The Living Text: Reflections on God's Reclaiming Presence

Not a Puppet Theater  Scripture, Human Freedom, and the Refutation of Divine Determinism Introduction: The Question That Cannot Be Avoided There is a question that lies buried beneath almost every other theological question. Eventually, every serious student of Scripture is forced to face it: When God "decrees" all things that come to pass, what exactly does that mean for the world in which we live? The Reformed tradition — and specifically the Calvinist doctrine of divine determinism — answers with a consistency that its proponents rightly regard as a virtue: it means everything. Every act of cruelty, every lie, every war, every assault on a child, every rejection of the gospel, every Holocaust — all of it, in some ultimate sense, was decreed by God before the foundation of the world and came to pass exactly as He ordained it. The Westminster Confession of Faith expresses this with characteristic precision: "God from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy coun...

The Father's House A Three-Part Series on Beloved Identity Series Thesis: The deepest problem with the human condition is not merely guilt before a holy God — it is the loss of identity as God's beloved. The gospel does not only acquit us in a courtroom. It walks us through a door into the Father's house, where we discover we were always meant to belong. Series Overview Message Title Anchor Text 1 Wired for Belonging Ephesians 1:3–6 2 Two Rooms Romans 8:14–17 3 The Beloved Matthew 3:13–17; John 15:1–11 Message 1: Wired for Belonging Anchor Text: Ephesians 1:3–6 Supporting Texts: Genesis 1:26–28; Deuteronomy 32:8–9; Job 1:6–12; Zechariah 3:1–5 Opening: The Courtroom We Never Leave Most people — including most Christians — live as their own defense attorneys. Every morning they step into the courtroom of their own lives and begin building a case for why they deserve to take up space, why they deserve to be loved, why they deserve a s...

 Zephaniah: The Day of Wrath and the Remnant of Joy Judgment on the Nations and the Restoration of Praise Introduction: The Day That Divides Zephaniah is the book of the Day of the LORD —mentioned more frequently here than in any other prophetic book. And it’s a day that divides humanity into two groups: The proud, the rebellious, the idolatrous —facing wrath, destruction, terror The humble, the faithful, the remnant —experiencing salvation, restoration, joy Same day. Opposite outcomes. “The great day of the LORD is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the LORD is bitter; the mighty man cries aloud there. A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements.” (Zephaniah 1:14-16) Day of wrath, distress, anguish, ruin, devastation, darkness, gloom. This is terror be...