Archive for the Gospel Category


Jan 23

Wrong Reasons to Love the Church

2010 | by Zach Nielsen | Category: Gospel,Meditation,Quote,The Church

Josh Harris:

Acts 20:28 tells us that Jesus obtained the church with his own blood. Is this what your love for the church is based on? If it’s anything less than it won’t last.

  • Don’t love the church because of what it does for you. Because sooner or later it won’t do enough.
  • Don’t love the church because of a leader. Because human leaders are fallible and will let you down.
  • Don’t love the church because of a program or a building or activities because all those things get old.
  • Don’t love the church because of a certain group of friends because friendships change and people move.

Love the church because of who shed his blood to obtain the church. Love the church because of who the church belongs to. Love the church because of who the church worships. Love the church because you love Jesus Christ and his glory. Love the church because Jesus is worthy and faithful and true. Love the church because Jesus loves the church.

(HT:  Pure Church)

Jan 7

10 Points about the New Birth

2010 | by Parker Landis | Category: Gospel

Check out this helpful summary of spiritual new birth in chapters 3 and 4 of John Piper’s book, Finally Alive.

1. Apart from the new birth, we are dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1–2).

2. Apart from the new birth, we are by nature children of wrath (Eph. 2:3).

3. Apart from the new birth, we love darkness and hate the light (John 3:19–20).

4. Apart from the new birth, our hearts are hard like stone (Ezek. 36:26; Eph. 4:18).

5. Apart from the new birth, we are unable to submit to God or please God (Rom. 8:7–8).

6. Apart from the new birth, we are unable to accept the gospel (Eph. 4:18; 1 Cor. 2:14).

7. Apart from the new birth, we are unable to come to Christ or embrace him as Lord (John 6:44, 65; 1 Cor. 12:3).

8. Apart from the new birth, we are slaves to sin (Rom. 6:17).

9. Apart from the new birth, we are slaves of Satan (Eph. 2:1–2; 2 Tim. 2:24–26).

10. Apart from the new birth, no good thing dwells in us (Rom. 7:18).

To read more, you can download the entire book as a PDF or watch/read/listen to the sermons that inspired the book.

Nov 2

Adoption Ministry

2009 | by Parker Landis | Category: Gospel

The Adoption Ministry has created a new page on DSC’s website to provide information about adoption and how to get involved with the Adoption Ministry at DSC.  This includes:

Also, make sure to listen to Zach Nielsen’s sermon from Adoption Sunday on Our Adoption in Christ.

Aug 17

B.B. Warfield on Justification by Faith

2009 | by Ryan Kelly | Category: Gospel,Quote

Warfield explains that our only hope is outside of ourselves. Our hope is not in our works, and it is also not in our faith. Our hope is in Christ alone, and that is faith!

Sometimes we are told that Justification by Faith is “out of date.” That would be a pity, if it were true. What it would mean would be that the way of salvation was closed and “no thoroughfare” nailed up over the barriers. There is no justification for sinful men except by faith. The works of a sinful man will, of course, be as sinful as he is, and nothing but condemnation can be built upon them. Where can he get works upon which he can found his hope of justification, except from Another? His hope of Justification, remember – that is, of being pronounced righteous by God. Can God pronounce him righteous except on the ground of works that are righteous? Where can a sinful man get works that are righteous? Surely, not from himself; for, he is a sinner, and all his works as sinful as he is. He must go out of himself, then, to find works which he can offer to God as righteous. And where will he find such works except in Christ? Or how will he make them his own except by faith in Christ?

Justification by Faith, we see, is not to be set in contradiction to justification by Works. It is set in contradiction only to justification by our Own Works. It is justification by Christ’s Works. The whole question, accordingly, is whether we can hope to be received into God’s favor on the ground of what we do ourselves, or only on the ground of what Christ does for us…. Justification by Faith means, that is to say, that we look to Christ and him alone for salvation, and come to God pleading Christ’s death and righteousness as the ground of our hope to be received into his favor. If Justification by Faith is out of date, that means, then, that salvation by Christ is out of date. …

Justification by Faith does not mean, then, salvation by believing instead of by doing right. It means pleading the merits of Christ before the throne of grace instead of our own merits.

In Selected Shorter Writings, vol. 1, pp. 283-84.

HT: Darryl Hart

Jul 19

Understanding Micah

2009 | by Parker Landis | Category: Gospel

Preaching through Micah was a blessing and a challenge to me.  The most encouraging comment (which I heard repeatedly) was that people were reading through Micah during the week and loving it.  However, I know that it can be quite difficult to understand Micah, so I wanted to share a few resources.

The first book (which Ryan has mentioned before) is called God’s Big Picture, by Vaughn Roberts.  This book explains how we fit the Old Testament and New Testament stories together.  Beginning with Eden and moving through the exodus, the kingdom of Israel, Jesus Christ, and his eventual return, this book surveys the major events in the Bible and shows how God was establishing His people, in His place, under His rule and blessing.  At 150 pages, it is a simple and short introduction, but still very helpful.  You can purchase it online through the link above, or at DSC’s resource center.

One resource that I mentioned during the first message is the ESV Study Bible.  Like most study bibles, it includes explanatory footnotes on difficult texts and helpful background material (historical, cultural, literary) on each book.  However, two things set this study bible apart from all others.  First, the ESV Study Bible has nearly 200 extra pages (in small print, nonetheless!) of practical, beneficial, and timely articles, including such topics as the reliability of the old and new testaments, Reading the Bible for Personal Application, and The Bible and Other World Religions (Islam, Judaism, Roman Catholicism, etc.).  The second reason that I choose this study bible is because I think they have drawn from the best group of scholars and pastors available today.  This is a very trustworthy group of authors.  Again, you can purchase a copy at DSC’s resource center or at the link above.

The final set of resources are commentaries which are more narrowly focused on Micah.  The first one is a short, non-technical, practical commentary from “The Bible Speaks Today” series.  It is written by by David Prior and includes commentary on Joel and Habakkuk as well as Micah.  You can purchase it here.

The commentary that I used while studying through Micah is slightly more technical (although you don’t have to know Hebrew) but is still very pastoral and has some extremely insightful application points weaved in with the rest of the commentary.  Like the previous book, this one also includes commentary on two other books.  It is from the Tyndale Old Testament Commentary series, and you can purchase a copy here.