“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.”

“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…”

“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 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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.’”

“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?”

“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.”

“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.”

“And then he gets to them looking for – he says, “Your kingdom come.” Now you know what it means – not a second coming. It’s what his whole mission was about: preaching the good news of the kingdom. So every day, we are called to pray that the greatest news the world could ever hear, could ever see, could ever experience, to be set free from sin, to have real peace and real joy and real hope – God bring that!”