Author: Theocast

What is Saving Faith?

“What is saving faith? I accept. I receive. I rest. Is there anything in that equation that you’re doing – that you’re accomplishing? No, you’re passive. You receive it; you rest; you trust in Christ alone. For what? Justification, absolutely, the declaration of righteousness, but also for sanctification that you will be conformed unto the image of Christ because his spirit is in you and you’ve been united to him, and he will see it through.”

Is The Law For Christians?

“What does it look like to live in a way that God would say is good? And what does it look like to live in a way that’s good for my neighbor? How do you know? Well, you know, from the law, as given in the moral law and the Old Testament, and also as expounded upon in various commands and imperatives in the New Testament.”

Feeling Spiritually Weak?

“So what’s interesting is that when we think about strength, when we think about, okay, when I am weak, and I am dry, and I cannot see clearly that God should be praised and that I accomplish his will, and I want to do my own will, and I want to do it my way, and I’m wrestling with it, what do we try?”

Struggling to Believe God Loves You?

“He’s building his church that he tells us the gates of hell will not prevail against. You and I are evidence of that. He’s building his church. Two thousand years after he ascended here, we sit covered in his blood and righteousness, singing praises to his name, encouraging one another to trust him. Why? Because he’s building his church, he’s saving his people.”

Struggling with Forgiveness

“There’s nothing more that Satan wants to do and sin within your heart than to turn your heart hard to justify yourself in your bitterness. It will destroy not only you but everyone in and around you, and it will not restore what was lost.”

What is the Purpose of Your Life?

“But you see, our purposes are so skewed. And so he says, you need to constantly be, daily be washing yourself with the purpose of your life, which is to glorify God and to be a part of his kingdom and to do his will.”

Do you feel like you will never change?

“It is the mercy of God in Christ, the gospel that changes hearts. The law, as good as it is, can’t do that. It can’t change the heart. The law can condemn, but it can’t give life. The law can guide, but it can’t change. Being told what to do or not to do won’t change you. Beholding Christ, contemplating mercy alongside justice – that’s where heart change occurs.”

Why Do I Still Feel Guilty?

“The guilt is real, but the shame piece is so significant. And people will say that – when we make the statement that no sin is private – people will push back and say, well, what if it’s just me by myself, you know, and my thoughts? And I’m just kind of, I’m just kind of toying with the cravings I have, and it’s just me? It’s not hurting anybody else. You’re a fool if you think that. You are a fool. Because of this guilt and shame reality and the ways that you are – let’s use some biblical language – you are feeding that monster of your flesh…”

I’ve Never Known Love Like This

We all tend to buy into the world’s definition of love. We view love as transactional. And, if we’re honest, love is really about our self-gratification. This understanding of love robs us of true joy in our relationships and it robs us of peace before God. The love of God for us is unconditional, sacrificial, and steadfast. We know what love is by looking to God’s love for us. And we love because he first loved us. If we understand these things better, our relationships with one another in the church and in our homes will profit. Jon and Justin talk about these things in today’s episode.

Do You Struggle To Pray?

“This is why when you come here on Sundays, I am not feeding you funny stories or political agendas or some kind of social club meeting. I am convinced that if you don’t feast on Christ delivered to you by means of his word, you will suffer and have no strength. You won’t have strength.”

How Can Sinners Walk Free?

“How can lawbreakers go free? Because their debt was paid; their wrath satisfied; their punishment taken by a representative. He’s put forward as a propitiation by his blood to be received by faith.”

The Lens of the Gospel

“Here are some things that often occur in the pulpit, in a general sense – like in pulpits across this land, that are unhelpful. One, the scriptures are preached through the lens of law, not through the lens of law and gospel.”

Trust God Daily

“Your will be done. It’s at this moment when you’re living in massive dependence upon God, he just ratchets it down and says, you need to learn to trust me daily for what I am about to provide for you.”

He Descended into Hell

“You cannot help but think about the words of the Apostles’ Creed: “I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only beloved son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell.” We confess this. Jesus would descend to Sheol. You see this language in Jonah. He would descend to the realm of the dead.”

Hard to Forgive

In a fallen world, we sin against others–and we will be sinned against. Sometimes, we are sinned against in ways that are indescribably painful. In today’s episode, Jon and Justin talk about forgiveness. It can be hard to forgive those who wrong us. And, yet, the teaching of the Scripture is clear. We are to forgive those who sin against us, as God in Christ has forgiven us. The guys have a compassionate and pastoral conversation about these matters.

The Lord’s Table

“You know, you wouldn’t take it by yourself someplace. You would take it with the body of Christ because the supper is about our union with Christ and our union with one another. We use the language a lot in our church: ‘We all cling to one another as we cling to Christ.’”

Am I Glorifying God In This Moment?

“Is the kingdom of God the greatest desire I have at this moment, or is it my kingdom? Is it my desire at this moment? And can I truly say that I am loving God with all of my heart at the moment in this argument? And I’m definitely loving my spouse sacrificially and unconditionally at this moment?”

The Good Shepherd

“He, who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he’s a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep, but I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father, and I lay down my life for the sheep, and I have other sheep that are not of this fold.”

Remember Your Baptism

“Here’s what we’re talking about. Remember your baptism. Here you are today; you’re struggling. That’s acknowledged. There was a point in time in your life when you were baptized. You received baptism. It was given to you as a sign of the fact that you’ve been united to the Lord Jesus Christ, and that he has you, that your sins are forgiven, and there has been the remission of those in Christ Jesus, and God is going to keep you. As a result of your union with Christ, you will be finally saved. There was a time in your life when that occurred.”