Comforted in One True Savior (LD 11; 1 Cor. 1:10-17)

Paul addresses a fractured church, divided into factions based on allegiance to specific leaders—Paul, Apollos, Cephas, or even Christ in a tribalistic sense. These divisions reveal the human tendency to seek identity and superiority in secondary things, even in the church. Paul responds by re-centering their focus on Christ alone, emphasizing that their unity and salvation are rooted not in the messengers, but in the message of the cross.

Human hearts naturally turn good things, like church leaders or even the gospel, into ultimate things that ironically look away from Christ. We are those who create idols that divide rather than finding significance in Christ. But Paul dismantles these divisions by reminding the Corinthians of the gospel’s leveling power: none of them were baptized into Paul or Apollos—they were baptized into Christ. The cross is not just the means of salvation; it’s the ultimate unifier, declaring that all believers are equally in need of grace.

The key takeaway is that the gospel creates a new identity transcending tribalism. In Christ, there’s no room for boasting in human leaders or factions because everything we have is a gift. This passage challenges us to examine where we are tempted to find our worth outside of Jesus and invites us to center our hearts and community on the One who unites us all.

Why Such Suffering? (Philippians 2:5-11; BC 29)

Paul calls us to have the same mindset as Jesus, who, despite being divine, didn't cling to His status. Instead, He emptied Himself, becoming a servant and embracing human vulnerability. Christ's obedience went all the way to death, and even death on a cross. Because of this, God exalted Him, giving Him a name above all names, so that every being will acknowledge His lordship. One of the things we learn about the Christian life is that our sanctification is in a sense suffering. It is suffering to deny self to conform to Christ. We d not naturally want to die to self, but this is what Paul is teaching us. As we are in the power of the Spirit we are new creatures called to conform to our heavenly status in Christ.

Why Two Natures? (LD 6; 2 Corinthians 5:16-21)

In 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, Paul explains the transformative power of the gospel and the ministry of reconciliation given to believers. He begins by stating that we no longer view anyone from a worldly perspective, including Christ. If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation; the old has passed away, and the new has come.

Paul emphasizes that all of this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. This means that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not counting people's sins against them. Instead, He entrusted believers with the message of reconciliation.

Paul concludes by identifying believers as ambassadors for Christ, appealing to others on God's behalf to be reconciled to Him. He underscores the gospel's essence: God made Christ, who had no sin, to be sin for us, so that in Him, we might become the righteousness of God.

Christ is taking on our sin so that we might receive His righteousness, showcasing the depth of God's grace and the transformative power of the gospel.

The Christ of Old (BC 12; Exodus 3)

The Angel of the Lord speaks as God, the Angel promises to be the redemption that Christ promises, and ultimately this Angel is God or pre-incarnate Christ. Angels are often perceived as weak messengers, this angel is actually the spoken word, messenger, and even an envoy of God who manifests His presence as a theophany.

Why is Christ only Begotten Son? (John 1:1-18; 3:16; BC 18)

John introduces Jesus as the eternal Word of God, emphasizing His role in creation, bringing light and life to humanity. Jesus takes on the flesh and tabernacles among us. It is God walking in the midst of the human race. However, Jesus does not become the Son of God at that moment, but is Son from eternity. We are assured that as we receive him by faith we are children of God. Yet, there is the language of being born again before we accept Christ. How can Christ be Son of God, and we can also be sons of God by new birth and faith?

Go with God’s Blessing! (Hebrews 13:20-25)

We leave worship with God's blessing. Hebrews gives us a very rich blessing. We go in the confidence of the Lord's preserving mercy in Christ. This is a benediction that assures us of God's redemption, his grace, and his power. We conclude the letter to the Hebrews and show how the benediction wins us over to God's favor.

#hebrews #hebrewsseries #hebrewssermon #hebrews13

Living for God (Hebrews 13:1-6)

We are exhorted to let brotherly love continue and to live out the gospel. We are told to trust that the Lord is our shield and defender. The assurance we have is that the Lord will never leave us or forsake us.

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#urcbelgrade #hebrews #expositorypreaching #expositorysermon

Moses’ Precedent (Hebrews 11:23-31

The author of Hebrews continues to lay out the significance of the Old Testament saints looking to the one Christ. We are tempted to elevate these heroes rather than seeing the power that is behind their actions.

Preached: Morning April 30, 2023

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.

Jesus, the Christmas Confirmation (Luke 2:1-38)

Jesus lives up this his name. His name means Yahweh Saves. Jesus enters history to save his people from their sins. This is why Christ has to be born an infant in order to live a perfect life to be presented as the perfect sacrifice.

Christ’s Glorious Throne Room (Psalm 110; LD 19)

The apostles' creed teaches that Christ is sitting on the right hand of God. We might think that this makes Christ distant from the Lord. We might think that Christ being distant has no advantage for us today. However we can be assured that as Christ is in heaven we will overcome. We might experience discouragement in our current existence, but we know that we will prevail because Christ has overcome.

#expositorypreaching #righthandofGod #christinheaven #christaspriest #christisenough

(Preached 12.4.2022)

Who Caused this Problem? (Gen. 3; LD 4)

The Lord finishes his creation and he calls it good. The Lord is pronouncing that all that he created is good. This means that Adam and Eve were not lacking a single thing to obey God. However, when Satan entered the garden they accepted his invitation to evaluate the Lord's word.

(Sunday August 7, 2022)

Worship Elements: Heavenly Vision (Revelation 22:1-22)

It is easy for us to lose our focus in this life.  This world, satan, and even our flesh will distract us from the purpose and goal of worship.  What is the ultimate goal and purpose of our worship as we gather together?

Worship Elements: Lord’s Day Services (John 20:1-23)

Christ’s entrance into history has an impact on the way that Old Testaments saints used to worship. We can see the sacrifices going away, the temple going away, and those things that pointed to Christ no longer being necessary for Christ has come. So, does this mean that the church has a precedence of worshipping any desired day of the week? Is the church still supposed to worship morning and evening?

Living it Out: Kingdom Focused (Matthew 6:19-34)

Our Lord calls us to be light in the world. So often we think that we need greater strategies to impact our particular circles. This is certainly something to pray about and to potentially discuss with one another. However, our Lord calls us to look beyond this immediate age. Where are we called to look? How do we know that our Lord is with us as we look to heaven’s glory?

Sabbath People Journeying to Heaven (Heb 4:8-16)

The reality is that the people of God are called to enter the rest that Israel looked to enter. You would think that they arrived in the rest having the land, but yet there is still a day that is marked as a day of rest. How can this exhortation for us to strive to enter that rest be encouraging for us?

Worship Elements: Sunday Worship? (Acts 20:7)

Moses commands the Israelites to worship on the seventh day, but we worship on the first day.  How can we make such a transition and claim to worship the same God as Abraham?

Worship Elements: Communion: Sacramental Union (John 6:22-65)

Our Lord makes the promise that the one who eats of the bread and drinks of the cup eats and drinks the flesh and blood of Christ.  How can Christ say such a thing?  We we really want to slaughter our Lord, cannibalize his body, and celebrate such a wicked act?  However, when Christ speaks this sounds exactly like what Christ is inviting us to do.  So, what do we do with this strong language?  How can such language be encouraging?

Communion Instituted (Luke 22:1-23)

Our Lord gathers together with his disciples to celebrate passover.  It is during this passover feast that Christ and the disciples have the first communion or Lord’s Supper. It would seem that if the Lord’s Supper is instituted at passover that the Lord’s Supper and passover would be the same thing.  However, reformed people have not seen them being the exact same thing.  How can we make a distinction between the Lord’s Supper and the Passover?  What has Christ stated that helps us understand this disinction?

Worship Elements: Communion: Judge Yourselves (1 Corinthians 10:14-22; 11:17-34)

Paul lays out the declaration for the Lord’s people to judge themselves prior to coming to the Lord’s Supper.  What does this judgment look like?  Paul warns the Corinthian church that some people have actually died because they failed to judge themselves.  How do we know if we have judged ourselves appropriately?