calebdixonsmith

The Conspiracy of God

The moon landing was a hoax. Chemtrails are poisoning our brains. Roswell is covering up an alien spacecraft. Obama is a secret Muslim. Jet fuel doesn’t melt steel beams. The Illuminati run the world. Everyone knows about conspiracy theories. Most of us don’t believe most of them, of course. (Though most of us do have … Continue reading

The Mystery of Man Exalted

[This is the manuscript to a sermon I preached a couple of years ago and forgot all about.] Exposition of Psalm 8 Psalm 8 begins with praise. It starts off talking to God, and that’s something to like about the Psalms. While we need all kinds of stuff in Scripture, the Psalms are really beneficial … Continue reading

Story’s End: Eschatology and What the Bible is About, Pt. 5

[This series is going long. Here are parts 1, 2, 3, and 4.] The Big Picture (Continued) The Son of David and the City of David Everything that Jesus was up to led Him to Jerusalem at the climax of His ministry. The royal city of David with the Temple of Yahweh: a fitting destination … Continue reading

Psalm 96 Sermon Outline

I preached last night. I don’t have a recording, but I do have an outline, along with a slideshow and notes pages. Intro Just finished VBS Glad to see fruit (not just pie in the face or reptile pictures) Thinking about the praises Thinking about the purpose Connects to a great Psalm We must call … Continue reading

Story’s End: Eschatology and What the Bible is About, Pt. 4

[This series is going long. Here are parts 1, 2, and 3.] The Big Picture (Continued) Jesus Arrives The climactic stage of God’s plan to reclaim the nations from idols finally arrived. By God’s Holy Spirit, the virgin Mary conceived a son. She named Him Jesus, Yahweh saves, for He would save His people from … Continue reading

Story’s End: Eschatology and What the Bible is About, Pt. 3

[This is a direct continuation of my previous post. Before that, part 1.] The Big Picture (Continued) A Time of Uncertainty Now back in the land, God’s people entered a strange time. They rebuilt the Temple and Jerusalem, but the glory cloud never came back. David’s city was restored, but David’s throne was empty. Pagans … Continue reading

Story’s End: Eschatology and What the Bible is About, Pt. 2

[This is a direct continuation of my previous post.] The Big Picture (Continued) A Son to Reign Israel continued lapsing into idolatry, despite all the seers and judges God had given her. But for each of them, Israel did fairly well during his lifetime. It was generally only at death that the slide back into … Continue reading

Story's End: Eschatology and What the Bible is About, Pt. 1

The Problem with Wrapping Up As any writer will tell you, it’s hard to bring a good story to an end. No proof of this should be necessary; TV has enough examples. Look what happened to Lost, Haven, or White Collar. A good ending usually has to conclude great conflicts, deal out deserved fates, drive … Continue reading

Voice of Nature, Voice of God

The Silly Little Crowds Just because everyone says something doesn’t mean it’s right. The crowd can be wrong. What the culture says might be different from what God says. For orthodox Christians, we say and hear sentiments like this all the time. And they are true enough. What most people around you believe about lots … Continue reading

Rules Aren't Legalism

This post will be short, as I only mean to make a quick and simple point. Some people lump rules in almost any sense with legalism. Others count all rules beyond the clear moral law legalism. Both of these are misguided. Properly speaking, legalism refers to two possible mistakes. The first error is about salvation. … Continue reading