Author: Pastor Rich Lusk
-
How to Preach a Sermon and How to Listen to a Sermon
Pastors, as you prepare for the divine service tomorrow, remember, preaching is not just a lecture. Preaching an act of worship. Preaching is an effectual means of grace. Your sermon has a context – and that context is the whole of the liturgy and the baptized congregation gathered to receive God’s gifts. Pastors, know that…
-
1 Samuel 30 Sermon Follow-up — A Biblical-Theology of Strength: Come, Men of Christ, be Strong
I have been making my way through 1 Samuel, usually doing one sermon per chapter. But this week I took a bit of detour to focus on one of my hobby-horses, namely a biblical-theology of strength. But I do not apologize for riding this horse because I think the topic is incredibly important – and…
-
Satan, the False Accuser
One of Satan’s favorite weapons to use against the church is false accusation. There are plenty of examples of Satanic false accusation in Scripture. Pharaoh and Abimelech make false accusations against Abraham; Potiphar’s wife falsely accuses Joseph; Job’s so-called friends make false accusations against him, following Satan who did the same; plenty of false accusations…
-
Notes on Family, Men, Women, Marriage, Sex, Feminism, Mothering and Fathering, Inheritance, Etc.
The purpose of marriage according to Ephesians 5 is ultimately gospel symbolism. The husband and wife are icons of Christ the church. But they can only portray the gospel in their marriage if there is role differentiation between them. They each have a script, a part to play, and while there is all kinds of…
-
Just Friends?
I don’t necessarily agree with everything Tolkien and Lewis have to say on this topic, but I do think their views are worth considering. — Can men and women “just be friends”? J R R Tolkien answers: “In this fallen world the ‘friendship’ that should be possible between all human beings, is virtually impossible between…
-
Red Pill Proverbs: Hard Edged Advice for Life
Fake friends are like shadows. They stay close to us while we’re in the sunlight, only to leave us immediately as we step into the darkness. — Understand that not everything is meant to be understood. Live, let go, and don’t worry about what you can’t change. — You can apologize over and over but…
-
Calvin and Lewis on Liturgy
John Calvin on liturgy: “As to what concerns a form of prayer and ecclesiastical rites, I highly approve of it that there be a certain form, from which the ministers be not allowed to vary: That first, some provision be made to help the simplicity and unskillfulness of some; secondly, that the consent and harmony…
-
“Sin Boldly”: Righly Understanding Luther’s Counsel to Melanchthon
Melanchthon was having another one of his bouts of conscience. His sins and sinfulness were weighing on him. He wrote to Luther, wondering aloud if he was really and truly a Christian. Luther responded with straight gospel fire: “Sin boldly. But believe even more boldly in Christ, and rejoice.” In other words: yes, you are…
-
A primer on patriarchalism versus complementarianism — It’s Good to be a Man
This was a Facebook comment of mine, turned into a short article on the “It’s Good to Be a Man” website, posted on August 19, 2020. Bnonn Tennant made a few edits. Summary: Complementarians are primarily concerned with male and female roles in marriage and church; the patriarchal-household view is concerned with how male and…
-
1 Samuel 29 Sermon Follow-Up: David’s Surprising Salvation
The stories in 1 Samuel 28-29 are out of chronological order. The dischronologization serves both a literary and theological/ethic purpose. How do we know the stories are out of order? The geographical and chronological details make it clear that the events of chapter 29 actually happened before the events of chapter 28. The writer has…
TPC Pastor's Page 