Scripture Applied

How to Listen to Sermons

Church & Family Life — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Sermons — not entertainment or big personalities — are central to the building up of Christ’s church. That’s Paul’s point in Romans 16:25-26. Given this fact, we must take listening to sermons seriously, and here’s how: (1) don’t listen with a careless heart; (2) expect God to speak; (3) admit that God knows better than you; (4) hear sermons every week; (5) do what the Word of God commands, and do it today; (6) do not entertain prejudice against the preacher; (7) make specific applications; and (8) take the sermon home and ruminate on it. Know this: the preaching of the gospel not only focuses on how you are saved, but how you are transformed. So, when the word of God is preached, listen like your life depends on it — because it does!

How to Keep a Church Strong

Church & Family Life — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 11:00:00 +0000

How do you keep a church strong? The Apostle Paul gives (3) clear ways in his close to the book of Romans (16:17-27). First, guard the unity of the church against “those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learn.” Watch out for smooth talkers who flatter and “avoid them.” Second, show grace, love, and care for your fellow saints. We see this pictured as believers, from some 800 miles away, sent kind greetings to the church at Rome. Third, establish the church by preaching Jesus Christ. Paul’s clear implication is, without sound preaching, the church will be weak and malnourished, but with it they will be grounded and strong.

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/698979860df6c37ba98e6e44

Your Husband’s Not Ignoring You - He’s Carrying Weight

Church & Family Life — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Every woman wants a good, reliable, and steady man. Yet wives tend to respond with angst whenever their strong man doesn’t seem to fully “understand” or “relate” to them. Does he even care? The truth is, it’s a mistake to take your husband’s silence as apathy or detachment. A man bears burdens the way he lifts weights: He’s not thinking, “How do I feel?” but “What am I carrying?” A man doesn’t think, feel, or cry like a woman does. And that’s exactly the point — God made men and women differently (Gen. 1:27). There’s great beauty in His design for manhood and womanhood which expresses His glory to the world!

Should You Correct Your Spouse?

Church & Family Life — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Should you ever correct your spouse? The Bible says you should, and it tells you how (Gal. 6:1-3). First, you must not be just frustrated and fed up, but “spiritual.” Second, your goal must not be to humiliate, expose, or “win,” but to “restore.” Third, you must bring correction in a “spirit of gentleness,” not anger. Fourth, you must examine your own heart, “lest you also be tempted.” And, finally, you must “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2) — so whenever the problem persists, you’re called to be patient and longsuffering. Correcting your spouse is sometimes called for, but it must be done carefully, this way (Gal. 6:1-3).

After These Big Election Losses: Why Not Despair?

Church & Family Life — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 11:00:00 +0000

People in our church had a big disappointment in this last election. We prayed. We showed up at City Council meetings. We spoke. Yet, when the votes were counted, all the godly candidates we supported for office were wiped out. Despite these losses, our response must not be despair, but prayer—not withdrawal, but intercession: “first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority. . .” (1 Tim. 2:1). This must be our default position. Even as we witness our foundations crumble before our eyes, God is not surprised or absent. He’s taught us to pray for our civil magistrates and for laws that honor Him—so let’s keep praying!

Up Close and Personal: Grace on Display in the Local Church

Church & Family Life — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 11:00:00 +0000

The local church is not some abstract idea with nameless members—it’s a family of real people who are personally connected with one other. That’s what we learn in Romans 16. After all the great doctrine in Paul’s letter, he greets real people with real names and commends the real labor they performed in the Roman church. His words read like a family photo album as he illustrates what grace looks like in a local church body. This is what God intended for church life—that it be alive and fruitful, like a family.

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/696dc90a6dae751850c3cffa

Daughters – Terrify the Devil by Embracing Your God-Given Role

Church & Family Life — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Message to daughters — when it comes to your gender, the most terrifying thing the Devil sees is a faithful mom raising her children at home. This beautiful picture is in direct odds with a culture at war with God. While feminism’s lies say that the Bible’s limitations on women are restrictive, they’re actually liberating. The submissive woman is wise and undaunted. She smiles at the future, not frightened by any fear (Prov. 31:25). She radiates the fragrance of Christ in every place. She’s formidable, because she’s following God’s perfect design for her role. So, parents — encourage your girls to exalt Christ by living out this lovely image.

The Physical Presence of the Church in the World

Church & Family Life — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000

The church is not simply an idea, a platform, or a live stream. It is physicality expressed in her people, buildings, writings, meetings, and evangelism. While many tend to despise the physical over the spiritual, the Bible objects to such a view with these doctrinal truths that manifest the physicality of the church: First, the incarnation. God saves through flesh and blood, not through a ghost. Second, we are image bearers. The invisible God is made visible through human lives. Third, every spiritual reality has a physical expression. What we believe shows up in where we go with our bodies, and what we build with our hands. So don’t minimize the physical aspects of church life — but serve the physical body of Christ with devoted purpose.

What Is Holding You Back? – Unconfessed Sin or God’s Greater Purpose?

Church & Family Life — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Every journey has its obstacles. But what, specifically, is holding you back? Sometimes it’s unconfessed sin, hidden bitterness, divided loyalties, delayed obedience, or broken relationships. Maybe you’re violating your soul and sacred relationships through pornography, and you wonder why you’re not moving forward. Yet not every roadblock is caused by unresolved sin. Even when you’re faithful, sometimes God places “hindrances” in your path which are not detours, but serve to accomplish His divine will. The latter was so with the Apostle Paul (Rom. 15:22-29). Knowing this, let us be wise to discern what’s holding us in check — our sin or God’s greater purpose.

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/695b542611cff32e9efacef4

Therapist Not Needed – Everyday Christians Can Be Competent to Counsel

Church & Family Life — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Even in Christian circles, it’s commonly held that only professionals are competent to counsel. Yet the Apostle Paul obliterates this view in this statement to the local church in Rome: “Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another” (Rom. 15:14). The good news is this: The Lord Jesus doesn't just save your soul; He changes your life. And He doesn’t need “experts” to do it. He’s more than able to work, with the Holy Spirit’s aid, through everyday Christians who talk to one another, face-to-face, in a local church.

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/6952196ce386b6135c21f915

His Name is Wonderful — Merry Christmas!

Church & Family Life — Thu, 25 Dec 2025 12:00:00 +0000

This Christmas, we celebrate Christ’s incarnation, born of the Virgin Mary. The Prophet Isaiah foretold this hope, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given” (Isa. 9:6). In Bethlehem, Jesus was to be born of a woman, not a man (Gal. 4:4). This is vital, because substitutionary atonement requires a sinless substitute — the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. But Isaiah declared more: Jesus was to be called, “Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6). This was no fluke, but God’s resolved purpose, for, “The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this” (Isa. 9:7). In this we have an unstoppable hope: the Messiah has come — Merry Christmas!

Sermon:https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/6948df0a1f15531a561fbb64

More Than Ritual - The Lord’s Supper Pictures the Gospel

Church & Family Life — Thu, 01 Jan 2026 15:00:00 +0000

The Lord’s Supper is not a mere ritual. Nor is it empty symbolism. It’s the “Gospel made visible,” as Gerhardus Vos once said. Consider these six elements: (1) The Lord's Supper proclaims the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 11:24-25); (2) it is given for our spiritual nourishment and growth and grace (John 6:35, 57); (3) it confirms our union and communion with Christ (John 15:4); (4) it renews our thankfulness and our commitment to God (Ps. 50:14); (5) it declares our love and fellowship with one another (1 Cor. 10:17); and; (6) it points us to the Second Coming of Christ (1 Cor. 11:26).

Weak and Strong Together in Christ

Church & Family Life — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 15:00:00 +0000

When we hope in God, we can hope have hope for one another. That’s because — whether we’re weak or strong — the same Savior is helping us in our journey, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 15:13). Knowing this, we’re called to receive one another as Christ has received us . . . in all our imperfections. This is what Christian community looks like — believers in their various stages of life, weaknesses, and misunderstandings of doctrine singing together in one accord as they hope, together, in Christ.

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/69366a3816a3768dc4b231f1

Peace Over Preferences - How to Avoid Needless Church Division

Church & Family Life — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 15:00:00 +0000

Needless debates can tear a church apart in no time. So how do the strong and weak avoid dividing over matters of conscience — considering that God has designed the church to be a family with differing levels of knowledge and maturity? Paul gives four corrections in Romans 14. First, don’t condemn your brother for something God doesn’t condemn them for. Second, don’t destroy God’s church for the sake of a food, day, custom, or conviction not clearly given in His Word. Third, seek the kingdom of God. And, fourth, pursue the things that make for peace. While we’re not to violate our conscience, we are to walk in faith, love, and kindness, forgiving one another as Christ has forgiven us.

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/692d2f7d76788078fc36b81d

Calling All Men – Build, Lead, & Create for Christ’s Glory

Church & Family Life — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Message to men — scrolling endlessly on your phones and arguing with people online is a dereliction of your sacred duties. God made men to build, govern, and reclaim. This doctrine of work begins with the Dominion Mandate (Gen. 1:28). Men are called to be dominion-takers, working with their wives in common cause to glorify Christ. To take dominion is not to exert evil domination; it’s to engage in creative stewardship. It’s expanding the usefulness of everything in the world that God made. So, men: Learn a new skill, provide for your family, and build something that matters — giving Christ the preeminence in all things (Col. 1:18).

Thankfulness Starts with Who God Is - Not What He Gives Us

Church & Family Life — Thu, 27 Nov 2025 15:00:00 +0000

As you gather with your family this week, what are you thankful for? The truth is, it’s easy to “give thanks” when things are going our way. But Scripture calls us to “give thanks” in everything (1 Thess. 5:18), including our ups and downs. Our highest form of thanksgiving should not be for the food, family, and health God has blessed us with, but for God being who He is—holy, sovereign, majestic, independent, and unchanging. So rather than focus your gratitude this Thanksgiving on your outward blessings, thank God for being God.

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/6923f50b8470e3d1e150b483

Bring Them Near - Worshiping God as One Family

Church & Family Life — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 11:00:00 +0000

If we followed the Bible alone, would we divide the church by age — or worship as families, with all generations together during corporate worship? The Scripture’s witness is clear: Whether gathering in homes, tabernacles, temples, or the open air, God’s people, of all ages, are called to worship together (Deut. 31:12; Eph. 6:1-4). Children don’t need entertainment; they need a big vision for God. And the best way to teach them is the way the Bible tells us to teach them. So, parents — show your little children the seriousness of sin and the joys of redemption by bringing them to worship, with you, in God’s house.

Weak and Strong Believers – You Don’t Have to Be Twins to Be Friends

Church & Family Life — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 11:00:00 +0000

How are weak and strong believers to treat one another in a local church? Paul’s charge to the strong is this, “Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things” (Rom. 14:1). The church needs this message today. While there are certain non-negotiable truths, not every hill is one to die on. Strong faith ought to show itself in a tender heart toward the weaker brother. The truth is, God is in charge of both the weak and strong, so we must stop fighting over preferences and give Him time to work.

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/68f5d0774e3ca8de8fb387b1

Families Reformed - When the Gospel Takes Root

Church & Family Life — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 11:00:00 +0000

The most countercultural thing you can do today is to repent and believe in the gospel and teach your children to do the same. This reason is this—the true gospel doesn’t just save souls; it rearranges your whole life. That’s what happened during the Protestant Reformation, and it’s happening again now. When God’s Word is restored to its proper authority and repentance is real, wonderful things happen in the family, as He turns the hearts of fathers to their children, restores homes, and builds a new generation of dedicated believers.

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/69084580b8dda47046643f69

Wake Up and Fight!

Church & Family Life — Thu, 30 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Have you become passive in your faith and slipped into autopilot? Cruising? Sleepwalking? The truth is, the Devil wants you checked out. He’d rather you nap than wage war for the cause of Christ. That’s why Paul gives this charge: “[I]t is high time to awake out of sleep” (Rom. 13:11). So, get up, get dressed for battle, and clothe yourself with Christ. Put on His humility, holiness, faith, and love. Make no provision for the flesh. Don’t just hear the word, but internalize it and flee temptation. Wake up and fight!

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/68ec9604d5e03e6e6150ae12

Why You Can Never Say - “I’m Done Loving You”

Church & Family Life — Thu, 23 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000

You can pay off your taxes and mortgage, but you can never say, “I’m done loving you.” Love’s a debt we always owe. It’s the perfect fulfillment of the law which must be paid daily, without limit (Rom. 13:8-10). Every relationship in our lives—be it in our family, friendships, workplace, or the civil sphere—is built on this single debt. Why must we not commit adultery, murder, steal, bear false witness, or covet? Because our duties to others are summed up in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Rom. 13:9).

https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/68ec9604d5e03e6e6150ae12

Civil Gov – Avenger of Wrath – What about Capital Punishment?

Church & Family Life — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Crime calls for an avenger. That’s the civil magistrate’s role as God’s minister. He is not to rehab criminals, but to bear the sword against them as a terror to evildoers (Rom. 13:3-4). So, when a man commits murder, for example, his life should be forfeit (Gen. 9:6). And justice should be swift. When it’s not, lawlessness explodes, “Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the sons of men is fully set to do evil” (Eccles. 8:11). When civil rulers coddle criminals, they despise God’s Word, and nations crumble. Only by acting as righteous avengers will they reverse this trend and fill their God-given role.

Sermon:

https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/68e35b84d3673935241c37b9

Are You a Sluggard? – Learn from the Ant

Church & Family Life — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Young men—go to the ant, you sluggard. Consider her ways and be wise (Prov. 6:6-8). The ant is self-motivated. She’s tireless, foresighted, team-oriented, resilient, and disciplined. She needs no boss. The sluggard, by contrast, has grand designs, but never carries them through to completion. He wastes time and money. He’s marked by procrastination, frivolous excuses, and distractions such as sports and pornography. So, go to the ant—learn from her focus and work diligently.

The Christian Counterculture on Display - Bless Those Who Persecute You

Church & Family Life — Thu, 02 Oct 2025 10:00:00 +0000

There's no teaching in the Christian life more unnatural to our human flesh than saying, “Bless those who persecute you” (Rom. 12:14), and do not repay “evil for evil . . . but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:17, 21). Yet this is the calling of a Christian. Thankfully, we’re not simply given a new set of rules, but a new nature—and out of that new nature comes a completely different way of living. So, when the world curses, you bless. When others succeed, you rejoice. When someone is crushed, you weep. When you're wronged, you turn and feed your enemy. This is the life of the person who has died and risen with Jesus Christ, who’s presented his body as “a living sacrifice” (Rom. 12:1).

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/68b537310d4e4f4e3cd15235

What Laws Should Civil Rulers Govern By?

Church & Family Life — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 10:00:00 +0000

What laws should civil rulers govern by? Since every law of God is “holy . . . just and good” (Rom. 7:12), this must be their standard. And how should they apply them? Scripture gives us three divisions of the law: (1) ceremonial laws, which were fulfilled in Christ; (2) judicial laws, which were tied to Israel’s civil life and expired with the Old Covenant; and (3) the moral laws, summarized in the Ten Commandments, which abide forever. Civil magistrates are bound to uphold God’s moral laws in every decision they make. And even though the judicial laws of Israel expired in their original form, these laws still carry general equity—moral principles that apply across all ages and nations, which they should administer with careful wisdom.

The Two Most Effective Evangelistic Tools

Church & Family Life — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 10:00:00 +0000

While evangelism takes many forms, the two most effective evangelistic tools are the home and church. Both are created by God and designed for maximum impact. The home is the first of these and is the place where, day-in and day-out, parents are commanded to diligently teach their children God’s Word “when [they] sit in [their] house, when [they] walk by the way, when [they] lie down, and when [they] rise up” (Deut. 6:7). The church is next, as it’s there where children regularly hear the gospel through preaching, the observance of the Lord’s Table, and through baptisms. God’s Word is powerful, and where it’s faithfully proclaimed and lived out in the home and church, it will, with the Holy Spirit’s aid, lead to the conversion of the lost.

Singing Harmonizes the Church – It's All about Love

Church & Family Life — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Congregational singing is an act of love toward God, one another, the unbeliever, and our own soul. This is no accident, as God made our body as a musical instrument to express love—not through a lyre or trumpet, but through our voice and mouth. Singing together, as a congregation, harmonizes the church. It’s like a symphony with the blending of strings, percussion, and woodwinds. The church blends the different voices, personalities, and skill levels together into a shared sound, a shared confession, and a shared joy! We were created to sing—not just to worship God alone by ourselves, but to mingle our voices together in unity as we glorify Christ and build one another up in love.

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/64461ba3d4535ccc4488baad

Men! – Don’t Play, Take Dominion

Church & Family Life — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Men! Are you killing your hours with games and mindless entertainment—or are you taking dominion? The truth is this: God did not make you to be passive spectators. He created men to build, protect, and rule under His authority. The Bible calls this the Dominion Mandate (Gen. 1:28). While wives are to help their husbands in this calling, men, being the stronger vessel, are to take the lead. And what makes up this mandate? “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; [and] have dominion . . .” (Gen. 1:28). So, men! Don’t play; it’s your duty to improve what God has given you—to lead with strength, build with clarity of purpose, rule with humility, and work with excellence.

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/65375de18e4f60d78e1d9b3d

Hard Trials – God’s Workshop of Hope

Church & Family Life — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 10:00:00 +0000

What if the very trial you’re begging God to take away is the very trial He’s using to build greater character and hope in your spiritual walk? That’s actually what the Bible teaches—“we glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;  and perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Rom. 5:3-4). In God’s hands, tribulation is never wasted; it’s His workshop of “hope [that] does not disappoint” (v. 5a). How is this so? “because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit . . .” (v. 5b). So let’s learn how to glory in our tribulations—because they’re designed, through God’s love and His enabling Sprit, to produce hope.

Sermon:https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/659b903f04193b12ea375cbb

Satisfied in Justification - Ignoring Sanctification

Church & Family Life — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 10:00:00 +0000

When it comes to our salvation, it’s easy to glory in how God saved us and forget that faith without works is dead. As Christians, we must go from believing to doing—to put our faith into practice. This is Paul’s message in Romans. After explaining the rich doctrine of salvation (chap. 1-11), he then shows believers how to live (chap. 12-16).

And what should our renewed lives look like? Love without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be diligent and patient in tribulation. Continue steadfastly in prayer. Give to others in need and be hospitable (Rom. 12:9-13). These are just a few of the fruits of the Gospel, which show overflow its banks, transforming the culture of our lives and our local church life.

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/6899879cd1e0ca448c28064e

Honor the Dishonorable

Church & Family Life — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 10:00:00 +0000

In today’s world, dishonoring authorities is the normal thing. Mockery is entertainment. Wherever you look, authority is questioned and rejected, without shame. But God calls His people to create a culture of honor, even when parents, pastors, and civil authorities—whom we’re called to honor—are dishonorable. This doesn’t mean ignoring their sin or enabling abuse. But it does mean that we recognize their position, even when they fall short.

How do we wisely navigate this challenge? Honor the position, not the behavior. Don’t gossip. Establish guardrails when you spend time with dishonorable parents, so you don’t put your family in harm’s way. Choose forgiveness over bitterness. Express care, even when it’s undeserved. Learn how to live successfully under authorities who act dishonorably, and the blessings will flow, for God promises blessings when we honor them.

Sermon:https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/68904cfd1c7a206277c4c877

Peace with God - No Matter How You ‘Feel’

Church & Family Life — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 10:00:00 +0000

What do you have right now, as a Christian, that’s not dependent on your feelings or day-to-day life? You have peace with God because you’ve been justified by faith. This peace is not some kind of emotional high or spiritual calm that you experience. It’s solid and unchangeable. It’s an objective and unshakable peace—secured by Christ—that can’t be swept away, “Therefore having been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ . . .” (Rom. 5:1). God has pronounced you righteous, and “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in” Him (Rom. 8:1). No matter how you “feel” on any given day, you have an unmovable peace with God that will never end.

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/659255a9db5b660593ffe4f6

The Kind of Woman the Devil Dreads

Church & Family Life — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 10:00:00 +0000

There’s a kind of woman who foils the plans of the Devil. This kind of woman doesn’t need a stage, applause, or a social media platform. But when she rises in the morning, hell trembles because she knows who she is. She is, as Solomon said, “Fair as the moon, clear as the sun, [and] awesome as an army with banners” (Song of Sol. 6:10). She is hope at sunrise, bringing light to the darkness with a radiant, visible character that burns bright and warm. She wages war fiercely but quietly, carrying the banners of Christ as a devoted nurturer. She doesn’t need to fight like men—she fights by raising children, honoring her husband, teaching younger women, and reflecting Jesus Christ in everything she does. Let’s raise a generation of women like this—women who radiate beauty and terrify the darkness.

Parents- Your Home is Not a Democracy!

Church & Family Life — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Parents—your home is not a democracy. It’s God’s appointed training ground for you to teach your children how to honor their father and mother, “the first commandment with [a] promise” (Eph. 6:2). So, examine your home life. Is it marked by children who reject authority, whine, roll their eyes, and ignore your wishes? Are they slow to obey, which is disobedience? It really matters what you do—how you speak to your children, what you tolerate, and how quickly and effectively you deal with outbursts of dishonor. Here’s the bottom line: It’s your duty to transition your children out of being governed by their emotions to be governed by the Word of God. So, help your children understand parental authority, and make it clear to them the promises they will experience when they truly honor you.

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/68749dd2438c838139e5b3c1

Why Your Kids Don’t Need More Empathy

Church & Family Life — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 10:00:00 +0000

We live in a child-centered culture where emotions are enthroned, and parents are expected to seek approval from their children instead of leading them with their God-given authority. This isn't compassion—it's confusion—and it is hurting our homes and harming the rising generation. The key to turning this around is for parents to disrupt the idolatry of self in the family and uphold the Fifth Commandment, “Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise” (Eph. 6:2). So, parents—stop listening to Freudian psychobabblers and raise your children after God’s Word. Show them what honor looks like, and rebuild the walls of your home with the mortar of authority and truth.

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/686b6318fa360db97f9d7637

Dis-Honor – How to Have Broken Relationships

Church & Family Life — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Dishonor makes people nomadic – in churches, marriages, friendships, jobs. It makes them keep looking for a better deal. However, Biblical honor is the missing ingredient in broken relationships. But, we live in a dishonorable age where people say and post whatever they want, children talk back to their parents, leave churches, job hop. This flies in the face of God’s direct command that we “give preference to one another” with “honor” (Rom. 12:10). Yet true honor toward others doesn’t happen. It’s the fruit of salvation and a transformed heart. It flows from honoring Christ as we present ourselves as living sacrifices to Him. So, are you cultivating a spirit of honor in your heart toward God and those around you? Or, are you going to keep moving on from one relationship to another?

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/68622894415d2d77bb98b1a1

The Most Dangerous Woman in the World: A Homemaker

Church & Family Life — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 10:00:00 +0000

The most terrifying thing the Devil sees is not a woman in the boardroom, on a political stage, or behind a podcast mic. It’s a woman in the home raising her children in the fear of God, loving her husband, and building the next generation by faith. This is exactly what feminism hates. Instead of enhancing femininity, feminism obliterates it. So, here's the question, sisters: Has the boa constrictor started nibbling at your feet? Are there areas where feminism has crept in to your wardrobe, your schedule, your ambitions, your theology? If so, take aim with the word of God in one hand, and your calling in the other. Stand your ground—raise your children, help your husband, build your home, be a homemaker, be holy. Become the woman God created you to be.

Has Kindness Left the Building? - Why Doesn’t Your Church Feel Like Family?

Church & Family Life — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Every church has an aroma about it. So, what your church’s: Is it a lingering scent of bitterness or indifference—or the aroma of love? In Romans 12:10, Paul gives us a blueprint on how to cultivate the latter, “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love.” This reveals that the church is not to function like a social club or a business meeting, but like a family where there’s genuine laughter, forgiveness, warmth, and even tears. Such a culture can’t be achieved through clever programs or simply “being busy,” but through showing quiet genuineness and personal love toward each another. So rather than lose affection for, and keep our distance from, those in our congregation, let’s be a church that’s “kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love” (Rom. 12:10).

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/684fb3af544d5fe98a8cdd8b

Tweak Your Playlists and Transform Your Affections

Church & Family Life — Thu, 19 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0000

In a world that celebrates what God hates, how do Christians live a life that pleases God? Romans 12:9 gives a clear roadmap on how to answer this question: “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.” These three commands tell us is that love is not blind; biblical love hates evil—it clings like glue to what is good. So, are there things in your life that God hates: music, movies, and conversations with corrupt people? If there are, then throw them out and cling to the truth. Don’t just tweak your playlists—transform your affections that create your playlist. Don’t just filter your entertainment—but feed your soul. Glue your life to the word of God, the people of God, and the holiness of God. In this way you’ll learn what true love is.

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/684678fb8bcefa77a87b9bd8

Love Like Christ - Without Hypocrisy!

Church & Family Life — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0000

In Romans 12:9, Paul gives this pivotal statement: “Let love be without hypocrisy.” This is a call for our love to be genuine. Hypocrisy, by contrast, is saying nice things when we don’t mean it, or doing good deeds just to get something in return. This sin problem extends to all our relationships, even within the church. So how do we know if our love is hypocritical? 1 John 3:20 gives us a simple guide, “For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart and knows all things.” So we need not need despair: if we’re truly redeemed, God, through his Spirit and His Word, will cut through the confusion and show us our hypocrisy, so that we can genuinely love others as Christ loves us (John 13:34).

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/683d3eb8466c06ff70c715d4

The Church is Not a Spectator Sport

Church & Family Life — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0000

The church is not a spectator sport. It is intentionally personal and requires every member to use their spiritual gifts to build each other up. The secret to this life together is our personal union with Christ. Close intimacy with Him is what leads to a thriving, loving, and relational church. This underground spring gives us inner strength and wisdom which flows forth and blesses others. So put your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ, first, so that your hands will be productive as you minister to the body with love.

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/682ac9b3c4eab1dd78874d6a

A Church That Thrives - Many Members, One Body

Church & Family Life — Thu, 29 May 2025 10:00:00 +0000

What should your attitude be about the local church? It should be to humbly acknowledge that you’re just one part of the body of Christ, and that you’re dependent on the other parts to function well. Consider the fact that there are 200 different types of cells in the human body—and all need each other, working together, for the body to thrive. So it is with the church. Even the weakest member is necessary. So rather than approach local church life causally, we should bring passion, purpose, and urgency to exercise our gifts to benefit the whole church body, remembering that we’re many members, but one body in Christ (Rom. 12:3-5).

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/6824321f981d11c30de4c400

How Humility Transforms a Local Church

Church & Family Life — Thu, 22 May 2025 10:00:00 +0000

A superior culture in a local church starts with humility. When members have a lowliness of mind—rather than thinking more highly of themselves then they ought (Rom. 12:3)—church body life is transformed, which builds up the oldest to the youngest. It was this virtue that ended the Māori tribe’s Utu culture of revenge, spreading literacy and transforming social structures in New Zealand—all through a wave of humility that recognized that it’s the grace of God that makes us who we are.

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/681854abf78c68570332d30e

Fatherhood Meltdown and the Salem Witch Trials

Church & Family Life — Thu, 15 May 2025 10:00:00 +0000

What kind of father are you? Are you actively engaged or checked out? Consider this study in contrasts. In 1692, the Salem Witch Trials wreaked havoc on a community because of a passive father and pastor named Samuel Parris. Sadly, this checked out dad allowed a Caribbean slave girl named Tituba to influence his daughters by having séances in their basements and gossiping about local town members. These girls’ false claims of witchcraft led to the senseless execution of leading Christian women in Salem. Job’s fatherhood example is quite the opposite. He rose up early each day to pray for his children and went regularly to his children’s homes to sanctify them. Unlike Samuel Parris, Job was a faithful protector, provider, and prayer warrior. Remember Job, remember Samuel Parris—and be the father God has called you to be.

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/resources/60ca6cb897de084c53254521

The Family Is the Factory for Church Leaders

Church & Family Life — Thu, 08 May 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Who’s qualified to lead the church? According to Scripture, it’s men who manage their households well (1 Tim. 3:4-5). The truth is, the family is the factory for church leaders. Family life toughens, equips, humbles, and prepares a man to lead the church. It’s like a nursery—a production center that makes him capable of leading a local body of believers. A man whose children are in order shows a trait that is vital to shepherd the household of God. So if you want to build tested spiritual leaders—men who are equipped and ready to serve as elders—then focus on training faithful family shepherds.

What Drives Your Affections?

Church & Family Life — Thu, 01 May 2025 10:00:00 +0000

What is shaping you and where are you headed? To properly answer these questions, you must grasp the two paths that confront every man, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom. 12:2). So what drives your affections at the core—God or the world? Do you desire to be relieved from sinful bondage and find the pathway of true joy and blessing? Then your course must be this—resist being conformed to the world’s mold, even as you strive to transform your mind and priorities into God’s image.

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/67ea30016200ad542ee6a07b

Men Must Build - A Call for Engaged Church Leadership

Church & Family Life — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Men, by nature, are builders. They build companies and families, and they’re called and gifted by God to build His church, following Christ’s perfect lead as the God-man (Matt. 16:18). Rather than take a passive, minimalist approach to the church, men are to position themselves to have a maximalist impact in building up their local church bodies. This requires creating margin in their personal time to prioritize the church’s needs and pursuing an expansionist fruit-bearing ministry to their fellow believers. So where are you, as a man, on this spectrum? Are you checked out, or are you fulfilling your call to lead in the church?

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/resources/60ca7cb123fa965169a3cc30

Mothers – Win the Hearts of Your Sons

Church & Family Life — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Moms, by God’s grace, can win the hearts of their sons and raise them to be strong in the Lord. This was true of Timothy, whose mother Eunice and grandmother Lois carefully guided him in the Scriptures from an early age (2 Tim. 1:3-5; 3:14-15). If you’re a mom with a son, recognize that you’re raising a future leader—a boy who will one day become a man who exercises authority as a family shepherd, husband, provider, defender, churchman, and warrior. Show your son quiet, firm boundaries as a velvet-covered brick. Encourage him to be masculine, while governing his emotions. Prepare your heart to be his friend, even as you call him to godly manhood.

Don’t Be Hard to Live With

Church & Family Life — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 10:00:00 +0000

If you’re married, don’t be hard to live with, causing needless wear and tear on your spouse. This happens when you’re unforgiving (Col. 3:13), impatient (1 Cor. 13:4), or unmerciful (Rom. 1:31); and when you’re unkind and use harsh or rash words. Instead, be easy to live with, manifesting the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). Show forth the marks of love, which suffers long, is kind, does not envy or parade itself, is not puffed up, doesn’t behave rudely, seek its own, think evil, nor is it easily provoked (1 Cor. 13:4-8). Don’t be hard to live with, but prefer one another in honor.

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/resources/63eff8a3e1ef28e573d78a69

8 Tips - How to Get Your Children to Sing

Church & Family Life — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Throughout Scripture, God tells His people to sing, and as we raise our children, we’re to teach them to joyfully obey this command. Here are (8) tips to aid you in this effort. First, sing from the little ones all the way to the older ones. Second, don’t let your children mumble their way through the songs. Third, teach them to open their mouths to project their voices. Fourth, show them proper posture. Fifth, remind them to sing when they forget. Sixth, when your children are too young to know all a songs’ words, have them hum the tune. Seventh, sing the same songs at home, in the car. Eighth, make it fun. Ninth, sing on the way to church, so as you come with your children to the meeting, they’ll be ready to present their bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God (Rom. 12:1).

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/67ce80846f987cfc0eba618f

Songs for Every Season

Church & Family Life — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 10:00:00 +0000

David wrote more than 70 divinely-inspired psalms that directly spoke to the highs and lows he experienced as a man. This points to a vital truth—that God, in His kindness, has given us songs for every aspect of our life journey. Here are key singing lessons to draw from this truth. First, sing with your whole heart (Zeph. 3:14). Second, sing to be changed. Third, sing to do battle (Num. 21; Ps. 59; 104). Fourth, sing in every season of life. Fifth, sing to impact people around you (Ps. 95). Sixth, sing the Psalms. Seventh, sing songs of lamentation. And, eighth, sing manly songs as men. In all this, present your bodies as a living sacrifice as you sing praise to God (Rom. 12:1; Ps. 100:2).

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/67ce80846f987cfc0eba618f

How to Sing- 6 Singing Lessons

Church & Family Life — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Because singing praise to God is part of how we present our bodies as a live sacrifice to Him (Rom. 12:1; Ps. 100:2), we must know how to do it. Here are six key lessons. First, sing to teach one another. Second, sing to admonish one another. Third, sing to help you remember God’s word. Fourth, sing strong with gusto. Fifth, sing to proclaim truth. And, sixth, sing for the unity of the church. Don’t be passive with your children; teach them how to sing! Don’t let them mindlessly sing when they come to church, but help them understand what they’re doing. All of this is for one purpose—to point to Jesus Christ, our only hope in life and death.

Sermon:

https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/67c545f36f987cfc0eba616e

Why We Sing

Church & Family Life — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Singing praise to God is part of how we present our bodies as a live sacrifice to Him (Rom. 12:1; Ps. 100:2). Thus, churches and families should seek to create a vibrant culture of singing. This starts with knowing why we sing. First, we sing because we must, in obedience to God’s specific commands. Second, we sing because God made our bodies, including the voice, as musical instruments. Third, we sing because it helps us respond emotionally with our affections. And, fourth, we sing because it's a critical tool for making disciples.

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/67c545f36f987cfc0eba616e

Presenting Our Bodies in the Worship of God in the Church (Part 2)

Church & Family Life — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 11:00:00 +0000

There is nothing we do, as believers, that's more important than to gather with the people of God for the right worship of God. Yet we’re not free to dream up our own ideas on how to do this. The acceptable way of worshiping God is instituted by Him and limited by His revealed will—what’s known as the regulative principle of worship. The normative principle, by contrast, argues that what’s not forbidden in worship is allowed, which is why movie clips, plays, and skits are often used in church. But how thrilling it is for Christians to simply obey God, coming together with one heart and voice, to worship Him as He prescribes!

https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/67bc0b7a79981074d5abdfe5

Presenting Our Bodies in the Worship of God in the Church

Church & Family Life — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/67bc0b7a79981074d5abdfe5

Don’t Launch a Website to Vent against Your Church

Church & Family Life — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:00:00 +0000

As Christians, we’re justified by faith (Rom. 1-11), but that faith should drive us to make our bodies a living sacrifice, resulting in a vibrant church (Rom. 12-16). That’s Paul’s case in the book of Romans, and in chapter 12, he gives a diagnostic checkup. In every phrase he describes what the people of God must do to create a superior culture of godliness in the local church. Whenever we’re wronged by others, it’s easy for us to e-mail them their faults, or worse, to launch a website and denounce them. But rather than repay evil for evil, we’re called by God to joyfully yield to His authority and demonstrate biblical love for one another.

Sermon:

A Thrilling Doxology to Teach Your Children

Church & Family Life — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:00:00 +0000

A doxology is a “Song of Praise,” and Romans 11:33-36 gives us one the most thrilling doxologies in all of Scripture. In it Paul proclaims these powerful truths: (1) The riches of God’s wisdom are unfathomable; (2) His mind is beyond our comprehension; (3) His word is final; (4) His grace does not require our merit; and (5) whatever we do, He—not us—will get the glory. What must we do with this great knowledge? First, recognize there’s great comfort in knowing that God, not you, is in control of everything. And, second, walk your children through these precious truths, for if they truly understand God’s supremacy, it will bring them joy for the rest of their lives.

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/67a99672dd0b6aed2f2d4bbf

Externals Can Never Save You

Church & Family Life — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:00:00 +0000

The miracle of Christianity is that it involves an inward change of the heart. It results in new life, new thinking, and new behavior. Apart from Christ’s work to change your heart of stone to a heart of flesh, there’s no assurance of salvation. Your reputation, your lifestyle, your boasting in God, your knowledge, your approval of what is right, and the fact that you’re well instructed—none of these externals can ever save you. Christianity works from the inside out: so do you love God with all your heart?

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/64d9e942262ff39658bae1ce

God’s Symphony Revealed

Church & Family Life — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 11:00:00 +0000

In Romans 11, the Apostle Paul reveals God’s Word as a thrilling symphony across the ages as he unveils God’s master plan to save both Jews and Gentiles. Like a master pianist, Paul goes from one end of Scripture to another, moving across the keys of history to expose the beauty of salvation. In so doing, he is following his Maker’s pattern, as Louis Gaussen states, “The Creator is glancing across the range of keys, stretching over three-score centuries, and then He makes it known to our fallen world.”

https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/6784ac86239f2b3a92efceba

No Place for Antisemitism

Church & Family Life — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Antisemitism must have no place in our outlook as Christians. Take Paul’s case in Romans 11 to heart. In the Old Testament, the Jews were the centerpiece of God’s redemptive work. Yet when Christ came, they waged war against Him and his disciples and were, on the whole, rejected; and “Through their fall . . . salvation has come to the Gentiles” (Rom. 11:11). If you’re a Gentile Christian today, don’t pridefully despise the Jews, but be thankful God grafted you into the seed of Abraham. And know their rejection is not final, for “when the fulness of the Gentiles is come,” they will be gathered to Him again (Rom. 11:26-28).

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/6784ac86239f2b3a92efceba

Word to Our Children – Listen to the Preacher!

Church & Family Life — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Paul declared preaching to be essential to salvation, but also stressed the need for sinners to carefully hear, for “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God” (Rom. 10:17). This is as important today as it was then, and as we raise our children, it’s critical we teach them to be attentive to the preacher. J.C. Ryle gives three helpful rules for listening to a sermon: (1) hear with faith, believing implicitly that every word of God is true and shall stand; (2) hear with reverence, remembering constantly that the Bible is the book of God; and (3) hear with prayer, praying for God’s blessing before the sermon is preached, and for His blessing again when the sermon is over.

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/677b71f4de4544b5dc80f600

Keep Hitting the Rock – The Need for Persistent Preaching

Church & Family Life — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 11:00:00 +0000

While sinners come to Christ in different ways, preaching is God’s primary means to bring about salvation. The Apostle Paul declares, “how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Rom. 10:14). And God, Paul attests, is persistent in crying out to sinners, and so we should be (Rom. 10:20). Often, it’s the cumulative proclamation of God’s word that breaks the stony heart. Every blow matters. So, keep preaching! As a father, keep striking the wedge. As a mother, keep hitting the rock, for “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17).

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/677b71f4de4544b5dc80f600

How Can a Sinner Be Saved?

Church & Family Life — Thu, 26 Dec 2024 11:00:00 +0000

How can a sinner be saved? In Romans 10 Paul declares that we must, first, “confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus” (Rom. 10:9), which means to fully lay our lives under the authority of Christ’s Lordship. Second, we must “believe in [our] heart that God has raised Him from the dead” (Rom. 10:9). This is not mere intellectual assent, for the demons believe, and tremble (James 2:19). It requires truth faith which completely trusts in God. And, finally, we must “call on the name of the Lord” (Rom. 10:13), which is not simply a prayer in His name, but a prayer of sincere devotion to Him.

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/6756880a4c4226b5b7dfea7b

There are Only Two Religions

Church & Family Life — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 11:00:00 +0000

All are seeking righteousness and fall in one of two camps: They either seek it through faith or through works. In Romans 9:30-33 we learn that the sand of human righteousness cannot save the soul, but only faith on the rock of Jesus Christ, faith that God implants in the heart of man. Faith is not salvation, to be clear; it is the vehicle that gets you there. It is the only channel through which God’s blessings of new life may be received. So do you have faith that saves? Or are you resting on your works which can never make you righteous?

Scripture Reference: Romans 9:30-33

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/674d4da37306b796a738d88c

Does Predestination Make God a Monster?

Church & Family Life — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 11:00:00 +0000

In our human flesh, Romans 9 can be a hard pill to swallow, because it teaches that God predestinates to both glorification and to damnation. Anticipating this very reaction, the Apostle Paul declared, “O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why have you made me like this?’ Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?” (Rom. 9:20-21). Predestination does not make God a monster. Despite man’s complete inability to save himself, God, in His goodness, saves unrighteous sinners—those whom He wills. And as creatures, we should rejoice in His sovereign plan.

Scripture References: Romans 9:14-21

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/67319e3e1b0faa6670d40722

Put Down Your Phone! – The Dangers of Syncretism

Church & Family Life — Thu, 02 Jan 2025 11:00:00 +0000

What drives churches into irrelevancy and compromises the family’s integrity at its core? It’s syncretism—mixing the things of God with the things of the world. And one of the greatest syncretizing tools in the world today are our phones. As Christians, we must ask ourselves, “Are these devices making me more or less holy in how I use them?” To avoid syncretism, we must, first, double down on the word of God by saturating our minds in Scripture daily. Second, we must double down on our family—don’t let the enemy kick down your home’s door anymore. And, third, we must double down on the church by faithfully devoting ourselves to its interests.

Scripture Reference: Psalm 106:35-36; Deut. 18:9; Isaiah 2:6; Mark 7:8; Jeremiah 10:2; Romans 12:2

Sermon:https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/67037998177b921a763bb898

Without Excuse

Church & Family Life — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 11:00:00 +0000

No one has an excuse to reject God. Why? “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead” (Rom. 1:19). Despite man’s protests to the contrary, he knows— deep down—that there is a God. Yet, “although they [know] God, they [do] not glorify Him as God, nor [are] thankful, but [become] futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts [are] darkened” (Rom. 1:20). This latter point should give us compassion for those who’ve rejected God. Knowing that they’re hearts are darkened, it should drive us to point them to the truth of Him that they’ve buried.

Scripture References: Romans 1: 19-23

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/64992a3e0f22d7bbf463631f

Give Thanks for Your Loved Ones

Church & Family Life — Thu, 28 Nov 2024 11:00:00 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving! Whatever we’re going through during this season, we should “give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever (Ps. 136:1). We should also be grateful for the people He’s placed in our lives—giving thanks, with joy, for fellow believers who love God’s word, remembering them in our prayers (1 Thess. 1:2, 13): “For what thanks can we render to God for you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sake before our God” (1 Thess. 3:9)? Remember—Christians are to be thankful in all things (1 Thess. 5:18), so let’s give thanks to God, this season, for those loved ones He’s blessed us with!

Overcoming Fear - Four Reasons to Not Be Ashamed of the Gospel

Church & Family Life — Thu, 21 Nov 2024 11:00:00 +0000

Every Christian’s had moments where they were ashamed to speak the truth of the gospel. So how can we be delivered from this fear? In Romans 1:16-17, the Apostle Paul gives four words to describe why he’s not ashamed of the gospel: power, salvation, faith, and righteousness. First, the gospel has power—the power of God, not man. Second, it brings salvation—by God’s power, it saves us from the penalty of sin and God’s just wrath. Third, it comes by faith to everyone who believes. And, fourth, it comes by Christ’s righteousness. These four words should embolden us to share the good news of Jesus Christ to others.

Scripture References: Romans 1:16; Psalm 60:11

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/6481f89b35a4375262346721

The Greatest Manifestation of God’s Mercy

Church & Family Life — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 11:00:00 +0000

The doctrine of election is the greatest manifestation of the mercy of God towards sinners. He saves sinners who do not deserve it. It is God who appoints to salvation; man cannot do it on his own. So what should we say about all of this? First, rejoice in your dependence. We could not have turned our own hearts around, but He did, and this should cause us to adore Him. Second, rest in God’s grace. No one deserves to be saved. Yet in God’s mercy, He forgives. What a blessing it is that He elects and changes our heart!

Scripture references: Romans 8:28-29, 33

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/6715eed33ebf0d5043451a37

A Hated Doctrine in Romans 9

Church & Family Life — Thu, 07 Nov 2024 11:00:00 +0000

Election is one of the most hated doctrines of the Bible, because it’s an assault on man-centeredness. Because of this, many find Romans 9 disturbing. In this chapter, the Apostle Paul explains that election is a vindication of the justice of God, yet it’s also an exaltation of His grace in salvation. As we grapple with this text, the question we must ask is this: Would you rather have God who chooses you based on your righteousness or a God who chooses you in spite of your righteousness? The reality is any material advantages you have can’t save you, but Jesus Christ in His mercy is the only way to be rescued from your law-keeping—as you come to Him by faith alone.

Scripture References: Romans 9:1-13,;Romans 4:3; Romans 2:28-29

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/6715eed33ebf0d5043451a37

Halloween - How Should Christians Respond?

Church & Family Life — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 10:00:00 +0000

In today’s world, you can’t escape being confronted with Halloween. Whether you’re shopping with your family, or driving past your neighbor’s lawn, you’ll find its ghoulish images on display. Using Scripture alone, how should Christians think about it, when the word “Halloween” doesn't appear in the Bible? God’s Word declares we’re not to “learn to follow the abominations of [pagan] nations (Deut. 18:9) or “walk in their ordinances” (Lev. 18:3). Because Halloween is an explicitly demonic and pagan practice, how should we think about its dark culture and walk in the light?

Scripture References: Psalm 106: 35-37; Deut. 18:9; Leviticus 18:3; Romans 12:2; 1 Peter 2:9

How the Holy Spirit is Always Working

Church & Family Life — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Too often, Christians view the Holy Spirit, narrowly, as the source to set them on fire for God and make them satisfied. Such a view shortchanges the Holy Spirit’s role. The truth is, the Spirit of God is working quietly in the background in every part of the believer’s life. In Romans 8, Paul gives five powerful ways the Spirit ministers to Christians. First, the Spirit makes us free from sin and death. Second, the Spirit changes the things we want to think about. Third, the Spirit puts to death the deeds of the body. Fourth, the Spirit bears witness to our adoption as sons. Fifth, the Spirit helps us in our suffering. And, sixth, the Spirit helps us in our weakness when we don’t know how to pray. What a blessing it is to have the Holy Spirit of God!

Scripture Reference: Romans 8

Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/670cb41fd443d6ac8378cf8b

The Gift of Singing

Church & Family Life — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 10:00:00 +0000

All throughout Scripture, we’re told to “Sing to the Lord.” The church is commanded to sing, and how a church sings is telling. It not only shapes the culture of a church, but it reveals what’s important to God’s people. When we sing together corporately, we’re declaring what kind of God we worship, what kind of gospel we’re proclaiming, and what the basis of our unity is. Remarkably, the very first instrument God created was the human body. He gave our vocal cords as a gift to vibrate and produce sounds like the strings of a guitar. And, barring some physical damage, everyone can learn to sing, so they can join other Christians in praising God.

Additional Scripture References: Colossians 3:16

Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love

Church & Family Life — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 15:00:00 +0000

God defines love by the things that He does, and what He does for His people spans the entire arc of history—from His predestinating love, in eternity past, to His ultimate glorification of the believer (Rom. 8:28-30). Nothing can separate God’s elect from His everlasting love: not tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, or sword—nor the threats or accusations of any enemy (vs. 31-39). Thus, as His redeemed, God’s unfailing love for us should stir our hearts to love Him more!

Relax: All Things Work for Good – If you Love God

Church & Family Life — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Scripture: Romans 8:28

One of the greatest hardships of the human soul is dissatisfaction. It’s easy to get down about the state of your finances, your house, your spouse, your church, a child that you lost, a family feud, or a physical sickness such as cancer. None of these challenges are easy, yet God promises that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28). God has designed every step of your life, including the hard things. Just as He did with Joseph—who was hated by his brothers, thrown into a pit, sold into slavery, and then thrown into a prison after being falsely accused—God is working every trial you face for your good.

Additional Scripture References: Genesis 50:20, Ecclesiastes 3:1-11

Full Sermon: https://churchandfamilylife.com/sermons/66e7ca0261d6ad13516565bd

Don’t Know What to Pray For? The Spirit Pleads Your Cause

Church & Family Life — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Have you ever had a Romans 8:26 moment when you didn’t know what to pray? It’s that moment in life when you need help, but you don’t know what to do—whether you should quit that job or take that job; if you should ask that girl to marry you or not. You don’t know what to pray about your cancer diagnosis—whether you should be crying out to God for patience or deliverance. Here’s the good news: when we don’t know what to pray, the “Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Rom. 8:26). So, relax. Be patient, for God prays better than we do. His Spirit helps us in our weakness and pleads our cause.

Don’t Just ‘Follow Your Heart’!

Church & Family Life — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 10:00:00 +0000

As Christians, our role in the church amounts to more than just “follow your heart.” We have gospel duties to fulfill, and in Romans 1:8-17, the Apostle Paul gives us a powerful template to follow. First, he was thankful, despite the church in Rome being immature and imperfect. Second, he was prayerfully scheming of ways to minister to them more. Third, he was desirous to impart a spiritual blessing to them. Fourth, he was resolved to obtain fruit for their benefit. Fifth, he was large-hearted to all. Sixth, he was determined to preach the gospel. And, seventh, he wasn’t ashamed of the gospel. This window into Paul’s soul should compel us to pursue the Great Commission the way he did.

The Unstoppable Grace of God

Church & Family Life — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Justification by faith is not merely a judicial act, but it is a gift of God which brings great assurances and blessings: “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Rom. 5:1-2). Peace with God. Access. Grace. Standing with Christ and hope in His glory. It’s present tense. It’s ongoing. It’s unstoppable. This is what justification by faith has accomplished in our lives!

Stop Groaning in Despair, See the Hope

Church & Family Life — Thu, 05 Sep 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Suffering is the normal experience for all mankind, yet Christians can become shaken, disheartened, and angry—and even slip into apathy and hedonism—when suffering strikes. But rather than respond in self-pity, as believers, we must understand that we’re heirs of the sufferings of Christ. Even as we’re part of a creation that was subjected to futility by God, we should groan in hope as we wait for glory. How do we do this? First, rejoice that God is in control when suffering comes. Second, set our minds on things above. And, third, trust in God’s Word, not in our emotions. This is how we make peace with our suffering.

Ditch the Distractions – Fill your Spiritual Gas Tank

Church & Family Life — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Is your spirit flagging? Do you feel dull and unmotivated when it comes to the things of God? Here's the reality. You are always limited by what you think and meditate on. If you’re neglecting an earnest pursuit of God’s Word and are, instead, feeding your flesh with Hollywood movies, political podcasts, and other worldly pursuits, your soul will become impoverished. To turn the tide, fervently seek God daily. In the words of J.C. Ryle, “Give your Bible the best and not the worst part of your time.” Seek the things of the Spirit and cultivate godliness. In doing this, your soul will be enriched, and you’ll reap good things.

Radicalize Your Mind

Church & Family Life — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 10:00:00 +0000

In Romans 8:14, Paul writes, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.” But what does it mean to be led by the Spirit? It means that God persuades you to seek what is good because He’s given you a new heart. He doesn’t force you; he gives you the desire. You’ve been born again, and now He leads you by His word. Philippians 4:8-9 gives an illustration of this: whatever things are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and of good report, “if there’s any virtue, if there’s anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things.” That’s what you do to be led by the Spirit. So make sure that you don’t fill your mind with worldly movies and songs, or senseless debates on the Internet, but be led by the Spirit in all your meditations.

How to Put Your Sin to Death

Church & Family Life — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Even for Christians, the temptation to sin remains an ever-present danger. Mortifying our sin is thus a battle we must earnestly wage, as John Owen wisely said, “Be killing sin, or it will be killing you!” But how do we engage this mortal enemy? The Apostle Paul gives four points of wisdom in Romans 8:13-14: First, stop paying the flesh, because you owe it nothing. Second, if you’re fighting sin, know that you’re dead to sin and alive to God. Third, do it by the Spirit—not by asceticism or personal discipline—but by the power of sanctifying grace. And if you do so, you will live! Killing sin doesn’t get you right with God; it shows that you are right with God because His justified people always bear fruit.

What is the Greatest Delight?

Church & Family Life — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 10:00:00 +0000

In Romans 1 the Apostle Paul delights, repeatedly, in the wonder-working power of the Gospel. He rejoices in the transforming call and power of the Gospel that compelled him to be separated unto a new life and become a bondservant of Jesus Christ. He describes the continuity of the everlasting Gospel, as Jesus Christ, the Son of God was born in the flesh as the seed of David—as promised by the prophets of old. He proclaims the resurrecting power of the Gospel, which raises men from the dead. And, finally, he takes joy in the grace of the Gospel, which brings faith and obedience to the believer. His is a model to follow—as such delight should fill our mouths with praise as we share the Gospel with others!

Fake Christianity or Real - Exposed

Church & Family Life — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 10:00:00 +0000

There’s a difference between real and fake Christianity. And this litmus test, given by the Apostle Paul in Romans 8, shows where you stand. Your mind is either: (1) set on the spirit or the flesh; (2) set on life or death; and (3) subject to the law of God or in hatred to it. That’s why there’s no such thing as a “gay” or “thieving” Christian. If you’re a true believer, you will denounce such sins and put them away. You know who you are by what rules you—be it the spirit or the flesh.

No Condemnation – No Damocles Sword Hanging Over You

Church & Family Life — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Today on social media, you can be accused, tried, condemned, and sentenced all in one day. Yet this is light compared to the devastating condemnation of Almighty God. The good news is this: “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). Redeemed sinners are freed from God’s wrath and eternally secure in Him. So, if you’re a believer, praise God that nothing will be held against you when you reach the Final Judgment. Though Satan accuses you day and night, you can live in freedom, for Christ has paid your debt!

The Preeminence of Christ in Your Marriage

Church & Family Life — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 10:00:00 +0000

God created everything from top to bottom in our lives that Jesus Christ would be preeminent (Col. 1:17-18). This includes marriage. Put simply, the preeminence of Jesus Christ is the greatest secret of a happy marriage and a happy home life. But what does it look like to make Jesus Christ the center of your marriage? First of all, devote yourself to his preeminence. Second, count all things as loss for the sake of Christ. Third, behold the glory of Jesus Christ daily in your life together. And, finally, set your minds on the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

War Against Remaining Sin

Church & Family Life — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 10:00:00 +0000

In this life, the Christian will always be dealing with sin. This side of heaven, there’s no sinless perfection. God’s good and holy law is a tool that reminds us of this reality. It is a searchlight that shows us who we really are, as we deal with remaining sin that still wars within us. This rightly frustrates the believer, as we battle wrong impulses that persist. Yet we need not despair—though we’re commanded to keep God’s law, those who are in Christ are not condemned by it, for He has paid for all our sins. The law and the gospel thus work together to encourage believers to rest in Christ’s work for them.

Marriage Is About Painting Pictures

Church & Family Life — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 10:00:00 +0000

What does it mean to make Christ the center of your marriage? Husbands and wives cannot write their own lines. They have a role to play. Marriage was designed by God to paint a picture of Christ’s love for the church, and the respect of the church for her Savior. A husband’s role is to be like Christ, and a wife’s role is to be like an adoring church who loves her husband. So when you get up in the morning, what kind of picture are you painting when you roll over in bed and see your spouse? When you have breakfast together? When you contact one another throughout the day? Let it be a glorious and beautiful picture of Christ and His church!

How Should Christians Relate to God’s Law?

Church & Family Life — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 10:00:00 +0000

How should Christian’s engage with God’s law? The truth is, the believer’s relationship to the law of God will have massive consequences in your life. It will either make you a legalist, or it will make you one of the blessed of the earth. For the Christian, the condemning nature of the law has ceased. But the commanding power of the law continues, and the Bible makes it clear that the believer is always happiest when he is under its consultation. Why? God’s law is a rule of life that teaches you how to live, and when believers keep His law, He promises great blessing.

What is the Purpose of the Law of God?

Church & Family Life — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Every word in the Bible is the word of Christ. This includes the 613 Old Testament laws and the 1050 laws and commands found in the New Testament. But how are we as Christians to interpret them? It starts by understanding God’s four central purposes for the law: (1) To disclose His character and righteousness; (2) To reveal and convict us of sin; (3) To constrain evil in the personal and civil realm; and (4) To give us a rule of life. To this Scott Brown adds nine key questions to ask, including: Is it a moral, ceremonial, or civil law, and how is it fulfilled in Jesus Christ?

If the Law is Good, How Can We Be ‘Dead’ to It?

Church & Family Life — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 10:00:00 +0000

How can Christians be “dead to the law” if the law is “holy, just and good” (Rom. 7:4, 12)? Scott Brown answers this thorny question, putting Romans 7 in proper context. The Apostle Paul uses the metaphor of a woman whose husband dies, who then is free to remarry, being no longer bound by the law of her first husband. Being married to Christ is akin to this. When He regenerates us, we are married to Him and dead to the condemnation of the law, our old husband, which once condemned us. Now our “Maker is [our] husband” (Isa. 54:5), who helps us to freely keep His good law rather than be crushed by it due to our sin.

Marriage Is Sacred Space

Church & Family Life — Thu, 09 May 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Marriage is sacred space. It is consecrated ground. When you wed, you enter “The LORD’S holy institution which He loves” (Mal. 2:11). It's like going to the White House. You are on someone else’s property. You don’t get to do what you want. Similarly, when you dine with the Queen of England, you’re not free to eat any way you please. In this podcast, Scott Brown discusses the need for couples to set aside bad behaviors and honor marriage as the sacred space that it is.

Giving and Tithes: What Are Our Duties?

Church & Family Life — Thu, 02 May 2024 10:00:00 +0000

“God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7), but is this our heart when we bring our tithes and offerings to Him? In this podcast, Scott Brown explores the witness of Scriptures on giving, discussing various examples and principles. He shows that honoring God with our firstfruits is an act of worship that should be joyfully rendered, even as we use our abundance to help others in need.

How Do You Know You’re Saved? - Dead to Sin, Alive to Christ

Church & Family Life — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 14:00:00 +0000

Do you struggle over assurance of your salvation? The truth is, many people go through periods where they doubt their standing with Christ. They ask, “Am I good enough to be a child of God? What if my desire, at times, to read the Bible is weak?” In this podcast, Scott Brown explains that our salvation is not based on our inner-therapist. It is based on the objective work of Christ, accomplished through His death, burial, and resurrection. If we’ve repented of our sins, we must not obsess over our feelings, but rest in faith on His work of redemption, and “reckon [our]selves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:11).

Grace That Is Greater Than All Our Sin

Church & Family Life — Thu, 18 Apr 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Man’s greatest problem is original sin, passed down genetically through the human race since Adam’s fall. This genetic defect can’t be fixed by “self-improvement,” for it goes to the core of our being. This sobering truth is one parents should impress to their children, while also giving them the good news of salvation: Christ, the Second Adam, made a righteous sacrifice that can cure them. All those who come to Him in faith can receive this free gift of grace—a grace that is greater than all our sin!

Beyond Modesty: What Clothing Declares, Part 2 (New Testament)

Church & Family Life — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 10:00:00 +0000

When you stand in front of the mirror, you need to know what you’re doing when you dress yourself. The question is—what message does your clothing convey? In this podcast, Scott Brown explores the doctrine of clothing given in the New Testament, showing how clothing can be a trap for favoritism and an expression of pride. How we dress ourselves should, instead, humbly declare the glory and mercy of God in our salvation, as Jesus was stripped on our behalf to clothe us with His robes of righteousness.

Beyond Modesty: What Clothing Declares, Part 1 (Old Testament)

Church & Family Life — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 10:00:00 +0000

When most people think about clothing, they think about “modesty.” And, they think about women, not men. Yet such an outlook widely misses the mark of what Scripture teaches on dress. In this podcast, Scott Brown explores the doctrine of clothing given in the Old Testament, showing how God gave clothing to cover our nakedness and shame, to reflect purity, to display glory and beauty, and to declare the distinctions between men and women.

What Kind of Slave Are You?

Church & Family Life — Thu, 06 Jun 2024 10:00:00 +0000

The Bible says that everyone’s a slave—either a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness. The question is: Whose slave are you? In this podcast Scott Brown explains that, without Christ, we are slaves to sin, and the wages of this sin is death. Yet, with Christ, we get a gift we don’t deserve—a grace that delivers us from the condemnation of sin and enables us to present our members as slaves to righteousness instead. Having been set free from a bad taskmaster, we are willing slaves to Christ whom we freely obey.

Taming the Tongue (Part 2)

Church & Family Life — Thu, 30 May 2024 10:00:00 +0000

God has given our tongues as a good gift—not for death, but for life. Yet it’s easy for all of us to fall prey to bad speech habits that hurt others. In this podcast, Scott Brown gives harmful patterns of communication to avoid, such as name-calling and giving the cold shoulder, followed by good behaviors to sweeten conversations such as carefully listening, monitoring your tone, asking questions, and more. His charge—be on a mission to bless others when you speak!

Taming the Tongue, Part 1

Church & Family Life — Thu, 23 May 2024 10:00:00 +0000

The tongue is a good gift from God—but it also can be a destructive troublemaker. In this podcast, Scott Brown discusses how the tongue can poison and devour, but also how it can be tamed to encourage others through singing, hearty counsel, thoughtful admonishment, and more. Not only can our tongue be used to bring praise to God, but it can give “beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life” to our friends, family, and others in need.

How to Grow in Sanctification

Church & Family Life — Thu, 16 May 2024 10:00:00 +0000

The number one objective of a real Christian is to become more holy. So, how do you accelerate your sanctification? Romans 6:11-14 gives five ways: (1) You reckon yourselves as dead; (2) you dethrone the tyrant; (3) You withhold the members of your body from sin; (4) You consecrate your whole body to the Lord; (5) and you stand in grace. The good news is this—you don’t have to stay trapped in your sin. God has given this vision of victory to overcome it!