Grow in Christ as you discover the relevance and sufficiency of God’s Word for daily living.| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Grow in Christ as you discover the relevance and sufficiency of God’s Word for daily living.| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Dietrich Bonhoeffer (February 4, 1906 – April 9, 1945) was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and a participant in the German resistance movement against Nazism. He was involved in plots planned by members of the Abwehr (the German Military Intelligence Office) to assassinate Adolf Hitler. He was arrested in March 1943, imprisoned and eventually hanged, just before the end of the Second World War in Europe. Bonhoeffer’s classic work The Cost of Discipleship was written at the height of ...| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? … And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). Such were some of you. On one hand, what sweet words these are to believers! The church is not for perfect people but for sin-scarred, once-blind, still struggling people. Look at this list! Individuals who once were sexually immoral, idolat...| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
“Pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you“ (2 Thessalonians 3:1). In this single verse Paul reminds of the importance of two of the chief things God has given us to do in the world: prayer and proclaiming God’s Word, both for the glory of God. Pray! Pray for us as ministers of the gospel; but even your prayers for us are ultimately prayers for the advancement of the Word of God. Why pray? Because, Paul says, it is through your prayers ...| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh” (Jonah 1:1-2). God spoke plainly to Jonah and instructed him to visit the capital city of Israel’s enemies with a message of repentance and, ultimately, grace. Yet Jonah refused. Why did Jonah — and why do we still today, as recipients of the Great Commission — disobey God? We might summarize Jonah’s problems as flowing from: 1) his character (and that of national Israel’s) which was proud ...| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
In Deuteronomy 6:5-7 we are reminded that we cannot teach what we don’t know. We are told first, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (5), and then we are instructed to teach God’s Word diligently to our children (7). You cannot teach your children (or friends, or co-workers, or others you have opportunity to disciple) to love what you do not love yourself. Not only are we to know and love the gospel of Jesus Christ ours...| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
This beautiful, biblical description of a Christian comes from James Smith in 1856. As you read this pastor’s wise and insightful summary of the Christian life, prayerfully consider — not only whether these words describe you, but — how they may better describe you. May each of us as Christian believers learn Christ’s doctrines better, trust his promises better, and do his will better. If anyone is in Christ — he is a new creature: He is convinced of sin — and mourns over it; he h...| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will to come now. He will come when he has opportunity (1 Corinthians 16:12). Even our very best plans often meet with significant snags. Many variables can conspire to derail our plans, but one in particular often proves a great help or hindrance in our efforts: people. Planning would be so easy if it weren’t for other people with other opinions! Pastoring, marriage, chi...| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Imputation is the act of one person adding something to another person’s account (Genesis 15:6). As believers in Jesus Christ, we have this clear assurance in Scripture: at the cross, our sins were imputed to Christ and Christ’s righteousness was imputed to us. The imputation of sin, as we see in Romans 5:12-15, is the way that God made for us to be saved. Our sin was placed upon Jesus Christ, and his righteousness was given to us, in order that we be saved. The Bible teaches that the hum...| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). The resurrection of Jesus is a pivotal point in human history. And it is, as Paul reminds u| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Not long ago I lead a study on the doctrine of “Glorification” in a systematic theology series for the Baptist Collegiate Ministry at the University of Cincinnati. I was greatly blessed in considering the eventual, promised perfection of the people of God. Yet I was also impressed all over again with the fact that every aspect of our salvation — including even our glorification — is not ultimately about us, but about God. God predestined us for adoption into his family “to the prais...| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit (John 19:30). The phrase Jesus uses here on the cross expressed a business transaction completed: "paid in full." At the heart of trusting in Jesus Christ for salvation is the confidence th| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving (Psalm 69:30). At first glance, the psalmist's declaration may seem strange. How does one "magnify" the omniscient, omnipresent, almighty God who holds the universe in his hand? In other words, how can anyone make an eve| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
If you are a believer, then you are “sanctified”, you are a saint (same root word). The word sanctification means "to set apart for a particular purpose." There is no ceremonial act—not even baptism or the Lord’s Supper—which is needed in order to be saved, or sanctified. This may be confusing, howe| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Grow in Christ as you discover the relevance and sufficiency of God’s Word for daily living.| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Grow in Christ as you discover the relevance and sufficiency of God’s Word for daily living.| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves (2 Corinthians 13:5). Paul's exhortation to be regularly testing the sincerity and purity of your own faith is not given in order to make you doubt your salvation every other day. Faith in Christ is exactly that: faith in Jesu| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture (John 10:9). It is easy and common to skip over this reference of Jesus to himself as the door and jump straight to him as the shepherd (also in this passage in John 10). But pause and consider that Jesus| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Unlike any other of the religions of the world, Christianity is uniquely and entirely dependent upon the historical veracity of its holy book, the Bible. The very narratives and prophecies which make up the majority of its pages, rather than being simply a complement to, are the vitals of what Chris| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). There is a well-known real estate maxim that lists the three most important characteristics of any property: "Location, location, and location." This famous real estate maxim holds true in the Bible, as well. In| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:5). At the heart of the gospel -- at the heart of what happened on the cross to Jesus Christ -- is substitution. It is Jesus tak| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Many people misunderstand the truth of God's omnipotence -- the fact that he has all power. So one might sincerely wonder why the cross of Jesus Christ was necessary. Why didn't God just waive his omnipotent "wand" and make everything okay without his Son having to die? The key is to remember that,| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Although the writing of the Bible spanned some 1,500 years and now even the most recent book of the Bible is almost 2,000 years old, the unashamed contention of historic Christianity is that the Bible is error-free from start to finish. The Bible makes numerous and uncompromising claims as to its ow| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Whether we are consciously aware of it or not, interpretation is part of almost every human’s daily life. Communication would not be possible without a common understanding and means of interpreting. However, even with years of practice, we can all misjudge or misinterpret someone else’s—even our ow| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Grow in Christ as you discover the relevance and sufficiency of God’s Word for daily living.| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
The doctrine of the "perspicuity of Scripture" is a well-known and important teaching within the Christian faith. This doctrine refers to the fact that the Bible is clear, that it communicates perfectly. All scripture is profitable (2 Timothy 3:16). The Bible can be understood by anyone, barring men| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Lead us not into temptation (Luke 11:4). (Today's is the last in a brief series of meditations on the Lord's Prayer.) James says no one can say God has tempted him; this request, then, is for God to keep us from situations where we might fall. It is a recognition of the dangerous, bait-riddled, sin| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Forgive us our sins (Luke 11:4). (We are continuing in our brief series of meditations on the Lord's Prayer.) Jesus teaches us to pray daily (see previous post) for the forgiveness of our sins, assuming (as we ought to) that we have strayed from the mark each day. Sins are sins -- they are not mere| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Give us each day our daily bread (Luke 11:3). (We continue today in our brief series on the Lord's Prayer.) The opening requests that Jesus models for us are about God -- so like God they are majestic, huge, and inspiring. A lesson Jesus clearly means for us to learn in this prayer is that God come| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Your kingdom come (Luke 11:2). In my last post I began a series of brief meditations on the Lord's Prayer. The prayer begins with the request for God's name to be hallowed, followed immediately with the prayer for his kingdom to come. When we ask for God's kingdom to come, we are reminded that not| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name" (Luke 11:2). It is doubtless true that the Lord’s Prayer is routinely abused around the globe every day, mouthed by people who neither think about its meaning, nor would mean it even if they did. This is why Martin Luther referred to the Lord’s Pra| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Paul in Ephesians 1:23 describes the church as the body of Christ. And in Ephesians 2:20 Paul goes on to explain that Jesus Christ himself is the cornerstone of the church. As if this were not enough, Paul further insists in Ephesians 3:10 that the manifold wisdom of God is being made known, through| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
A friend who has recently been reading through David Brainerd's biography shared with me a stirring passage from Brainerd's journal. What motivated this man -- who spent years in sacrifice and service of the gospel, and eventually died an early death for the spread of it -- to continue laboring in t| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
I shared these thoughts at a men's retreat a few years ago, learning from the man whom God himself commended in superlative terms for his meekness, even though he was a great leader. In fact, it is his very meekness which contributed to Moses' great leadership. There are lessons here, then, for ever| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Grow in Christ as you discover the relevance and sufficiency of God’s Word for daily living.| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
"According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it" (1 Corinthians 3:10). Paul emphasizes over and over again that his labors were "according to the grace of God." In other| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Paul, in the middle of a praise-hymn to God in Christ, makes the astounding claim that He is "is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think," because of the power that is working in Christian believers (Ephesians 3:20). God is able! He is able to do what we ask; he is able to do mo| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
“[We have] boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus” (Hebrews 10:19). Access to the holy God who created us is the most precious commodity in the universe. So precious, in fact, that no person can afford it, can purchase it with any amount of money or sacrifice or even personal godli| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding. (Proverbs 9:6) It is interesting how these two things go together: 1) forsaking foolishness, and 2) living wisely. In order to pursue the way of truth, the way of understanding, you must forsake the company of foolish companions. You| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
David Brainerd observed, "The idea that everything would happen exactly as it does regardless of whether we pray or not is a specter that haunts the minds of many who sincerely profess belief in God. It makes prayer psychologically impossible, replacing it with dead ritual at best." The answer to th| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
The question of evil and suffering is never a theoretical one. We all experience real and deep pain and wickedness. However, for the Christian believer (who recognizes there is a God), there are only three logical possibilities for the evil things that happen in this world: 1) God causes them, and t| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
What you sow does not come to life unless it dies (1 Corinthians 15:36). Paul, speaking here in the context of the resurrection of the dead, compares our earthly body to a seed. The seed must be planted, and die, in order for it to eventually become the full-grown plant. Similarly, Paul goes on in t| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
The same Jesus who teaches us to pray our Father in heaven tells us God runs to meet his children who come to him by faith. So even as you run to God today, when you do, Jesus says you will find that God is running to receive you. Take the parable of the prodigal son. In the beginning, the son wants| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. (Psalm 23:2) While it is true that we all have experienced what we might call "a good day" -- when the children are behaving, the sun is shining, our body is healthy, our spouse is agreeable -- these blessings from our benevole| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
The psalmist famously writes: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me" (Psalm 23:4). Francis Schaeffer, in his book The God Who Is There, references a tragic poem found with the body of a 23-yea| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies (1 Corinthians 15:35-36). Paul, in discussing the truth of the general resurrection of the dead, anticipates some possible queries and objection| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes (Psalm 119:71). The psalmist David had felt the deep pain of real affliction, and through it he had come to know God better, through his Word. The cost of coming to know God better was his own comfort, but David says it was wor| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Paul briefly exhorts in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 for believers to "Pray without ceasing." Yet some of us might ask the question: "Why?" Why pray without ceasing? That seems a tall order for busy people who have many life obligations on their plate already. But consider the biblical inducements to prayer| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want (Psalm 23:1). In less than ten words the psalmist David expresses the great confidence and sweet security of every believer: first, that Yahweh alone is Lord; second, that he guides and provides for those who put their trust in him; and, finally, that those| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). Nothing could be more purely practical than this passage, this claim by Jesus! Yes, it is a theological claim, but it should be far more than another point of orthodoxy for us as| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you ... your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything (1 Thessalonians 1:8). Paul, writing to the church at Thessalonica, commends them for their "acoustics." The message they had received was being reverberate| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
In John 10:16 Jesus says, "I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd." When you hear these words, what is your gut reaction? Are you offended that Jesus is just as concerned about homeless people a| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified (1 Corinthians 9:27). Paul, writing to the church at Corinth to correct their problems, confesses that he himself has to be careful to avoid sin. In fact Paul intimates he goes to great le| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Paul tells Timothy to "fight the good fight of faith" (1 Timothy 6:12) and to "wage the good warfare" (1 Timothy 1:18). Clearly conflict is to be part of our Christian life -- but conflict with whom or what? We will search the Scriptures in vain for the idea that the conflict is supposed to be with| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
The book of Revelation is perhaps the most controversial book in the Bible among Christians. Even sincere, Bible-believing Christians seem to come up with more widely varying interpretations of this book than of any other passage or prophecy. The variety and severity of these disagreements can be in| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
While knowledge of the truth is very important, it is possible to put so much emphasis on the letter of it that the application is forgotten. Paul reminds us that knowledge alone just puffs a person up, while knowledge according to love actually builds up. So here is a thought for pastors, especial| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified (Romans 8:30). Here| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know (1 Corinthians 8:1-2). Paul, writing to two groups in the Corinthian church who were split over what to do with idol-food, interestingly does not at first even mention| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground ... Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark (Genesis 7:23). The worldwide Flood is sobering to consider. In Noah's day, at a real point in time in actual history, every person on earth was drowned except the eig| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied" (1 Samuel 17:45). David was victorious over Goliath because he trusted the invisible God wi| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God (Genesis 6:9). In the midst of the Flood narrative, in which we are told that God saw all the world as corrupt and decided to destroy every breathing creature, we read in contrast that Noah was righteous, blameless, and walk| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Our first and primary obligation is certainly to the local church. The Bible is very clear on the fact that we are to financially support those pastors who minister to us spiritual things, by ministering to their physical needs (1 Corinthians 9:7-11; 1 Timothy 5:17-18). The Scripture is equally plai| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Jesus paradoxically describes those as happy who are poverty-stricken in their souls. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3). As upside-down and inside-out as this may sound, if we believe Jesus then we certainly want to know what he is talking about. Wha| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Do not fear, only believe (Mark 5:36). As you read this, you may at this moment be filled with hope and expectation ... or you may be filled with dread and anxiety about the future. Either way, Jesus' simple words to a suffering man speak volumes. Jesus invites us to rest in him, now and always. Bu| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
The appointed time has grown very short ... For the present form of this world is passing away (1 Corinthians 7:29,31). God himself has set the bounds of this universe, and it will not last forever. Therefore, every day that passes is God drawing the earth closer to its eventual and inevitable concl| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus t| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another (Romans 15:14). Paul, writing to everyday and average Christians in the church at Rome, insists that every Christian should be “able to instruct.” Paul| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Now concerning the collection for the saints ... on the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). Paul here instructs the Corinthian church to lay aside funds before he co| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts... (1 Corinthians 14:1). Christians should desire giftedness. Although any spiritual gift is useless unless it is practiced in love (1 Corinthians 13:1-2), Paul exhorts the saints to desire the spiritual gifts. When was the last time you prayed f| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God (1 Corinthians 11:3). As Paul opens a discussion on what is now a controversial topic — that of the wife's submission to her husband — he grounds the whole discussion of su| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain (1 Corinthians 15:1-2). Paul's expression of the Christian gospel in 1 Corinthians 1| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
I was blessed some time ago by Greg Gilbert's book What Is the Gospel? This quote in particular struck me as helpful for Christians to consider, as we contemplate our motivation and message when it comes to evangelism: “Paul insists (in Romans 1) that humanity is not autonomous. We did not create ou| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Did you know that the command "Fear not" is by far the most repeated command in the Bible, across both Testaments? We can so easily paint an inaccurate, unrealistic picture of biblical heroes in our minds. The fact is they, like we, struggled with fear and anxiety about God’s working in their lives.| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
In a worship service in which I recently participated, we sang this beautiful hymn by Charles Wesley. I believe it was my first time to be acquainted with it and the words struck me powerfully. Too little thought is given, and too few messages and songs are devoted, to the marvelous and gospel-cente| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (John 1:41). Have you ever wondered how you can personally participate in world missions, and the advancement of Christ's kingdom, even while you are punching a clock at your 9 to 5 job, or while you are a stay-at-home| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
“All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything (1 Corinthians 6:12). It seems as Paul writes his first letter to the church at Corinth, that the Corinthians were taking Paul’s own words -- his principle of freedom in Christ specifically -- and twisting it to their own sinful| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me (Matthew 25:35-36). In Jesus' famous description of the judgment day in Matthew 25, he desc| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
“Surely I am coming soon.” "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!" - Revelation 22:20 When the ascended Christ promises the apostle John that the Second Coming is imminent, John replies by turning the promise of God into a personal prayer to God. "Lord, you promise that your return is certain and soon-coming; y| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Notice that Paul couches the amazing Christian claim that| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
The Bible is gospel-centered. The Bible is not primarily calling you to be a good person, but to trust in the grace of God to make you good enough for heaven. The Gospel In Both Testaments After describing the wickedness of the earth in Noah's day, the biblical narrator interjects, "But Noah found| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
In studying through a difficult passage of Scripture recently, I came across a quote from Charles Spurgeon that applies to every passage of Scripture: "My love of consistency with my own doctrinal views is not great enough to allow me knowingly to alter a single text of Scripture. I have great respe| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth” (Genesis 11:4). The great sin of the city of Babel is not tower-building, or unified labor toward a societal goal| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
When Queen Esther faces the daunting choice of risking her own life by going before King Ahasuerus or of letting all the Jews in Persia be slaughtered by Haman's order -- Esther's adopted father Mordecai says to her, "Who knows whether you have come here -- to your position, in this place, in this e| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons (Galatians 4:4-5). John Wesley, as a post-graduate at Oxford, was a preacher himself and the son of a preacher. He was orth| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation (Psalm 42:5). Notice that this call to worship comes from David, to David. It is David confronting his own doubting, discouraged heart with the truth of who God is. We may| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
My beloved, flee from idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:14). Idols have a way of disappointing those who trust them. Because only God is God, everyone and anything that we put before God will fail us. Nothing and no one is as strong and faithful and good as God. If your idol is being the best mother, it on| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:4). There is a theological point to make from this verse, because Paul is thanking God for his grace to believers. As he does continually in his letters, Paul is reminding the saint| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Allow me to make one last new year's observation, with the help of George Whitefield. As we enter into this new year, many resolutions will be made regarding better diets and more exercise. But what we need most -- as always -- is to feed on Christ and to exercise ourselves unto godliness. The preem| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
This is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent (John 17:3). It is common, as each year begins, for people to make New Year’s resolutions … which is not a bad practice. As we look back over the past year(s), it is appropriate to wonder if we accomplis| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
The old British divine Matthew Henry refers to the practice of praying God's Word back to God as "wrestling with God in his own strength." For this reason, I love to peruse the Bible for prayers to make my own. And one of my favorite passages to pray is Psalm 25. As we look forward to a new year, I| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
My wife and I were struck by this recent devotion from C.H. Spurgeon's Checkbook of Faith -- so much so, in fact, that we've printed out a copy, framed it, and hope to make it a regular part of our prayer life. Nothing is more potent or refreshing than praying God's promises back to him! From Every| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh (Matthew 2:11) There is a library full of lessons in this single verse of Scripture. From this text, we lear| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn (Luke 2:6-7). Jesus was born when "the time came." The time came, not just for the fulf| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits (Genesis 6:14-15). The Big Boat The dimensions of the ark were about 450 feet long, by| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
A biblical worldview not only enables you to do science well—"Thinking God's thoughts after Him," as Johannes Kepler put it—a biblical worldview enables you to do science with goodness. A great deficiency of secular science is that it ignores the problem of the human condition. The fact is, the Nazi| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
It is required of stewards that they be found faithful (1 Corinthians 4:2) There is a crucial balance represented here. On one hand, stewards only manage things that have been given to their care. A steward is someone who is entrusted with property that is not his or her own. As Paul points out late| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). We have no idea how deeply damaging the unconfessed sin in our life is. But we also cannot imagine how powerful and wise God's forgiveness and cleansing will be. Stop Hidi| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
Puritan pastor Richard Baxter took an old Latin phrase and popularized it in his day, in English. It is simple, but profound: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.” Why was Baxter so concerned to see Christians publicly, charitably, doctrinally unified? Baxter, w| JustinHuffman.org | The Online Home of Pastor Justin Huffman
