Repent and Receive the Spirit! (Acts 2:36-39)

Peter uses strong language after his Pentecost sermon. Peter says, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). This sounds as if we repent, then we receive baptism, and then the Spirit is free to work. We say that the Spirit normally works through the preaching of the Gospel. We listen to Peter's exhortation and consider the deeper implications for the sign of Baptism and profession of faith.

The Faithful Precedent (Hebrews 11:8 22)

It is common for Christians to see Hebrews 11 as a catalogue of the Heroes of the Faith. This is not necessarily wrong, as there is a precedent of people who walked by faith, but it is lacking completion. You see we assume that they are walk in the faith, but we do not always consider the power that is at work in their lives. We assume that it is faith, but we can miss the undying beam that upholds them in their Christian sojourn.

What is Faith? (Hebrews 11:1-7)

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." This is true, but what is faith? What does faith really do? Hebrews teaches us that faith is the manifestation of the Lord's creative work. It is as we walk in faith that the power of the spirit is manifested.

#hebrews11 #hebrewsseries #expositorypreaching

Am I Redeemed? (LD 7; John 20:30-31)

The question that we can always ask is how do I know if the Lord's redemption is mine? We know that God promises to redeem, but how does that promise become my promise? This is where faith is the essence of assurance. This means that when we have faith in Christ we have assurance. The reason is because faith in Christ takes hold of Christ and all his blessings.

(Sunday August 28, 2022)

Heroes or Hero of the Faith? (Hebrews 11; COD Head 5 RE 6, 7)

Normally when we read Hebrews 11 we focus on the individuals and their faith. We look at the deeds that they have done in the power of the faith and we consider them to be the heroes. However, if we put the chapter in the context we discover that the real hero is God who is showing his invisible power at work in his people.

Is There More than Just Trust and Obey? (COD 1; RE1; Acts 13:48)

When Christians talk about man's free will and our coming to faith we end up with the old "Tastes Great.... Less Filling debate." We are not getting to the heart of the issue. The Canons of Dordt seeks to clarify how man comes to faith. The Canons also spells out that God's choosing does not deny our sincere call to respond in faith. The Canons affirms that we are called to obey God. The Canons also defends that christians are called to persevere in our faith. So, what is the fundamental problem? Is this merely a difference of preference or is there a substantive difference?

Why is Faith so Important? (1 Cor. 2:1-5)

We believe that one is righteous before God by taking hold of Christ through faith.  Paul says that he desires to know nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  Does this mean that Paul is denying Christ’s resurrection?  Does this mean that Paul is teaching us not to learn from wise men in the past nor to look at any other Scriptures?  What does Paul mean by this strong statement, “Jesus Christ and him crucified?”

Am I an Insider (Matthew 8:18-27)

When we consider the message of Matthew’s gospel the concern is that we discern whether or not we are insiders seeking to do the Lord’s will.  However, if I am not genetically tied to the Israelite people, Abraham is not a direct genetic descendant in my family tree, and I am not genetically tied to the prophets then can I be an insider?  What if my faith is not as strong as it should be does that mean I am excluded from the inside? How do I know if I am an insider who possesses the Gospel promises?

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 Perfect Giver (James 1:12-18)

James desires us to see and believe that God is the giver of all good things.  This might sound strange considering that James just talked about the suffering that we will endure in this life.  Why is it so important to see that God is good?  Do we vainly hope that God is good or is there another issue and problem that we need to own which prevents us from seeing God’s goodness?

No Insight without New Birth (John 3:1-15 (LD 20; COD Head 3/4 Article 11)

The interaction between Christ and Nicodemus communicates that there is a problem.  It is a problem with the human condition and not a problem with the Lord.  We can understand on one level the complexity of redemption, but on the other level we fail to see how complex it is.  Nicodemus is shocked by the proposal of a new birth because Nicodemus hears that he needs to be part of another family or another genealogy.  Christ is telling him that this is partly true, but it is not a genealogy tied to a family in this world.  So, what genealogy matters?  What genealogy do we want to have?  How do we attain this genealogy and the necessary birth?

Imposed or Refundable Gift (Ephesians 2:8 (LD 16; COD Head 2 Art. 7)

All conservative Christians agree that the human race is divided between those who believe in Christ as their savior or those who do not believe in Christ.  The issue is how do we receive our faith or come to an understanding of the truths in Scripture?  Is faith a gift that we receive by reaching up our hand to the benevolent giver or does the benevolent giver impose this gift upon us?  So, is this a gift that the Lord imposes on us or is this a gift that we can return it?

Why is Faith so Important? (1 Corinthians 1:30; LD 23)

If we are really honest we must affirm that we struggle in our faith.  This means that there are times when our faith is strong, and there are times when our faith is not so strong.  In fact, we do not like to admit it, but we even sin.  We really do not like to admit it, but most of the time we enjoy our sin for a little while.  If we are so weak, and broken by our sin, then how can this weak faith be so necessary?  Should we trust in our faith or are we asking the wrong question?