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Prayer is such a vital part of the Christian life, yet if you’re honest, there are seasons when it feels really difficult. Words don’t come easily. Desire fades. Even approaching God can feel like a struggle. Some have said that prayer is to the Christian what breathing is to the body. And yet, many of us know what it’s like to feel spiritually “out of breath.” In those seasons, one resource I often return to is The Valley of Vision, a collection of Puritan prayers. The Lord has used this little book, filled with the words of saints who have gone before us, to prime my heart and help me pray when I don’t know how. These prayers take Scripture and biblical truth and craft them into heartfelt, honest, and truthful prayers. One prayer in particular, the opening prayer titled The Valley of Vision, has stayed with me across many seasons of life. ... Keep Reading

This Sunday in our sermon series on Genesis we come to chapter 34. The ESV chapter title calls it “The Defiling of Dinah.” “Defiling” is a sanitized word for sexual assault or rape. And that is not the only scandalous sin of the chapter. There are “the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life” (1 Jn. 2:16). There are “sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness” (Col. 3:5). There are deception, anger, wrath, malice, and slander (Col. 3:8-9). There is the destruction of innocent life. They are many guilty players in this story. Do you know what this chapter lacks? Any mention of God. For the first time in the book of Genesis, we have an entire chapter without one mention of or reference to God. I know chapter breaks were introduced centuries after the writing of the biblical books, but this entire story unit has no explicit mention of God. What should we think about this? God always is on his throne. God’s providence is “his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions” (WSC 11). We ought not think that God is taking a break in Genesis 34. Every event in the world, including sinful and evil events, are a part of God’s “preserving and governing all his creatures.” In Job 1 and 2 we are allowed to see the backdrop of God’s interactions with Satan that allow us to understand what is happening to Job. In Genesis 34, we do not have that insider information to know clearly what God’s plans are. But we can remain confident that God reigns and is working out even the evil circumstances of Genesis 34 for his sovereign plan. ... Keep Reading

C.S. Lewis wrote his essay, “First and Second Things,” in 1942. It speaks about prioritizing that which is truly valuable. Partly it was a response to the folly of Germany fighting for second things and thus losing both first and second things. Lewis also is addressing the concern of losing civilization. He contends that civilization is a second thing and should not be the priority of human activity. In this essay, he states his core principle: “Every preference of a small good to a great, or a partial good to a total good, involves the loss of the small or partial good for which the sacrifice was made” (God in the Dock, p. 310). Lewis illustrates this principle with a woman who makes her dog the center of her life. He explains that in the end she loses “not only her human usefulness and dignity but even the proper pleasure of dog-keeping.” He also applies the principle to alcohol. If one makes alcohol one’s ultimate pursuit, he will lose “not only his job but his palate and all power of enjoying the earlier (and only pleasurable) levels of intoxication.” About the same time period, Lewis was giving his radio talks that would eventually be published as the book Mere Christianity. In his chapter on Hope he brings us this same principle of first and second things as it applies to a Christian’s longing for heaven. He writes, “It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’: aim at earth and you will get neither” (p. 134). ... Keep Reading

There is a surprising turn of events in Genesis 33:4. This is the moment when Esau meets Jacob after 20 years of separation. And what takes place is completely unexpected. Let’s back up and review the train of events before this moment. In Genesis 25:23, God tells Rebekah, “The older shall serve the younger.” Esau was the older brother of the twins. It was God’s plan that Jacob would carry on the promise. Just a few verses later, however, we read, “Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob” (25:28). Even though Isaac would have been familiar with the prophecy from God, he still favored Esau over Jacob. This feeds the conflict between the twins. Parental favoritism always causes strife for their children. Jacob desired what Esau had, even if God had promised to give Jacob all he needed. So, Jacob manipulated Esau to gain his birthright as the first born (25:29-34). Then he deceived his father to steal the blessing intended for Esau (27:1-38). And it was not merely the theft of a blessing, it was the nature of the blessing itself. Isaac says, “Behold, I have made him lord over you” (27:37). Of course, this enraged Esau. Genesis 27:41 states, “Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him.” And Esau made plans to kill Jacob. This causes Jacob to flee to Paddan-aram, where he marries Leah and Rachel and gains great wealth. ... Keep Reading

“Identity” is a hot topic these days. What we believe to be true about ourselves defines our value and purpose in life. In our current cultural climate, our work, our family status, our education, our sexual orientation and activity, and our hobbies all define our identity. But the Bible approaches the topic very differently. Of course, the word “identity” does not even appear in our English translations of the Bible. But the concept of who we are and what gives us value and purpose is all over the Bible. I want to focus on the apostle Paul’s writings today. Colossians 3:1-4 is one passage where Paul emphasizes who we are and for what purpose we live. He writes, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” Overwhelmingly, our union with Christ is the defining quality of who we are in Paul’s theology. Here Paul highlights our union with Christ in his resurrection. As a sidebar, the resurrection is key to understanding who Jesus is. Paul uses the word “raised,” speaking about the resurrection, 41 times in his letters. Outside of 1 Corinthians 15, where Paul speaks about the dead being raised in the final resurrection, Paul predominately uses the word to speak about Jesus. Sometimes Paul uses the word to highlight the benefit we receive in Christ’s resurrection. “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through the Spirit who dwells in you” (Rom. 8:11; cf. Rom. 6:4, 1 Cor. 6:14, & 2 Cor. 5:5). At other times, Paul seems to just throw in the descriptor as if this is one of the most important truths to remember about Jesus. “…to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thes. 1:10; cf. Rom. 7:4, Gal. 1:1, & 2 Tim. 2:8). If the most important “events” of Jesus’ earthly life are his death and resurrection, then these become our most important, defining events when we are united to Christ. ... Keep Reading

Are you ready for another sermon about Jesus? Yes, it is Easter this weekend. And, yes, the sermon will be about Jesus, as every gospel-centered sermon ought to be. So, are you ready? Perhaps that seems like a silly question. Certainly we can never exhaust our study or understanding of Jesus and all that he has done for us. He is the eternal Son of God. The King of kings. The Lord of lords. The Alpha and the Omega. In him the fullness of deity dwells bodily. He is incomprehensible. We always will have more to learn about Jesus…for all eternity. This truth is illustrated in the Gospel of Mark. There is a sequence of stories in chapter 8 that are tied together by the thread of who Jesus is. In verses 14-21 the disciples are on a boat with Jesus. They had forgotten to bring bread and were discussing how hungry they were. This follows the miraculous feeding of the 5,000 and the 4,000. Jesus rebukes his disciples for not understanding in whose presence they were. Jesus says in verse 21: “Do you not yet understand?” This is not too different from when we allow fear to direct our lives, forgetting in whose presence we live. ... Keep Reading

The Pilgrim’s Progress, written in 1678 from prison by John Bunyan, is said to have been printed more than any other book other than the Bible. It is an allegorical story that tells the journey of a man named Christian who is seeking to arrive in Heaven. Bunyan uses this style to help illustrate the various trials a believer might face as he or she walks by faith in this world. If you have never read The Pilgrim’s Progress, I encourage you to add it to your reading list. Today, I am interested in drawing attention to the companions that join Christian on his faith journey. Early in his journey, Christian is joined by a man named Pliable (you learn quickly that the names of the various characters in the story reveal their true nature). Christian is still young in his faith (or, perhaps, he has not yet come to saving faith) and carries a heavy burden from his sin. The two of them, while talking of the hope of heaven, fall into the Slough of Despond. This is a miry swamp that causes travelers to lose their eagerness to continue the journey of faith. Pliable gives up and returns to his home in the City of Destruction. Thankfully, Christian is met by a man named Help who leads Christian out of the Despond. A little while later, Christian catches up with Faithful, another man that came from his hometown, the City of Destruction. Together they arrived at a Fair in the town called Vanity. This Fair represents the temptations of the world. Christian and Faithful encourage one another as they face and resist the temptations. The members of Vanity are not happy and throw the two travelers into prison. In a jury trial, Faithful is found to be an enemy and disturber of the Trade and he was sentenced to death. In God’s providence, Christian escapes from prison and continues his journey. ... Keep Reading

I have never met someone who likes to be afraid. Sure, there are some people who enjoy a “horror” movie, but can that count as genuine fear? That’s a form of entertainment. To actually wake up in the morning and be afraid is something no one ever chooses. So, why are we prone to the fear of man? Perhaps a definition would be helpful. It might seem to be an oxymoron, but the fear of man actually is over-confidence in man. Being afraid of people is only one part of the fear of man. The fear of man, as over-confidence in man, also manifests when our hopes are placed in the good mankind can do. Let me illustrate both aspects from Scripture. The fear of man does include the actual fear of harm at the hands of another. We have seen this in our sermon series on Genesis. Jacob was afraid of both Laban and Esau. And this fear of man drove him to sinful actions. Jacob explains why he tricked Laban and snuck away with his family by stating, “Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force” (Gen. 31:31). And then when he heard that Esau was coming to meet him with 400 men, we learn, “Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed” (Gen. 32:7). Jacob manages his fear of Esau by turning to prayer, which is a wonderful example for us. Nevertheless, the fear of man was a driving factor in Jacob’s life. ... Keep Reading

The season of Lent began with Ash Wednesday services and culminates with the celebration of Jesus' resurrection on Easter. Perspectives on Lent are almost as diverse as the number of denominations there are among Christian churches. Some love Lent as a season of humility, confession of sin, repentance, and preparation for celebrating the hope and joy of the resurrection. Others equate Lent with a legalistic works-righteousness practice promoted by the Roman Catholic Church. The observation of Lent, the six weeks leading up to Easter, seems to have developed in the early church. In the 4th century, after Constantine legalized Christianity throughout the Roman Empire, there was a great influx of converts into the church. Baptism was encouraged and often administered on Easter, reflecting on the new life promised in the resurrection (Rom. 6:4). The leaders of the church wanted to ensure that the new converts were genuine in their faith before baptizing them. So, they instituted a six-week preparation period. During these weeks the new converts were catechized in the faith and encouraged to fast regularly and give to the poor. An “ancient” form of a discipleship “program.” The trouble comes in when the “program” becomes the chief end and the chief end, namely Jesus Christ, is lost in the process. Perhaps this is why some are wary of observing Lent. Over the centuries this six-week preparation for Easter has developed in many ways. All Christians are encouraged to participate, not just new converts. Ashes are applied on Ash Wednesday as a reminder of our humble and frail state. Christians are called to fast from one particular item (food or otherwise) for the entirety of the six weeks. There is a particular focus on repentance and, in some traditions, forms of penitence. And, of course, Friday fish fries! All of these are practiced with the anticipation of celebrating the resurrection.... Keep Reading

This Sunday at Oak Hills we will return to our sermon series on the book of Genesis. I want to take this opportunity to refresh our memory of the value of an in-depth study of the first book of the Bible. I titled this series “Foundations for Life.” In the book of Genesis, we learn essential truths about God, his covenant, humanity, and the world, upon which we can and should build our lives. Genesis gives us a blueprint for God’s design for work, marriage, sexuality, morality, salvation, and righteous living with a holy God. Since Genesis is all about the beginnings of many of these things, we find God’s original intentions. This is why an in-depth study of Genesis is so valuable. It is not merely a book of interesting stories of bygone people; it provides clear direction for how we should live today. Let me remind us of some of things we have learned so far from Genesis. ... Keep Reading