Posts by Larry Lazarus

On the heels of last week’s sermon from Amos 7-9 ...

In his 2017 book, 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You, author Tony Reinke writes: ...

At our evening service on June 4th, I shared on behalf of the elders our decision to merge our two worship services together and meet each Sunday morning for one service, at 10 AM, beginning on June 25th....

Last Sunday we began a 9-week series of messages in which we are considering a revised membership covenant that all current members will, Lord willing, affirm at the end of the series and then re-commit to. I said in the sermon that I would post the covenant online for those who did not receive a paper copy. ...

Preaching on Psalm 119 this past week was a very rich experience for me. By God’s grace, studying the Scriptures in preparing to preach is something I deeply enjoy. But I can recall few times where I have been more moved and impacted personally by the text I am studying than I was this past week from exploring Psalm 119 in its entirety....

Two Years ago I preached a sermon from the book of Philippians on working out a gospel culture at Joy Community Fellowship. One of the men who has been instrumental in my thinking about the idea of a gospel culture is Ray Ortlund, lead pastor of Immanuel Church in Nashville Tennessee....

“The splendor (or, beauty, KJV) of holiness,” is a remarkable phrase. These are not words that many people ...

Back on May 22nd, I preached from Hebrews 10:1-18. In the passage, the writer quoted from Psalm 40 to describe the offering of Christ which has done away with the need for the animal sacrifices under the Old Covenant. Here are the verses from Hebrews 10 (verses 5-10):...

During last Sunday's service, I led a responsive reading based on Exodus 34:6-7. As I read those two verses before the responsive reading, I was struck by the words at the end of verse 7, that God "visits the iniquity of the fathers on the children and children's children, to the third and fourth generation." It was not mentioned in the responsive reading, but I wondered i...

The following is a liturgy based on William Bridge’s A Lifting Up For The Downcast (1648), in which Bridge uses God’s self-revelation in Exodus 34 to deconstruct the objections we raise against God’s grace. There is no more wonderful question than, "Who is God?", especially in relation to compulsive sinners. Exodus 34 is God’s own answer to that question. Here is t...

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 is a very familiar passage, that makes a very powerful point: God rules over all the times and seasons. That seems to be the main point of this passage: "1For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven...", and then the list of "times" in verses 2-8 capture the full range of human activities, experiences and emotions, from bir...

The Christian life is a life with roots. It's built on something; it has a foundation. That may seem self-evident (I hope it does!), but it's way too important to assume. I see this point screaming at us in the text by this little word, "Therefore," at the beginning of the sentence: "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast..." That word is massive! There's a whole wor...

In a blog post last week, I put forward one possible way for a Christian to respond to the common charge that holding to the exclusivity of Christ (that is, the idea that God has spoken finally and definitively in and through Jesus, and that no one can come to God or hear from God apart from His revelation in Christ) is a narrow-minded bigot....

“How could there be just one true faith? It’s arrogant to say your religion is superior and try to convert everyone else to it. Surely all the religions are equally good and valid for meeting the needs of their particular followers.”...

In the recent sermon I preached on the subject of homosexuality, I did not have time to say much about the issue of "same sex" marriage and the pending Supreme Court decision that would potentially legalize such marriages (many Christians are hesitant to call such a union marriage, which is why you often see the term in quotation marks) as a constitutional right in all fif...

"I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children" (1 Corinthians 4:14). This verse, and its surrounding context, teach a very important lesson on biblical love: love is willing to say hard things for the good of the beloved....

God is never irritable or edgy. He is never fatigued or depressed or blue or moody or stressed out. His anger never has a short fuse. He is not easily annoyed. He is above any possibility of being touchy or cranky or temperamental....

In a previous blog post I noted from 1 Peter 4 that one implication of living in the last days (“the end of all things is at hand”) is that we in Christ’s Body ought to love one earnestly. In this post I want to mention one simple, easily overlooked way of loving one another faithfully and earnestly....

"The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins." 1 Peter 4:7-8...

Given the miserable condition called being “in the flesh” that Paul has been describing in verses 7-8, the personal affirmation of verse 9 is one of great encouragement:...

In a blog post last week, Jason began to explore from Romans 8:9ff the Christian believer’s experience of the indwelling Holy Spirit. But before we dig further into that wonder, it may be helpful to revisit Romans 8:7-8 and what it has to say about the ugliness and futility of our terrible enemy called “the flesh”. The jewel of life in the Spirit shines brightest aga...

If you’ve been persevering in memorizing Romans 8 this year, hopefully you have been dwelling on these verses in the month of February: "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the m...

During yesterday’s church gathering, we sang a new song, with this chorus: These guilty hands are raised, filthy rags are all I bring And I have come to hide beneath your wings These holy hands are raised, washed in the fountain of your grace And now I wear your righteousness...

In earlier posts on Romans 8, we have seen that one of the blessings of being in Christ is that we have freedom from the rule of sin. In Christ, God has condemned our sin, and the result or purpose of this is that believers fulfill the righteous requirement of the law. But we do not do this in our own power or strength, but in the strength of the Holy Spirit. It is those w...

Notice Romans 8:3-4 are connected by the words “in order that”: "For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Sp...

Before moving on to verse 4 of Romans 8, let’s consider one more question that arises from considering verse 3:...

Romans 8:1-2 describe two precious blessings that come to us in Christ. In Christ there is no condemnation. This blessing deals with our objective freedom from the penalty of sin. And in Christ, we are set free from the law of sin. This blessing deals with our subjective freedom from the rule or tyranny of sin. Both come to us by virtue of being united with (i.e., in) Chri...

In a blog post last week, we considered from Romans 8:2 that in Christ, believers have been set free from the law of sin and death. I ended that post by asking: what exactly is this freedom? If we are free, why do we still find such a struggle with sin inside of us? Does that ongoing struggle mean that I am not really free, and maybe even, not in Christ? These are the ques...

Among the abundant blessings that come to those who are in Christ Jesus (see last week’s blog post) is freedom from the law of sin and death: "For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death." So here is another blessing that comes to us in Christ: in verse 1, there is the blessing of justification (no condemnation in God�...

Romans 8 begins and ends with reference to some of the wonderful blessings that come to those who are in Christ Jesus:...

Romans 8 begins with the triumphant declaration, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Why does Paul say there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ? I would not have missed that word had it been omitted: “There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ.” That is such wonderful news that I would not have...

As a new year dawns on us, I want to again take the time to encourage you to give yourselves to the regular habit and discipline of reading the Scriptures daily. Last year as a church we used a reading plan that took us through the New Testament over the course of the year. I’d like to encourage us to a bit more this year, though I’m mindful that no one plan is going t...

In preaching on Titus 2:1-10 yesterday, I mentioned that I did not have time to dig into the use of the word "slaves," in verse 10, which is oftentimes troubling for readers of the Bible. It seems as though Paul is "ok" with the practice of slavery, in that he just instructs the slaves about how to carry out their work in a God-glorifying way. Though I didn't have time to...

In the movie It’s a Wonderful Life, George Bailey is a weary, broken man who, through no fault of his own, is going to be declared bankrupt. He stands on the town bridge, about to commit suicide. But then his guardian angel intervenes. The angel gives him a vision of what life would have been like if he’d never lived. He sees that his life counts, that it has...

Yesterday I preached on Psalm 131, and David's calm and quieted heart. I mentioned a quote from David Powlison that put some flesh and blood on what a "noisy" heart sounds like. In hindsight, I wished I would have also referred to this short meditation from Paul Tripp, which I believe is a wonderful picture of a calmed, quieted soul. It's taken from his book, A Shelter ...

We are distracted. We are so distracted, and so accustomed to it, that after a while we almost become distraction. We lose the ability to be still. We fear the quiet. We are intimidated by the moments where there is nothing to look at, nothing to do....

As we saw in yesterday's sermon on Rahab, the New Testament looks back on her life as an example of faith. Yet as we read her story in Joshua 2, it's perplexing to see this notable woman of faith breaking one of the Ten Commandments. God clearly forbids lying, yet it's obvious in Joshua 2 that Rahab lies to the king's men who come to her home, questioning her about the Jew...

I closed last Sunday’s sermon with a personal illustration of how I attempted to bring the two principles from Psalm 103 that we considered (David’s determination to worship, and the ground of his determination) to bear on my own life. Let me give another illustration, which will lead right into the third point of my sermon, which I omitted and said I would r...

For many believers, the Psalms are one of the most beloved books in the Bible, because of the way it captures such a wide range of human experiences, emotions and circumstances. You may be reading one Psalm, and observing the Psalmist’s delight in God’s intimacy. Then you turn the page and the next Psalm finds the Psalmist lamenting God’s apparent abse...

On the side of the refrigerator in my house, there are two pictures of Michelle and me. The first was taken in the summer of 2003, just a month or two after Michelle and I began dating. Next to it is a picture of us that was taken two summers ago, at a wedding that I had the privilege of officiating. ...

Last week I was challenged by these words from John Piper: “What would your ministry be like, if it were led by folks who memorized whole books of the Bible?” With the question, there was a link to an article written by Jon Bloom titled, Ten Reasons to Memorize Big Chunks of the Bible....

One of the most challenging aspects of living a life of faith in Jesus is how to make sense of the innumerable pains and heartaches we experience in this fallen world. No matter how many times we quote Romans 8:28, it’s just hard to believe sometimes that an infinitely good, all-powerful God is governing even the tiniest details of our lives. ...

In fourteen years as a Christian, nothing has been more instrumental in my walk with God than hearing Him speak to me in the pages of Scripture. It breaks my heart that so many people who bear the name “Christian” give so little attention to feeding on the rich nourishment of God’s Word, especially when Jesus said that those who are truly His disciples ...

I don’t have to tell you that it’s been a long winter, so as the weather warmed up last week, I was eager to get back to my regular walks to my office in the Hope House, and back. It’s a 10-15 minute walk, and I’ve come to really enjoy those few minutes: I’ll pray, or listen to music, or recite a passage of Scripture that I’ve mem...

Life Groups are where the life of Joy Community Fellowship takes place. They're how we experience what it means to be the Church in the midst of ordinary, everyday life. While we treasure our weekly gathering on Sunday mornings, the vision for church life and discipleship depicted in the Scriptures seems far more intimate and frequent than could be experienced by simply at...

Why do we encourage the practice of church membership? Is it really a necessary, important part of the Christian life? There is no biblical command to become a church member, is there?...

Some suggested ways you can pray for yourself and for JCF on Friday, from 1 Peter 5...

Some suggested ways you can pray for yourself and for JCF on Thursday, from 1 Peter 4...

Some suggested ways you can pray for yourself and for JCF on Tuesday, from 1 Peter 2...

Some suggested ways you can pray for yourself and for JCF on Wednesday, from 1 Peter 3...

Some suggested ways you can pray for yourself and for JCF on Monday, from 1 Peter 1....

A few practical step to follow up on yesterday's sermon, Walking by the Spirit....

Testimonies and baptisms from March 24th, 2013...

We Don't go to Church...We are the Church...

A simple missional idea from Seth McBee....

Kent Hughes shares wise insights about how to respond to hearing gossip....

A follow-up to last night's discipleship training: some thoughts on sharing God's Story with others this week....

The overview of God's Story shared in Sunday night's session #1, Making Disciples in the Everyday....

Notes for Sunday night's training session: Living in God's Story. Making Disciples in the Everyday, week 1 of 6....

Discussion questions on Sunday's sermon, from Luke 10:1-20...

The apostle Paul calls to work out our salvation (Philippians 2:12), but we are not left to ourselves. The work he calls us to is grace-driven, Spirit-empowered, faith-fueled work. What does that mean?...

Discussion Questions for Sunday's sermon on Romans 15:1-13...

What does it really mean to "apply the gospel to every area of life"?...

Discussion questions for Sunday's sermon on Joshua 2...

Discussion questions for Sunday's sermon on Genesis 38...

A short video highlighting what it looks like to live as Christ's ambassador in our neighborhoods....

Discussion Questions for Sunday's sermon on Luke 9:1-9...

Paul Tripp: "For the child of God, waiting isn't simply about what I'll receive at the end of my wait...Waiting is fundamentally about what I'll become as I wait."...

Discussion questions on Sunday's sermon on Luke 8:40-56...

Discussion questions for Sunday's sermon on Luke 8:22-25...

Seven marks of a Pharisee...

Discussion questions for Sunday's sermon on Luke 7:36-50...

Discussion questions for Sunday's message on 1 Peter 2:9-12...

A guide to praying through the covenant commitments of sharing in the responsibility and the ministry of the church....

Discussion Questions for Sunday's sermon, on Ephesians 4:7-16 and Romans 12:3-8...

A guide to praying through the second point of our church covenant, on protecting the unity of the church....

Discussion questions for Sunday's sermon on Ephesians 4:1-6...

A short guide for those interested in praying through the church covenant in conjunction with our current sermon series....

Discussion questions for Sunday's message on 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8...

Lyrics to a new song we'll be singing at this Sunday's gathering...

A guest post by Matt Baehr, helping us to think through how to talk to people about Jesus in a world where religious beliefs are viewed more like ice cream flavors than absolute truths....

Discussion Questions for Sunday's sermon on Matthew 16:13-20....

Jon Bloom from Desiring God writes: God designed your emotions to be gauges, not guides. They're meant to report to you, not dictate you....

Discussion Questions for Sunday's sermon on Luke 7:24-35...

Silas Redd is one of the best players on Penn State's football team, and is facing a decision on whether to stay with the tarnished program or transfer immediately. He is also a professing Christian. I wrote him a letter to encourage him to think through the potential that his decision has to bear witness to the glories of our Savior....

You're going through your day and a though comes that your daughter is going to die soon. Your heart begins to be filled with fear and worry. What do you do?...

Discussion questions for Sunday's sermon on Luke 7:18-23...

Collin Hansen from the Gospel Coalition reflects on Thursday night's shooting in Aurora, Colorado....

A church member can give no greater gift to a pastor than to pray regularly for them. Here are ten ways you can specifically pray for your pastors in an ongoing way....

An amendment to the end of yesterday's sermon...

Discussion questions for personal, family, or Life Group use in thinking through tomorrow's sermon on Luke 7:11-17....

If underneath every sin is a failure in the moment to believe the truth about God, what are some key truths to help me make war on sin and unbelief?...

How do we respond to the objection that unbelievers often raise against Christians: that we pick and choose what we want to believe from the Bible, condemning homosexuality as sinful but ignoring tons of other commands from the Old Testament? ...

What is the Church supposed to be about? I thought this summary from University Reformed Church in Michigan gave a very helpful, concise description. ...

How does faith in Christ lead us to kill the sin of anger, especially that common form of anger we call "Road Rage"? ...

Discussion Questions for Sunday's sermon, based on Luke 7:1-10. I hope these are useful not only for Life Groups, but for families to discuss the Scriptures and the sermon together....

Because I don't usually write my sermon until Saturday, it's tough sometimes to coordinate music that will help us respond in worship to what we have considered in the Word. If I was to pick a closing song for tomorrow's gathering, I think I would go with this one:...

In his book You Can Change, Tim Chester highlights four life-changing truths which underlie all our struggles with sin: 1. God is great...so I don't have to be in control. 2. God is glorious...so I don't have to fear others. ...

Paul Tripp: God's care for you is only reliable in those places where he rules and since he rules all things everywhere, his care is always reliable. ...

For around three years I've been fascinated by Twitter. It may be the journalist in me, but there's something intriguing to me about trying to say something meaningful and memorable in 140 characters. When I read these words from John Piper awhile back, they really resonated with me: The sovereign Lord of the earth and sky Puts camels through a needle's eye. And if ...

John Piper, commenting on Romans 8:32: "Through the cross God purchased and secured every possible blessing that could ever be needed to make us happy forever. 'He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?' The answer to that question is not uncertain. God will -- signed in blood -- give us ...

My friend Jason Tyrell preached an excellent message yesterday morning from Luke 6 on loving our enemies. Those who want to think through in more depth on how to love our enemies, and how to see relationships heal that have been fractured, may be helped by this article from Tim Keller. ...

I'm currently reading Mark Dever's new book called The Church: The Gospel Made Visible. Here's the publisher's description:...

If you read any other Christian blog besides this one, you've probably seen this by now. Nevertheless, it's worth posting, because this video, like Ian and Larissa's God, is awesome:...

Welcome to the JCF Pastors' Blog...