"If you have faith as small as a mustard seed" (v. 6). Then as now, Christians become aware of the inadequacy of their faith when they are made responsible for leading others. As leaders, they face challenges greater than their faith. They hope for great faith, certainly greater faith than their followers. Surprisingly, Jesus does not require superior spiritual endowments of Christian leaders, even apostles, nor does he offer them such. He promises, rather, to be present in the smallness of their faith. A mustard seed is so small that, held in the palm of one's hand, it appears as a speck of dust, barely visible. The image of the mustard seed is another hyperbole, but the point is clear. Christians, even apostles, are distinguished not by the quantity of faith, but by the employment of faith; not by greatness or smallness of faith, but by acting on faith, even faith the size of a mustard seed.Pillar Commentary, Luke
We live in a day and age in which Christianity throughout North America is primarily antinomian. You're saved by grace perhaps, or at least mostly through grace and partly your free will, so you can be free. Free to do what you want.https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermons/5191514403910 (11 mins)
If your going to take on your self a religion that puts on silver slippers. Just know it's taking you to hell. If your Christianity does not cost you throw it away, it's a lie! Sermon: Is Your View of the Cross Worldly
The tears are in my eyes as I look at you and say, Why will you die? Will you not give your soul a thought? Will you perish through sheer carelessness? Oh, do not do so, but weigh these solemn matters and make sure of eternity! Do not refuse Jesus, His love, His blood, His salvation. All of Grace (150)
In short, doctrinally, Puritanism was a kind of vigorous Calvinism; experientially, it was warm and contagious; evangelistically, it was aggressive, yet tender; ecclesiastically, it was theocentric and worshipful; and politically, it aimed to be scriptural and balanced.
Believe God's word and power more than you believe your own feelings and experiences. Your Rock is Christ, and it is not the Rock which ebbs and flows, but your sea.
Lead Family Worship with a firm, fatherly hand and a soft, penitent heart: Even when you're bone-weary after a day's work, pray for strength to carry out your fatherly duty. Remember that Christ Jesus went to the cross for you bone-weary and exhausted but never shrunk from His mission. As you deny yourself, you will see how He strengthens you during Family Worship, so that by the time you finish, your exhaustion is overcome.Theology of the Family, 96
Do not expect to grow in holiness if you spend little time alone with God and do not take His Word seriously.Living Zealously, Reformation Heritage Books, 2012
Christ did not come to earth simply to be our moral teacher. If that were His only mission, He could have come as He did in former times, as the Angel of the Lord, without our flesh and blood to encumber Him.Why Christ Came: 31 Meditations on the Incarnation, Reformation Heritage Books, 2013
The enjoyment of God is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here.Living for God’s Glory: An Introduction to Calvinism, Reformation Heritage Books, 2008
The love of Christ is insatiable. The more you experience His redeeming love, the more you desire it. The more you desire it, the more you want to dwell on it.A Puritan Theology: Doctrine for Life, Reformation Heritage Books, 2012
Faith is not bare knowledge or passive persuasion but the embrace of Christ by the heart, resulting in personal knowledge of God.Parenting by God’s Promises, Reformation Trust, 2011