August 4th, 2010
The Essential Edwards Collection

The Essential Edwards Collection : Set of 5 Books (Paperback), by Owen Strachan and Doug Sweeney
I just started reading the first volume and the set is promising to be a great read.
Read a few sample pages [PDF]
August 11th, 2010
Food For Soul – John 4:31-38
8 August 2010, AM
Higgins Lake Baptist Church
Pastor Kevin A. Pierpont
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:48 — 8.5MB)
August 4th, 2010
Can this be the Christ? – John 4:27-30
1 August 2010, AM
Higgins Lake Baptist Church
Pastor Kevin A. Pierpont
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:42 — 8.2MB)
Let’s go to John 4:27-30. We’re continuing with the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. The narrative here in John 4 isn’t explicit that she believed in Jesus and was born again but I think we’ll see that the way the story unfolds following verse 26 leads us to believe she did believe in Christ as a result of this exchange with Him. Read the rest of this article »
July 29th, 2010
I Who Speak To You Am He – John 4:1-26
25 July 2010, AM
Higgins Lake Baptist Church
Pastor Kevin A. Pierpont
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:27 — 8.4MB)
We’ve noted this often in our study here in John’s Gospel that the Apostle’s purpose in writing was to make it clear that Jesus Christ is God in human flesh. I’ve pointed often to what is likely the verse that best describes John’s Gospel in John 20:31. Read the rest of this article »
July 22nd, 2010
He Must Increase – John 3:22-36
18 July 2010, AM
Higgins Lake Baptist Church
Pastor Kevin A. Pierpont
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:15 — 6.8MB)
When you speak of your faith in Christ who do people see? Do they see you and your great accomplishments? Or do they see Christ? When you have opportunity to point people to Christ do they actually get to see him or do they just see you?
Let’s look at John 3:22. Here we are at the end of John 3 and here we see the witness of John the Baptist for the last time in the Apostle John’s Gospel. Read the rest of this article »
July 13th, 2010
Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know

Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know, by Wayne A. Grudem
We’ve begun working our way through this little book at the breakfast table this week. Good stuff here!
Get the table of contents and chapter 1 [PDF]
July 13th, 2010
Saved Through Him – John 3:16-21
11 July 2010, AM
Higgins Lake Baptist Church
Pastor Kevin A. Pierpont
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:08 — 7.4MB)
Is God a bully? Did Jesus have to come and die on the cross to rescue us from an angry God? Some think so. Did Jesus have to come to rescue us before God wiped us all out? Some say “yes”. But that’s not what we find in the passage before us. Let’s look together at John 3:16-21. Read the rest of this article »
July 6th, 2010
You Must Be Born Again, part 3 – John 3:9-15
4 July 2010, AM
Higgins Lake Baptist Church
Pastor Kevin A. Pierpont
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 33:20 — 7.9MB)
Let’s look at John 3:1-15 where we return to the remainder of the conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus. Read the rest of this article »
July 1st, 2010
You Must Be Born Again – John 3:5-8
27 June 2010, AM
Higgins Lake Baptist Church
Pastor Kevin A. Pierpont
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:36 — 8.2MB)
Let’s look at John 3:1-8 and the conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus. Read the rest of this article »
June 24th, 2010
You Must Be Born Again, part 1 – John 3:1-4
20 June 2010, AM
Higgins Lake Baptist Church
Pastor Kevin A. Pierpont
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:51 — 7.8MB)
We’re coming to chapter 3 of John’s Gospel today and the story of Nicodemus, and I’d like to read the first 15 verses to begin with to get an overview of this conversation Jesus has with him and then we’re going to take a closer look at verses 1-4. Read the rest of this article »
June 17th, 2010
He Knew All People – John 2:23-25
13 June 2010, AM
Higgins Lake Baptist Church
Pastor Kevin A. Pierpont
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:20 — 8.8MB)
John 2:23-25
23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. 24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.
As we come back to our study in John’s Gospel this morning I remind you that his purpose in lining up the events that we’ve seen so far and throughout this Gospel is so that we might believe in Jesus Christ and have life in his name. Read the rest of this article »
June 7th, 2010
The Bookends of the Christian Life

The Bookends of the Christian Life, by Jerry Bridges and Bob Bevington
This book has been a recent blessing to me. C. J. Mahaney says of it:
“Forgiveness of sin and power to change — I can think of no more essential topics for a Christian to study than these twin blessings of the gospel. And I can think of no one better to write on these topics ” than Jerry Bridges. Jerry has provided for me over the years a constant diet of gospel-saturated writing, and here is a fresh feast. I trust you will enjoy it as much as I have.”
Read sample pages here [PDF]
June 7th, 2010
They Believed – John 2:12-22
6 June 2010, AM
Higgins Lake Baptist Church
Pastor Kevin A. Pierpont
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 38:59 — 9.2MB)
John 2:12-22
12 After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and his brothers and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days.
13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
We’ve been keeping before us this one big idea, which is John’s purpose in writing this Gospel, it’s to make clear to us that Jesus is God. By inspiration of the Holy Spirit this is just what John continues to do in our passage of study today. Read the rest of this article »
June 3rd, 2010
His Glory Manifested – John 2:1-11
30 May 2010, AM
Higgins Lake Baptist Church
Pastor Kevin A. Pierpont
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 39:18 — 9.3MB)
John 2:1-11
2:1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
As we began our study in the Gospel of John and throughout our study in John 1 I have reminded you that the Apostle John’s purpose has been, as seen in John 20:31, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. Read the rest of this article »
May 27th, 2010
The deep ditch of legalism
Phil Johnson posts a challenging article on legalism noting that:
When it comes to the question of spiritual duties, where Scripture stops speaking, we should, too.
He concludes by saying:
If we add rules that Scripture doesn’t make—especially if we try to impose our manmade rules on other people’s consciences as a standard of spirituality—we are guilty of the same sin as the Pharisees and worthy of the same harsh rebukes Christ leveled at them.
You should read the whole post here.
May 26th, 2010
I am weak, I need help
Ray Ortland has me (and you) pegged. He’s describing me when he says:
Every Sunday I am a weak man preaching to weak people. Admonition has its place. But what weak people need, more than admonition, is help.
He also reminds me what I need and and the people I preach to need saying that:
Weak sinners, continually reassured by grace, will accomplish more for Christ than they would if continually confronted by demand.
It’s a short piece, read it here.
May 24th, 2010
Jesus: King of Israel, Son of Man, John 1:43-51
23 May 2010, AM
Higgins Lake Baptist Church
Pastor Kevin A. Pierpont
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 50:03 — 11.8MB)
John 1:43-51
43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
Who is Jesus? As we’ve been studying here in John 1 we’ve been seeing the answer to that question. Everything we see here points to the deity of Christ. As we’ve been studying here through chapter 1 we’ve been seeing several different names for Jesus that help us understand who He is. Read the rest of this article »
May 9th, 2010
Jesus: the Lamb of God, part 2 – John 1:29-34
9 May 2010, AM
Higgins Lake Baptist Church
Pastor Kevin A. Pierpont
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 46:28 — 10.9MB)
John 1:35-42
35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).
Last week we came to verses 29-34 and found that Jesus is called the Lamb of God and saw John the Baptist’s testimony about the Lamb of God. We noted it last time that the imagery of a sacrificial lamb having it’s blood shed as a sacrifice for sin wouldn’t be as vivid for us without what we know from the Bible, especially the Old Testament. But people in John the Baptist’s day were very familiar with the Jewish sacrificial system, they were very familiar with the idea that daily animal sacrifices were made because God had made it clear throughout Israel’s history, that sin and separation from Him could only be removed by blood sacrifices. Read the rest of this article »
Kevin is a husband, dad of eight and pastor from beautiful Higgins Lake, Michigan 