1 John 4 is arguably the New Testament's most "easy-to-understand" description and application of love. In the second sermon in this three-part series, Paul David Tripp defines love. But you won't find this definition in a dictionary; you find it in a Person. Preached on July 6, 2008.
You may not be called to full-time vocational ministry, but if you are a child of God, you have been called to a lifestyle of love. In this sermon, Paul David Tripp teaches from 1 John 4, one of the New Testament's most focused definitions of love. Preached on June 15, 2008.
Worship. It's a term that is at risk of being overused and misunderstood in Christianity. In this sermon from Psalm 122, Paul David Tripp reveals four things that true worship is meant to produce in the heart and life of a follower of Christ. Preached on August 24, 2008.
Are you committed to change? The Bible tells us that God is committed to changing us, and He will send the sometimes painful grace of confession to help us. In this sermon, Paul David Tripp teaches that when we see our sin before us, like King David does in Psalm 51, we are on the road to true heart change. Preached on August 7, 2011.
It's easy to smile in the light. But what do you do when the night comes? In this sermon, Paul David Tripp teaches from the honest and provocative Psalm 42. It's a psalm that is meant to alert Christians that the life of faith is not always one of celebration and joy. Preached on May 17, 2009.
A thunderstorm is a "finger glory" - part of creation that points to the glory of the Creator. In Psalm 29, David poetically describes a storm, but he's doing more than just observing the power of nature. David's psalm speaks into a deep struggle of the heart of every person - the war for glory. Preached on July 13, 2008.
What do you do when suffering enters your door? In this sermon, Paul Tripp opens up Psalm 27 to reveal a dysfunction in our theology and provide a biblical solution for dealing with trouble. Preached on October 6, 2013.
Questions. Human beings ask them. And the most insightful people aren't always the ones who have the answers. The most insightful people are the ones who ask the right questions. In Psalm 15, the psalmist asks the right question. It's a question that gets to the heart of the identity of every human being. If you want to know who you are, why you have been given breath, and what in the world your life is about, you need to ask this question. Preached on June 29, 2008.
Psalm 4 is one of the most poignant, dramatic, and sad stories in all of Scripture. King David is on the run and hiding from his son who wants to murder his father. But in the moment of suffering and trial, David doesn't run from God in anger. He runs toward God with worship, trust, and joy. Preached on June 8, 2008.
You live in a fallen world. You're surrounded by influential voices all the time. To live effectively and faithfully, you need to know what the Lord says about the world you're living in. In this sermon, Paul David Tripp extracts six principles for living from the first Psalm. Preached on June 1, 2008.
You could argue that the entire book of James is about wandering away from the truths of the Gospel. In this final sermon in the series, Paul Tripp teaches that every Christian has been called to rescue wandering brothers and sisters. Preached on May 25, 2008.
Prayer can be a struggle for Christians. We know that we're supposed to pray, but we don't always know why or how. In this sermon, Paul Tripp reminds us what prayer is and how prayer does. Preached on May 11, 2008.
As a Christian, you've been called to wait. Theologians like to say, "between the already and the not yet." In this sermon, Paul Tripp explains why we're impatient and grumbling and how waiting can produce in us something better than we ever would ask for. Preached on May 4, 2008.
It won't take long for you to recognize self-sovereignty in delusional little children; they think they own the world. But in the sermon, Paul David Tripp explains that all humans - young and old, including believers - buy into 6 dangerous delusions of self-sovereignty. Preached on April 13, 2008.
The core message of the Gospel is a free gift of grace that we could never earn, achieve, or deserve. But in this sermon, Paul David Tripp explains the seductive temptation to have a critical spirit toward one another. If the Lord would stand in the middle of his church, he might say, "You have marred the beauty of My grace." Preached on April 6, 2008.
What do you really want from God? What do you really want from the people whom God has placed in your life? In this sermon, Paul David Tripp examines James 4 to discover what causes quarrels and fights among us. Preached on March 30, 2008.
It's impossible to think about "street-level Christianity" without considering the words we speak. In this sermon, Paul David Tripp teaches from James 3 to reveal this scary and humbling truth: your words always reveal the true character and condition of your heart. Preached on March 9, 2008.
Everyone wants to think that they have true faith. No one wants to think that they struggle with faith. But in this sermon on faith and works, Paul David Tripp teaches that those struggles are more subtle and present than we would like to admit. Preached on March 2, 2008.
As followers of the Lord Jesus, Christians are called to love and serve everyone with equal affection. But as Paul David Tripp explains in this sermon, deep in the DNA of every sinner - and every Christian - is a partiality and favoritism and prejudice. Preached on February 24, 2008.
If you had to describe what it means to follow Jesus, what would you say? In this sermon, Paul David Tripp reveals the motivation that should distinguish the Christian life and gives four applications to everyday life. Preached on February 10, 2008.
If you could stand before God and ask, without shame or embarrassment, the difficult questions of life, what questions would you ask? In this sermon, Paul David Tripp asks three brutally honest questions - and finds three helpful answers - from the book of James. Preached on January 27, 2008.
“My richest gain I count but loss and pour contempt on all my pride.” It's so hard for us to keep what is important important in our lives. In this sermon, Paul David Tripp asks where we find our deepest satisfaction in life and how we measure our richness. Preached on January 20, 2008.
Sin reduces every person, including the believer, down to a fool. That's why James says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God." In this sermon, Paul David Tripp gives a scary diagnosis - that we are all dangerously foolish - and a liberating hope - that Wisdom is a Person. Preached on January 13, 2008.
James starts his book off with the phrase, "Count it all joys, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds." James intentionally uses the word "when" and not "if." In this sermon, Paul David Tripp teaches why we suffer and why we hate it. Preached on January 6, 2008.
The last seven verses of Jonah reveal why this book is in the Bible. In this closing narrative, something profoundly important is exposed in our hearts. Just like Jonah, we're more happy with our comfort than we are with the Kingdom of God. And just like Jonah, we're more sad at obstacles in the way of our comfort than we are with the brokenness of our world. In the final sermon of this series, Paul David Tripp reveals how the Lord will use uncomfortable grace to win our hearts back for His King...
We like to beat up on Jonah. He's an easy target with big flaws. But in reality, we're very similar. There are moments where the wisdom of God doesn't seem wise to us. There are moments where the love of God doesn't seem good to us. There are moments where the grace of God doesn't seem right to us. In this sermon, Paul David Tripp warns how we can be prejudiced, legalistic, and self-righteous, just like Jonah. Preached on October 21, 2007.
The Word of the Lord comes to Jonah a second time, which itself is a revelation of God's character - we serve a God of second chances and fresh starts. But in this sermon, Paul Tripp focuses on Jonah's seemingly impossible call to evangelize Ninevah and what we can learn about sharing the Gospel with others. Preached on October 7, 2007.
From inside the belly of a fish, Jonah cries out to the Lord. It's a familiar scene in Scripture, but as Paul David Tripp teaches, there is more to this prayer than meets the eye. Like a carefully constructed painting, Jonah's words have several layers that add depth and vitality. Preached on September 30, 2007.
God is angry. But it's not the anger of a vengeful, evil person who's out of control and wants to harm. God is angry, and it's the anger of grace. He will not forsake His holy cause. He will not allow us to be in the way of what He has planned for His universe. In this sermon, Paul David Tripp reveals the beauty of God's anger in the life of Jonah. Preached on September 23, 2007.
Don't be so hard on Jonah. Yes, God's calling was clear, and yes, Jonah's act of running away is one of clear disobedience. But there are many times during the week when we run from God. Preached on September 16, 2007.
