9.27.09 gbcvic sermons

God’s Gospel [Romans]

Rm 4.25

The focus of this message is on what God did to Christ in order to accomplish our justification. The words of our text present a dramatic picture. God delivered over the Son [same word as ‘betrayed’ when used of Judas] because of our offenses [a word describing sin as a fall beside the road – but not just a little stumble, a collapse off the cliff]. God, in essence, threw his Son off the cliff because man threw God off the cliff long ago. And God raised his son because of our justification – to show that he was satisfied with the sacrifice and to enable the Son to intercede on our behalf.

What a God! What a Saviour!

Christ’s Teaching Concerning Sin (4) [Basic Theology]

In this lesson we conclude looking at some categories of sin and some sources of sin as taught by our Lord. The Lord’s teaching concerning sin is comprehensive and certainly mirrors all the apostle’s taught. The teaching of the apostle’s is not inferior and no less inspired since they were chosen by God to be God’s mouthpiece in the world after the Lord departed. But the knowledge that the Lord himself teaches in concert with the apostles bolsters our confidence in the entire Biblical theology of sin.

25 Surprising Marriages and Will Medicine Stop the Pain? [Book Reviews]

Another pastor mentioned to our pastor that he used one evening service a month for book reviews, in order to help his people find disciple-building material for themselves. Taking that suggestion to heart, this is our first attempt.

25 Surprising Marriages is a book that looks at 25 well-known Christians and their marriages. The focus is on the biography of the men and women as a couple. The benefit of this book is seen in its cumulative effect rather than in any one biographical sketch found in the book. Well worth reading and making some mental notes concerning what it took for these men and women to succeed (if they did) and then to make comparisons with one’s own marriage.

Will Medicine Stop the Pain? is a book that deals with problems in the inner man like depression, anxiety, brain disorders and cognitive problems resulting from head injury and the like. The book emphasizes that man is a two part being. We need to be sure that we are thinking right in our hearts. We need to be cautious about the use of psychiatric medicine because it can only deal with the emotional symptoms and can’t deal with the root spiritual causes of emotional pain.

Read the reviews in manuscript form.

Also published on oxgoad here and here.