This weekend at Riv, we wrapped up a months long series through the book of Galatians. Since Paul closed his letter with some closing thoughts, I figured I would do the same thing. I am more blown away than ever about the freedom God offers us through Jesus. This verse has been one of my [...]
A lot of people have asked for the John Stott quote I shared this weekend at Riv. He was commenting on this passage: “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.” – Galatians [...]
This weekend at Riv, we celebrated Easter by talking about how Jesus has set us free so that we can be free. If you would like to watch the entire teaching, you can do so here. To download discussion questions from this weekend’s message, click here. (YouTube Link)
Today’s Text Reading – Luke 3 When John the Baptist was asked if he was the Christ, his answer carried all of his typical flair: “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with [...]
Our culture thinks of the heart almost exclusively in terms of romantic love, desire, and affection. But the Biblical definition of the heart is much broader. The heart is the locus of a person’s thoughts (mind), volition, emotions, and knowledge of right from wrong (conscience). With this definition in mind, think about how these passages [...]
Our identity is often defined by what we consider to be the most important part of who we are. For a Christian, that is Jesus. (YouTube Link) You can watch the entire message here. You can download discussion questions from this weekend’s message here.
As we have been working through Galatians, I have received many great questions about a Christian’s relationship with the Old Testament Law. If that is something you are interested in researching more, here are links to some great resources (along with some key quotes). The Mosaic Law: Its Function and Purpose in the New Testament [...]
(YouTube Link) We continued our series on Galatians at Riv this past weekend and considered this simple statement: What we believe determines our conduct. When we believe we are under the law, we try and try and try to make ourselves better and get more and more worn out and discouraged. As Tim Keller has [...]
This past weekend at Riv, I told the story of Shin Dong-Hyuk, a man born in a prison camp called “Camp 14″ in North Korea. He is the only person known to have escaped from this prison and lived to tell the story. His story is a beautiful picture of the Gospel and I have [...]