When you hear the word HOLINESS, what comes to mind? For many it conveys rigidity, fundamentalism, legalism, repression, and old-school "boomer" Christianity. One problem. Jesus is really big on holiness. The Scripture is full of calls to holiness. But, as Inigo Montoya once said: "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it…

Sorrowful yet always rejoicing. Really?!? Really. That was Paul's song. That is the pastor's song; the kid's ministry team's song; the song of the elder and deacon. That is the song for every Christian who wants to be ALL IN with Jesus. To be of the kingdom means rejection, slander, betrayal, and general hardship. That is rough. It brings real sorr…

When we hear a phrase like the "fear of the Lord" it can be easy to slip into a mindset of an angry God who looks disdainfully back at us, leading us to cower, run away, and experience shame. What Paul means by that phrase in 2 Corinthians 5:11 is the opposite. Yes, fear is a strong word and we should keep the teeth in it, but the point is that god…

What is the "eternal weight of glory" for which our "light momentary afflictions" are preparing us? It includes at least three things: resurrection life, the vision of God, and vindication that we are indeed in Christ. This week's passage defines and details the "eternal weight of glory" we heard about last week. In doing so, we are instructed to f…

Do you remember what it was like the first time you drove a car in reverse and had to steer? Everything was backwards. What turned the car one way is now opposite. Did it take a moment - or a year - to learn to steer in reverse intuitively? Learning to live by faith in the Word of God, especially in light of suffering, is a lot like driving and ste…

If you have ever been accused of not having what it takes to serve Jesus, you know the pain of rejection, betrayal, and perhaps barbs that go to the soul. False accusations are only as powerful as our sense of self outside of the gospel, though. In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul preaches the contrast between the Old Covenant and New Covenant, not for nerdin…

Paul had to change his plans to visit the Corinthians, choosing to stay back for a while. This change of plans, along with many other things, was weaponized by his opponents and used to accuse him of being insincere, vacillating, and self-centered. Paul begins his overall defense of his ministry - and discipleship in general - by explaining and pre…

What if Jesus asked you to sign blank sheet of paper as a promissory document. Your signature of commitment and nothing else. Jesus will fill in the rest and you must trust Him. Now, picture that the sentence "You will suffer for my Name" is on that paper. Will you sign it now?!? You and I would if we knew the trade-off. If we gave our certainty an…

Sometimes you wonder if these stories in Genesis can get more twisted. Well, they can. You can't make this stuff up. In Chapter 38, we have one of Jacob's sons, Judah, leave the family, head toward the pagan Canaanites, marry one of them, sire two wicked sons and one nondescript ones. Then, on top of all that, through deception, curated sexual sin,…

Remember the J-Curve - the graph of following Jesus? Sometimes we are thrown into a pit, only to be rescued and brought to a greater strength, maturity, and blessing than ever before. That J-curve is the pathway of Genesis 37-50, a new unit we are starting this week. We're calling it "Joseph and the Many Colored Gospel." Chapter 37 is a powerful st…

Have you ever returned home? By home, I mean where you were raised, and all that represents: your old house, schools, hang out haunts, college campus? I bet a flood of memories come back. Some of us did not know Jesus back then and we can feel the regrets and loss with those memories. However, as it often happens, God meets us in that nostalgia and…

Genesis 34 is a cascade of atrocities displaying the depravity of the human heart. This awful story of disobedience, defilement, deceit, and death highlight our need to be rescued. And while there is no hero in this Genesis 34, praise be to God that this is only one chapter in the story of God's redemptive plan for his people.…

God loves us so much, He gives us limps. It is true. Let me argue from this vantage point. God loved the Son so much that He sent Jesus to the cross. The logic is difficult, but clear. In Genesis 32-33 we are going to see a little pre-gospel. Jacob needs to reconcile with Esau. And, in a surprising and beautiful way, they will reconcile. But it is …

He is Risen! He is Risen indeed! The glorious truth of Jesus's resurrection and our resurrection will be celebrated this Easter Sunday and we will look at it from 1 Peter chapter 1. In that text, Peter uses stunning imagery to show us what the resurrection means for our lives as the people of God who are not home yet. In fact, he calls us the chose…

Palm Sunday begins Holy Week often with a refresh on Jesus riding into Jerusalem during Passover week on his way to the cross. This is referred to as the Triumphal Entry. This year, I want to journey with Jesus, but from a bigger perspective. What does this journey to Jerusalem mean in the bigger context of the Biblical story line? I want us to pul…

The Bible is a truly cool interconnected story. God often teaches the same themes through layers of stories upon stories. Genesis 31 is like that. Before the big book of Exodus, we have a small chapter and mini-Exodus. Jacob flees his father-in-law, who has him in slavery. He does so because God commands him out, and promises to be with him, just l…

The story of Jacob and his two wives involves much sin and hardship. Jacob's relationship with Laban is marked by trickery and deceit. Yet the worldly intentions and actions of each of these human characters are no match for the triumphant grace of God. We will ultimately see that as God mercifully remembered Rachel, sinful though she was, to give …

Three things are for certain: death, taxes, and our sins will eventually catch us.In Genesis 29, Jacob's deceptions eventually catch up to him through another deceiver, a "Jedi deceiver," his uncle Laban. In the midst of the plot line is another water-well love story, a young vs. older narrative, and a God who get his purposes accomplished in it al…

I like planning. I like the predictable. Calendars are my friend. Even people who are "free spirits" and "go-with-the-flow" types want scheduled unscheduled moments. We might call this chronos time - the planned life. However, while most of life will be lived within chronos time, the most transformative moments in our life happen in crisis time - w…

When you think deeply about why we 'twist' the truth... or shall I just say it... we lie, we deceive, and we manipulate, one is drawn to the reality of trust. What do we actually trust? Do I trust God? If so, why do I think I have to claw my way through life, to get ahead, and to ultimately achieve blessing? If I really trust the promises of God, t…

Last week we learned about the importance of prayer in evangelism. This Sunday we will look into the amazing story of Jesus healing a blind man in John 9. We will see (no pun intended) that there is often a progressive revelation and realization of who Jesus is. We will also consider how to share the gospel in a way that speaks into the some of the…

Prayer is a crucial part of our efforts to share the good news of Jesus with others. Yet we often forget to pray or are unsure of what and how to pray. This Sunday, we will look at three specific prayers in the New Testament to give us some guidance as we make Jesus known.

We were created out of, into, and for community. This Sunday, we will see how community is at the heart of God and His people and what that means for CHBC to live into our mission statement to equip our church as a community to reach the Triangle and beyond with the message of Jesus.

Jesus is our Savior, amen. Jesus wants to shape us into Himself in character, amen. But, Jesus also wants to use our lives in a way that he modeled for us - radically Spirit dependent lives, with particular gifts the Spirit has given us to use for the building of the church and the advance of the Gospel. We are going to begin a brief miniseries, le…

If you came home one night and noticed a fire breaking out in your neighbor’s house, what would you do? You would warn them. You would call 911. You would pound on the door. You might even break down the door if necessary to save their lives. Do we believe the Bible when it says, “This is the testimony of God that he has born concerning his Son. He…

God so desires a relationship with us, not a casual friendship or acquaintance nor to just provide direction in our lives. No, He desires an intimate relationship with us. It’s the kind that the world strives for between two people but can never achieve. It is the kind that no other religion offers or believes in.But it is entirely different. He al…

We're on the cusp of a new year and we'll be looking closely at Hebrews 3:1 as we seek to savor Jesus more in 2024 and thereby guard against Satan, sin, strange teachings, spiritual sluggishness, and suffering.

Merry Christmas, Bible Church! We conclude Advent and begin Christmas this Sunday - in one day as we share Christmas Eve! We have been marinating in the Gospel of John, moving from the idea of wishing the gospel story was true, to wanting the gospel story to be true, to actually believing the gospel story to be true, to the ultimate goal, worship. …

The joy of Advent is the object of our longings, namely, Jesus. There are truths about Jesus that get me fired up and hopeful, yes. I thirst for knowledge about Jesus and the world he rules, indeed. But the Scripture paints a picture of belief that is not less than a teaching moment but far more. It is a wedding scene. In Advent, I am reminded that…

Sometimes we want to want a thing. We see merit but realistically we're not going to expend much effort because we're just not feeling hot about it yet. But then something happens. We get to the point of actually wanting something. That is a game-changer. A lot of people want to want the Truth, but often life and other things just gets in the way. …

For the last 3 years during Advent, we've been going through each of the Gospel accounts and now we conclude with the fourth gospel, John. And, this Sunday, we start our journey with some of the most ultimate and heavenly truths about Jesus - He is the eternal, divine, creator, and life-giver Son of God, God of God, Savior.…

We'll be sojourning through Genesis 26 with Isaac, as he learns of God's faithful, gracious, glorious presence and blessing. God promises us that He will be with us, is with us, and always has been with us-- because He is faithful, by His grace, for His own glory.

The first shall be last and the last shall be first. That sentence is both startling and heartening. Jesus echoed it and yet he did not invent it in the NT. Jesus is citing a truth that had existed for millennia. In fact, it all goes back to Genesis 25 - a story of Abraham's death, twins, a stolen and impetuous trading of a birthright and yet a sto…

Sarah's story is over, for now. And she must be replaced. There must be a new woman of the house but also a wife so the line of promise continues. That woman is named Rebekah. Our story unfolds the Promise, Providence, and Purpose of God to provide a wife for Isaac and in doing so just might give us some wise insights on longing for, looking for, a…

Is God asking you to something that seems out of step with His character but you are pretty sure He in fact is the one calling you to it? Does it ever seem like something is from God's hand yet out of step with His word? Let me be blunt: Does God ever seem foolish to you? What if I told you that God is foolish - to our earthly eyes. Perhaps there i…

One of the hardest things to do as a Christian is to give something over that you depend upon, you are fond of, that seems to give you some semblance of vitality and yet you know it is getting in the way of the Lord. In Genesis 21, we have a story of that crisis in Abraham's life. He was called to give over a son. He will be called to do that twice…

For one week, we pivoted to an important teaching from Romans 11 in order to help us better understand how to pray, give witness, and expect the Lord's return in light of the events in Israel of late. This is not going to be a scare sermon. This is not going to be a political sermon. This is not going to be a theological camp sermon. My aim is to c…

In Ephesians 4 Paul reminds the believers that the message of the Gospel of Jesus bears fruit in the life of those who have received His gift, by grace. This fruit is counter-cultural (and impossible to achieve in our own strength). It is designed by God for the enjoyment of those who surrender to walk in the higher calling which they have been cal…

Sometimes stories in the Bible repeat themselves. Genesis 20 is one of those. At first blush, it seems to repeat the story of Abraham lying to a powerful and dangerous king about Sarah being his 'sister' so that the king won't kill him to get Sarah. That is part of a pattern, for sure, but there is another really important layer in Genesis 20, that…

“We become what we worship,” said Andrew Wilson as he was speaking at the Gospel Coalition this past week. He's so right. We are living in a world with decayed moral standards, idolatry thru the worship of false gods (technology, social media, etc.), and we wonder just how far we really are from Sodom and Gomorrah.Genesis 19 shows us a story of a m…

Anxiety is essential worry on an IV drip. If we can get to moments of worry, we can do a lot to deconstruct anxiety. This whole section of Genesis forces us to deal with doubt and the beauty of trusting the Word of God. Genesis 18 continues that story as it reveals something so very important about God - He is able! Nothing is too hard for God (18:…

Abram is 99. Sarai is 90. But God is Almighty, El Shaddai. That changes everything. It changes Abram to Abraham. It changes Sarai to Sarah. And it changes the male body in Israel - circumcision - a gory, bloody, painful mark to something beautiful and Christward. In this passage, we hear the Word of God proclaim the mercy and power of God in someth…

Do you have a big decision coming up? Or even a medium sized one? For a Christian, I hope one of the biggest considerations is proceeding down the pathway God has planned for us. So, how do we discern God's will? I bet it often varies, depending on the decision and how it affects us. And, I bet some of us regret decisions and wonder if we are now o…

Worse than failure as you follow God - much, much worse - is success in living apart from Him. In fact, the truth of the matter is: when you fail in the things of this world precisely because you are following God, that is ACTUALLY success. So, what do we do when there is a gap, maybe a big gap, between the promises of God and our present reality? …

Have you ever had your heart leap and your stomach sink when you thought about the future and it occurred to you that you have no idea how to proceed with what little resources you have? That sinking feeling is anxiety. Often the next beat is our inventive ability to figure out how to proceed with our resources - the things we can see, have at our …

At the end of the day, what is a church ultimately for? Fill up the spiritual tank once a week? A place to get medicine for personal hurt or soul wounds? A one-stop-shop for learning and experiences that lead me closer to Jesus with excellent programs and production? A place of easy entry for non-Christians or young Christians who need the basics o…

Is it possible to have a church that has strong attendance, has a beautiful campus, has strong Biblical doctrine, is well respected in the community, has gifted and highly trained leaders, is financially stable, and has a great vision and mission and yet be totally fruitless??? Unfortunately, yes. That's why we'll look at 1 Corinthians 13 to see wh…

Do you want a church deep in prayer? Would you like to grow to be more like Jesus personally? What's the best way to disciple a younger believer? Why is it that every Christian is a minister of the gospel and that their Monday through Saturday is sacred? How do I parent in a godly way? Why is justice important and how do I serve justice in our brok…

More than a discipline, prayer is a reflex of the heart renewed by the grace of Christ, a heart that sees its need before the sovereign and holy God met by a glorious Savior. At least from the human side, prayer is the life of a local church. Our own energy in prayer will grow as we apprehend the greatness of our God, our need of Christ, and the wo…

My life is not my own. Say that with me: "My life is not my own." Let's say it one more time: "My life is not my own." OK. I had us do that little exercise because everyday we battle the temptation to believe our lives belong to us. We are the owners! I own my time, my talent, and my treasure. One problem. That is wrong. God is the owner. He create…