God’s Unnoticed Signature (LD 50; Acts 14:16, 17)

We can loose sight that God provides for this while creation. The Apostle Paul reminds the mission field that God's continual care demonstrates his commitment to this creation. We think of the Lord reminding Job in Job 38:13-18 about the Lord's care for the careless ostrich. This is not an invitation for us to take God's faithfulness for granted, but to be even more confident to place all our requests before his throne of grace trusting in his provision.

Discerning the Right Will (LD 49; Romans 12:1, 2)

It would be nice if the Lord would just tell us what he wants us to do. It would be nice that in every circumstance the Lord would tell us what is right and wrong. However, God did not create robots. He desires for us to consciously pursue him. So, when we pray this request we are asking the Lord to accomplish his will, and what we would do his will for his glory.

Realizing Christ’s Kingdom (Romans 16:20; LD 48)

Christ commands us to pray that his kingdom would come. Our desire is to see his kingdom advance knowing that it is his kingdom and not our kingdom. We are called to be aligned with God's purpose in this kingdom and so we are praying that the Lord would continue to orient us with a heavenly perspective on this Christian pilgrimage.

Sanctifying God's Name? (LD 47; Matthew 6:5-15)

Christ teaches us to pray that the Lord's name would be hallowed. This means that the Lord will make his name holy. This is a strange request considering that God is holy. So, why ask the Lord to make his name holy?

#lordsprayer #expositorypreaching #heidelbergcatechism

Knowing our Father’s Majesty (LD 46; Luke 12:22-34)

When our Lord teaches us to pray he tells us to pray to our father in heaven. We might think that this makes God a distant God. We might think that he is far away. However, this should assure us that not only is God our father, but he is powerful enough to see us through this age into the age to come.

#lordsprayer

Listening to the Lowly (LD 45; James 1:5-7)

James reminds us that our view of God is our problem. If we think that God is distant or we do not think that God is near us then we need to change our focus. You see God is with us and is literally a prayer away from our conscious pursuit. If we doubt our strength or our ability to find our way through this age we are to ask God for wisdom. We might not even know that our problem is lacking wisdom until we learn what scripture teaches us regarding wisdom.

#expositorypreaching #hoseaseries #lifeinchrist

Father of Lies (John 8:31-47; LD 43)

Christ makes clear that the leaders in Israel need to be careful. They claim to love the truth of the gospel, but they miss truth as they deny Christ. Christ tells them that they are illegitimate children. They might be descendants of Abraham, but they are not children of Abraham. This is a reminder for us to be truth speaking people.

#slander #gossip #lovingtruth #catechismpreaching #expositorypreaching

Murder’s Deeper Meaning (LD 40; Romans 12:14-21)

The Apostle Paul wants us to understand that murder is more than just taking a human life. It is not just a physical act, but also is tied to our desires. We can desire to destroy someone, we can have hate in our hearts, and we can belittle others to make ourselves look better. The Apostle reminds us to wait upon the Lord and to consciously do good to all as much as it depends on us.

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#romans12 #expositorypreaching #catechismsermon

Obey Your Leaders (Ephesians 6:1-9; LD 39)

God has a redeemed a people who are called to bring glory to his name. We are to be lights in the darkness. We might think that this is only for adults, but the Apostle Paul reminds us that this is for children as well as they are members of the Christian household. So, we hear about how we bring glory to God as the Lord's redeemed saints.

Attending God’s Assembly (LD 38; 1 Timothy 4:11-16)

Paul exhorts Timothy to practice and use his gifts for ministry. We might wonder what is so special about this gift of ministry. It appears to us that anyone can read the word of God and so what is the significance of receiving the preached word? Does it really make that much of a difference? According to the Apostle Paul these are the words of life and the means for godliness.

Do Not Take an Oath at All? (Matthew 23:16-22; LD 37)

Bearing God's Name (Colossians 3:12-17; LD 36)

The Apostle Paul exhorts us to put on Christ. We are exhorted to be consciously set apart in Christ Jesus. The hidden mystery, that is God's plan of redemption, has been manifested and shown in Christ. As we are joined to Christ by the Spirit and Faith we are called to walk in a manner that honors Christ. We are not doing this to become God's holy people, but because we are God's holy people. We clearly bring glory to Christ's name because of His redemptive work. We seek to discern what is pleasing to him out of gratitude.

God’s Exclusive Worship (LD 35; 2 Kings 18:4, 5)

The Lord calls us to worship him exclusively. We can be creative in our worship. We struggle to follow the Lord and to follow him exclusively. We see this in Judah and also note Hezkiah reforming worship.

God’s Exclusive Relationship (LD 34; Eph. 5:5)

We might think that idolatry is something that only other people do. If we are honest, we will see that we are blinded to our own affections and self righteousness. We do not see that there are things in this age, not necessarily sinful things, but things that can distract us from our God. This is why it is so important that we understand we are children of God, and it is because we are redeemed in Christ that we have an exclusive relationship with our God. So, when we are exhorted to discern what is pleasing to the Lord then we are invited to see what things do distract us and to be tender to the things that may distract us from Christ. However, we must always remember that we are beloved children of God and we persevere by His grace and power.

Free in Christ (LD 33; Ephesians 5:10)

Billy Joel says, "I would rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints." This is a line in "Only the Good Die Young" that has always intrigued me. This would mean that living for God is a life fully of mourning, sorrow, and pure misery. The Apostle Paul does not command us to weep, but to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. In fact, as a Christian we would say that living for God is the source of our joy. In this sermon we consider what it means to live for God and discerning what pleases him.

Why Obey if Saved By Grace? (LD 32; Matt. 7:17-18)

We are those who are created to do good works. We also know that faith is a gift that is given to us by God. Christ in the Sermon of the Mount gives us very strong exhortations to obey God from our heart. Where does grace fit into all this? Is grace something that enables us to be faithful?

#sermononthemount #lifeinchrist #gospeliving

Discerning Our Redemption (1 Cor. 10:14-22; 11:23-24; LD 30)

We are called to examine ourselves when we come to the Lord's Table. There is a frightening reminder that there are some who have died in the midst of the Corinthian congregation. Can we come to the table with confidence? How much examination should we do?

#expositorypreaching #lordssupper #communion

Redeemed to Eat True Nourishment (Luke 22:14-23; LD 28)

Our Lord hosts the passover with his disciples on the night that he is betrayed. He applies the signs of the bread and wine to himself. He says that this is my body and this is my blood. This is sacramental metonymy. Christ is using the bread and the wine in the place of his body.

#sacraments #lordssupper #communion

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Baptism: A Communal Sign (Isaiah 44:1-3; LD 27)

Isaiah, the prophet, speaks of the washing that will go forth. This washing is not just for the adults in the community, but their offspring. The wilderness normally is associated with death, but our Lord will overturn it with life.

#waterbaptism #Infantbaptism #baptism

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Redeemed for Discipleship (LD 25; Matt. 28:16-20)

Christ is raised from the dead, he interacts with his disciples on the last mountain, and he goes to heaven. This would appear to be Christ leaving us and forsaking us. However, Christ assures us that he will be with us until the end of the age.

#greatcomission #matthewgospel #christianmotivation