empower us to lower ourselves in the service of others.

Birthday gifts have your name on them because they are meant for you. God’s new-birth gift has your name on it but is meant for others.

The God who spoke light into the world speaks light into our souls, opening our blind eyes and dawning new affections for him.

Few can endure being around grumblers. Heaven forbid that Christians, inheritors of the world, would be called complainers.

People can annoy us with their needs. Our selfishness transforms loved ones into inconveniences. But God calls us to more than begrudging hospitality.

Others’ sin confronts us daily, and daily we must choose how to respond to it. Denial dismisses their sin, indifference ignores it, anger attacks it, bitterness buries it — love alone covers it.

Psychologists cannot counsel him. Philosophers cannot instruct him. Billionaires cannot add to his treasures. He owns all, funds all, receives all. To him be praise forevermore.

The world as we know it passes away, we must then be people who watch and pray.

Sexuality, worldliness, Netflix, and all kinds of distractions compete daily for our thoughts. We cannot give our minds over to the enemy — we must think hard to the glory of God.

We live in a peculiar age: battles rage but the war is won, spring dawns and summer looms, Christ came and is coming back.

Even as Christians, sin still lingers in our shadow. How do we pray for the light of God’s grace to expel our darkness?

The Bible says that the gospel was “preached to the dead” (1 Peter 4:6). Does this mean that someone can hear the gospel and repent after death?

Jesus tells us to love our enemies, but how can we when real injustice is committed against us?

Without holiness you will not see the Lord. Without knowing what holiness means you may never attain it. So what does it really mean to be holy?

With calloused hands and sweaty brow, the Christian rests knowing that his labor in Christ is not in vain.

Pride is a recipe for disaster. But God's luscious logic cooks the cuisine of humility.

“Baptism now saves you?” What in the world does 1 Peter 3:21 mean?

The Christian life is truly worth living. Following Jesus gives us the opportunity to show a dying world what real life looks like.

You’ve given your sins room and board for long enough. Evict them and follow Jesus into the light.

We can live for our will or God’s will, or we could have our passions so transformed that we need not choose between the two.

The apostle John tells us that many antichrists are in the world. What value is there in learning about them?

The enemy’s flaming darts and God’s Great Commission make spiritual warfare unavoidable, and spiritual pacifism suicidal. So, how do we arm ourselves for combat?

Christ did not die to domesticate your sin and make it your pet. His death took the monster out back and killed it.

Once saved, always saved? If so, how do we explain friends, family, and even church leaders who walk away from the faith?

Finding spiritual gems in the Bible is hard work. How do we dig into a verse when we don’t know what it means?

Our hearts break when we repay God’s faithfulness, kindness, and love with sin. What should we do after our spiritual adultery has left us broken, guilty, and distant from God?

Jesus is the only human who ever chose to be born, so why did he come? The Bible’s answer may not be the same as yours.

In this lab, Pastor John teaches us how to cultivate fearless faith.

Anxiety hangs over many of our heads like a dark cloud. How do we break free from the fears and worries that follow us everywhere we go?

Some of the most beautiful aspects of who God is and what he does are buried in poetry in the Bible. Do we skip over it?

Did God bury promises to you in the Old Testament? Many of us apply Israel’s promises to ourselves today — but should we?

What does it mean to walk by faith? Here are five steps for whatever temptation, challenge, or heartache you are facing.