Category: Podcast

Baptism and Salvation

Cary Cox, from 1 Peter 3:18-22. Peter reminds suffering Christians of their baptism, which is an appeal to God, an outward, public, official expression of the inward heart of faith in Christ. We share in Jesus’ death to sin and his triumph over the grave and every enemy!

The Triumph of Christ

Cary Cox, from 1 Peter 3:18-22. What does Peter mean when he writes that Jesus went and preached to the spirits in prison? Though there is some mystery here, Peter’s point is clear – Jesus has accomplished and proclaimed triumph over all the enemies of God through his death, resurrection, and ascension to glory!

Christ Also Suffered

Cary Cox, from 1 Peter 3:18-22. Peter gives suffering Christians the ultimate encouragement: Christ also suffered! He died for our sins. He rose from the dead – suffering is not final! And he ascended to the highest place of glory in triumph over every enemy!

The Purpose of the Incarnation

Cary Cox, from 1 Timothy 1:12-17. Why did Jesus come into the world? Why was it necessary for him to take on flesh and come as a real man? Paul answers – Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners!

The Event of the Incarnation

Cary Cox, from John 1. What is the incarnation of Jesus Christ, and why does it matter? What does it show us? We look at the pre-existence of Jesus, his coming to earth, his deity, his humanity, his humility, and his love!

Certainty Concerning Christ’s Incarnation

Mickey McCall, from Luke 1:26-38. The angelic announcement to Mary about her conception and birth of Jesus Christ answers questions and gives us certainty about Jesus’ coming into the world as the Son of God.

Do Good and Suffer Part 2

Cary Cox, from 1 Peter 3:13-17. Peter helps Christians by showing us what to believe and how to live when we experience suffering and pain in this life.

Do Good and Suffer Part 1

Cary Cox, from 1 Peter 3:8-12. Peter calls Christians to self-denial in relationships; to embrace suffering and even bad treatment from other people, while continuing to do good and trust God. We treat others the way God has treated us in Christ!

Marriage and the Gospel

Cary Cox, from 1 Peter 3:1-7. Peter instructs Christian wives and husbands in how they should treat each other as we live before a watching world of unbelievers. The gospel transforms who we are and how we live. Each spouse must willingly embrace the humble mindset of Christ.

Christ is the Key

Cary Cox, from 1 Peter 2:21-25. Right in the middle of his instructions for how believers should live in this sinful world, Peter pauses to just set Jesus Christ before our eyes! Christ himself is the key to the whole thing. We cannot live the life God requires apart from Christ, who is our Standard, our Savior, and our Shepherd!

The Way of the Cross

Cary Cox, from 1 Peter 2:18-23. In giving instructions to Christians who are slaves, Peter teaches a principle of the Christian life that applies to all believers. We are called to embrace humility and unjust suffering as we live for the glory of God – just as Jesus did!

Christians and Government

Cary Cox, from 1 Peter 2:13-17. Peter calls the church to live in an honorable way before a watching world, beginning with our politics. Believers are commanded to voluntarily submit ourselves to the authorities in each culture, including government leaders. We give respect and humble obedience to authorities, for the glory of God and the witness of the church.

The Behavior of the Church

Cary Cox, from 1 Peter 2:11-12. Peter shifts from the church’s identity in Christ, to the church’s behavior in this fallen world. How should we live? We are called abstain from deadly sins within, and to live with visible, honorable conduct without, even when this world is against us. All for the glory of God and the good of people!

The Glory of Christ’s Church Pt2

Cary Cox, from 1 Peter 2:7-10. Peter encourages the persecuted church by reminding us of who we are in Christ. Though the unbelieving world appears powerful, and the church currently appears weak, ultimate shame is coming to those who reject Christ, and ultimate honor and glory to the church!

The Glory of Christ’s Church Part 1

Cary Cox, from 1 Peter 2:4-7a. Peter encourages suffering Christians by reminding us of our identity in Christ. We are united to Christ! The church is the new, spiritual temple of God on this earth! Never forget the glory of what we are building together in him.

Grow Up into Salvation

Cary Cox, from 1 Peter 2:1-3. Peter calls believers to grow up and mature in this salvation we have in Christ. We grow in our love by putting away sins that kill community. We grow up in the truth of God’s word, craving it like a baby craves its mother’s milk. And we grow in our experience with Christ himself – tasting, experiencing the goodness of the Lord!

You Were Born Again

Cary Cox, from 1 Peter 1:23-25. What does it mean to be born again? How do we experience the rebirth? Peter sets this spiritual experience before our eyes, showing us that we are reborn for the purpose of loving our church family, and we are reborn through the preaching of God’s word, the gospel of Christ!

Love One Another Earnestly

Cary Cox, from 1 Peter 1:22. Peter commands the church to show real, fervent love to each other. This love is a miraculous love from God, put in our hearts at our conversion to Christ. Since we have this love, let us give ourselves wholly to loving the brothers and sisters!

The Certainty of Our Hope

Cary Cox, from 1 Peter 1:20-21. Here is a dose of practical encouragement for believers! Because our salvation in Christ is absolutely certain, our hope is also certain when we rest in the accomplishment of Christ – even though we live in a difficult and evil world. Set your hope in Jesus!

How to Live in Exile

Cary Cox, from 1 Peter 1:17-19. Peter shows us how Christians are to live while we are in this exile, far from our heavenly home. Our mindset helps us live with holiness and hope: remembering that God is our Father, He is the Judge, and He is our Savior!

Be Holy

Cary Cox, from 1 Peter 1:14-16. Peter commands believers to be holy, because God is holy. We were not holy. God made us part of his holy people through conversion to Christ. And now he calls us to walk out that holiness as we live in a hostile world.

Setting Our Hope

Cary Cox, from 1 Peter 1:13. Peter transitions to the commands of his letter. We look at how the commands of Scripture are grounded in truth to believe. Peter shows us how to focus our minds on the Lord, and calls us to set our hope in the glory that is coming when Jesus returns!

Concerning this Salvation

Cary Cox, from 1 Peter 1:10-12. Peter explains that the prophets who wrote the Old Testament wrote by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and predicted the sufferings and glories of Jesus Christ! Now this same Holy Spirit anoints the preaching of the gospel of Jesus! Believers can be encouraged in our suffering because of this salvation!

Suffering with Joy

Cary Cox, from 1 Peter 1:6-9. Peter explains that Christians have a deep and spiritual joy in Jesus Christ, even when we are experiencing pain and suffering! He gives us a biblical perspective on suffering, so that we can endure with joy while we wait for the coming glory!

Believers Are Born Again

Cary Cox, from 1 Peter 1:3-5. The apostle Peter encourages hurting believers by directing our praise to God, and by reminding us who we are and what we have in the Lord. We are born again! We have a real hope! We have a sure inheritance in Christ! We are guarded by God until the end!

Set Apart to God

Cary Cox, from 1 Peter 1:1-2. Peter gives believers hope by reminding us who we are! He points us to what the Father, the Spirit, and the Son have done for us, to mark us off from the world as the special people of God! We are his!

Chosen, Known, and Loved

Cary Cox, from 1 Peter 1:1-2. We can stand firm in a hostile world as believers in Christ because we are the elect, God’s chosen people, according to the Father’s foreknowledge. What is God’s foreknowledge? We look at what it is not, and what it is, biblically. God sets his love and affection on us in Christ before the foundation of the world! Therefore, we have hope!

Remember Who We Are

Cary Cox, from 1 Peter 1:1. Peter gives us his whole letter in his first verse. What is our identity as Christians? We are the chosen and beloved people of God, yet we live out the faith in a fallen world that is hostile to God and his people. We are foreigners and aliens here. In Christ, we must stand firm!

The Final Call

Cary Cox, from Malachi 4:4-6. The final prophecy of the Old Testament points to Jesus in a unique way. Moses and Elijah – all the law and the prophets – are fulfilled in Christ! We need God’s word and transformed hearts, which he gives us through what Christ has done.

Why Bother to Serve God?

Cary Cox, from Malachi 3:13-4:3. The wicked are talking, saying that it is useless to serve God. They get nothing out of it, see no value in the Lord. The righteous are also talking. They honor God’s name. The Lord is also talking! He promises fiery judgment on the wicked, and glory for his people!

The Unchanging Generous God

Cary Cox, from Malachi 3:6-12. The Lord confronts Israel for their failure to honor the covenant in regard to their tithes. God is the unchanging, generous God, who gave his Son for us! He calls his people to honor him with our money. Generous giving is an act of worship!

The Lord is Coming Part 2

Cary Cox, from Malachi 2:17-3:5. God has told his people that he is coming to them. But now he clarifies that this might not be as fun as they think. When he comes, he will painfully purify his people, and he will judge the wicked.

The Lord is Coming

Cary Cox, from Malachi 2:17-3:1. The Lord confronts his people for their sinful speech against God. But, in the process, he gives them an amazing promise that he is coming to them! We see how this prophecy is fulfilled in the coming of Jesus Christ.

God Rebukes the Priests

Cary Cox, from Malachi 2:1-9. The Lord speaks through Malachi to the priests of Israel. They are responsible to God for the disobedient, heartless worship of God’s people. God gives leaders to his people, and he holds those leaders accountable! God desires his leaders to preach truth, turn the people from sin, and honor God from the heart.

Great Among the Nations

Cary Cox, from Malachi 1:11. In Malachi 1, God is not only correcting Israel’s worship; He is also hinting of major changes coming! His name will be great among the nations! People will worship him by name in every corner of the earth!

Where is My Honor

Cary Cox, from Malachi 1:6-14. The Lord confronts his people over their half-hearted, lazy, and unscriptural worship. God will not simply take whatever worship he can get; he demands the glory and honor he deserves! He is a great King, and his name will be honored and feared!

Chosen and Loved

Cary Cox, from Malachi 1:1-5. Before God confronts his people with their sins, he first affirms his ongoing covenant love to them! Malachi reminds the people of God’s sovereign choice of Jacob over Esau, and of God’s unfolding plan that is consistent with his sovereign purpose. He will not quit on his people!

The Worship God Demands

Cary Cox, from Malachi 1:1. We introduce the book of Malachi by walking through the entire story of the Old Testament. See how the story unfolds! See our ongoing weakness and sin, but see the Lord’s ongoing faithfulness to his promises and his people! See how the story centers on Christ! God is glorious, and he calls his people to worship him rightly.

Christian Confidence Part 2

Cary Cox, from 1 John 5:16-21. John concludes his letter by calling the hurting churches to confidence in Jesus Christ and his gospel! Everything else is just idols – all other ground is sinking sand!

Christian Confidence Part 1

Cary Cox, from 1 John 5:13-15. John calls believers to confidence – we can know that we have eternal life, right now! And this assurance spills over into boldness as we walk with God in prayer, learning to pray according to his will.

Hope in the Life-Giving God

Cary Cox, from Romans 4:16-25. Because God raised Jesus from the dead, believers have a real hope as we face impossible circumstances in this life, and a hope that goes beyond the grave!

Draw Near with Confidence

Clint Pitman, from Hebrews 4:16. Clint unpacks this call for believers to draw near to God with confidence, based on the work of Christ! These words are like medicine to the Christians’ soul. God loves us! He wants us near him!

God’s Testimony About Jesus

Cary Cox, from 1 John 5:6-12. The apostle John corrects false teaching that minimizes the blood of Jesus. Without the preaching of the cross of Christ, we have no gospel! And John points us to the simple testimony of God about Jesus: eternal life is in the Son of God!

Recognizing the Children of God

Cary Cox, from 1 John 5:1-5. What does a real, born-again, child of God look like? John brings all his tests and evidences together to show us a complete picture of the genuine Christian. Someone who has experienced the new birth will believe the truth about Jesus, will love God and his people, and will obey the commands of Scripture. And they will experience the victory of Jesus over this sinful world!

Love at Work in the Church

Cary Cox, from 1 John 4:17-21. John shows us some of the things God’s love accomplishes in our lives as it works among us in the local church. What does love do? It removes our fear of God’s wrath and judgment! It reminds us that he loved us first – we are loved! And it reveals that we are not liars, but that we genuinely love God.

A Love Relationship with God

Cary Cox, from 1 John 4:13-16. John focuses on the glorious reality that believers have a love relationship with God through the gospel: we abide in him, and he abides in us! We are welcomed into the fellowship of the Trinity!

God’s Love at Work in Us

Cary Cox, from 1 John 4:11-12. It is God’s will for the amazing love he showed at the cross to be duplicated in the daily life of local churches! We who have received his love must now give his love to one another. And John teaches that, when the church is loving each other with God’s love, the invisible God is present among us and revealed in our love!