Category: Podcast

This is the Love of God

Cary Cox, from 1 John 4:9-10. What does it mean that God is love? How can we know that God loves us? John answers these questions. God’s love is clearly displayed through the gospel – his sending of his unique, eternal Son, Jesus Christ, into the world, to deal with our sins and give us life!

God is Love so Love the Church

Cary Cox, from 1 John 4:7-8. John commands the church to love the church, but not in our own strength. God is love by nature, and his love flows to us in the gospel! As we rest in God’s love, we are enabled to love one another.

Test the Spirits

Cary Cox, from 1 John 4:1-6. John calls the church to discernment. There is a spirit at work behind everyone who speaks to us, and not every spirit is from God! We test the spirits by looking at the doctrine of the one speaking – what do they say about Jesus? Do they hold to the historic, apostolic teaching of Christianity? Is their message the same as what the world is saying?

God is Greater than Our Heart

Cary Cox, from 1 John 3:19-24. What do we do when our heart condemns us? When we wrestle with shame and guilt and fear and baggage? We take it to God! John shows us how to work through our issues so we can have confidence in God’s presence. We look at the evidence of God’s grace in our lives. But above all, we look to God himself, and preach his truth to our hearts. God’s word trumps the feelings and opinions of our unreliable heart.

How Should We Love the Church

Cary Cox, from 1 John 3:16-18. In clear and bold language, the apostle John teaches that believers must love one another in the church with the same voluntary, self-sacrificial love that Jesus showed when he laid down his life for us on the cross! What would this look like in real life in a local church?

God’s Children Love One Another

Cary Cox, from 1 John 3:11-15. The apostle John now turns to the evidence of Love. If we are God’s children, truly born again, we will show it by loving our brothers and sisters, our church family. God’s children love one another. They just do. If you don’t, you still belong to the devil, John says. It’s easy to embrace a lofty ideal of love, but it’s much more difficult to actually love real, imperfect people in a visible, local church for about 80 years! But this is what God calls us to do in Christ.

The Difference Jesus Makes

Cary Cox, from 1 John 3:7-10. Why did Jesus come into the world as a Man? He appeared to destroy the works of the devil! He came to end the great war that was running through the pages of the Bible; to crush the serpent’s head! His accomplishment at the cross is applied to us in the new birth, as God miraculously transforms us from the inside out!

He Appeared to Take Away Sins

Cary Cox, from 1 John 3:4-6. Why did Jesus come to earth as a Man in the incarnation? John says he came to take away sins! Jesus is the sinless Son of God who took away the sins of his people at the cross, and gives us power to walk in victory over sin in this life!

A Future Glory to be Expected

Cary Cox, from 1 John 2:28-3:3. We who are genuine believers in Christ are the children of God! We not only show this family resemblance in the way we live now, but John the apostle teaches us here that there is a future aspect of our adoption: Jesus will return visibly, and we will be like him when we see him as he is! We will be transformed in glory!

A Family Resemblance to be Displayed

Cary Cox, from 1 John 2:28-3:3. John teaches that those who are genuine believers and, therefore, children of God, will bear the resemblance of God, their Father. Our lives will show that we belong to him!

A Defining Fact to be Celebrated

Cary Cox, from 1 John 2:28-3:3. Children of God Part 1. The apostle John sets this truth before us, as a feast for the soul. He wants us to see and believe and celebrate this glorious fact – that genuine Christians are children of God! This truth defines our identity!

The Test of Doctrine Part 2

Cary Cox, from 1 John 2:18-27. John describes 5 things that are true of real believers. We have the Holy Spirit, who works in us to confirm the truth of the gospel. Christians must stand firm on the gospel, continuing in the faith!

The Test of Doctrine Part 1

Cary Cox, from 1 John 2:18-27. John introduces another test to help us know who is a true believer and who is fake. The test of doctrine means that true believers will hold to the true, apostolic gospel. They will stand on the word of God, in the true church. John says that antichrists are already here, warring against the church and denying God’s word.

Encouragement for True Believers

Cary Cox, from 1 John 2:12-14. John pauses to remind the true believers, the ones still standing in the church on the true gospel, who they are and what they have in Christ! We are forgiven! We know the Father! We have overcome the evil one by his word!

The Test of Love

Cary Cox, from 1 John 2:7-11. John applies the test of love to determine if one is a true Christian. With Jesus’ coming into the earth, the light has exploded into this dark world, and is slowly spreading through his people. God’s light of love is shown in Christ, and in his church, as we love our brothers and sisters! Those who fail to selflessly consider their fellow believers show themselves to be false Christians.

The Test of Obedience

Cary Cox, from 1 John 2:3-6. There is such a thing as a fake Christian. How can we know if we are genuine? John gives us the test of obedience. A lifestyle of obedience is evidence that we know God. An attitude of obedience toward the Bible shows we love God. Becoming more like Jesus shows we are in Christ.

If You Sin

Cary Cox, from 1 John 2:1-2. What do Christians do when we sin? John helps believers think rightly about the issue of sin. Don’t sin! But if you do, we have Jesus! He is our advocate before the Father, and the propitiation for our sins!

Confess Your Sins

Cary Cox, from 1 John 1:8-10. John the apostle is correcting false teaching about God and Sin. True Christianity does not teach us to embrace sin, or to deny sin, but to confess our sin! There is cleansing from sin through the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Walk in God’s Light

Cary Cox, from 1 John 1:5-7. John clarifies true Christianity for hurting churches under attack from false teachers. He shows us God’s nature as light, and corrects false understandings about sin: we cannot live in a lifestyle of sin and know the God who is light!

Begin with Jesus

Cary Cox, from 1 John 1:1-4. John begins his letter by pointing hurting Christians and struggling churches to the doctrine of the incarnation of Jesus Christ! Jesus always existed as God, and became a Man in order to give us eternal life and fellowship with God and his church. The apostles are eyewitnesses who point us to the glorious truth of Jesus!

John’s Word to the Church

Cary Cox from 1 John. An overview of the book of 1 John. The apostle clarifies the difference between a true Christian and a fake. He calls the church back to the basics: believe right, live right, and love right!

Enduring Through Hardships

Clint Pitman, from Hebrews 12:3-13. In times of suffering we are tempted to give up on the faith. God’s word encourages us to look to Jesus in our suffering and to think about it rightly, as loving discipline from our Father, for our good.

Healing and Hope

Cary Cox, from Genesis 50. Genesis ends with Joseph forgiving his brothers because of his faith in God! It ends with Joseph preaching a sermon to his family about the sovereignty of God! And it ends with God’s people, far from the promised land, waiting in faith for God to visit them and fulfill his word! Like them, we are also far from our home, waiting in faith and anchoring our hope in the word of the sovereign God!

The Blessing Remains

Cary Cox, from Genesis 49. On his deathbed, Jacob has one final act of faith. He summons his sons and blesses them, ministering to them, speaking the true words of God to them concerning their lives and future. The blessing of God on mankind remains, and Genesis has traced its location to this point – the nation of Israel! Christ the King will come from Judah’s tribe and bring blessing and salvation!

Finishing with Faith

Cary Cox, from Genesis 47:28-31 and Ch48. On his deathbed, Jacob demonstrates faith that perseveres to the end! He talks to his family about God and prepares the next generation to continue in the faith after his death. Here is spiritual leadership. Here is our call to family worship. Here is putting the Lord as the first priority of our household. May we finish with faith!

Faithful Servant and Savior

Cary Cox, from Genesis 46:31-34 and 47:1-27. Joseph is in action, presented here as a good and faithful servant and a God-sent savior. God is working through his servant to bless Israel and also the nations! We are saved to serve the Lord!

The Surprising Plan of God

Cary Cox, from Genesis 46:1-30. God lets Jacob know that it is his purpose for him to go down to Egypt – even though we know that this will result in 400 years of slavery! God’s plan is often surprising. What we think are detours are part of his plan!

The God-Sent Savior

Cary Cox, from Genesis 45. Joseph reveals himself to his brothers, and teaches them a theology lesson about the sovereignty of God! It is Joseph’s beliefs about God that shape his treatment of his brothers and enables him to forgive them!

The Ongoing Work of God

Cary Cox, from Genesis 43 and 44. God continues to work in the hearts of Joseph’s brothers, leading them to repentance. The brothers are growing and maturing and responding to God. There is hope for sinners because of the work of God’s grace!

Dealing with Sin

Cary Cox, from Genesis 42. After over 20 years, Joseph’s brothers stand before him! Joseph tests his brothers, and through his tests, God softens their hearts and deals with their sin. The Lord loves us so much that he leads us to repentance, and deals with our sins once and for all in Christ!

God Humbles and Exalts

Cary Cox, from Genesis 41. After years of being humbled, in just one moment Joseph was raised to power over Egypt by God! See the sovereignty of God over individuals and nations! See the faithfulness of God to his promises! And see our responsibility to serve faithfully in whatever situation the Lord unfolds in our lives.

Faithfulness in the Ordinary

Cary Cox, from Genesis 40. Joseph is in prison but he is still serving God faithfully, even in the little things – ministering to people and testifying about God. The assignment may look small and insignificant, but when we do all to the glory of God, everything we do has purpose and significance. Christ also was faithful in small looking assignments, serving the poor and weak, even when he was weary, with all his heart – and all the way to the cross! Faithfulness in the ordinary is extraordinary!

Faithfulness in the Test

Cary Cox, from Genesis 39. Joseph’s life seems to be falling apart, and yet God is at work, showing faithfulness to Joseph. In a moment of great temptation, Joseph stands on God’s word, and shows faithfulness to the Lord!

Hope for Sinners

Cary Cox, from Genesis 38. The story of Judah highlights his great fall into sin and spiritual decay. This man with a destiny to lead the tribes of Israel must first fall to the end of himself and be humbled, before God transforms him through his amazing grace! There is hope for even great sinners through Jesus Christ – the lion of the tribe of Judah!

Hope in the Sovereign God

Cary Cox, from Genesis 37. The story of Joseph shows us that God is sovereign over all things, without exception. And this means that our hope is always secure, without exception! The sins of Joseph’s brothers and the sufferings of Joseph could not stop the sovereign plan of God, but could only serve that plan. God works in his chosen, fallen, broken family to rescue Israel from starvation – and ultimately bring salvation from sin through Jesus Christ!

Psalm 90 – Living in the Light of God

Cary Cox, from Psalm 90. This psalm puts two giant truths in front of us: the ‘bigness’ or eternity of God, and the ‘smallness’ or finiteness of man. We are called to live our lives in light of these 2 truths. Our time on earth is short, and our days are numbered. But God transcends time itself! He is our help and our hope! Think on this, and get a heart of wisdom.

Hope in the Heartache

Cary Cox, from Genesis 35:16-29 and ch36. God has revived Jacob, who is now leading his family and walking with God again. But, even though Jacob is doing what is right, he still faces wave after wave of sorrow. God leads his beloved people along the path of suffering because he loves us. He teaches us and transforms us, drawing us close to him. There is still blessing in the brokenness, and there is always hope in our heartache!

God Revives His People

Cary Cox, from Genesis 35:1-15. In spite of Jacob’s fears and failures, God revives him through his word! Jacob shows us in this passage what spiritual leadership looks like. He proclaims God’s word to his household and leads them in repentance and preparation for worship!

In My Sorrow I Cry to God

Cary Cox, from Psalm 88. The saddest psalm in the Bible instructs God’s people who are discouraged, depressed, or suffering. What do believers do when faced with extreme sorrow? There is hope in God!

In This Broken World

Cary Cox, from Genesis 34. When Jacob’s daughter is abused, his sons get revenge. As God continues to unfold his plan through this flawed family, we learn two big truths about life in this broken world: God’s people can still suffer, and God’s people can still sin. But in it all, Christ is our hope!

Jacob Faces Esau

Cary Cox, from Genesis 32 and 33. As Jacob prepares to reunite with his brother, Esau, God continues to both bless and break Jacob. God is teaching him to lean on God in faith, rather than self-reliance. This is the heart of Christian discipleship. Not us, but Christ in us!

The Invisible Hand of Providence

Cary Cox, from Genesis 31. At the end of his 20 years in Haran with Laban, Jacob looks on that time and interprets what God was doing in his life. With eyes of faith, he saw the invisible hand of God’s providence in his life. We must learn to interpret reality rightly, viewing the world through the lens of God’s word!

Blessing and Brokenness

Cary Cox, from Genesis 29-30. Jacob is far away from home for 20 years. During this time, God is blessing Jacob and God is breaking Jacob. God is prospering him to become the nation of Israel, and God is purifying him, dealing with his character. God’s blessings come in the context of brokenness, and through Christ’s brokenness on the cross, the greatest blessing of all is ours!

The Ladder to Heaven

Cary Cox, from Genesis 28:10-22. Jacob is on the run for his life! He has sinned. Failed. But in his weakness, God appears to him in great grace, and gives to him the promise of the blessing of Abraham! Christ is the ladder to heaven Jacob saw in his dream!

Sin and Sovereignty-The Blessing of Jacob

Cary Cox, from Genesis 26:34-28:9. Isaac’s family has disintegrated into sin and chaos! But God is at work in spite of them, and even through their sins, to unfold his sovereign plan of salvation for the world.

Like Father Like Son

Cary Cox, from Genesis 26. The text presents Isaac’s life as a parallel with Abraham’s. Isaac is walking in the footsteps of his father’s faith. He is like his dad, even in his father’s sins and mistakes. But he also enjoys the same grace of his father’s God! Christ also shows us his Father!

Through the Struggle Part 2

Cary Cox, from Genesis 25:24-34. Isaac and Rebekah struggled, but now the struggle continues in the lives of their boys. Jacob and Esau portray the struggle between the serpent’s line and the offspring of the woman. Esau shows himself to be blind to the things of God. He despises what God loves.

Through the Struggle

Cary Cox, from Genesis 25:1-26. As Abraham dies, God continues to work out his plan of blessing and salvation through Isaac and Rebekah. They must have faith in God through their struggles. God wants us to know that he will bring salvation, not us. He will do it his way, in his power, in his timing, for his glory!