Ep. 81 Reading with Pastor Matt The Mortification of Sin Chapter 11 Part 2

 Episode 81

Reading with Pastor Matt

On The Mortification of Sin by John Owen

Chapter 11 Part 2

Ep. 80 Reading with Pastor Matt The Mortification of Sin Chapter 11 Part 1

 Episode 80

Reading with Pastor Matt

On The Mortification of Sin by John Owen

Chapter 11 Part 1

My precious tomato.

You cute little precious baby tomato... I'll nourishes you and cares for you. And then one day, when you are grown, I'll slice you up and eat you raw.

 

Ep. 79 - Reading with Pastor Matt On The Mortification of Sin by John Owen Chapter 10 Part 3

 Episode 79

Reading with Pastor Matt

On The Mortification of Sin by John Owen

Chapter 10 Part 3

Ep. 78 - Reading with Pastor Matt The Mortification of Sin by John Owen Chapter 10 Part 2

 Episode 78

Reading with Pastor Matt

On The Mortification of Sin by John Owen 

Chapter 10 Part 2

Ep. 77 Reading with Pastor Matt On The Mortification of Sin by John Owen Chapter 10 Part 1

 Episode 77

Reading with Pastor Matt

On the Mortification of Sin by John Owen

Chapter 10 Part 1

The Prodigal Son Suite

 Tomorrow's sermon is from Luke 15:11-32. I cannot help but have this song in my head during my preparation: 

Keith Green - The Prodigal Son Suite

Ep. 76 - Reading with Pastor Matt On The Mortification of Sin by John Owen Chapter 9 Part 3

 Episode 76

Reading with Pastor Matt

On The Mortification of Sin by John Owen 

Chapter 9 Part 3

Ep. 75 - Reading with Pastor Matt On The Mortification of Sin by John Owen Chapter 9 Part 2

 Episode 75

Reading with Pastor Matt

On The Mortification of Sin by John Owen

Chapter 9 Part 2

Ep. 74 - Reading with Pastor Matt The Mortification of Sin by John Owen Chapter 9 Part 1

 Episode 74

Reading with Pastor Matt

On The Mortification of Sin by John Owen

Chapter 9 Part 1

Soul War

Ep. 73 - Reading with Pastor Matt The Mortification of Sin by John Owen Chapter 8 Part 2

 Episode 73

Reading with Pastor Matt

On The Mortification of Sin by John Owen

Chapter 8 Part 2

The Podcast Perfomance

 

Last month my podcast reached a new all-time record for the number of plays. I hit 201 plays in the last 30 days!

If you have not already subscribed to my podcast, please consider doing that now: 

Here are the apps where my podcast is available: 

• Amazon Music
• CastBox
• Google Podcasts
• iHeart Radio
• Pocket Casts
• Radio Public
• Spotify
• Sticher

You can also support my podcast or send me a voice message by going here:

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mattharmless

"... the delight is incomplete till it is expressed."

 “I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed. It is frustrating to have discovered a new author and not to be able to tell anyone how good he is; to come suddenly, at the turn of the road, upon some mountain valley of unexpected grandeur and then to have to keep silent because the people with you care for it no more than for a tin can in the ditch; to hear a good joke and find no one to share it with. . . . The Scotch catechism says that man’s chief end is ‘to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.’ But we shall then know that these are the same thing. Fully to enjoy is to glorify. In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him.”

― C.S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms

Ep. 72 - Reading with Pastor Matt The Mortification of Sin by John Owen Chapter 8 Part 1

 Episode 72

Reading with Pastor Matt

On The Mortification of Sin by John Owen

Chapter 8 Part 1

Don't Be A Lone Ranger Christian

Episode 71 - Don't be a Lone Ranger Christian

(Any resemblance to actual people that might occur in this post is purely coincidental and speaks more to the prevalence of this issue and not to my desire to point anyone out.)

There is something new that is plaguing Christian communities. Ok, well... maybe it isn't new, I don't really know, but it is new to me. Actually, now that I think about it, it might not even be new to me, but it is definitely something that is now demonstrating itself in a newly exaggerated state. It is sort of like when an artist draws a caricature of a person: The artist will exaggerate any feature that is slightly noticeable in order to create the caricature. This is what is happening in our Christian Communities - we always had lone-ranger Christians, but it has never been as apparent or as grotesque as it is today. 

Before I proceed, allow me to outline the format of this post. I'll begin by defining the title I've created: The Lone Ranger Christian. After that, I would like to describe the three contributing factors that I believe have exaggerated the noticeable characteristics of The Lone Ranger Christian, creating its current caricature. Finally, I will attempt to, in as brief a way as possible, share a couple of Biblical insights that I hope will battle this issue and strengthen the Church. 

Ep. 70 - Reading with Pastor Matt The Mortification of Sin by John Owen Chapter 7 Part 3

 Episode 70

Reading with Pastor Matt 

On The Mortification of Sin by John Owen

Chapter 7 Part 3

Ep. 69 - Reading with Pastor Matt The Mortification of Sin by John Owen Chapter 7 Part 2

Episode 69

Reading with Pastor Matt

On The Mortification of Sin by John Owen

Chapter 7 Part 2

Ep. 68 - Navigating Two Aspects of my Job (As a Pastor)

Episode 68 - Listen Here: 

For those that do not know: 

My name is Matt Harmless. I am in my 23rd year as a math teacher. All but one of my first nine years of teaching were in the private Christian School setting. The rest of my career has been in public education (with the last seven years at Danville High School in Danville, IL). I have also been a pastor at Edgewood Church in Danville since the summer of 2009. I share this information for those that might be new here, but also as an introduction to today's post. 

I am going to discuss two aspects of my job, but not my teaching job... my pastoral job. I may take some time to talk about aspects of being a teacher in another post, but I wanted to make some specific points about my job as a pastor. More specifically, I wanted to discuss two things that Paul the Apostle mentions in his letter to Titus. 

Ep. 67 Reading with Pastor Matt The Mortification of Sin by John Owen Chapter 7 Part 1

Episode 67 

Reading with Pastor Matt 

The Mortification of Sin by John Owen 

Chapter 7 Part 1 

Ep. 66 Reading with Pastor Matt The Mortification of Sin by John Owen Chapter 6 Part 3

Episode 66 

Reading with Pastor Matt 

The Mortification of Sin by John Owen 

Chapter 6 Part 3 

Ep. 65 Reading with Pastor Matt The Mortification of Sin by John Owen Chapter 6 Part 2

Episode 65 

Reading with Pastor Matt 

The Mortification of Sin by John Owen 

Chapter 6 Part 2 

Ep. 64 - Reading with Pastor Matt The Mortification of Sin by John Owen Chapter 6 Part 1

 Episode 64

Reading with Pastor Matt

The Mortification of Sin by John Owen 

Chapter 6 Part 1

Ep. 63 - Wheat and Tares

Image via Google Search

Listen Here: 

In Matthew 13:24–30, Jesus tells us this parable:

[24] He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, [25] but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. [26] So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. [27] And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ [28] He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ [29] But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. [30] Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’” (Matthew 13:24–30 ESV)

Ep. 62 Reading with Pastor Matt the Mortification of Sin by John Owen Chapter 5 Part 3

 

Episode 62

Reading with Pastor Matt

On the Mortification of Sin by John Owen 

Chapter 5 Part 3

Soul Poverty and the Abnegation of All Things

 

They Went Out

 

May the 4th (Reftoons)

 

Image Via Reftoons

Abortion Update in Danville Illinois

I would like to begin this post by sharing some information. If you haven't already heard, the City of Danville voted an ordinance into place that could potentially affect an abortion clinic from relocating to Danville from Indiana. Here are a few of the news articles:

Image Via WAND TV

Ep. 61 - Reading with Pastor Matt The Mortification of Sin by John Owen Chapter 5 Part 2

Episode 61

Reading with Pastor Matt

The Mortification of Sin by John Owen

Chapter 5 Part 2

Ep. 60 - Open Letter to the City Council of Danville

Listen to this letter with the actual audio clips from the April 25th meeting.

 Here is the statement that I planned on reading tonight at the city council meeting: 

Ep. 59 Reading with Pastor Matt The Mortification of Sin by John Owen Chapter 5 Part 1

Episode 59 

Reading with Pastor Matt 

The Mortification of Sin by John Owen 

Chapter 5 Part 1