Tag: jesus
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The Lord and Giver of Life
A thread from notes put together in 2018 on the Holy Spirit as the Lord and Giver of Life, and therefore the Lord and Giver of civilization, culture, and prosperity. Given all that has happened since then, some of this will seem dated, but the macrotrends are still largely holding true: The Holy Spirit is…
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The Suffering of God in the Cross of Christ (Sermon Notes/Follow-Up from April 29, 2007)
Rich Lusk Sermon follow-up: I have to admit that the theology of “God crucified” has held my attention for several years now. Indeed, I’ve been mesmerized by it for quite some time. As a result, I’ve done quite a bit of teaching on God’s suffering over the years. Some of that has been recorded and…
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Ministry and Masculinity: Notes For Aspiring/Young Pastors
I was asked to be a panelist for Reformed Evangelical Seminary’s roundtable discussion answering the question, “What is your message to future pastors on the subject of masculinity?” Other panelists included Bill Smith, Aaron Renn, and C. R. Wiley. This is the gist of my presentation (because of time constraints I did not get through…
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A Note on the Real Presence
Few areas of theology caused as much controversy at the time of the Protestant Reformation as that of the way in which Christ is present in the Lord’s Supper. Briefly consider the parameters of this debate and the Reformational answer. On one end of the spectrum, were the Anabaptists (and supposedly Zwingli shared their view,…
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GLOCKS FOR THE FLOCKS: A THEOLOGY OF CHURCH SECURITY AND THE RIGHT OF CONGREGATIONAL DEFENSE
RICH LUSK REFORMED EVANGELICAL SEMINARY PRESENTATION 4/6/26 I am not trained in church security other than having worked in churches where congregational security was taken seriously for the last 30+ years, but I have thought a lot about the biblical principles that ground a congregation’s right to defend itself from an active threat. This is…
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March/April 2026 X Posts and Other Miscellanies: Feminism, Motherhood, Paedocommunion, Half-Way Covenant, Lent/Holy Week, Dawson on Christendom, Race, Crime, Etc.
— Maundy Thursday note: We couldn’t get to God so he came to us – and met us at the most ordinary of locations, the dinner table. — Puritan marriage advice from William Whately: “Love is the life and soul of marriage, without which it differs as much from itself, as a rotten apple from…
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Explaining the Text — Or Explaining It Away?
Far too many modern pastors spend far too much time explaining what the text of the Bible is NOT saying rather than what it IS saying. A few examples: I’ve been in conservative paedobaptist churches where, when an infant gets baptized, the pastor spends far more time explaining what is not happening than what is…
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“It is Finished!”: The Cross as Prophetic Finale
What did Jesus mean when he cried out from the cross, “It is finished” in John 19? Certainly, Jesus was making a soteriological statement. “It is finished” means he has drunk the cup of divine wrath against human sin to the dregs. He has paid for and cancelled our debts (“tetelestai” was often written on…
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Pilate on Trial: The Gospel According to Pilate
Pilate sneered, “What is truth?” when Jesus stood trial before him. But then Pilate went on to speak truth, time after time. Indeed, Pilate, like Caiaphas in John 11, unwittingly preached the gospel. Consider the words of Pilate in John 18-19: “Are you the King of the Jews?” Yes, he is the King of the…
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Against the Seder; For the Lord’s Supper
There’s nothing more stupid in the church today than evangelicals doing a play-acting “Seder Supper.” First, we don’t need to do a fake Passover. The church already has the Lord’s Supper which is (among other things) the fulfillment of the old covenant Passover. Jesus gave us a meal. Why do something other than what he…
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