In Psalm 32, David expresses a series of ideas that ring with familiarity to anyone who, in an effort to take their faith seriously, has yet sinned and attempted to hide it from God rather than confessing it. In beautiful, accessible poetry, David explores the following ideas:

vv. 1-2 — Realization that forgiveness is far better than guilt
vv. 3-4 — Refusal to confess, and all the problems that come with that
vv. 5-7 — Repentance of sin and the pressure that it relieves from our hearts
vv. 8-9 — Reform: the teaching that God gave David to help him change of the better
vv. 10-11 — Reward that comes from confessing and claiming freedom

The beginning of each new school year is a milestone moment in the lives of students and teachers.  And at that milestone, it's good to be reminded of some principles for godly living that will help us in the upcoming stage of the journey. This message pulls four principles out Moses' sermons in Deuteronomy that will help anybody who's going back to school to make the most of the school year as they try to live out their faith.

One of the most important parts of my work in preaching for a congregation over time is planning what to preach and teach. This helps to create a balanced diet of Bible teaching: covering topics of perpetual importance while also having enough variety to cover "the whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27).

In the episode, I made reference to my personal planning method. You an click here to download an example of the type of calendar that I use.

Jesus made a promise to Peter with these words: "I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it." (Matt. 16:18) The promise is that his kingdom will stand, and it will thrive forever—as long as there are those who seek him through the word. How would Christians behave differently if we truly believed that promise?

Thanks for listening to Hold Up The Book, season 1. There will be a 1-month break of episodes in July 2023, and then we'll resume episodes — new ones and TBT's — around the first Sunday of August.

I really appreciate those of you who've helped and encouraged me in this effort!

Miriam, the sister of Moses, teaches us some important character lessons through the narrative of her experience with God and throughout the Israelites' experience of leaving Egypt.

This sermon talks about some of the hallmarks of the church in Jerusalem — the first group of saints who'd been saved by faith in Jesus. Their faithfulness is a model for every church in every time and place, regardless of the size of church that we are.

If we believe that God is the king of our lives, then we'd better treat him as king, which means that we must respect his authority and simply do what he says.

For Father's Day, this message reminds all of us to have high expectations for Christian fathers. Whether you're a dad, a mom, or even a Christian who isn't raising any kids... this message reminds all of us of some of the God-given responsibilities of dads who are called by God to, "bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" (Eph. 6:4).

The story of Samson is messy. Morally, he's all over the map: breaking vows to God, murdering and stealing, complaining against God, lying, and marrying non-Israelite women on multiple occasions. So how is it that he's considered a heroic figure in the overall plan of God to redeem his people? It's because GOD is the one who gains a victory, even if it comes through the actions of a morally confusing character like Samson.