What is Your Comfort? (Titus 2:11-15; LD 1)

Paul writes this letter to Titus in Crete. Paul encourages Titus to teach believers to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age. Believers are encouraged to see themselves stationed between two epiphanies, that is two events where God has manifested himself. On the one hand God redeems an international people by confirming his promises in Christ which is the first epiphany. We are called to look forward to the blessed hope of Jesus Christ’s return, second epiphany, who gave Himself to redeem and purify a people for His own possession, eager to do good works. We live between these two Christ events knowing that our Lord continues to purify and work in his people.

Our Cursed Redeemer (LD 15; Galatians 3:10-13)

We believe that Jesus is God who has taken on the flesh. He has taken on the flesh to redeem his people. We might want to minimize the need to have Christ die on the cross, but if Christ does not die on the cross then we are still in our sins. Christ had to become a curse for us so that we could be released from the curse of death.

(Preached November 6, 2022/11.6.2022)

#expositorypreaching #galatians #whychristdied

A Student of Providence (2 Corinthians 1:3-11; LD 10)

The Apostle Paul has personally witnessed the resurrected Christ. He has been called into heaven to experience a vision on par with Isaiah. It is tempting for us to think that Paul does not have to wrestle with God's sovereignty and God's election. However, Paul confesses that he too has had a break through in his Christian walk where his theology moved from being a head knowledge to to a deeper conviction within the Apostle Paul.

(Preached 9.25.2022)

A Kingdom of Joy (Matthew 13:45-52)

One would think that if this kingdom is going to be largely invisible and appears too weak to defeat rivals.  It seems as if this kingdom is going to initially provide hope and then become a grave disappointment as one still struggles with the burdens of life under the sun.  However, this is not how Christ wants us to view this kingdom.  So, why would we have joy when God’s kingdom impacts our lives?  How should we react when we are informed by God’s kingdom? 

The Advantage of Providence (Romans 8:31-39)

One of the main consequences of the fall is that we do not want God to rule over us. We might think that God’s ruling over us is going to limit our fun, our joy, and our contentment in this life. However, what if God’s ruling over us by his providence actually secures our fun, our joy, and our contentment? How do we find contentment in the Lord as he rules over us?

Our Only Comfort? (1 Peter 1:18)

The catechism makes a strong statement that we have only one comfort in life and in death.  How can there be only one comfort rather than the top five or top ten comforts?  Is it really possible to have only one comfort?

Called to Worship (Psalm 40; Hebrews 10:5-7)

The Lord calls us to worship and to make the Lord our focal place.  When we are called to worship as a people what is the basis of the Lord calling us to worship?  How are we called out of the world to Worship our God and our King?

The Sanctifying Basis (2 Corinthians 1:3-7 (LD 32; COD Head 5 Article 11)

It is a good thing to desire the Lord’s sanctifictifying power.  We should want such a thing if we take hold of Christ by faith.  It is honorable, but do we think about what we are asking?  We are people who are stained with sin.  We are people who honor strength and not suffering.  How does the Lord conform us to Him?  Do we always enjoy this conforming power of the Lord?  When is the Lord working us the most when it seems he has abandoned us?