Pressure Points are Pruning Points
helpful questions for Christians going through trials...
You Have Everything!
a midweek thought about the Lord's abundant grace to His people...
God's Commands Show The Way of Love
a midweek thought about how the Ten Commandments teach us the way of love...
Insider or Outsider?
Here is an excerpt from "Who Belongs to Jesus?" This excerpt calls attention to a defining characteristic of those who truly belong to Jesus....
Not Fasting, but Feasting!
An excerpt from the sermon "The Joy of the Gospel: An Exposition of Mark 2:18-22." This excerpt calls attention to the joyous truth that feasting, not fasting, is the fitting response to the Lord's saving presence with us. ...
The Cream of the Gospel
An excerpt from the sermon "Who Can Forgive Your Sins?" This excerpt highlights the truth that the forgiveness of sins is of greater importance than material blessings....
Go Where Jesus Goes
An excerpt from "The Call To Follow Jesus: An Exposition of Mark 1:16-20." This excerpt calls attention to the lesson that following Jesus involves going where He goes....
Good News in the Wilderness
An excerpt from "The Gospel Begins: An Exposition of Mark 1:1-15." This excerpt highlights the significance of Jesus passing the test of temptation in the wilderness....
The Difference Between Wise People and Foolish Ones
An excerpt from "Running The Race Together Part 6...
Providing for Others
An excerpt from "Snapshots of a Healthy Church Part 2: An Exposition of 1 Timothy 5:1-16." This excerpt highlights how the gospel motivates us to provide for others and also how such providing is closely related to our work....
Effective Evangelism
An excerpt from the sermon "Snapshots of a Healthy Church Part 1." This excerpt highlights the evangelistic effectiveness of the early church in Acts 2:41-47....
A Culture of Pursuing Holiness Together
An excerpt from "Running The Race Together Part 5...
The Character of a Good Exhorter
An excerpt from "Running The Race Together Part 2–Key Qualities of a Faithful Exhorter." This excerpt offers a description of the character of a good exhorter....
On Preventing Shipwrecks
An excerpt from "Running The Race Together Part 1." This excerpt focuses on the instruction from Hebrews 3:13 that mutual exhortation is a preventative measure designed to help brothers and sisters avoid catastrophic spiritual failure....
The Main Thing
An excerpt from "Indwelt By The Triune God." This excerpt highlights the key truth that having a close relationship with the Triune God is what Christianity is all about....
Water From Above
An excerpt from "The Spirit of Life: An Exposition of John 7:37-39." This excerpt focuses on the spiritual water that Jesus offers to the spiritually thirsty....
Love God Supremely and Love Your Neighbor Sincerely
An exposition of the tenth commandment....
The Gracious Visitation of God
An excerpt from "Grace in a World of Woe: An Exposition of Psalm 90." This excerpt cals attention to the Lord's compassion for His people....
Have Regard For Your Neighbor's Reputation
A midweek lesson on the ninth commandment....
The City of God
An excerpt from "God Is Our Fortress in the Midst of a Turbulent World." This excerpt focuses on the greatness of the city of God....
Have Regard For Your Neighbor's Property
A midweek lesson on the eighth commandment....
Have Regard For Your Neighbor's Marriage
A midweek lesson on the seventh commandment....
Jesus, Remember Me
An excerpt from the sermon "What True Conversion Looks Like: An Exposition of Luke 23:39-43." This excerpt focuses on the truth that true conversion involves trusting Christ....
Christ's Grace from Start to Finish
An excerpt from the sermon "Abiding in the Benediction." This excerpt highlights the fact that Christ's grace is the basis of Paul's confidence for ongoing fruit in and through the Philippian congregation....
The Sovereignty Over and In The Shadow
An excerpt from the sermon "The Shadow of Death and the Promise of Life." This excerpt focuses on how God's sovereign plan was to achieve salvation through the death of Christ....
The Seeing Before The Greeting
Two excerpts from the sermon "Greeting The Saints: A Practice That Must Not Be Neglected." These excerpts focus on how we must first see our fellow Christians as saints before we can greet them as such. ...
He Was Cut Off So That We Could Be Gathered In
An excerpt from the sermon "The Victory of Christ." This excerpt focuses on the glorious salvation that Christ achieved, through His suffering, for His people....
Eternal Glory Belongs to Our Heavenly Father
An excerpt from the sermon "To Our Great God Belongs Eternal Glory." This excerpt focuses on the wonderful truth that our God, in His fatherly relation to us, is worthy of eternal glory....
The Center and Scope of the Fifth Commandment
A midweek lesson on the fifth of the Ten Commandments....
Our Glorious and Generous Provider
An excerpt from the sermon "Living in the Goodness of God's Provision." This excerpt highlights the wonderful truth that God has invested all of His vast wealth in Christ; and out of this vast wealth in Christ, our heavenly Father meets our needs....
Gospel-Shaped Love is God-Glorifying Worship
An excerpt from the sermon "Three Features of Gospel Partnership." This excerpt highlights the teaching of Philippians 4:18 that showing love to our gospel partners is God-glorifying worship....
Living Well Weekly Part 1
A midweek lesson on the fourth of the Ten Commandments (Part 1 of 2)....
Cling to Jesus in Affliction and in Abundance
An excerpt from the sermon "Living in the Goodness of God's Peace Part 5." This excerpt focuses on how Paul's teaching about contentment in Philippians 4:11-13 applies both to difficult circumstances and to favorable circumstances....
What are you doing with what you have learned?
An excerpt from the sermon "Living in the Goodness of God's Peace Part 4." This excerpt focuses on the importance of practicing what we have learned....
Some Pointers on Faithfully Reading the Old Testament
A midweek lesson about how to faithfully read the Old Testament....
Think About Your Thinking
An excerpt from the sermon "Living in the Goodness of God's Peace Part 3." This excerpt helps us to understand that our thinking is to be integrated with our affections and will as one inward reality....
Joy is Rooted in Faith
An excerpt from the sermon "Living in the Good of God's Peace Part 2." This excerpt helps us to see the relationship between joy and faith....
What Breaks the Power of Our Disagreements
An excerpt from the sermon "Living in the Goodness of God's Peace Part 1." This excerpt focuses on how agreeing on the most important things breaks the power of our disagreement over less important things....
Choose Your Running Partners Well
An excerpt from the sermon "Standing Firm in the Lord...
Highly Relevant to One Another's Growth in Discipleship
An excerpt from the sermon "Standing Firm in the Lord...
The God Who Saves
A midweek lesson about the profound truth that God saves His people....
Downstream from the Cross
An excerpt from the sermon "Living as an Embassy of Love in a Foreign Land." This excerpt points out that Christian love doesn't flow upstream from the behavior of others, but downstream from the cross....
The God Who Keeps Covenant
A midweek lesson that helps us understand that God relates to His people through the covenantal realities that He establishes....
The Christian Perspective
An excerpt from the sermon "The Gospel-Shaped Life: Together in Deep Spiritual Unity." This excerpt summarizes the unified perspectives that Christians share....
The God Who Speaks
A midweek lesson about the profound truth that God speaks to His people....
The Question
An excerpt from the sermon "Are You Resting in the Sovereign King?" This excerpt applies the lessons of Luke 8 to the individual hearer....
The King Who Gives
An excerpt from the sermon "Kingdoms in Conflict." This excerpt highlights the generosity of King Jesus and the gracious salvation that He brings by giving Himself for His people....
The Working Word
A midweek lesson about the powerful working of God's Word in God's people....
A Glimpse of the Beauty of Christ
An excerpt from the sermon "Jesus Grows Into Manhood." This excerpt presents the side-by-side reality of the twelve-year-old Jesus submitting to His heavenly Father and, at the same time, submitting to His earthly parents....
Doxology Is The Point
A midweek lesson on doxology (i.e., praising God) as the point of Christmas. The lesson is drawn from a short tour through Luke 1-2 and Matthew 2....
Quiet Your Protest
An excerpt from the sermon "The Birth of John." This excerpt sheds light on the meaning of repentance....
Bank on God's Good Promise
An excerpt from the sermon "Hope in the Lord!" This excerpt encourages us to rest in God's promise instead of being restless on account of adverse circumstances....
The Real Answer to the Real Problem
An excerpt from the sermon "Behold The Everlasting Light!" This excerpt points us to the real problem (sin) and the real answer (Christ and His cross)....
Husbands, Share Christ's Suffering
An excerpt from the sermon "Following Christ on the Path of Suffering." This excerpt calls upon husbands to become like Christ in His suffering and death (Philippians 3:10)....
The Résumé That Won't Cut It (Sermon Recap)
Pastor Brian recaps his sermon on Philippians 3:4-9...
Remain in the Lord! (Sermon Recap)
Pastor Brian recaps his sermon on Philippians 3:1-3...
Rejoice in the Lord! (Sermon Recap)
Pastor Brian recaps his sermon on Philippians 3:1a...
Love Exemplified: Part 2 (Sermon Recap)
Pastor Brian recap his sermon on Philippians 2:25-30...
Love Exemplified: Part 1 (Sermon Recap)
Pastor Brian recaps his sermon on Philippians 2:19-24...
How a Minister and Congregation Should Get Along (Sermon Recap)
Pastor Brian recaps his sermon on Philippians 2:14-18...
The Present and Eternal Benefits of Glad-Hearted Submission (Sermon Recap)
Pastor Brian recaps his sermon on Philippians 2:14-16...
The Christian's Obedience, Part 4 (Sermon Recap)
Pastor Brian recaps his sermon on Philippians 2:12-13 (Part 4)...
The Christian's Obedience, Part 3 (Sermon Recap)
Pastor Brian recaps his sermon on Philippians 2:12-13 (Part 2)...
The Christian's Obedience, Part 2 (Sermon Recap)
Pastor Brian recaps his sermon on Philippians 2:12-13 (Part 2)...
The Christian's Obedience, Part 1 (Sermon Recap)
Pastor Brian recaps his sermon on Philippians 2:12-13 (Part 1)...
Humble and Bowed Down Before Jesus Our Lord (Sermon Recap)
Pastor Brian recaps his sermon on Philippians 2:9-11 (Part 1)...
Be Devoted to the Interests of Others (Sermon Recap)
Pastor Brian recaps his sermon on Philippians 2:3-5 (Part 2)...
A Call to Prayer (Sermon Recap)
Pastor Brian recaps his sermon entitled "A Call To Prayer"...
The Lord is Jealous and Good (Sermon Recap)
Pastor Brian recaps his sermon on Nahum 1:1-8...
Humbly Hold Others in High Regard (Sermon Recap)
Pastor Brian recaps his sermon on Philippians 2:3-5 (Part 1)...
Worthwhile Events: May 3, 2018
Pastor Brian commends two worthwhile events taking place on Thursday, May 3, 2018....
Patterned After Jesus (Sermon Recap)
Pastor Brian recaps his sermon on Philippians 2:6-11...
Together in Deep Spiritual Unity (Sermon Recap)
Pastor Brian recaps his sermon on Philippians 2:1-2...
Together to Do Battle (Sermon Recap)
Pastor Brian recaps his sermon on Philippians 1:27-30...
God's Commands Show The Way of Love
a midweek thought about how the Ten Commandments teach us the way of love...
Keep ReadingOur Glad Participation in God's Good Design
a thought for midweek...
Keep ReadingOur Obedience Brings Blessing to Others
a thought for midweek...
Keep ReadingBuilding Households for the Glory of God
BUILDING HOUSEHOLDS FOR THE GLORY OF GOD "The man is the head of the house, while the woman is the heart of the house."[1] Introduction If you think that 21st American society is flourishing in moral beauty, cultural wholesomeness, and political wisdom, then you might consider setting aside this article that has somehow come to your attention. You and I are worlds apart...
Keep ReadingThe Work of a Woman
THE WORK OF A WOMAN The purpose of this reflection is to consider the sphere of work that God has assigned to women. What is written here should be regarded as an important supplement to our study of God's design for women in the April 3 sermon ("God's Design for Manhood and WomanhoodPart 3"). It would have been fitting and helpful to say these things in that sermon, but ...
Keep ReadingPastoral Letter 04.07.2022
a follow-up letter sent to the congregation after the three "God's Design for Manhood and Womanhood" sermons...
Keep ReadingFalse Teachers Part 4
FALSE TEACHERS: PART 4 We are in the midst of a series of reflections on the subject of false teachers. I have defined false teachers as "people who have a voice within the Christian community and who use their position and influence to steer the church family and individual Christians away from the Bible's clear theological and moral instruction" (Part 1). These false in...
Keep Reading
Twenty-Five Questions for Repentance
TWENTY-FIVE QUESTIONS FOR REPENTANCE Adapted from "Wake Up!" Pastor Brian's June 21, 2020 Sermon These twenty-five questions are designed to help us, the entire South Paris Baptist Church Family, to identify our sins and turn away from them. Don't focus on how someone else needs to respond; focus on how you need to respond. Also consider using these questions to facil...
Keep ReadingInsider or Outsider?
Here is an excerpt from "Who Belongs to Jesus?" This excerpt calls attention to a defining characteristic of those who truly belong to Jesus....
Keep ReadingNot Fasting, but Feasting!
An excerpt from the sermon "The Joy of the Gospel: An Exposition of Mark 2:18-22." This excerpt calls attention to the joyous truth that feasting, not fasting, is the fitting response to the Lord's saving presence with us. ...
Keep ReadingThe Cream of the Gospel
An excerpt from the sermon "Who Can Forgive Your Sins?" This excerpt highlights the truth that the forgiveness of sins is of greater importance than material blessings....
Keep ReadingGo Where Jesus Goes
An excerpt from "The Call To Follow Jesus: An Exposition of Mark 1:16-20." This excerpt calls attention to the lesson that following Jesus involves going where He goes....
Keep ReadingGood News in the Wilderness
An excerpt from "The Gospel Begins: An Exposition of Mark 1:1-15." This excerpt highlights the significance of Jesus passing the test of temptation in the wilderness....
Keep ReadingThe Difference Between Wise People and Foolish Ones
An excerpt from "Running The Race Together Part 6...
Keep ReadingProviding for Others
An excerpt from "Snapshots of a Healthy Church Part 2: An Exposition of 1 Timothy 5:1-16." This excerpt highlights how the gospel motivates us to provide for others and also how such providing is closely related to our work....
Keep ReadingEffective Evangelism
An excerpt from the sermon "Snapshots of a Healthy Church Part 1." This excerpt highlights the evangelistic effectiveness of the early church in Acts 2:41-47....
Keep ReadingImmersed in Grace
A homily for our Baptism Service on August 10, 2019....
Keep ReadingOn Not Being Sunk
An edifying, gospel-centered quote from Peter Marshall....
Keep ReadingBuilding a Culture of Life
A short article about building a culture of life....
Keep ReadingA Culture of Pursuing Holiness Together
An excerpt from "Running The Race Together Part 5...
Keep ReadingBehold the Patience of God!
An excerpt from "Running The Race Part 4...
Keep ReadingBrotherly Accountability
An excerpt from "Running The Race Together Part 3...
Keep ReadingThe Character of a Good Exhorter
An excerpt from "Running The Race Together Part 2–Key Qualities of a Faithful Exhorter." This excerpt offers a description of the character of a good exhorter....
Keep ReadingOn Preventing Shipwrecks
An excerpt from "Running The Race Together Part 1." This excerpt focuses on the instruction from Hebrews 3:13 that mutual exhortation is a preventative measure designed to help brothers and sisters avoid catastrophic spiritual failure....
Keep ReadingThe Main Thing
An excerpt from "Indwelt By The Triune God." This excerpt highlights the key truth that having a close relationship with the Triune God is what Christianity is all about....
Keep ReadingWater From Above
An excerpt from "The Spirit of Life: An Exposition of John 7:37-39." This excerpt focuses on the spiritual water that Jesus offers to the spiritually thirsty....
Keep ReadingLove God Supremely and Love Your Neighbor Sincerely
An exposition of the tenth commandment....
Keep ReadingThe Gracious Visitation of God
An excerpt from "Grace in a World of Woe: An Exposition of Psalm 90." This excerpt cals attention to the Lord's compassion for His people....
Keep ReadingHave Regard For Your Neighbor's Reputation
A midweek lesson on the ninth commandment....
Keep ReadingThe City of God
An excerpt from "God Is Our Fortress in the Midst of a Turbulent World." This excerpt focuses on the greatness of the city of God....
Keep ReadingHave Regard For Your Neighbor's Property
A midweek lesson on the eighth commandment....
Keep ReadingHave Regard For Your Neighbor's Marriage
A midweek lesson on the seventh commandment....
Keep ReadingHave Regard For Your Neighbor's Life
A midweek lesson on the sixth commandment....
Keep ReadingJesus, Remember Me
An excerpt from the sermon "What True Conversion Looks Like: An Exposition of Luke 23:39-43." This excerpt focuses on the truth that true conversion involves trusting Christ....
Keep ReadingChrist's Grace from Start to Finish
An excerpt from the sermon "Abiding in the Benediction." This excerpt highlights the fact that Christ's grace is the basis of Paul's confidence for ongoing fruit in and through the Philippian congregation....
Keep ReadingThe Sovereignty Over and In The Shadow
An excerpt from the sermon "The Shadow of Death and the Promise of Life." This excerpt focuses on how God's sovereign plan was to achieve salvation through the death of Christ....
Keep ReadingThe Seeing Before The Greeting
Two excerpts from the sermon "Greeting The Saints: A Practice That Must Not Be Neglected." These excerpts focus on how we must first see our fellow Christians as saints before we can greet them as such. ...
Keep ReadingHe Was Cut Off So That We Could Be Gathered In
An excerpt from the sermon "The Victory of Christ." This excerpt focuses on the glorious salvation that Christ achieved, through His suffering, for His people....
Keep ReadingEternal Glory Belongs to Our Heavenly Father
An excerpt from the sermon "To Our Great God Belongs Eternal Glory." This excerpt focuses on the wonderful truth that our God, in His fatherly relation to us, is worthy of eternal glory....
Keep ReadingThe Center and Scope of the Fifth Commandment
A midweek lesson on the fifth of the Ten Commandments....
Keep ReadingOur Glorious and Generous Provider
An excerpt from the sermon "Living in the Goodness of God's Provision." This excerpt highlights the wonderful truth that God has invested all of His vast wealth in Christ; and out of this vast wealth in Christ, our heavenly Father meets our needs....
Keep ReadingGospel-Shaped Love is God-Glorifying Worship
An excerpt from the sermon "Three Features of Gospel Partnership." This excerpt highlights the teaching of Philippians 4:18 that showing love to our gospel partners is God-glorifying worship....
Keep ReadingLiving Well Weekly Part 1
A midweek lesson on the fourth of the Ten Commandments (Part 1 of 2)....
Keep ReadingCling to Jesus in Affliction and in Abundance
An excerpt from the sermon "Living in the Goodness of God's Peace Part 5." This excerpt focuses on how Paul's teaching about contentment in Philippians 4:11-13 applies both to difficult circumstances and to favorable circumstances....
Keep ReadingWhat are you doing with what you have learned?
An excerpt from the sermon "Living in the Goodness of God's Peace Part 4." This excerpt focuses on the importance of practicing what we have learned....
Keep ReadingSome Pointers on Faithfully Reading the Old Testament
A midweek lesson about how to faithfully read the Old Testament....
Keep ReadingThink About Your Thinking
An excerpt from the sermon "Living in the Goodness of God's Peace Part 3." This excerpt helps us to understand that our thinking is to be integrated with our affections and will as one inward reality....
Keep ReadingJoy is Rooted in Faith
An excerpt from the sermon "Living in the Good of God's Peace Part 2." This excerpt helps us to see the relationship between joy and faith....
Keep ReadingWhat Breaks the Power of Our Disagreements
An excerpt from the sermon "Living in the Goodness of God's Peace Part 1." This excerpt focuses on how agreeing on the most important things breaks the power of our disagreement over less important things....
Keep ReadingWorship God Rightly
A midweek lesson on the second of the Ten Commandments....
Keep ReadingWorship God and God Alone
A midweek lesson on the first of the Ten Commandments....
Keep ReadingThe God Who Saves
A midweek lesson about the profound truth that God saves His people....
Keep ReadingDownstream from the Cross
An excerpt from the sermon "Living as an Embassy of Love in a Foreign Land." This excerpt points out that Christian love doesn't flow upstream from the behavior of others, but downstream from the cross....
Keep ReadingThe God Who Keeps Covenant
A midweek lesson that helps us understand that God relates to His people through the covenantal realities that He establishes....
Keep ReadingThe Christian Perspective
An excerpt from the sermon "The Gospel-Shaped Life: Together in Deep Spiritual Unity." This excerpt summarizes the unified perspectives that Christians share....
Keep ReadingThe God Who Speaks
A midweek lesson about the profound truth that God speaks to His people....
Keep ReadingThe Question
An excerpt from the sermon "Are You Resting in the Sovereign King?" This excerpt applies the lessons of Luke 8 to the individual hearer....
Keep ReadingThe King Who Gives
An excerpt from the sermon "Kingdoms in Conflict." This excerpt highlights the generosity of King Jesus and the gracious salvation that He brings by giving Himself for His people....
Keep ReadingThe Working Word
A midweek lesson about the powerful working of God's Word in God's people....
Keep ReadingA Glimpse of the Beauty of Christ
An excerpt from the sermon "Jesus Grows Into Manhood." This excerpt presents the side-by-side reality of the twelve-year-old Jesus submitting to His heavenly Father and, at the same time, submitting to His earthly parents....
Keep ReadingDoxology Is The Point
A midweek lesson on doxology (i.e., praising God) as the point of Christmas. The lesson is drawn from a short tour through Luke 1-2 and Matthew 2....
Keep ReadingQuiet Your Protest
An excerpt from the sermon "The Birth of John." This excerpt sheds light on the meaning of repentance....
Keep ReadingTo Bridge The Great Divide
A lesson about the purpose of the Incarnation....
Keep ReadingBank on God's Good Promise
An excerpt from the sermon "Hope in the Lord!" This excerpt encourages us to rest in God's promise instead of being restless on account of adverse circumstances....
Keep ReadingThe Real Answer to the Real Problem
An excerpt from the sermon "Behold The Everlasting Light!" This excerpt points us to the real problem (sin) and the real answer (Christ and His cross)....
Keep ReadingHusbands, Share Christ's Suffering
An excerpt from the sermon "Following Christ on the Path of Suffering." This excerpt calls upon husbands to become like Christ in His suffering and death (Philippians 3:10)....
Keep ReadingA Call to Prayer (Sermon Recap)
Pastor Brian recaps his sermon entitled "A Call To Prayer"...
Keep ReadingThe Lord is Jealous and Good (Sermon Recap)
Pastor Brian recaps his sermon on Nahum 1:1-8...
Keep Reading
Worthwhile Events: May 3, 2018
Pastor Brian commends two worthwhile events taking place on Thursday, May 3, 2018....
Keep ReadingThe Meaning of Christ's Resurrection (Sermon Recap)
Pastor Brian recaps his sermon on "The Meaning of Christ's Resurrection"...
Keep ReadingFor Progress and Joy! (Sermon Recap)
Pastor Brian recaps his sermon on Philippians 1:22-26....
Keep ReadingThat Jesus Christ Be Honored (Sermon Recap)
Pastor Brian recaps his sermon on Philippians 1:18b-21....
Keep ReadingJoy in Gospel Progress (Sermon Recap)
Pastor Brian recaps his sermon on Philippians 1:12-18a....
Keep Reading