Reformation Orthodox Presbyterian Church: Recent Episodes
David is driven into the wilderness, betrayed by trusted counsel, surrounded by deception, and pursued by his own son. In the courts of Absalom, the wisest counsel in Israel is given, yet it is rejected. Not because it lacked wisdom, but because God Himself opposed it. This sermon walks through the tension of human strategy versus divine sovereignty, showing how the Lord defeats good counsel to accomplish judgment and preserve His chosen king. From cursing and deception to confusion and ultimate deliverance, the hand of God is seen ruling over every moment. Even in exile, David is sustained. Even in danger, God provides. Even when the wicked seem to prosper, their end is already determined. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 10:00am and 5:00pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
This message walks through Proverbs 31:21-31 and paints a vivid picture of the woman of valor, not as an unreachable ideal but as a faithful servant shaped by the fear of the Lord. It exposes the noise of modern life, the pull of comparison, and the subtle drift away from God's design, then brings the listener back to the beauty of ordinary obedience. Hard work, gentle speech, and a heart anchored in Christ are shown to be the marks of enduring beauty. The sermon calls the church to recover a biblical vision for the home, where faithfulness is lived out daily and God's grace is seen in the simplest acts of service. Church Information: Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 10:00am and 5:00pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
A Son's Treason takes us into 2 Samuel 15, where the rebellion of Absalom unfolds, and the consequences of sin within David's house become unmistakably clear. What begins as subtle manipulation turns into full betrayal as Absalom steals the hearts of Israel and rises against his own father. This sermon traces the deeper issue beneath the narrative, the danger of wicked counsel, the corruption of the human heart, and the ease with which people are drawn away from truth by charm and persuasion. At the same time, it presents David as a humbled king who entrusts himself to the Lord, refusing to manipulate God while still acting with wisdom. Ultimately, this message points forward to Christ, the true King who was also betrayed, yet whose kingdom cannot be overthrown. It calls the listener to reject rebellion, pursue righteousness, and rest in the sovereign purposes of God who brings down the wicked and preserves His people. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 10:00am and 5:00pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
This sermon opens Proverbs 31 and brings into view the beauty and weight of biblical womanhood. It paints a picture of a woman whose worth is not measured by the world but by the wisdom of God. Her faithfulness shapes the home, her labor is steady and joyful, and her generosity reaches beyond her walls. The message confronts cultural distortions while calling women to walk in humility, strength, and gospel-driven purpose, ultimately pointing to Christ as the source of true righteousness. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 10:00am and 5:00pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Return without repentance is not restoration, it is the quiet beginning of greater judgment. In this passage, David allows Absalom to return, yet without truth, without justice, and without any evidence of repentance. What appears to be peace is only surface deep, and beneath it lies a growing fracture that will soon erupt. This sermon walks through the manipulation of Joab, the weakness of David, and the emptiness of reconciliation that is not grounded in God's Word. It presses the weight of this truth upon the hearer, that real restoration is never achieved by human wisdom, emotional persuasion, or outward gestures. It comes only through repentance, through the convicting power of God's Word, and through His mercy. The warning is clear. When sin is not dealt with rightly, it does not disappear. It grows. And when restoration is attempted without repentance, it prepares the ground for greater destruction. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 10:00am and 5:00pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
There is a longing in the human soul that nothing in this world can satisfy. In Psalm 84, that longing is directed toward one place, the dwelling place of God. In this sermon, Rev. Lacey Andrews unfolds the beauty, stability, and joy of worship, showing that the deepest desire of the believer is not found in comfort, success, or ease, but in the presence of the living God with His people. Drawing from the structure of the Psalter and the unfolding of redemptive history, this message places Psalm 84 within the larger story of the rise, collapse, and restoration of the Davidic kingdom, ultimately pointing to Christ as the true King who fulfills every promise. Even in seasons of hardship, exile, and spiritual dryness, God remains faithful to His covenant, bringing His people from strength to strength until they appear before Him in Zion. This sermon presses the reality that worship is not routine, but a privilege of eternal significance. The house of God is not merely a gathering place, but a foretaste of heaven itself, where believers join the worship of the throne room above. It calls the listener to examine whether they truly delight in the worship of God, whether their heart is set on pilgrimage, and whether their trust is fully in Christ alone. From the safety found in God's presence, to the joy of the journey, to the assurance that no good thing is withheld from those who walk uprightly, this message exalts the steadfast love of God that never fails, even when His people do. Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 10:00am and 5:00pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
This sermon brings us into one of the darkest chapters in Scripture, where sin is not hidden but exposed in its full devastation. Inside David's own house, lust turns to violence, silence gives way to vengeance, and a family collapses under the weight of unchecked sin. Yet even here, the passage presses us beyond human failure to the only true hope, the righteous King who does not fail. This message calls us to see sin clearly, mourn it rightly, and look to Christ as the only source of forgiveness and restoration. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 10:00am and 5:00pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
This sermon continues through Proverbs 31 and examines the wisdom given to those who hold responsibility before God. It calls men to live with clarity of mind, restraint in desire, and faithfulness in leadership, avoiding anything that weakens judgment or corrupts authority. It presses the duty to defend the weak, speak for the voiceless, and use every position of influence as a trust from God. The message ultimately points to Christ as the perfect King, whose authority was exercised in righteousness and sacrificial love. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 10:00am and 5:00pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
This sermon continues through Proverbs 31 and examines the wisdom given to those who hold responsibility before God. It calls men to live with clarity of mind, restraint in desire, and faithfulness in leadership, avoiding anything that weakens judgment or corrupts authority. It presses the duty to defend the weak, speak for the voiceless, and use every position of influence as a trust from God. The message ultimately points to Christ as the perfect King, whose authority was exercised in righteousness and sacrificial love. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 10:00am and 5:00pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
What does it mean for a man to be truly strong? This sermon walks through the life of David at one of his lowest moments and shows how God produces strength through brokenness, repentance, and restoration. It paints a picture of a man who rises from mourning, not in pride, but in worship, and it calls every believer to that same pattern of grace. The message also opens up Isaiah 58 to reveal the beauty and blessing of the Lord's Day, showing how God satisfies, strengthens, and builds up generations through faithful obedience. This is a call to examine the heart, to prepare rightly for worship, and to delight in the God who restores sinners and strengthens His people. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 10:00am and 5:00pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
David's sins against Bathsheba and Uriah seemed hidden, yet nothing escapes the sight of God. In this sermon from 2 Samuel 12 the Lord sends Nathan the prophet to confront the king with a parable that exposes his guilt and calls him to repentance. This message traces the unfolding confrontation between Nathan and David, the confession that follows, the consequences that come upon David's household, and the mercy of God that continues His covenant purposes through the birth of Solomon. Even in the midst of judgment, the grace of God shines through as the Lord restores a repentant sinner and preserves the royal line that will ultimately lead to Christ. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia Each Lord's Day 10:00am and 5:00pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Website https://refopc.net Email ropcgastonia@gmail.com
The final verses of Philippians close Paul's letter with a greeting that reveals something remarkable about the reach of the gospel. The saints in Philippi are greeted by believers with Paul, and even by members of Caesar's household. In those simple words we see the power of Christ's kingdom. The gospel had penetrated the very house of the Roman emperor, the same empire that persecuted the church. In this sermon from Philippians 4:21-23, Rev. Joby Fowler explores how the grace of God gathers saints from every tribe, language, and background into one household of faith. Christian fellowship begins with a greeting but grows into something deeper. It grows into hospitality, reconciliation, forgiveness, and shared life among those redeemed by Christ. The church becomes a place where former strangers become brothers and sisters who will share eternity together in the presence of God. This message also addresses the biblical truth that the gospel overturns every false measure of human worth. The unity of the church is not grounded in ethnicity, culture, language, or earthly status. It is grounded in grace. The same grace that rescued the Apostle Paul, the chief of sinners, rescues men and women from every nation and household. And that grace teaches the church to welcome one another, to pursue peace, and to labor together for the growth of Christ's kingdom. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 10:00am and 5:00pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
David's sins against Bathsheba and Uriah seemed hidden, yet nothing escapes the sight of God. In this sermon from 2 Samuel 12 the Lord sends Nathan the prophet to confront the king with a parable that exposes his guilt and calls him to repentance. This message traces the unfolding confrontation between Nathan and David, the confession that follows, the consequences that come upon David's household, and the mercy of God that continues His covenant purposes through the birth of Solomon. Even in the midst of judgment, the grace of God shines through as the Lord restores a repentant sinner and preserves the royal line that will ultimately lead to Christ. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia Each Lord's Day 10:00am and 5:00pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Website https://refopc.net Email ropcgastonia@gmail.com
In Philippians 4:14–20 the Apostle Paul lifts our eyes from temporary provision to eternal reward. The Philippians shared in his distress, gave out of love for the gospel, and in doing so became participants in kingdom work that reaches beyond this life. Their gifts rose before God as a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice. This sermon calls believers to see every vocation, every offering, every act of obedience as worship shaped by the cross. God supplies every need according to His riches in glory, and therefore we labor not for earthly comfort but for everlasting fruit. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia Each Lord's Day 9:30am and 5:30pm Beginning Sunday, March 1, worship times change to 10:00am and 5:00pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
The King Displeases the Lord. In this sobering exposition of 2 Samuel 11:1-27, we walk through the tragic fall of David, tracing how spiritual complacency gave way to adultery, deception, and murder. The sermon exposes the anatomy of temptation, the danger of covering sin, and the devastating fallout when a leader abuses power. Yet even in this dark chapter, we are directed to the greater Son of David, the sinless King who succeeds where David failed and offers mercy to repentant sinners. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 10:00am and 5:00pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Fear in the Hearts of His Enemies from 2 Samuel 10 unfolds the courage of a covenant king who seeks peace but does not shrink from righteous battle. David sends comfort and receives humiliation. He offers kindness and receives war. Yet the Lord stands with His people. Joab calls the army to courage, to strength for their people and for the cities of their God, and to rest in the sovereign will of the Lord. This sermon presses the church to develop holy courage, to defend the truth without compromise, and to remember that Christ reigns now as the greater Son of David. The enemies of the King will either bow in peace or tremble in fear. The victory belongs to the Lord. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am and 5:30pm Beginning Sunday, March 1, worship times change to 10:00am and 5:00pm. 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
In this exposition of Philippians 4:10-13, we walk with the Apostle Paul into the hard learned discipline of biblical contentment. Gratitude for physical provision becomes the doorway into something deeper: strength that does not depend on abundance, peace that does not collapse in poverty, and obedience that is not controlled by appetite. Paul's rejoicing in the generosity of the Philippian church reflects the greater generosity of God Himself, who sustains His servants in every season. From the shared life of the early church in Acts 2 to Christ's declaration in John 4 that His food was to do the will of the Father, this sermon exposes the idolatry of distraction and calls believers to reorder their hungers around the kingdom of God. Contentment is not passivity, nor is it self-sufficiency. It is Christ sufficiency. It is the learned endurance of a soul strengthened by union with Christ, whether abased or abounding, full or hungry. Here we are reminded that the promise I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me is not about personal achievement, but about persevering faithfulness in the calling God has given. True strength is found not in comfort, but in communion with Christ. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia Each Lord's Day 9:30am and 5:30pm Beginning Sunday, March 1, worship times change to 10:00am and 5:00pm. 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com (704) 931-8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
From the pressures of church conflict to the weight of anxious thoughts in the dark hours, this sermon from Philippians 4:8-9 (KJV) shows how God trains His people to think and live like citizens of heaven. You will hear a clear call to reject hollow distraction and world-made virtue, to fix the mind on what God calls excellent and praiseworthy, and to follow faithful examples in the church so that the God of peace is known not as a slogan, but as a lived reality. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am and 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Anxiety reveals where the heart looks for security. In this sermon, Scripture exposes worry as a spiritual response to God's providence and presents prayer as the God-ordained alternative. Drawing from Matthew 6 and Philippians 4, this message traces how Christ commands His people to rest in the Father's care, to bring every burden to God with thanksgiving, and to receive a peace that cannot be produced by circumstances. This sermon addresses suffering, sanctification, and the ministry of the Holy Spirit, showing how believers are called to live between sorrow and joy, between Christ's cross and the hope of resurrection, resting in the peace that guards the soul through Christ Jesus. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am and 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
The Authority and Heart of a Good King unfolds the dual portrait of David in 2 Samuel 8–9. The king expands his borders, subdues enemies, establishes justice, and consolidates the kingdom under righteous rule. Yet in the midst of conquest, he pauses to remember a covenant promise. Mephibosheth, crippled and hidden away in obscurity, is summoned not for judgment but for mercy. The table of the king becomes a place of adoption. These chapters reveal more than history. They present a redemptive picture of Christ, the greater Son of David, who conquers by divine authority and gathers sinners by sovereign grace. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am and 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
David sits before the Lord, stunned by grace. Having received God's covenant promise, he does not rush to action but responds with humble worship, confession, and prayer. This sermon walks through David's response to the Davidic covenant, showing how God's promises rest on His own heart, not human achievement. The passage draws our eyes beyond David to Christ, the eternal Son whose kingdom is established forever and whose people are being built into a living dwelling place for God. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am and 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road Gastonia NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Website https://refopc.net/ Email ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Philippians 4:5 calls the church to a gentleness that is known to all and grounded in the nearness of the Lord. This sermon examines how true gentleness flows from union with Christ, resists both harshness and cowardice, and serves the peace and holiness of the church. Rooted in God's sovereignty and the certainty of Christ's judgment and return, believers are exhorted to live before the face of God with patient, Christlike moderation in every circumstance. Church Information Worship with us at Reformation OPC, Gastonia Each Lord's Day 9:30am and 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
This sermon explores the covenant God made with David in 2 Samuel 7 and the profound truth that redemption is never built by human hands. David's good desire to build a house for the Lord is redirected as God promises to establish an everlasting house and kingdom through David's line. The message traces this covenantal promise forward to Christ, the true Son of David, whose throne stands forever and whose work secures God's dwelling with His people. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am and 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
oy is often confused with emotional ease, but Scripture commands believers to rejoice even in hardship. This sermon shows how joy flows from covenant restoration, God's sovereign rule, and the finished work of Christ. Drawing from Jeremiah 33 and Philippians 4, it presents joy as both the fruit of redemption and a disciplined response of faith. Church Information Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia Each Lord's Day 9:30am and 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
In the midst of judgment and suffering, God declares that his compassions never fail. From Lamentations 3:22–24, this message unfolds divine mercy as the reason sinners are not consumed, the ground of daily repentance, and the anchor of hope in Christ, pointing forward to the promised renewal of all things in the new heavens and new earth. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am and 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Paul's confession of sin becomes a window into the wisdom and mercy of God. This sermon walks through 1 Timothy 1:15–17, showing how the eternal and invisible God reveals Himself most clearly in Jesus Christ. From incarnation to atonement, believers are called to lives shaped by gratitude, humility, and worship flowing from salvation by grace alone. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia Each Lord's Day 9:30am and 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 https://refopc.net ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Paul opens Philippians 4 by calling the church to stand fast together in the Lord, rooted in deep affection and shared redemption. This sermon examines how unity, humility, and perseverance are essential to the peace and purity of Christ's church, especially when believers disagree. Through the example of Christ's obedience and sacrifice, we are reminded that reconciliation is not optional, but a visible testimony of the gospel at work among God's people. Church Information Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia Each Lord's Day 9:30am and 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
In this sermon from Philippians 3:17-21, the church is reminded that everyone is walking toward one of two eternal destinations. We are called to follow faithful patterns of Christian maturity, to mark and avoid the enemies of the cross, and to refuse both self-made righteousness and fleshly indulgence. The message presses the sobering reality of shame and destruction for those who set their minds on earthly things, while lifting our hope to the heavenly citizenship of the believer, the coming Savior, and the promised transformation of the body in the resurrection. It is a sermon meant to steady the saints, warn the wandering, and call us to live now in light of the world to come. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am and 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
David desires to honor the Lord by restoring the Ark to Jerusalem, yet sincere zeal without obedience leads to judgment. This sermon walks through the holiness of God, the danger of worship shaped by human practice, and the blessing that follows when God's Word governs His people. As fear gives way to joy, the return of the Ark points us to Christ, the greater Son of David, who establishes God's dwelling among His redeemed people and reigns as King. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am and 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
The Christian life is a forward-moving pilgrimage shaped by grace, struggle, and hope. In this sermon on Philippians 3:15-17, Paul calls the church to maturity, unity of mind, and faithful imitation. Believers are urged to press on toward the goal of glory while learning from godly examples God has placed in their lives. This message highlights the course of the Christian walk and the importance of following patterns that lead us closer to Christ. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am and 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
The collapse of Saul's house, the treachery of Joab, the murder of Abner and Ishbosheth, and the bloody struggle for the throne paint a raw picture of the human heart apart from God. This sermon enters the turmoil of 2 Samuel 3:20-4:12 and shows how the Lord advances his kingdom even through treachery, grief, and shattered loyalties. The contrast between David and the violent men around him highlights our need for the perfect and righteous King who alone can bring peace. This message draws listeners into the tension, the politics, the betrayal, and the hope that unfolds in the shadow of Israel's throne, pointing forward to the greater Son of David who ends the cycle of bloodshed by bearing it himself. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia Each Lord's Day 9:30am and 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
The collapse of Saul's house, the treachery of Joab, the murder of Abner and Ishbosheth, and the bloody struggle for the throne paint a raw picture of the human heart apart from God. This sermon enters the turmoil of 2 Samuel 3:20-4:12 and shows how the Lord advances his kingdom even through treachery, grief, and shattered loyalties. The contrast between David and the violent men around him highlights our need for the perfect and righteous King who alone can bring peace. This message draws listeners into the tension, the politics, the betrayal, and the hope that unfolds in the shadow of Israel's throne, pointing forward to the greater Son of David who ends the cycle of bloodshed by bearing it himself. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia Each Lord's Day 9:30am and 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Pressing On Toward the Prize from Philippians 3:12 16 calls believers to perseverance, sanctification, covenantal faithfulness, humility, and hope in the resurrection. Paul exhorts the church to leave behind the old life, walk together in unity, and press forward toward Christ with confidence in His righteousness. This sermon lifts up the hope of resurrection, the duty of sanctification, and the blessing of Christian maturity. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia Each Lords Day 9:30am and 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road Gastonia NC 28098 (704) 931 8094 Website: https refopc.net Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Philippians 3:7-11 confronts us with the radical reversal of the gospel. Paul counts all former confidence, status, and self-righteousness as loss so that he may gain Christ. This sermon unfolds the meaning of being found in Christ with a righteousness that comes from God, not from the law, and explores the excellence of knowing Christ in His death and resurrection. We consider what it means to die to the old man, to embrace the fellowship of Christ's sufferings, and to walk in the power of His resurrection. The message calls believers to reject confidence in the flesh and rejoice in the covenant union that secures justification, adoption, sanctification, and the hope of glory. Church Information Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia Each Lord's Day 9:30am and 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road Gastonia NC 28098 (704) 931 8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
This sermon from 2 Samuel 2–3a traces the unfolding division between the house of David and the house of Saul, revealing the deep roots of conflict sown through disobedience, pride, and rivalry. We follow the anointing of two kings, the actions of Joab and Abner, the Field of Sharp Swords, and the widening fracture within Israel. The message highlights the danger of strife inside the covenant community and the urgent call for believers to guard the peace and purity of the church. Through these events we are pointed toward the greater Son of David, the Prince of Peace, who brings unity where men sow division. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia Each Lord's Day 9:30am and 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road Gastonia NC 28098 (704) 931 8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com SermonAudio Tags Church Information: Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia Each Lord's Day 9:30am and 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road Gastonia NC 28098 704 931 8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Rejoicing is not optional for the believer. It is spiritual armor. In Philippians 3:1-7, Paul commands the church to rejoice in the Lord so that they will stand firm against Judaizers and every form of self-righteous confidence in the flesh. This sermon explains why joy flows from the finished work of Christ, how works-based religion still threatens the church, and why Paul counts all former gain as loss compared to knowing Christ. It calls Christians to reject every confidence in the flesh, to rest in the righteousness of Christ imputed to them, and to walk in joyful worship as they fight the good fight of faith. Church Information Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia Each Lord's Day 9:30am and 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road Gastonia NC 28098 (704) 931 8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
This 12th sermon in the Philippians series Paul presents Timothy and Epaphroditus as two faithful servants whose character, affection, and sacrifice strengthened the church in Philippi. This message unfolds how genuine Christian service grows from love for Christ, love for His people, and willing devotion to the work of the kingdom. Their example invites believers to serve with joy, pray with affection, and invest deeply in the wellbeing of the saints around them. Church Information Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia Each Lord's Day 9:30am and 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road Gastonia NC 28098 (704) 931 8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
The death of Saul and the rise of David reveal the sobering consequences of sin and the steadfast faithfulness of God. As Saul falls under covenant judgment, David responds not with vengeance but with grief, honor, and righteous judgment against the lying Amalekite. This sermon walks through the defeat on Mount Gilboa, the false report, and David's heartfelt lament. It calls believers to reject division, cherish unity, guard the household of faith, resist a revolutionary spirit, and recognize the true friend enemy distinction that protects Christ's church. Through this narrative we look ahead to the greater King who never fell and who reigns eternally in righteousness. Church Information: Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia Each Lord's Day 9:30am and 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road Gastonia NC 28098 704 931 8094 Website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ Email: ropcgastonia@gmail.com
5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
This is the 8th sermon in this series. Paul teaches that the gospel transforms both heart and conduct. Through Christ's consolation and the fellowship of the Spirit, believers are called to humility, unity, and love. This sermon explores how the mercy of God and the truth of the gospel reshape the way we face suffering, anxiety, temptation, and sin. Christ alone gives peace and purpose, calling His church to walk in love and live worthy of the calling received. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
In 1 Samuel 25, David faces one of his greatest tests. Samuel, the prophet who guided him, has died, and David is weary from exile. When insulted by Nabal, David's anger nearly drives him to vengeance, but God intervenes through Abigail, a woman of wisdom and humility. The Lord stops David from sin and reminds him that remaining in the land of promise means trusting divine justice rather than human pride. This sermon explores how God disciplines His people in mercy, restrains them from destruction, and teaches them to rest in His providence. Faithfulness, obedience, and humility before God preserve the believer when anger and pride threaten to undo them. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
This is the 7th sermon in this series. The Apostle Paul calls the church to live worthy of the gospel of Christ — to stand firm in faith, to labor together in unity, and to embrace suffering as a gift from God. This sermon unfolds the beauty of gospel-shaped conduct, showing how steadfast endurance testifies to salvation and exposes the folly of unbelief. Through the lens of Philippians 1:27–30, we see that every trial is a stage upon which Christ's glory is displayed, and every act of faithful perseverance preaches the gospel to a watching world. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
A picture of David on the run a humble servant surrounded by the distressed the indebted and the discontented yet sustained by Gods provision and promise. This sermon from 1 Samuel 21 and 22 paints the sorrow of Nob the horror of Doegs treachery and the comfort of the true king who suffers for his people. Listen to the gospel promise that union with Christ brings safety amid turmoil. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
This is the 6th sermon in this series. Paul's declaration, "To live is Christ, and to die is gain," captures the heart of Christian confidence. In this sermon from Philippians 1:18 through 26, Pastor Joby unfolds the believer's assurance that the gospel will prevail through every circumstance, whether by life or by death. We see how God's people are strengthened by the Spirit, upheld by prayer, and empowered to wield the sword of the Word in a hostile world. With pastoral warmth and Reformed conviction, this message calls us to fearless faith, steadfast labor, and joyful hope in the Lord who rules over life and death. Whether imprisoned or free, we belong to Christ, and in Him, we are always victorious. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
A picture of David on the run a humble servant surrounded by the distressed the indebted and the discontented yet sustained by Gods provision and promise. This sermon from 1 Samuel 21 and 22 paints the sorrow of Nob the horror of Doegs treachery and the comfort of the true king who suffers for his people. Listen to the gospel promise that union with Christ brings safety amid turmoil. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
This is the 5th sermon in this series. Paul's imprisonment became a platform for the gospel, a truth that still stands today. This sermon from Philippians 1:12–18 explores how the Word of God is never chained, how suffering saints proclaim Christ even in silence, and how the history of the church proves that the gospel only advances under pressure. Drawing from Fox's Book of Martyrs and the story of Polycarp, we see how the blood of the saints continues to be the seed of the church. Christ reigns, His Word prevails, and His kingdom cannot be stopped. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
This is the 4th sermon in this series. Paul's prayer invites the church to a living love that thinks clearly, grows in wisdom, and chooses what is excellent. We are called to sincerity before God, real fellowship with one another, and fruit that shows the work of Christ among His people. This message traces how love, knowledge, and discernment lead to steady obedience, how families and congregations are strengthened in unity, and how the Spirit forms a people who seek God's approval above the praise of men, all to the glory and praise of God. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
David's covenant friendship with Jonathan stands in stark contrast to Saul's rage and rebellion. In 1 Samuel 20 we see palace intrigue, bitter conflict, and the sovereign hand of God preserving His anointed. Jonathan's loyalty points us to the devotion believers are called to have for one another, and ultimately to the greater Friend and King, Jesus Christ, who will never forsake His people. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
The 3rd sermon in this series draws the listener into Paul's joyful prayer for the church and unfolds what thankful remembrance, durable fellowship, and confident assurance look like in real congregational life. It reflects on the sweetness of gospel unity, the struggles and restoration that shape lasting relationships among believers, and the unshakable truth that God completes what He begins. With pastoral warmth and doctrinal clarity, it connects Paul's heart for Philippi to our own need for prayer, humility, and hope in the ordinary life of the church. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
In 1 Samuel 18, Saul's schemes against David reveal a corrupted heart, while David's humility and zeal for God's glory display true favor. What Saul meant for evil, the Lord turned to good. This sermon calls us to remember that authority is given by God and can be removed when obedience is forsaken, and it points us to Christ, the only righteous King whose throne is everlasting. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Paul opens his letter to the Philippians with a greeting that reminds the church of their identity in Christ. These verses show us what it means to be bondservants of Christ, the role of church officers, and the blessing of grace and peace that comes from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This passage teaches us about service, unity, and hope in the gospel as we live under Christ our King, our Prophet, and our Priest. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Psalm 128 shows that the covenant family is the seedbed of faith, rooted in the fear of the Lord and blessed through Christ. God's blessing is seen in reverent labor, fruitful marriage, and the nurture of children. The home becomes a garden of grace where the sword and the trowel are both trained. Christ is the true man of Psalm 128, whose covenant love assures generational faithfulness. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
This sermon walks through the heart of Paul's message in the early chapters of Romans: the universal guilt of humanity under sin and the revealed righteousness of God through Christ. Drawing clear lines between Adam and Christ, wrath and grace, law and gospel, the preacher proclaims the hope of justification by faith alone and reminds us that the true gospel is not to be moved past, but clung to with joy and confidence. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Psalm 134 calls the gathered saints, God's royal priests, to bless the Lord in His house. In this message we see the glory of the Lord's Day as a weekly holy convocation where believers enter into covenant fellowship with their Redeemer. We are reminded that worship is not only our offering to God but also His benediction upon us. As we lift our hands and open our hearts we receive rest, renewal, and recruitment for the work ahead. This is the blessing from Zion, the living presence of Christ among His people. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
This sermon walks through the heart of Paul's message in the early chapters of Romans: the universal guilt of humanity under sin and the revealed righteousness of God through Christ. Drawing clear lines between Adam and Christ, wrath and grace, law and gospel, the preacher proclaims the hope of justification by faith alone and reminds us that the true gospel is not to be moved past, but clung to with joy and confidence. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Are you able to recognize false teachers and divisive doctrine within the church? In this powerful sermon from Romans 16:17–20, we are urged to mark and avoid those who distort the truth and sow discord. Paul calls the Church to wise obedience and holiness, not flattery or compromise. As believers in Christ, we must reject vain philosophies and cling to the pure gospel of grace. Learn how the early Christians were called to live with boldness, discernment, and unwavering allegiance to Christ, even in the face of false teaching and cultural pressure. This message speaks directly to today's church as we navigate deceptive voices, worldly appetites, and spiritual apathy. Be equipped, be warned, and be sent — for the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. Subscribe to The King is Calling for weekly sermons and gospel-centered truth. YouTube Hashtags Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
The work that the saints of God have been brought into, through Christ, who is our Gracious and Powerful Mediator, have been called to a great ministry indeed. This ministry, being built by the Spirit, is through the faithful preaching of the mystery of Christ Jesus, the Gospel, and it has gone out through all the world. This mystery, that has been revealed overtime by the Triune Lord, acting as Father, Son, and Holy Spirt, which was made manifest in the resurrection of Jesus Christ is what is even now, as it has since the time of Christ's victory over the grace, been going out to all nations in order to welcome into one body, people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. This mission, to exalt Christ, by building Christendom wherever we find soul-bearers, is done first and foremost by revealing that secret, a message, that which remains hidden for so many, that Jesus is the Christ, and He is to be believed upon that you might be saved. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Psalm 115 reminds us that worship is not just a religious act but a radical statement of allegiance. In a world filled with idols made by human hands, powerless and speechless and lifeless gods, we gather to exalt the one true and living God who reigns from heaven and does whatever He pleases. This sermon explores the glory of God, the shame of false gods, and the call for undivided allegiance to Christ. As we examine the contrast between divine power and human made vanity, we are reminded that worship sanctifies us and prepares us for the eternal praise we will render in glory. From Israel's call to trust to the sobering reminder that the dead do not praise the Lord, Psalm 115 compels us to give all glory to God alone because of His mercy and His truth. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Romans 16 is often overlooked, yet it reveals the beauty of faithful service within the body of Christ. In this powerful message, we explore Paul's commendation of Phoebe, his personal greetings to fellow laborers in the early Roman churches, and the vital role of ordinary Christians in gospel ministry. This is a call to serve, love, and honor one another in Christ—not for fame, but for the glory of our Redeemer. Learn what it means to be a beloved part of the church, whether you're known or nameless, celebrated or hidden, laboring as one body for the cause of Christ. This message will challenge and encourage you to pursue humble, joyful service for the kingdom. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Psalm 72 unveils the majesty of Christ our King, the Righteous Judge, the Merciful Savior, and the Eternal Sovereign whose reign knows no bounds. In this stirring sermon, we trace the progression of redemptive history from the cry of the Suffering Servant in Psalm 22 to the universal dominion of the Risen King in Psalm 72. Christ rules in righteousness, delivers the needy, and crushes every oppressor. His reign is not distant or future-only it is now, expanding across the earth like rain on a mowed field. Join us as we exult in the glory of the King whose dominion stretches from sea to sea, and whose name endures forever. Let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Long live the King! Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
The sermon explores the profound blessing of fellowship within the Christian community, emphasizing that true unity stems from reconciliation through Christ's sacrifice. Drawing from Psalm 133, the message highlights the joy and satisfaction derived from this union, likening it to the oil of gladness poured out upon Aaron, signifying the Holy Spirit's work. Ultimately, the sermon calls listeners to remember their identity as citizens of Zion, to proclaim Christ's death, and to live in light of their new life in Him, resisting worldly pressures and inviting others into this royal house of blessing. This psalm was perhaps penned when the Hebrew tribes concurred to fix David on his throne, or to restore him to it, 2 Sam. 5 or 19. Here is, (1.) A declaration of the excellency and pleasantness of brotherly affection, ver. 1. (2.) The illustration of this in two similitudes, ver. 2-3. (3.) The great advantage of it, ver. 3. While I sing, let Jesus' love, shed abroad in my heart, make me exemplify my notes. How happy the churches and families where this prevails! And how blessed above all, the church above, where love, love for ever reigns. To imagine that the sacred oil ran down upon, and stained the high priest's robe to the skirt, or lower parts thereof, to me seems very inconsistent with the remarkable cleanliness prescribed by the ceremonial institutes; and very inconsistent with the prescribe finery and beauty of this sacred apparel. The Hebrew word phi ought therefore to have Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
This week the anointed king goes forth to battle, the volunteer champion of Israel went to face the uncircumcised Philistine, the blasphemer, the giant, Goliath. David saw not the size of the man, nor had regard for his notorious reputation as a soldier, but was instead focused upon the zeal of that wicked man's effect upon the moral of Israel and the success of his people to establish themselves in the land which God had promised to them. David was taking up the mantle of the heroes of Israel from before. Men like Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Caleb, and Samson. David would take the head of that perverse giant, that wretched serpent, and would show the heart of a king that would inspire the nation to fight once again. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
In this stirring and reflective sermon, we journey through the emotional depths of Psalm 22 and witness the fullness of Christ's redemptive work from the shadow of the cross to the glory of resurrection. This message draws us into the sorrow, joy, and ultimate hope found only in Jesus Christ. From the prophetic cries of abandon, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?" to the victorious hope in the latter verses, we are reminded that the joy of salvation was purchased at an unfathomable cost. We're challenged not to avoid the grief of the Gospel, but to enter into it, because every happy psalm is made possible by the sad ones. Through reflections on aging, loss, family, and ministry, the sermon invites us to see Christ's suffering not as a theological abstraction, but as a deeply personal sacrifice made on behalf of His people. We are taken to the moment when God did not spare His own Son—the true Lamb—offered with no substitute. Christ, pierced and humiliated, willingly bore the wrath of God so that we might be healed and restored. And now, we live in the light of that sacrifice. We remember His death each Lord's Day because in that death, sin and death were crushed. By His stripes, we are healed. We rejoice that we can sing the final verses of the psalm because the first 18 have been fulfilled. Let us never move on too quickly from the cross—because it is not just the hard part—it is the glorious part. "By His stripes we are healed." Come, remember His death until He comes. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
In this stirring and reflective sermon, we journey through the emotional depths of Psalm 22 and witness the fullness of Christ's redemptive work from the shadow of the cross to the glory of resurrection. This message draws us into the sorrow, joy, and ultimate hope found only in Jesus Christ. From the prophetic cries of abandon, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?" to the victorious hope in the latter verses, we are reminded that the joy of salvation was purchased at an unfathomable cost. We're challenged not to avoid the grief of the Gospel, but to enter into it, because every happy psalm is made possible by the sad ones. Through reflections on aging, loss, family, and ministry, the sermon invites us to see Christ's suffering not as a theological abstraction, but as a deeply personal sacrifice made on behalf of His people. We are taken to the moment when God did not spare His own Son—the true Lamb—offered with no substitute. Christ, pierced and humiliated, willingly bore the wrath of God so that we might be healed and restored. And now, we live in the light of that sacrifice. We remember His death each Lord's Day because in that death, sin and death were crushed. By His stripes, we are healed. We rejoice that we can sing the final verses of the psalm because the first 18 have been fulfilled. Let us never move on too quickly from the cross—because it is not just the hard part—it is the glorious part. "By His stripes we are healed." Come, remember His death until He comes. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Here we read of the magnificent and ongoing work of the Spirit, even as He works to build up the saints unto maturity and also move the hearts of the saints to go forth and proclaim the Gospel of reconciliation to those lands not yet reached, that have not heard, that have not yet been brought under the authority of the Triune Lord through the preaching of Jesus Christ. It was through mighty signs by the Spirit, and through the preaching of the Word that Paul brought from Jerusalem to Illyricum, having been called and equipped as priest of the Lord Most High. His aim was to bring the Gentiles, not for his own sake, for his own glory, but as offerings unto His Redeemer. We follow Paul in this mission to reached those lands where Christ is not yet named, not only to grow up towards Christian maturity, but to spread out into all the earth. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm
As Paul continues to reflect upon the effect of the Gospel upon the body of believers, bringing light and life to otherwise dark and dead hearts, we find the law embraced and kept. Specially, "love your neighbor as yourself." Paul was writing to those mature in the church, in chapter 14, to welcome and admit the weaker brother as co-heirs of the promise of Christ, that they will be delivered if they too remain faithful until the end. The motivation for the mature brother to welcome the weaker is that they are not the final authority or judge over the souls of the weaker brother. Paul then, in chapter 15, moves to show how it is that Christ has welcomed the weak by dying for both Jew and Gentile, thusly uniting them into one body of which He is the Foundation, the Husband, the Redeemer. What Paul is showing is that the Gospel of the kingdom is for the whole world and through it all nations shall be transformed by the accomplishment of His redeeming work through death and resurrection. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm
This week the anointed king goes forth to battle, the volunteer champion of Israel went to face the uncircumcised Philistine, the blasphemer, the giant, Goliath. David saw not the size of the man, nor had regard for his notorious reputation as a soldier, but was instead focused upon the zeal of that wicked man's effect upon the moral of Israel and the success of his people to establish themselves in the land which God had promised to them. David was taking up the mantle of the heroes of Israel from before. Men like Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Caleb, and Samson. David would take the head of that perverse giant, that wretched serpent, and would show the heart of a king that would inspire the nation to fight once again. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
The giant mocks, the snake speaks once again before the face of the people of God, and there was none to silence the mouth of the colossus blasphemer, none to put an end to the threats of the son of the interloper, who spewed forth taunts, reviling, and threats against the people of God. The one who had rightly been anointed and coronated to kill the giant stood back in fear, the king of Israel, the mad king, the fearful king was of no use to his people, and how much more that he had been rejected. Yet another king had been chosen and he would show the heart of the True King, jealousy for the glory of Jehovah and love for those whom God had anointed him to deliver out of the hands of those who would destroy his fellow countrymen. In the first half we see the template of the great war between Jehovah and Dagon, between Philistia and Israel and God would once again show the might of His strong right arm in silencing the curses of the wicked through a most unlikely character - David the giant killer, the serpent crusher, the king who had the Lord's heart, whose own heart belonged to the Lord. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
If we need any more instruction this week concerning the topic of the members of the body of Christ learning how to live at peace with one another and nurture redeemed-affection amongst our number, we must of course look to Christ, the Author and Perfecter of the faith, as both gift and exemplar of how we are to live in reverence and awe before God and men. The greatest strength of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ can also be her greatest liability - the people themselves who are called to worship and work together. Like any army, when the function as one unit they are a force to be reckoned with, but if there is fear, selfishness, and laziness amongst the ranks then they surely cannot stand against the enemy, nor devote themselves to protecting and serving one another. Who is responsible for the peace? All of us are, but especially the strong, the mature, those who are most aware of the objective and how to get there. In order then for there to be peace, and for love to be manifested amongst us we must be willing and ready to bear with each other's burdens, as we look to Christ our model, and be devoted to the instruction of the Scriptures that brings maturity to all. The goal then of mutual reception and so love is to be a city on a hill that shines before all the beauty, glory, and necessity of the Cross to live as those reconciled to the Triune Lord and to our neighbors. Do you wish to be a faithful member of the body, then get ready to carry someone else when needed, to lay down your life for your neighbor, and deny all that stands in the way of doing these two things. Let's go! Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm
As we move to the second part of 1 Samuel 16, we find a major transition marked by the Spirit of the Lord coming upon David and departing from Saul. This insight, given by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit shows us that God not only has a plan for His people, but He also gives us helpful indications what He was doing amongst His people. The evidences of David's being anointed and called to be the king of Israel is evidenced not only by the Spirit's anointing, but also as the Lord used David to bless Saul, the rejected king, with calm through music. David truly was the first warrior-poet of Israel. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
After having spent a total of one month going through Romans 14, I want to make sure that we have our terms straight, so that we know where we all stand and can be unified, at least as a local congregation, as to what our directive is for the maintaining of peace and purity within the Church. First, let us define who the weaker and stronger members of the church are: …. Second, we need to see that peace in the church does not come naturally, but rather by our walking in step with the Spirit, bearing His fruit that leads to greater love and a more clear testimony that the Church truly is the most blessed of all communities of which men might be a part. Are you ready to know peace, get ready to work for it! Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our Website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Saul, having been rejected by the Lord and Samuel, the prophet and priest of Israel, having walked away from Saul in chapter 14, we come to the event of the anointing of the one who would become to next king of Israel, the son of Judah, a member of the royal tribe of Judah, a lion's welp - David. Two primary principles that we find at work in our chapter this evening, 1. The Lord does not look upon outward appearance, but upon the heart, that is the Lord chose a king in a way that is grounded upon His righteous and sovereign perspective, and not as Israel demanded, when they asked for a king like the nations. 2. David's skill in music and his ability to calm the distressing spirit that came upon Saul was evidence of the Spirit of God that had been given to him as his anointing. David was the king Israel should have waited for, and in God's grace and goodness He would show Israel what kind of king would ultimately be sent to them to redeem them from their greatest enemy - sin and death. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
One of the greatest treasures that we have laid up for us, given by the Son of God, through His servant Solomon, is the series of talks given to the sons of the Church concerning how to attain and apply the wisdom that comes from above. It begins with a fear of the Lord, that is, a reverent apprehension and worship of the Triune Lord, and moves to a consideration of a variety of real-life challenges and opportunities that await those who live in the fear and awe of their Maker and Redeemer. One such challenge that awaits the saints is how to live in peace and nurture a fellowship of unity and love amongst one another. It requires welcoming the weaker brother, the exercise of discernment as to what doctrines and practices are the nearer to the circle of orthodoxy, and then understanding that though God calls us "where we are," we are not all in the same place, theologically, beyond confessing Christ as Lord. How we live together has as much of an impact on our testimony to the world that is locked in conflict as does the particulars of our tribal emphasis concerning our theology. Let us be known as and spoken of as being "good" in accordance with Christ's judgment. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our Website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
1 Samuel 15 records the third strike, if you will, in a series of willful and deliberate mistakes that Saul made due to his fear, folly, and inability to simply follow the Lord's instructions to be a courageous and faithful king to Israel. In 1 Samuel 13 Saul showed fear and impatience in the face of the encroaching Philistine military, going ahead to offer a sacrifice to the Lord, rather than wait on Samuel to arrive at the battle front. In 1 Samuel 14 Saul displayed great folly when he called his soldiers to fast in the face of a great victory, and when more fighting needed to occur to win a more considerable victory. In Samuel 15, Saul disobeys the order to commit all of the Amalekite city to destruction, which was to be Saul's offering of obedience to God. Rather Saul plans to offer "strange fire" by holding back Agag and the animals of the city as offering to the Lord. Time and again Saul showed an inability or unwillingness to operate as a faithful king to Israel, on behalf of God, furthering God's condemnation of him. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Paul continues through his exhortation, that in light of the liberty and unity that Christ has purchased and brought us into, as a church, by His precious blood and so called to love, forgive, and serve as we have been loved. "Love thy neighbor," is the calling of those redeemed by grace and a large component of that sanctified temperament is to welcome all of those who call Christ Lord, for they are our brothers and sisters in Christ, even those who are weak or immature with regards to the doctrine or practice of the Word of God. Ultimately, our welcome is grounded upon the principle that we are not the ultimate standard of righteousness between men, but the Word of God, nor do we sit in ultimate judgment, but Christ, who is King and Judge of all men. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our Website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
As Paul moves into a new and distinct section from what has come before, it is right for us to think that all of the doctrine which Paul covered in the epistle to Rome has as a theological foundation the revelation of the true gospel of Jesus Christ, the one and only Savior of the world. Beginning in chapter 13 Paul emphasizes the importance of unity and mutual welcome and acceptance among believers, particularly regarding non-essential matters of faith or what we might call scruples. Paul addresses the disputes that naturally arise between members of the church over matters such as dietary practices and the observance of special days, urging Christians not to judge too harshly, respond uncharitably, or despise one another based on personal convictions in these areas. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
1 Samuel 14 recounts Jonathan's bold courage and faith in the Lord as he attacked and was granted victory against the Philistines, and this contrasted with Saul's rash and impatient leadership. Jonathan, Saul's son, demonstrated trust in God by initiating an attack on a Philistine garrison with his armor-bearer. His faith lead prompted divine intervention, resulting in wide spread confusion among the Philistines and ultimately their defeat. Concurrently, Saul's impulsive oath nearly costs Jonathan his life, highlighting the dangers of rash decisions, distrust in the Lord, and taking matters into one's own hands rather than seeking to honor the Lord with one's decisions and actions. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
This morning, we look at Romans 11:33-36, a doxology that issues forth in response to the sovereign reign of God and the outworking of His plan to bring in the Gentiles, and His future plan to bring back the Jews. God moves in a mysterious way to those who sit at His feet, who cannot see or rule as He does, and to those who love the Lord and long for His appearing to trust and wait in Him as He rules most wisely and beautifully. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Last week I covered the sin of Saul, which was first and foremost due to a lack of confidence in God's man, Samuel, to arrive to offer the sacrifice unto the Lord, to bless the nation, that they might have victory in battle. He had been called to wait, but failed to do so, and out of fear, he took into His hands the means of the blessing whereby God proclaimed that salvation comes only by His hands. He should have waited, and for his disobedience, the kingdom would be taken away from him. How often do we, rather than leaning upon the sufficient work of the Lord's Anointed, promised and made manifest through God's power alone, seek to do even the rightful works of God in our own strength? Rather than taking into our own hands the work that belongs to the Lord, we must look to Him, believe what He has promised, and wait upon Him to reveal salvation and victory on His terms. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
In 1 Samuel 13, Saul's reign as Israel's first king faced a critical test against the Philistines. After Jonathan successfully defeats of a Philistine garrison at Geba, the Philistines planned to retaliate by amassing a massive army, and in response the Israelites scattered in fear. Saul gathered his forces at Gilgal but disobeyed the Lord's command to wait for Samuel to offer sacrifices. Having taken matters into his own hands. Fear and impatience will eat the heart of men, and rather than trusting in the Lord to deliver through the mechanism of the altar, trusting the Anointed One to bring victory, the king gave up the throne and the people saw just how unarmed they truly were. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
"In this powerful sermon, we explore the call to live as new creations in Christ—shedding the works of darkness and putting on the armor of light. Through biblical wisdom, personal reflection, and the transformative power of the Gospel, we uncover the dangers of laziness, worldly distractions, and spiritual complacency. Learn how to walk in righteousness, fight against sin, and embrace the fullness of life found in Jesus. If you're seeking encouragement in your faith journey, clarity on biblical truth, and a challenge to grow deeper in Christ, this message is for you. Watch now and be equipped to live boldly for the Kingdom of God!" As we come to Paul's final exhortations in Romans 13, we find a centralizing theme of new life in Christ Jesus, comprised of an urgent call for Christians to live as those who have been brought into union with Christ Jesus and to live as though ready for His return. Paul emphasized the need to cast off sinful behaviors associated with darkness and instead embrace a life of light which has been revealed to us from God's Word. This passage highlights the disparity and contradiction between living in the old era of sin and clothing oneself with the new identity of redeemed life. Live in light of eternity, the coming judgment, and freedom in Christ Jesus. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
In a world filled with lawlessness and moral confusion, God's Word provides clear guidance for living a life of love and righteousness. This powerful message reveals how true love is defined not by fleeting emotions but by God's eternal law — to love your neighbor as yourself and do no harm. Discover how Christ's example teaches us to embrace sacrificial love, reject selfishness, and prioritize God's truth in our homes, churches, and communities. Watch now to learn how to reflect God's love in everyday life and stand firm against cultural deception. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
The call to repentance comes to us wherever the Lord finds us, and it comes to us not as those worthy of Divine favor, but as sinners who have a sketchy track record, and apart from repentance a miserable future looming ahead. Come to Christ, lay your failures at His feet, and seek to go and sin no more. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
It stands that in light of God's established order, that the civil magistrate has been instituted by God for a clear and universal purpose, to bring peace and order to societies of men. Seeing as this is their mandate, to wield the sword in the promotion of peace, the magistrate, ideally men who themselves are connected and governed by covenant between God and the people, they rely upon the support of the people to perform their duties. It is this support that comes in the form of taxes that are not only useful, but ordained by God to fund the work of the magistrate, and in light of this the clear exhortation, "render therefore to all their due…" Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our Website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
As we continue through Samuel's history, leading up to the establishment of the monarchy "at home" in Israel, we see a series of national mishaps and also acts of sovereign mercy along the way. Fitting within the whole scope of Redemptive History, we find the telltale contours of the Triune Lord, pursuing a wicked and wayward bride through persistent acts of extraordinary patience shown to a people who did not deserve it, but were nonetheless those upon whom God special favor rested. This evening, we see God's granting the demand of Israel to "have a king over us," thinking that a king would solve their problems, they again missed God's lessons as to where true salvation and security rested - not in a corrupt and human actor who had been granted authority, but in a righteous man, after God's own heart. Sometimes getting exactly what you want is not an act of Divine blessing but cursing, and so we must know what to ask for, and it must be in accordance with God's will. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
From the outset, let me be very clear, this sermon and the one which will follow it, next Sunday, are primers for how those who fear God and live in a world "under the sun" are to think about and participate in the public life of the civil sphere. I say it is a primer because within the wider Christian tradition, and nearer and I dare say dearer to us are the volumes written by our protestant church fathers on the subject of the civil magistrate. I will also add that much of my own education on this matter is remedial beyond both high school, college, and even seminary where next to nothing was taught to me of the Bibles teaching on the topic of government, civil authority, and an appropriate mode of participation in this area of public life. We have but one life to live, may we live well, according to God's Word. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our Website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
As we continue through Samuel's history, leading up to the establishment of the monarchy "at home" in Israel, we see a series of national mishaps and also acts of sovereign mercy along the way. Fitting within the whole scope of Redemptive History, we find the telltale contours of the Triune Lord, pursuing a wicked and wayward bride through persistent acts of extraordinary patience shown to a people who did not deserve it, but were nonetheless those upon whom God special favor rested. This evening, we see God's granting the demand of Israel to "have a king over us," thinking that a king would solve their problems, they again missed God's lessons as to where true salvation and security rested - not in a corrupt and human actor who had been granted authority, but in a righteous man, after God's own heart. Sometimes getting exactly what you want is not an act of Divine blessing but cursing, and so we must know what to ask for, and it must be in accordance with God's will. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
From the outset, let me be very clear, this sermon and the one which will follow it, next Sunday, are primers for how those who fear God and live in a world "under the sun" are to think about and participate in the public life of the civil sphere. I say it is a primer because within the wider Christian tradition, and nearer and I dare say dearer to us are the volumes written by our protestant church fathers on the subject of the civil magistrate. I will also add that much of my own education on this matter is remedial beyond both high school, college, and even seminary where next to nothing was taught to me of the Bibles teaching on the topic of government, civil authority, and an appropriate mode of participation in this area of public life. We have but one life to live, may we live well, according to God's Word. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our Website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our Website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our Website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
It has been made clear that Samuel is the Lord's man, graciously and miraculously given, and dedicated to the Lord's work in His house. Having also been called by the Lord in chapter three, Samuel prophecies the coming judgment of the house of Eli, and even as Israel was languishing in the darkness of a lack of revelation through their own rebellion and that of the priests in the tabernacle, God was raising up a deliverer, asked of the Lord by a faithful but barren woman. God was scheming to deliver His people through a miracle Son, asked of the faithful remnant, to bring an end to the lack of or impeding of the mediation of word, offering, and sacrament. God was and is committed to setting His own man who would serve forever as Prophet, Priest, and King. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our Website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Romans 12:9-13 As we endeavor to walk in a manner worthy of our calling, guided and motivated by God's Word and the gift of His saving grace, we are to use the gifts which He has distributed among redeemed individuals to serve, build up, and sanctify the body of Christ as we each seek the things of the kingdom, for its coming and the work of the Spirit in our own hearts. Having listed seven gifts that are to be used in the aiding of the saints to be transformed by the renewing of their minds, the Church is to grow up together in the knowledge and righteousness of God. The disposition of the heart comes next, in verses 9-13 when Paul exhorts the saints in Rome to love one another well, for if we are to love those who are our enemies, then we must first love our brothers and sisters in Christ. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our Website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Just two verses and that shall be enough for us this morning. Just two verses, and in them the whole matter of Christian piety: The origin of it, being the mercy of God that has set us free from this world that is passing away; the whole purpose of it, to live in a manner that is acceptable to God, as your act of reasonable service; and the means or method of it, by being transformed through the Word of God and in the renewing of our minds according to what God has revealed. All of life then might be summarized in this way: present yourselves holy and acceptable to God as those in whom the Word brings redemption and renewal. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our Website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our Website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Just two verses and that shall be enough for us this morning. Just two verses, and in them the whole matter of Christian piety: The origin of it, being the mercy of God that has set us free from this world that is passing away; the whole purpose of it, to live in a manner that is acceptable to God, as your act of reasonable service; and the means or method of it, by being transformed through the Word of God and in the renewing of our minds according to what God has revealed. All of life then might be summarized in this way: present yourselves holy and acceptable to God as those in whom the Word brings redemption and renewal. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our Website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
There are many providentially or particular signs in the Old Testament that God was in the act of blessing or judging the nations of men, and specifically His people giving evidence as to their covenant standing before Him. The miraculous gift of a child, in particular, is a sign of Divine blessing and grace, whereas barrenness both of the womb and the ground is a sign of covenant cursing. Historically the promises of God were manifested amongst small groups of people, even one or two, where God was displaying His response to man's actions in light of their obedience or disobedience. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our Website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
What shall we say to all that we have read up to this point, to all that we have learned, to the glories that we have beheld? I fear that if we approach such a wondrous epistle of Divine revelation as merely a letter wherein we discover the fine points of doctrine, of insight into the very plans of God, and do not come to the a place of reverence and awe before the Lord, then we fail to grasp one the Spirit's central motivations in presenting to us such truth - Doxology. How can we not marvel before a Holy God who, alone, has determined number of those who are His. How can we not tremble before the Lord who though rightly pouring out wrath upon all mankind has set apart for Himself a people who might bear His Name? How can we not consider the course of human history and not proclaim that the God who made the heavens and the earth, is the only Sovereign over men and angels? If we do not we truly have fallen short, and so it is in light of the majestic doctrines given Him by the Spirit that Paul moves to doxology as the only fitting response of men towards a Holy, Sovereign, and Benevolent Redeemer. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our Website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Samuel having graciously been given to Elkanah and Hannah, was weaned and brought to the tabernacle where he was dedicated to the service of the House of God. The first chapter of 1 Samuel ends well enough, and the 2nd chapter opens with a prayer or song of praise to the Lord. I say that it is a song because it is a poetic expression of an overflow of emotion directed to God for His goodness towards Hannah. Why Hannah? Because she was the one who had been shown the greatest and most intimate apprehension of Divine grace, and it was in her body that she experienced God's life-giving power. The whole family was honored, but Hannah was rewarded for her faith. This is the rub, not just for one woman, but through her a lesson for a whole nation - God rewards the humble, but resists the proud. God sees the weak and broken, who come to Him for help, but He brings low the wicked and self-reliant. This book, like so many others that captures parts of the entire whole of redemptive history has woven into the theme that life comes to those who hope in and are committed to the Lord salvation and law, which is to say His covenant. Let us look then at the prayer. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our Website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Men are inherently quite boastful, even when it comes to issues we have no reason to boast about. In fact, men will boast about anything if given the right audience and opportunity. When it comes to sin and salvation, men not only deny what the Bible says about the true nature of their souls but also how their problems can be solved. They want to solve their problems on their own or invent some false religion other than the one revealed by our Maker. God, who has extended salvation even to the "wild branch," calls us to live as those now blessed, with reverence and enthusiasm to amplify His grace so that the Jews may come to faith in full. Instead of competition, both Jews and Gentiles are called to bless one another by receiving and magnifying the grace of God together, having been united into one body, in Christ Jesus.
Having been introduced to the characters and the historical backdrop, we discovered a family residing during the era of the judges. Samuel emerged at a parallel time to Samson, both boys conceived as miraculous gifts and destined to deliver Israel from the clutches of their adversaries. This week, we focus on Hannah, who was grieving while in the sanctuary of God, burdened by a sister-wife and feeling abandoned by the Lord. Despite her affliction, she found solace in the presence of the Lord, fervently pleading for His favor and a son, a son she would dedicate to the Lord and His house. Samuel was the first Saul, the authentic Saul—the one "asked of the Lord." In this narrative, Hannah exemplifies piety and anticipation, seeking the Lord's will for her deepest desire—a son who could serve the Lord in His house. God answered her prayer, and once the boy was weaned, Samuel was dedicated as a Nazirite, destined to lead Israel despite their persistent rebellions. All men yearn for a deliverer, and the measure of one's righteousness is tied to the kind of deliverer one seeks.
One of the great, that is most blessed and awe inspiring, conclusions that we can draw thus far as Paul has dealt with the doctrine of election, and its working out in the judgment of the Jews and the pouring out of mercy and salvation upon the Gentiles is that the Gospel of Jesus Christ for sinners has gone out into all the world. For the 2000 years since the ascension of Christ, His rule and reign over all the earth has resulted in the spread His kingdom, by Word and Spirit, such that those who were once far off have been brought near. His blood makes the foulest of every tribe, tongue, and nation clean. Seeing then as it is Christ alone that the nations are welcomed and brought in, there ought be no occasion taken for pride as though the grace of God were not something freely given, never earned nor warranted to be received by the flesh. Divine favour which has resulted in the conversion of millions within the Gentile world has brought light into the darkest places of earth - Christ is the light. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 ropcgastonia@gmail.com
The final word of the book of Ruth is "David." David, of the Tribe of Judah, the first True King of Israel, born of the royal tribe, and of whose line would continue down to the High King of heaven and earth, the Messiah, the Son of David. Christ, the Promised One was coming, and though He was, at the time of Ruth, some ways off, He was orchestrating the path to the incarnation and the redemption of His beloved bride. The chronicles of Samuel, recorded for the people of God in 1st and 2nd Samuel present to us the history of Israel during the time of Samuel, Saul, and David. We continue to see the themes of life from death, the coming of the True King to His people, and what faithfulness to the Lord results in by those who are committed to His covenant, glory, and kingdom coming on earth as it is in heaven.
Luke 2:21-40 NKJV - And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. Jesus Presented in the Temple 22 Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the LORD"), 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons." Simeon Sees God's Salvation 25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, 28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: 29 "Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; 30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation 31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, 32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel." 33 And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our Website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Dear Saints, I want to encourage you with a quote from St. Athanasius' work On the Incarnation, "When the sun has come, darkness prevails no longer; any of it that may be left anywhere is driven away. So also, now that the Divine epiphany of the Word of God has taken place, the darkness of idols prevails no more, and all parts of the world in every direction are enlightened by His teaching. The coming of Christ, the Light, has accomplished not only the dispelling of darkness, but in His suffering, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, He has brought the Kingdom of life and light to the entire world. Where the Word is preached and believed, Christ is truly made manifest, and the kingdom of darkness cannot stand up to the Spirit's work of setting men free from sin and nature's night. You and I, dear saints, are members of the conquering kingdom, and Christ will be victorious. Grace and Peace, Pastor Fowler Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our Website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Continuing the story of the birth of John the Baptist, the Forerunner who came to prepare a way for our Messiah. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Luke 1:57-66 NKJV - Now Elizabeth's full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son. 58 When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her. Circumcision of John the Baptist 59 So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias. 60 His mother answered and said, "No; he shall be called John." 61 But they said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name." 62 So they made signs to his father—what he would have him called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, "His name is John." So they all marveled. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God. 65 Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea. 66 And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, "What kind of child will this be?" And the hand of the Lord was with him. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our Website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 ropcgastonia@gmail.com
This coming evening, we come to not only a known and well-loved text, the announcement to the young virgin who would be the mother of the Messiah, Mary. The announcement begins with these words - "rejoice highly favored one." Mary was chosen even before the foundations of the world were laid to be the one who would carry the Messiah, the miracle Son who came in the flesh to deliver His people from their sins. Such news laid heavy upon her heart, for it was not only grand but weighty new for Mary would play a key role not only in carrying and giving birth to the Messiah, but she would be His mother. Despite her essential and important role, it would be Jesus who would ultimately redeem not only His own mother, but as the future King and Head of the Church, He would bear the Name that indicated His role of Kingly and Priestly Savior of the World. Mary's Son would be her King, Mary's Son is our King, and His rule shall never end. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Unpacking the story of the birth of John the Baptist, the Forerunner who came to prepare a way for our Messiah. Luke 1:57-66 NKJV - Now Elizabeth's full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son. 58 When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her. Circumcision of John the Baptist 59 So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias. 60 His mother answered and said, "No; he shall be called John." 61 But they said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name." 62 So they made signs to his father—what he would have him called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, "His name is John." So they all marveled. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God. 65 Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea. 66 And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, "What kind of child will this be?" And the hand of the Lord was with him. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 Our Website: https://refopc.net/ ropcgastonia@gmail.com Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Paul continues to build upon the idea already put forth in the preceding verses and even chapters that the governing decree of election is paramount in the revealing of who does and who does not belong to the family of God, whether they be by right of public or previous association either Jew or Gentile. What matters is not former covenant relationship status, but rather that you believe that Jesus is the Messiah. What matters is not external membership, but to receive the Messiah by faith. With regard to this principle of election by grace, we find that there are members of the family of God who are both Jew and Gentiles by birth, and are rightly called "Christian" by right of their being born again of the Holy Spirit, and baptized into the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is what we mean by "one baptism for the remission of sins" - only Christ can wash us, and the Father has within the number of the elect those whom He has yet to call out of every tribe, tongue, and nation. The door then remains open for the Gentile as well as the Jew, but that door is uniquely and exclusively Christ, the way, the truth, and the life. Come and welcome then to the fellowship of the Godhead, through Jesus the Messiah. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Romans 11:1-10 NKJV - I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, 3 "LORD, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life?" 4 But what does the divine response say to him? "I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal." 5 Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work. 7 What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. 8 Just as it is written: "God has given them a spirit of stupor, Eyes that they should not see And ears that they should not hear, To this very day." 9 And David says: "Let their table become a snare and a trap, A stumbling block and a recompense to them. 10 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see, And bow down their back always Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Elder Ben Stahl's sermon powerfully displays the real, true, and supernatural Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. There are many counterfeits, but there is only one truth. Galatians 1:1-12 NKJV - Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead), 2 and all the brethren who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: 3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Only One Gospel 6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. 10 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ. Call to Apostleship 11 But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Elder Ben Stahl brings a message continuing the topic of the AM service, which you can find here linked at the end of the video. This message is centered on the false gospels we deal with today and the true Supernatural Gospel of Jesus Christ. The contrast is urgent. Galatians 6:11-18 NKJV - See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand! 12 As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. 13 For not even those who are circumcised keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. 14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. Blessing and a Plea 16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. 17 From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. 18 Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 ropcgastonia@gmail.com
All who have ever lived are judged by one infallible and ever-present standard, who do you say that Christ is, and though the law condemns all men, only Christ can save, only His blood can make the foulest sinner clean, and whether one is Jew or Gentile, God reckons us not by our blood but by the blood of Christ. Whether or not we are in union with Christ, baptized into His death and resurrection, this is what matters, this is the primary division between men - Christ and His work rejected or received. The condition of Israel, was at the time of Paul's writing, a people who had stumbled over Christ the Stone, despite being zealous for righteousness. In contrast, the Gentiles, who had not sought for the righteousness of God, found it. Why? Because that was God's plan. From our perspective, God's plan is carried out through the means of grace, through the pattern of men sent out with Word, preaching, calling sinners to salvation, believing and resting upon Christ, clinging to Him as their righteousness before the Father. God has sent out His Word to the nations, that men might hear and believe, but woe unto those who having heard do not believe. The way in which men contend with Christ, the way men are reckoned unto the Father is by what they do with Christ preached, the living Cornerstone, and whether or not they build upon Him or are crushed by Him. We invite you to join us every Lord's Day at Reformation OPC 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28054 See more here! refopc.net
"Blessed are you of the Lord, my daughter!" This Boaz exclaims in relationship to Ruth's offer of marriage as the one who has taken it upon herself to provide for Naomi was lacking in the loss of her husband and sons. Elimelech's house was in ruins, broken under the just hand of God who compromised and left the Land of Promise to sojourn in Moab, a cursed and barren land with nothing to offer the chosen people of God. Once God had visited judgment upon the family of Elimelech, Naomi returned, embittered to the providence of God, such that she sought to push her daughters-in-law back to Moab. Naomi, despite her bitterness to warranted judgment, was shown kindness from Ruth, and through Ruth God restored not only one who had been brought back empty and embittered, but Israel as God was leading Israel closer to the True King promised them through Judah. Ruth, the blessed one of the Lord, would be the means, and through Boaz a faithful man, to bring life from death. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Christ and the preaching of Christ is Stone and the message of the Stone that causes men either to stumble or to be saved. Either a man trips over the Stone or he builds a life upon the Stone. Israel failed to attain the righteousness of God because they sought it through the striving of the flesh, by the sweat of their brows, and by failing to come to terms with the reality that if any man seeks to be righteous in the sight of God apart from being justified through Christ, then that man seeks righteousness in vain. Whatever else the Church is called to do, what it must do first is preach Christ, and by that I mean that the message that through Christ and only in union with Christ can a man stand before God and be counted righteous. The matter at hand is this: How do you respond to the Stone and how do you receive the Gospel of the Stone, the Rock who is Christ Jesus? There are only two options: Either a man will seek to build a system of righteousness apart from the Stone and so stumble even as the Stone brings judgment, or a man will build upon that Stone, seeking the righteousness of Christ that is embraced by faith. Either we are judged apart from or united to the Stone of stumbling or the Stone that is a strong and sure foundation. What so say you? To fall or to build. The Bible has made it so abundantly plain, that the only explanation for why one can read and not hope in Christ is that he is already hoping in something or someone else, for the Gentile it was and is some vain idol that is the product of vain imaginatio We invite you to join us every Lord's Day at Reformation OPC 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28054 See more here! refopc.net
Despite the bitterness of Naomi, God is, as a testimony of His extraordinary patience, weaving through His sovereign hand a means whereby a king will come to the family of Elimelech and to Israel. In fact Naomi's spirits are lifted by the end of Chapter 2 after hearing of the kindness of Boaz to her and her family. God would indeed restore the fortunes of Naomi, Ruth, Boaz, and to the whole nation of Israel as God was, through His own law kept, bring redemption and life to the tribe that had been cursed due to the sin of Onan several generations prior. God would bring life from death, righteousness from wickedness, hope where there was no hope. Through the "younger son" God would restore the line of the righteous. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia! Each Lord's Day 9:30am & 5:30pm 203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098 (704) 931-8094 ropcgastonia@gmail.com
What happened to Israel? They rejected the Messiah and for this reason, they were accursed. This rejection of the Messiah can be explained or understood from two different perspectives, yet are connected or parallel with one another such that we might say that Israel rejected Christ, a sin for which they are held liable because they were rejected by God. Their rejection of Christ, as a matter of their own wills and actions, happened as a result of God's willingness to show His wrath to those who, though belonging to the family or visible body, were nonetheless not of the true household of faith, the true family for whom Christ came to give His life and redeem. Not all of Israel was Israel, not all who passed through the Sea made it to the promised land. Not all who are named as members of the visible church are of the elect. Who decides, God decides, and yet man is held accountable for what he does with the offer of salvation, whether he, by faith, rests in Christ, or seeks salvation another way. That the Jews have historically and to this day deny Jesus to be the Messiah explains why they live the way they do, and why they remain an enemy of the Church and are to be confronted with their idolatry and called to believe upon Christ that they might be saved.We invite you to join us every Lord's Day at Reformation OPC203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, (704) 931-8094ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Naomi and Ruth have returned to the land of Judah, specifically the city of Bethlehem, the city that Elimelech left during the famine years before. Having sojourned in Moab, a land filled with those who historically had treated Israel cruelly, Naomi returns to the land of her people having lost everything and without any hope of care, and rather than confess a proper response of repentance and groaning, her mouth is full complaint and heart full of bitterness. Despite her bitterness, Ruth gets to work providing for her family in the fields of Boaz, who will prove to be an instrument of provision according to God's mercy. Despite the bitterness of Naomi, God is, as a testimony of His extraordinary patience, weaving through His sovereign hand a means whereby a king will come to the family of Elimelech and to Israel. Worship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia!Each Sunday 9:30am & 5:30pm203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098(704) 931-8094ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Many moments in Israel's history, recorded in the Book of Judges, illustrate their rebellion against the One who had graciously delivered them out of Egypt, through the wilderness, and into the promised land. Not only do we see their sins listed as an unblushing record, but we are also told the primary contributing factor for their spiritual rebellion - the generation that took the land, the second generation, did not do so fully (Judges 1:27-36, and what is more, they failed to instruct or nurture the third generation in the ways of covenant faithfulness by failing to communicate the glorious and gracious work of the Lord (Judges 2:10). For their rebellion the Lord handed them over to their enemies, for their rebellion the Lord raised up nations against them, and for their rebellion the Lord did not give them the victory that was promised had they simply obeyed. The story of Ruth takes place in the time of the Judges, and despite the wickedness of her own people, the Moabites, Ruth rejects the national idols and instead clings to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to the Lord and walks in righteousness before her mother in law, and Boaz, the man whom she would one day marry and the son who would come from that marriage of redemption be the grandfather of the future kind, David. Ruth reminds us that God, in His grace will deliver out of compromise a new hope for those who are His chosen and beloved people.
Paul began the chapter by relaying the history of the rejection of the Messiah by the Israelites, those whom Paul called his brethren and countrymen according to the flesh. This "countryman" term is used to describe Paul's connection as an ethnic Jew though Paul was an ethnic Jew and a countryman in the flesh, now through the unfolding of the plan and purposes of God concerning redemptive history, it has become clear that his brotherhood and the nation to which he belongs that is supreme is that of the household of God, bound by Christ and the Holy Spirit, such that even at the time of Paul's writing, he could rightly say that the Gentiles, who the Ministry of Jesus Christ had brought in, are also his countryman, by a different qualification, not by flesh, but by the Spirit.In this chapter, Paul harkens back to the beginning (9:1-13) by outlining the nature of the Jews' rejection, how they lost their heart for the kingdom, and the King himself. In contrast, the Gentiles, who were not pursuing the kingdom, attained the very thing that the nation of Israel lost. What was happening over time was connected to God's eternal plan and directed according to the purposes of God - to reveal His power, glory, and patience through the display of His wrath and grace. At the end of Romans 9, Paul outlines the present condition at the time of Paul's writing and what led to the stumbling of ethnic Israel over the Rock, who is Christ Jesus.
Judges: Disobedience and Deliverance Judges 17:6 NKJV - In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.Judges 18:1 NKJV - In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking an inheritance for itself to dwell in; for until that day their inheritance among the tribes of Israel had not fallen to themJudges 21:25 NKJV - In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.Judges 19:1 NKJV - And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite staying in the remote mountains of Ephraim. He took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in JudahWorship with us at Reformation OPC Gastonia!Each Sunday 9:30am & 5:30pm203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, 28098(704) 931-8094ropcgastonia@gmail.com
Pastor Fowler dives deeper into Romans 9 in the Salvation, Root and Branch series. This week the focus is on Romans 9: 22-29Romans 9:22-29 NKJV - What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, 24 even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?25 As He says also in Hosea:"I will call them My people, who were not My people,And her beloved, who was not beloved."26 "And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them,'You are not My people,'There they shall be called sons of the living God."27 Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel:"Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea,The remnant will be saved.28 For He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness,Because the LORD will make a short work upon the earth."29 And as Isaiah said before:"Unless the LORD of Sabaoth had left us a seed,We would have become like Sodom,And we would have been made like Gomorrah."We invite you to join us every Lord's day at Reformation OPC203 Rhyne Oakland Road, Gastonia, NC, (704) 931-8094ropcgastonia@gmail.com
I wanted to take a moment as we moved through Romans 9, where Paul doesn't defend the doctrine of election, but rather puts it forward as the key to unlocking the challenge of our understanding the effect of God's power in combination with His purposes in the world with regards to the Jewish people and their denial of Him, and the bringing in of the Gentiles. Any study of the covenant, namely the covenant of grace gives us not just a broad strokes historical context for the events recorded in the scriptures, but a greater appreciation for the character of God that is revealed when the unfolding of His promise and plan for the redemption of sinful men, and the fulfillment of His kingdom on earth. The Triune Lord, the Maker and Redeemer is One who lives in covenant within Himself, between the persons, and as One who creates, life being that blessed overflow of the love that exists within Himself, He also entered into covenant with all those who proceed from Him. This is to say that the Lord relates to His creatures, much in the same manner as He does within Himself, in covenant unto the purpose of glory and delight.This morning, I have chosen a number of texts that bring to light, and support that covenantal relationship that was entered into by the persons of the Godhead in order to set down, fulfill and apply salvation for sinners. Taking the Covenant of Grace, back to its origins, to that council between the Godhead wherein each purposed and took upon himself a role in order to bring about the redemption of those lost in the Fall.
As we approach the end of the Book of Judges, a polemic written by Samuel, against the trend in Israel to go after the gods of their neighbors, the pagan gods of Baal, Molech, and others who were nothing more than Satanic attempts to draw the hearts of God's people away from Him, we find the two great themes of redemptive history: 1) The sinfulness of men and the tendency to go astray after the gods of this world, and the 2) mercy of God displayed through substitutionary atonement, His judgment upon our enemies, 3) and the new life that He brings through the line of the Messiah, the Seed of the woman. Despite the rebellion of Israel, God intended to raise up in His patience and according to His promise a King who deliver His people from their sins and enemies.
Who will challenge the Creator? What right does the clay have to questions the Potter? Is it not God's elective choices at work in all of creation?
The sin of the men of Gibeah, the subsequent chopping up of the Levite's bride, and delivery of her body parts throughout the land caused the entire nation of Israel, those tribes that did not include Benjamin, to respond in horror. They couldn't believe it, the sin of the people of God had grown to such a point that something like this was possible, and yet there were still those outraged at it, and of course, rightly so. Yet as we will see, even the rest of Israel was guilty of great sin, and though they were outraged at the violence they had seen, Israel would learn that the path to victory, to removing the stain of sin in their midst required more than outrage at the really bad sins, but repentance of all sin and devotion to God's blessed covenant.
Sunday Morning, Romans 8:37-39In addition to being yolked to Christ, united and knit to Him by the powerful and ever-present Holy Spirit, such that nothing can separate, it is right for us to also understand that nothing can overwhelm us as we are reminded throughout the Scriptures: "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." We who are untied to Christ Jesus, can be assured, persuaded even as Paul was that nothing can conquer us by separating us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Paul just keeps hammering away and knocking them out of the park - this time its not simply expressing in the language of life and death with regards to the salvation that is freely offered in Christ to sinners, and given by the Spirit which results in freedom from enslavement to sin, but also the glorious language of adoption and sonship that belongs to those in whom the Spirit dwells. We have been given the consolation that in Christ we are new creations, we need not fear that the indwelling sin against which we war is indicative that we remain imprisoned to sin. No, in Christ we are set free, in Christ we have been given new life, in Christ we have been granted the Spirit of adoption. This does not mean we treat sin lightly, rather we strive to walk in holiness, but when we do sin we have a strong advocate who answers for us, and we have a secure place at the Table of the One who is our Father. Once we have been brought into the house of God, we are never cast out.
Freedom from the body of death is the gift and state that those who are in Christ Jesus know and experience in light of what Christ has done for them. The Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit has not only given a gift, but inhabits, indwells, and has filled in a real, present, and continuing way of all of those who are made alive and brought into the fellowship of the Godhead. You in the Spirit, and the Spirit in you is a statement that expresses an inseparable reality that the union that the saints enjoy is not only eternal but effectual to bring about a living faith, an obedient faith, a righteousness that is not only once imputed, and continually acted upon as those who have been quickened unto righteousness. Dear saints, we are not of the flesh, and those who are truly in Christ have only been granted that sentence of innocence with regards to law-breaking, but also given the Spirit who causes us to actively live for Christ. Saving faith is therefore an active faith. Freedom from sin, means freedom to righteousness.
This evening we gather to hear again from David, the once great king of Israel. Last time the subject was purity and righteousness in the house of the king and how he desired to honor the Lord with his whole life. Here David speaks of regal matters, namely: the kind of King we can expect according to God's promises made to David. This is a "Royal" psalm. That is, its theme centers on the role of David's house in the future fulfillment of God's Covenant of Grace with His people. This Psalm moves beyond the scope of human authority and achievement, and into the future work of one whom David calls "my Lord." The One whom we rightly call Messiah.But it is not just a regal psalm, there is something else at work here. There is, in fact, a combination of two distinct, yet related oracles concerning the Messiah, who would come, not only in the line of David, but in the line of another central Old Testament character, of which less is known. The oracle of kingship and the oracle of priesthood, tied to the line of David and the line of Melchizedek. We find a covenant prophecy of kingship and priesthood.The people of God would sing this psalm as a reminder of the glories that God accomplished with David, in Israel according to His promises to David which find their ultimately fulfillment in the future acts of the even greater king, the Messiah when He would not only reign over Israel, but all the world, expanding not only the borders of the Land of Promise, but calling into her citizenry, the Gentile nations.
Perhaps the best summary of a man's priorities, his desires, and those things which he loves most could be best summarized as those things which he is resolved to do every day. Our resolutions make us who we are: they govern our actions, they dictate the affections of our hearts, and they control our minds and bring us purpose and meaning. This is what resolutions are, but who governs them? Who governs those resolutions makes all the difference in the world. Man or God? These are the only options and for this reason there are only two paths open to us. The one in which we endeavor to imitate, serve, and obey our Maker, and the one in which we seek to exalt our own name by satisfying the flesh in accordance with a spirit of rebellion.This pervading truth, David knew, and it is that which governed his life. Ask a man who loved God and a man whom God loved, he resolved day in and day out to live for the glory of God. Concerning this Psalm Spurgeon referred to it as "The Psalm of Pious Resolutions." What does it mean to be a man after God's own heart. Let us explore that this morning.
It is only fitting that the only Psalm penned by Moses is a psalm that deals with the issue of God's eternality, man's frailty and tendency towards rebellion, and the blessing of apprehending man's responsibility in light of the mercy and provision of God. Moses is calling Israel to see why they were wandering, and how they might find their way out of the futile existence of falling under the wrath of God. And so this evening lets think of ourselves who worship the Lord of heaven and earth, who owe our liberty not to something we have done with what little strength that we posses, but to the One who we also at times aggrieve due to our sin. We are then to admit what is true of God who infinite and eternal in His being and goodness, that we are mere men, who are not merely frail in our humanity, but broken by our own sin, and so we ought seek mercy, kindness, and favor from Him that we might receive the rest that has been promised to us, through the Son of God, who leads us not only to a state of reconciliation, but also an eternal state of peace that will one day come. Let us seek rest by trusting in the One who leads us there.
We have seen the expression of priestly faithfulness on the part of Ezra, when hearing of the sins of the people of Israel of intermarriage, that is covenantally binding themselves to the women and false religions of the land of Canaan, he fell on his face, cried out to the Lord through prayer and fasting, admitted to the sins of his people and pleaded with the Lord for mercy. Repentance is comprised then of those parts that quiet the wrath of God, 1) admitting that you have actually sinned against God, 2) admit the heinous nature of that sin and what it deserves, and 3) plead that God might forgive and be merciful in His providence to not be so severe in His wrath. When priests do this on the part of their people, we call it mediation and intercession, but it must not stop there, the individuals who have committed the sin must also own it and repent of it that God might be merciful. Ezra 9 and 10, when taken together give us a picture of what it looks like when the whole people of God repent for their sins.
Daniel writes, "I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed." All the nations shall bring offerings to the House of God, and whether they like it or not the Lord moves among all people, among all then nations to bring the accomplishing of His plans which are to bring glory, and honor, and the worship of the Messiah, like ever dawning sun, such that all the earth will see and feel the warmth and triumph of Jesus' reign. Jesus shall reign, where're the sun, does it successive journeys run. The Passover shall be celebrated to show what the Lord has done.
Throughout the length of God's dealing with Israel, leading up to the coming of the Messiah there was a particular theme, found with the very makeup of the twelve tribes of Israel, that the Redeemer and King of the people of God would be a royal figure who would rise out of the tribe of Judah. This King would be a lion, a powerful and noble figure who no one could stand against and who would rule not only in righteousness over His people, but the whole entire world. This particular theme within the manifestation of God's covenant with His people was reflected in ever increasing symbolic clarity the closer we get to the one whose throne continues even down to today, the throne of David, and within that line, the Messiah, the Son of David. Christ the Lion, the one who is Protector and Deliverer shows His hand in a public and powerful way even in the life Samson who brings death to the lion of Philistia, and pulls honey from its dead carcass, for out of the remains of the pagan nations, God will bring forth a people out darkness and death and into His kingdom of life and rest.
What does the life of one in whom the Spirit dwells, who is found in union with Christ, look like when it comes to the poles of walking in step with the Spirit or surrendering to the carnal passions of the flesh. Sanctification is best described as that ongoing work wherein Christ, by the Spirit causes us to will and to do what is good and pleasing to Him, in accordance with the law given to instruct and guide, and it is growing in a desire to and ability to do what is good and pleasing to Him. There is security in union with Christ, but there cannot be neglect of that glorious and sacred duty that becomes ours when have been rescued and given new life, for you have been saved from something and saved to something. What then have you been saved to? To a life of peace and righteousness, a life of pleasing God and walking in the Spirit. Let us walk then in the union given us freely by God's grace.
Not much is said of the men that come after Jepthah and before Samson, and though not much is said, perhaps it would be wise for me to take a moment, a brief respite between the long story of Jepthah and even longer record of Samson to reflect upon the grace of God that is seen in the wealth and abundance that both Ibzan and Abdon possess, how we are to think of that wealth, and where it comes from in terms of God's blessing and how we might keep it as those who are not the author's or originators of it but instead those who receive in accordance with God's design. We must never give up the fight, we must take it to the enemies of the Gospel, we must fight wherever we must, against the idols in our hearts, against the wickedness all around, against anything and everything that seeks to keep us from the call to faithfulness in building a kingdom that will last forever.
We continue through Paul's letter, in particular through the section which began in chapter six where he covers the doctrine of the ongoing work of salvation that God does in a person's life once they have been set free from the condemnation of the law, what we call "sanctification." This being ongoing work wherein, by the Spirit who dwells within us, sin is mortified and we are quickened unto righteousness more and more. This ongoing work is fight, it is a battle between what Paul calls the spiritual and the carnal, between good and evil, between the law of God and the law of sin. Who can deliver us, who shall give us victory, none but Christ our Lord.
Last week, concerning the law, I stated that the law is good and it is good because it comes from the One who is alone, good. The law is a revelation of God's own character and will for men, and for this reason we ought to say that the law is not sin, but sin is known through the law. Specifically the law names that which God demands, and where we have fallen short of the glory of God. This law is in many respects felt, as each man bears the Image of God, and we find even greater understanding and aggravation as we hear of the specifics of our duty towards God in His Word. The very thing we need, to be named by, to be governed by, to guided and shaped by God's Word, we do not wish for while we remain committed to our sin and rebellion. Obedience then is not only adopting the nomenclature of the law, calling things as they are, but also hating that which God forbids, that which is contrary to His will, and by His Spirit is committed to eradicating from your heart and hands.
This Sunday we get a little relief, some room to breathe as we take up two judges of whom little is recorded, and this itself gives us some insight as to why this book, an essential component of the History of the Hebrew people was capture and given to the covenant people of God. That is to say the theme of Judges is found in the very title: Judge or to expand just a bit, "deliverer." That is God was make it quite clear to Israel that putting once's hope in princes and chariots, in the mechanics of politics will bring about the deliverance that sinners need as individuals or as a society of men. We see some relief to the cycle of rebellion (between two judges) and judgment. What interrupts that cycle, what is that brings relief? Simple obedience to the law of God, obedience that is so simple that it isn't even mentioned. It's just done. I don't want to make much of an argument from silence, but it seems safe considering how these short verses seem to interrupt such a miserable cycle of sin.
Here at the opening of this seventh chapter we find Paul taking up again, the through expressed earlier, "For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace." In the earlier parts of Paul's focus upon the doctrine of sanctification "not under law, but under grace" is what provides the confirmation or assurance that sin does not have dominion over the life of the one who believes upon Christ. Paul now, in chapter seven how it is that we have been set free, using the concept and clear language of covenant, so that we might not remain ignorant of the way things are, having been set free in Christ Jesus, no longer under law, but under grace. Do you not know how it is that sin no longer reigns? Then look to your Deliverer who has wed you to Himself and you are no longer the slave-wife of sin, but united to the One who has washed you with His precious blood.
Judges 9 was not only an indictment upon the Hebrew people in the days before the era of monarchy, but of all men who seek to have their pleasures and comfort met at all cost, even if it means entering into revolution with a man who was and is willing to take unjust means to accomplish their goals. Abimelech was a bramble king that those whom God had called to be mighty oaks planted in His Word were willing to subject themselves to an unholy king because they had ceased to trust in the Righteous Lord to rule over them.
This Sunday morning we will come to more of the idea that our works are deeply rooted to the nature of our being, and that for those who have been set free (justified), ourselves and thusly our works are no longer slave to sin, we are not imprisoned by anything other than a want or desire to go the way of the old man. This does not mean that there are not times where we deeply feel the longing to go back the chained-life, and still even feel like a prisoner, yet you are not. Rather, as one who has been set free live like a free man and present yourselves to God, give thanks to God for His work of grace, and seek that which is above. Think of yourself as one now enslaved to God, who has bought you with His precious blood.
For Sunday school this week, we will be examining the relationship and essential nature of the means of grace, and Word and Sacrament to the life of those who are the disciples of the Triune God.
We find the program for how the people of God can defeat their enemies and rule well, as those who are called to righteousness and humility under the ultimate Lordship of the Messiah, even now that He has ascended to the Throne of heaven and earth, no longer the suffering Servant, but the righteous, reigning, sovereign King of heaven and earth. God doesn't even need 300 to conquer the powers of earth, in fact He took the Throne with just one man, the Messiah. What then is there to learn from God as to how He chose to whittle the Israelite army down, and not just for one battle, but for how the faithful are to honor God in every endeavor, no matter how great or small?
Knowing what we know, that we have been freed from the curse and weight of sin, and that having died with Christ and raised with Him, we are no longer under the mastery of sin, we are free to sin or not to, the call comes not as legalism nor as a command which we cannot fulfill, but one we can, "Do not let sin reign in your mortal body…" resist the siren song to sin, not out of misguided legalism, but Spirit-wrought liberty under the Gospel reign. The call, we must say, is simple, but is is by no means easy, for there is a war of affections, of desire, of knowing and doing, that is waged within us, each and every one of us. Do not let sin have dominion, that is do not give up on the fight against sin, but instead devote yourself to God.
This Sunday, we look again at the glorious life that has been given to us, even as we are united to Christ in his death, and in his resurrection. Whatever else we are, if we have been baptized with Christ in his death, then surely we have been raised with him in his resurrectio, and this is the foundation of our new life. Sanctification, then, is not only a calling. It is an inevitability, even as we have been filled by the Holy Spirit go forth then, in confidence, that in Christ you were made whole and in Him you are being made new.
Having shown from the life of Abraham, as an example set forth to those who saw circumcision as the great dividing line between those who have found favor with the Lord and those who have not, that Abraham is not example of the necessity of circumcision to be counted righteous, but rather faith, and so circumcision as an act of obedience which follows. Abraham believed, and that was what was credited to him as righteousness (Gen. 15:6). This belief or faith was in the promise of God, faith not being itself the first good work, but rather a resting in and receiving the righteousness that comes through the promised Messiah. The Messiah's working, His atoning work of giving his own flesh and blood in place of ours - that is what makes a man worthy before the Throne.
As we move between the third and fourth chapters of Romans, we must take care to note the theme that connects, in particular, 3:27-31 and 4:1-8. In the last part of chapter 3 Paul affirms that the righteousness which comes by faith does not nullify the commands of the law, but rather confirms them. Fatih and law are not at odds with one another, but that righteousness - being counted as holy before God is granted not by working but believing. Faith being the sole instrument of justification, and not works shows then that all people, by they Jew or Gentile, all receive righteousness in the same way - faith, receiving and resting upon the righteousness of Christ. The theme that connects chapters three and four is not faith and law, but rather that all people are justified by faith - both Abraham and David (4:1-8) being examples of this. Abraham, the very covenant fountainhead of the Jewish people was counted righteous not by circumcision, but by believing God and that belief or faith was counted to Him as righteousness. Abraham then is not merely the father of the Jews, but all who believe, even the Gentiles.
We, all of us, live in an age where there are so shortage of self-professed or corporately baptized experts in all manner areas of "wisdom, insight and understanding." There are no shortage of counselors to turn to, either on the book shelf, the TV set or on the internet. Of course we have seen what the end of heeding the experts advice is, or at least we are told what might happen to us if we fail to heed the advice of experts. All around us are counselors who come saying they wish to help but instead of comfort or freedom, they bring rather enslavement to an idea or even to themselves and in doing so we find another empty cistern that cannot hold water. There is but one counselor who can set us free, that Wonderful Counselor born unto men to see them free not just from any problem, but the great problem of sin and death.
Paul, having provided a robust case for the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and its necessity in being reconciled to the Creator of all mankind, having leveled the playing field with regards to the acceptability of our efforts to answer for our sin and rejection of the Lord, he turns to apply the Gospel to one's opinion of himself in light of the grace of God, and in light of the inability of our own flesh. Faith, is that which is the alone instrument of justification, and that lively resting upon nothing except the Righteousness of Christ, that is His sacrificial death which atones for the sins of men. Paul sought to move men, to shove out of a state of self-righteous stupor, of rebellion, and pride and the only way this can happen is through a rhetoric that leaves us cold with regard to our own abilities, and warmed to the offer of Divine help and salvation.
All the world is infused with the mighty, sweet, life-giving word of God, as He spoke and through the Word of His power He made all that is seen and unseen. Creation is filled down to every last atom and up to every nebula with the beautiful artistry of the Lord who is Himself the source of all wisdom and splendor. The world and all that has been made owes its majesty to the One who created, and in the same way the redeemed owe their lives to the One who redeemed them, and it is incumbent upon us to read and take in the accounts in Scripture where the glory of this redeeming work is captured in the words that move our hearts and so too our mouths to worship, to express gratitude, to rejoice in the Lord our Maker and Redeemer, even as He rejoices over us. Because the Lord rejoices in redemption and restoration we are brought near and can hear His voice as delights in those whom He has saved.
"But now…" Paul having outlined the ineffective pursuits of both Gentile and Jew alike, being under the law, unable to escape the legal system wherein all men are pronounced guilty before God, speaks of the One revealed who can actually take away the sins of men. Jesus Christ, whom God set forth as a propitiation, not only by decree but in His providence, a free gift to those most underserving so that He bring fulfill the promise so long ago that the Messiah would cancel sin and destroy the power of the Devil. This was a demonstration of God's righteousness, a demonstration that provides what it promises, a saving provision of a perfect Sacrifice for sins. Christ having purchased redemption, by His blood, has sat down upon the Throne of heaven and earth and even now ministers His justifying work for those who belief in Him.
This Sunday evening we come up the very edge of the end of this terrifying and glorious prophecy which the Lord pronounced against Jerusalem and the nations through His man, Zephaniah. What we come to is a woe or word of condemnation against Jerusalem, that once glorious city of God, who had become a place filled not with worshippers but idolaters and apostates. Whether high or low born the people, as a corporate body no longer feared or honored the Lord, nor did they seek to keep covenant in the manner God had commanded. Those whom God had sent to provoked the fear of the Lord, did not fear the Lord, themselves. Though Israel was unfaithful, God would not leave them, but from a place of intimacy judge, and inevitably redeem and restore the meek of the land. This picture of restoration is seen not only in the return under Ezra and Nehemiah, but is emblematic of the great restoration that would take place when all the nations come to Christ upon the occasion of the destruction of the Temple in 70AD and the flooding in of the nations beginning at Pentecost to Christ's second coming. A new land and a new people, all made possible by Christ's redeeming work.
"But now…" Paul having outlined the ineffective pursuits of both Gentile and Jew alike, being under the law, unable to escape the legal system wherein all men are pronounced guilty before God, speaks of the One revealed who can actually take away the sins of men. Jesus Christ, whom God set forth as a propitiation, not only by decree but in His providence, a free gift to those most underserving so that He bring fulfill the promise so long ago that the Messiah would cancel sin and destroy the power of the Devil. This was a demonstration of God's righteousness, a demonstration that provides what it promises, a saving provision of a perfect Sacrifice for sins.
Throughout the history of mankind from the moment they were placed in the Garden, to today, the history of this earth is decidedly a history of God establishing His rule among men through creation and redemption. You cannot study history without an eye to God's Sovereign rule among men. You cannot understand where we have come from and where we are going without understanding that what has been and will be is the result of the Kingdom of God coming to earth in an ever increasing fashion. How God has manifested His faithfulness has at times seemed small, at times just one family, yet there has always been a family, a nation, a people united to Christ Jesus, a people who the Lord calls His "remnant." This evening I want to cover this all important concept we find throughout the course of Scripture, its connection to Zephaniah, and to the Church today.
Having reached the conclusion that righteousness before God cannot be achieved by those who be the Jew or gentile, are trapped within system, a law system, that reveals sin, but does not have a remedy for sin. This is what Paul means when he says all or "under," or "in the law." All men, without exception, are born in sin and death and it is here in Romans 3:21-26 the Paul now presents Christ, the righteousness of God, who becomes our righteousness by faith.
Having described a great day of the Lord, which was soon to come, eminent judgment for the rebellion of Israel, and the failed reformation of King Josiah, which would be brought to a halt due to his untimely death in battle. Zephaniah is not talking about a possible judgment. He is talking about a sure judgment and the only hope for those swelling in Israel is that through their repentance one might be hid from the wrath which was to come. In fact this seems to be a continued theme of God's calling to repentance - "Get beneath the blood-stained lintel!," and "The rain is coming, that much is sure, so get on the boat!"
If there is any solution to the problem of pride it men, it is the assaulting of it with the many blows that Scripture provides in order to eradicate in our hearts any feeling or sense of our own worthiness before God, meriting in ourselves anything other than a sentence of "guilty." For that is what we are - guilty before God, and if we are to know the Gospel, believe the Gospel, and be saved by the Gospel, we must lay hold of the true Gospel and not some wretched facsimile of it which perverts and condemns rather than delivers our souls from death. We cannot then move too quickly on, save we miss the sting of the laws condemnation before we feel the relief which Christ's blood and righteousness brings to wretched sinners such as ourselves. This Sunday my thrust is to show in great granular detail how men display their lack of understanding, their wandering ways, their fallen nature, and their wickedness and rebellion at every level. Let us then dig a bit deeper into the nature of our sinfulness body and soul, how it is expressed, and why it is the case that we are surrounded then by such miserable neighbors. How can we understand and appreciate the extraordinary nature of God's grace, if we do not also comprehend the nature of our own sinful estate?
Everything we need to know and understand the gospel, we find in the Gospel according to Zephaniah the prophet of Israel prior to their being taken into exile by that wicked nation of Babylon. Even as Nahum had pronounced judgment against Nineveh, even while Assyria was at the height of their powers, Zephaniah was sent by the Lord to warn and encourage Judah (the Southern Kingdom), not yet exiled to repent and seek the Lord lest they be taken away in judgment. This warning which opens his prophecy speaks not only of the judgment that is near, but also that judgment that would come to the rebellious nation, when Christ Himself comes against them in the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem in 70 A.D.
Natural man understands, and feels deeply that there is no one to stand between himself, a totally depraved creature, and the creator of heaven and earth, who is holy, and dwells in inexhaustible light. And so man seeks to hide from and make unto himself a means of dealing with the sense of the searing white heat of Divine wrath, either as Paul says by running from the law, or hiding behind the law, both human efforts to alleviate that penetrating sense of guilt. One creates a new god, the other blames the God which they know, one in uniquely Gentile, the other distinctly Jewish.However the answer does not lie in putting God on the stand, for God is true and just in all that He does, and man is wicked and false in all that he does. The doctrines of God and man reveal that the only way to peace is that one stand between sinful men and holy God, effectually, completely, and mercifully that redemption and reconciliation might be won.
We come now to the third and final chapter of this poem of woe and comfort, a poem that proclaims woe to Nineveh and comfort to Judah, even as God proclaims from one mountain (1:15) salvation, and from another destruction (2:13). Even as the kingdom comes, from heaven to earth, from that central place of glory, power, and planning, the Messiah has been on the move through the dual acts of judgment and deliverance in relationship only to whether or not men heed the warnings and exhortations of in His Word. The Messiah is preparing the world for His arrival, and has given to His people this Gospel, "Kiss the Son!"There are certainly principles and frames that we can draw from the book of Nahum that are important for us today. One of those principles is it. The law of God is for all nations, and those nations who fail to keep the moral law of God that is revealed modally in his word, but also in creation, do so to their detriment now never had the word they had received the proclamation of covenant repentance in the days of Jonah, unfortunately, they had repented of their repentance, that is, they apostatized, and went back to their idols. This constitutes clear, covenant breaking, and God does not take it lightly.
It would be possible and even likely, having read through Romans 2, to get the impression that Paul appears to give no benefit or privilege to circumcision, an institution of God in the Old Testament. However Paul is not crediting to circumcision only disadvantage, but in Romans 3:1-8, the privilege which the symbols of God's covenant with man are as real Divine blessing. We ought never scorn the privileges and blessings of God, but rather in the instance with those Old Testament sign and seals seek to best understand to what they point as elements which convey grace and the necessity of faith in the promise of the Messiah. What the sin of the Jews, in their denial of the Messiah, shows is just how far the fall and deep the denial of those who are stewards of grace. The way out of judgement is not to get God wrong in our understanding of His character and action, but to see Him as the truly true and just Judge.
In Nahum 2 the prophet outlines the nature of the destruction that we brought upon Nineveh through the instrument of violence and judgment, the Medes, who will fall upon her, take her people into captivity, and plunder that once great city. Idolatry, and the rejection of God's covenant promises and stipulations leads to the desolation of those who had a few generations before repented of their wickedness. God is no respect of persons. He shows no partiality. either you surrender to his call to keep covenant according to his revelation or you face judgment. God's glorious reign is displayed through the protection and advancement of his chosen people is shown not only in deliverance of those who keep covenant through the Messiah, but also the destruction of those who reject His holy will.
The Jewish people, the holy nation of God, the chosen family expressed in the Old Testament as a nation apart from all other nations in that they had received the privilege and prerogative of God's covenant favor. It is to this people that Paul focuses his address as he speaks of the unique aggravation of their offense against God if they fail to do or obey what was in accord with God's teaching. Paul further elaborates the point that the gifts that God had given to the Jews, do not justify them, but rather serve to show the depth of their own rebellion, as they who had been given much did so little with it. Truly, if a man be not changed by the grace of God, that leads to justification, there are no amount of gifts that can make up for the lack. It is not in receiving the law that we are justified, but in the keeping of it.
Nahum wrote at the end of the reign of the wicked king, Manasseh. Manasseh's reign began in 687 B.C. and ended around 682 B.C.. For nearly a half-century Manasseh brought sin and shame upon the nation of Israel, and through his idolatry and moral compromise Israel endured years of social, political, and moral decline. He failed to honor the Lord as his father Hezekiah had, and did much wickedness until his repentance and reform later in life. During his reign there was a period of prophetic silence either due to God's judgment or the persecution of the prophets, either way, Nahum's prophecies represent an end to that silence, writing sometime around 682 B.C. Nahum is not writing it Israel, his audience was Nineveh, though what he wrote was important to Yahweh's people even then.
"Having mentioned the righteous judgment of God in Romans 2:5; he [Paul] here illustrates that judgment, and the righteousness of it, and shows what we may expect from God, and by what rule he will judge the world. The equity of distributive justice is the dispensing of frowns and favours with respect to what is deserved and without respect to persons: such is the righteous judgment of God." These words, written by Matthew Henry capture the sense of the next several verses in which Paul speaks of the relationship between a holy God and those who do and those do not receive the final sentence upon the brink of eternity. Do not seek to reject the reality that God is judge, and so seek to escape eternity by accusing him of injustice for matters internal or external for there is no impartiality with God.
Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah - why these prophets and why now? I hope that by way of introduction and through the course of this opening sermon that I might provide some measure of insight and clarity as to why the messages of these prophets is so invaluable and needed for us today, standing at the brink, at that gapping maw of ruin and desolation that is the fruit of those choices made by men who refuse to submit to and abide by the timeless, universal, and glorious law of God. We must know what day it is. We see the moral decay happening around us. The intolerance of the Word and of truth. Setting aside the distinction of Israel as a nation, unique in history, all men must know what is happening and why as it relates to covenant curses, who those come from, and how deliverance from Divine wrath can be had despite such present darkness. The call comes to us, even now, repent that God might show mercy and restore us in the way of light and life.
All men stand condemned before a holy God, and there is but one way to the Father, that way, that truth, that path to life is faith in Christ alone, for the just shall live by faith. Having set the theological foundation for the necessity of Christ's atonement, and path that leads to life, the question presented to all men is why do we live, practice, judge by any other standard than the one which God has revealed. For it is now made abundantly clear, that it is in no way enough that we merely avoid what certain heathens do, as though God grades based on a curve. For Paul transitions from those who seek freedom from judgment by hiding, to those who seek freedom from judgment by works of the law. Neither is it sufficient, for all men, apart from Christ stand condemned. Judge all you like, but it does not matter that you are better than the man next to you, for all have sinned and fallen short. You cannot deal with the real problem of unrighteousness through the vain effort of self-righteousness. The judgments made in Romans 2 express not the righteous judgment of God and a hope to genuine repentance, but Satanic accusation whose aim is not restoration, but more of the same rejection of Christ the only Redeemer. Self-righteousness is no bulwark to stand behind in the judgment.
Seeing then that those who reject the wisdom of God for the folly their sin, seeking to establish systems built upon idolatry and rebellion, abandoned the clear revelation of God for a wisdom of their own making. God does not leave them alone however, but instead reveals their shame through judgment. Of this Calvin writes, "As impiety is a hidden evil, lest they should still find an evasion, he shows, by a more palpable demonstration, that, they cannot escape, but must be held fast by a just condemnation, since such fruits have followed this impiety as cannot be viewed otherwise than manifest evidences of the Lord's wrath." God is judging the wicked through their own wicked ambitions. Look all around you and you will see it. Do not give in, do not go along, rather proclaim the light in the midst of the dark places that men might see, repent, and confess Christ as their only hope of righteousness.
As it relates to the nature of man's bold-faced rebellion against the clear revelation of God's wrath against sin, Calvin succinctly puts forth to us the rub, as it were, "The arrogance then which is condemned here is this — that men sought to be of themselves wise, and to draw God down to a level with their own low condition, when they ought humbly to have given him his own glory." (Romans, Calvin) From this exchanging of false for true religion, every man confesses by his own actions and intentions that he is the primary arbiter in what is true and false, what is good and what is evil, what is wise and what is folly. This Sunday what we will uncover and examine is the way in which sinful men respond to the wrath of God, and God's response to their high-handed rebellion, in giving them over to the very things they ask for in their rebellion.
Having completed his greeting and introductory statement concerning the gospel of Jesus Christ, which comes by faith and faith alone, Paul sharpens and expands upon his argument or thesis by showing how both gentile and Jew particular theological camps can find no salvation either by running from the revealed wrath of God or adhering to perfectly the revealed Word of God. Salvation comes only by faith.
What a gift Christ has given to His people that they might in this life and in the life to come speak, plead, even intercede on behalf of the Church and the furthering of His blessed kingdom. Here in the unfolding of God's revelation to men, John beholds a sight so glorious and even instructive to the Church that we should carry around in our heads and hearts everyday as an inspiration and pattern for our how we feel about the nature of Christ's taking victory, and the habit we are to have in prayer for Christ's victory on earth as it is in heaven. If there is one thing that unites the church militant -on earth- and triumphant -in heaven- it is that we are both people of prayer, committed to filling up the measure of Christ's victory with expressions of power that usher in the dawning of a new age, the age of the Spirit, the age of the Messiah.
Two questions- What if you knew, knew beyond any shadow of a doubt that your life was utterly, completely, eternally within the hand of God - that your days were numbered ever before they began- How would you live- As one who fears and seeks to please your Maker. What if you knew you were living your last days, how would you fill them, who would you want to spend them with, what would you say, and what would you do- As one who fears and seeks to please your Maker. It may appear that life is short, hard, or unfair and to you it is, but to the Lord it is the gift you are to use to revel in Him and all His good gifts, especially your wife. Learn to delight in not being in charge, and embrace the short life you have for God's glory.
There are many who surround us who live by this primary mantra, -man is the measure of all things.- Not only does this mantra not account for the existence of the Divine, but also a submission to higher, holy, sovereign Power who has made us for Himself. It denies not only god, but a Personal, Creative, Present Creator who not only made all things, but has redeemed by His blood. Secular man wants to say -there is nothing above us but sky,- but the wise must always believe and live according to the reality that the Lord reigns over all. In light of this knowledge we must therefore submit to authority, fear the Lord, and receive His will with joy.
As we see a swelling bureaucracy around us, we learn the cold hard lesson, especially come tax time that a heavier -top- does not mean a more efficient system. Good leaders are a blessing, wise leaders bring strength, but those who reject what is fundamentally true of fallen men, will be incapable to understand, to rule well, and to point those who are broken to the One who can heal. A wise man understands that men are broken under fall and in order to deal with himself and others, he gains wisdom, that he might see as God sees, understand as God understands, and deal with men whose hearts are often quite dark.
When we look at what wisdom is according to Scripture we find that it is a combination of both godly character and experience gained from living. It requires character for experience alone is not enough It requires experience for character must be forged under providence. The wisest among us then are those who have lived and in their living have learned from the Lord both humility and reverence. Do you wish to be wise, then attend those places, do not avoid those moments, but rather embrace the end of all men - death, and in so doing learn how to live.
Christ has ascended to that place of highest honor, He has taken the Scroll that is His reign and rule upon the earth, He has been worshipped, exalted, and adored for He is the Lamb who was slain. Our King is Our Redeemer, Our King is the Prophet and Priest, our King rules as the One who has fulfilled His part in the Covenant of Redemption and now we look to Him to bring consummation to that which belongs to Him. Now Christ, the King of Heaven and Earth, the One to whom all authority has been given unfolds His plan for the heavens and the earth, as the seals that hold the scroll shut begin to be opened.
What glories there are to be found in that moment when Christ takes the scroll and the seat of all authority and power in heaven and on earth, that He might reign unto the end of the dominion of the saints on earth as it is in heaven. If there is anything to sing about it is this, that Christ has taken the seat as Lord, for now the King of heaven of earth, is not just God, but man, a perfect man, the Risen Man, Jesus Christ. Praise be to God that we have such a King.
We see in Chapter Four just how much the scene in the throne room plays out like a worship service, where the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders are engaged in a call and response, led by the cherubim, and then joined into by the elders. This worship is a scene that leads into the next, where the hosts of heaven are -wound up- in order to create a scene not only of tension for what happens for but a moment in Chapter five while the One who was worthy ascended to the Throne Room for His coronation, and subsequent commencement of His reign. What we see, hear, and learn in that pause that moved John from weeping to rejoicing moves us to see that Christ is worthy and what He will do as King of heaven and earth.
When we look at what wisdom is according to Scripture we find that it is a combination of both godly character and experience gained from living. It requires character for experience alone is not enough It requires experience for character must be forged under providence. The wisest among us then are those who have lived and in their living have learned from the Lord both humility and reverence. Do you wish to be wise, then attend those places, do not avoid those moments, but rather embrace the end of all men - death, and in so doing learn how to live.---------------------------------------------------------------------------This video can be found here- https---youtu.be-EJX6TfiGlDM
What a throne there lies before our very eyes, for even as we read, we behold within our minds eye the glories of the heavenly throne room and the One who sits upon the throne. The glory and majesty of the One seated, who is too glorious for literal words, but what was seen can be said and known in such a way as to give us awe that takes us through the whole of lives with our gaze ever upon the Lord of Glory. There is much heartache and suffering in this life, there is much uncertainty in the particulars of providence, but there is this what we read of and see here that ought to carry us through, through to the Throne, and through it all until we reach that Throne ourselves.-------------------------------------------------------------------------This video can be found here- https---youtu.be-PgbaBDop-CE
We rightly confess that the Lord is One who made all things, and all of them very good. It was man who brought corruption, sin, and misery upon the earth. One of the effects of man's rebellion was that he calls what is good, evil and that which is evil, good. What obstinance and rebellion for those whose lives are but a breath, to try to rename that which God has named, ordered, and set forth as good and true. If we are to live in this world with any advantage we must submit to the truth of God's revelation and name, order, and establish righteousness as that which will actually endure. -------------------------------------------------------------------------This video can be found here- https---youtu.be-wTAVxR71klU
Having concluded the particular addresses to the churches in Asia Minor, Christ continues to reveal the glories of his absolute, cosmic reign, having taken the seat of highest honor, the Throne of Heaven, He now calls John to enter that he might see and deliver to His own Church, the nature, extent, and effect of His rule. Here, before the Throne of Christ, we see the elect gathered to rejoice with the hosts of heaven as those who are victorious in Christ Jesus. Already, we are in Christ Jesus more than conquerors.------------------------------------------------------------------This video can be found here- https---youtu.be-QlEsx376hzI
What advantage does the rich have over the poor, the powerful over the weak- Well I guess it depends on what one might mean by advantage, and what one's goal is when it comes to working, investing, grinding every day to reach some measure of peace, enjoyment, and satisfaction. There is an advantage that Solomon teaches those who labor for wealth, for power, for satisfaction and that is no matter the circumstance - contentment. It is as Paul wrote, -I have learned to be content regardless of my circumstance.- Where does that contentment come from- It comes from knowing what you have in Christ Jesus. ---------------------------------------------------------------------This video can be found here- https---youtu.be-f-y3LRtApx0
What a picture is painted for us in God's precious Word of the Risen, Ascended, and Reigning Messiah. He, the One whom John beheld, in His glory and power, speaks to His Church and what He has to say is essential for the purpose of walking in faithfulness before Him and the world. Christ wants true devotion from His people and is content with nothing less and will do what is necessary to stir His people to holiness. As Christ confronts the spiritual apathy in the church at Laodicea, He does so that they might repent, and He calls them to repentance because He loves them, and desires to see them transformed by His grace. When Christ speaks, heed, and if he calls for repentance, then by God's grace, repent.-----------------------------------------------------------------------This video can be found here- https---youtu.be-PmtrYe4miiM
Solomon moves on in the next several verses to cover the topic of how one ought to behave in the House of God, among the saints, in such a way as to maximize the glory of God and minimize folly. Already Solomon has established that there are better ways to think, to feel, to act as one who endeavors to glorify his Maker, and a large component of that is how you behave in the House of the Lord. Let us listen to this wise king tell us how to use our mouths in the presence of our Maker and Redeemer. Fear God, as the only Holy and Righteous One.----------------------------------------------------------------------This video can be found here- https---youtu.be-2EMND7qNU18
Christ has in His humiliation and exaltation established for Himself a Name, a Name that is above every other name, a Name that is exalted, holy, demanding of our allegiance, and worthy of our trust. Christ, is both Lord and Steward of the House of God, and as such He controls who is and who is not a name-bearer or a temple-dweller. Christ will in this life reveal, even to those who suffer, that all who trust in Him will rule those who have rejected Him. Through Christ we are made more than conquerers.---------------------------------------------------------------------------This Video can be found here- https---youtu.be-0Yo1-DLMDG0
Two is better than one for we fight, laugh, and feast as unto to the Lord more effectively together than we do alone. Solomon made it clear, two is better than one. There is also something that Solomon calls better in this life and is the combination of wisdom and poverty verses wealth-power and folly. Wealth doesn't last and for as much good as wealth is as tool, it does not establish an enduring legacy, for as soon as you are gone so to the place that you once occupied. Solomon does not wish for us to reject multi-generational living, but to see that the greatest investment for the future is godliness, not worldly gain.
-I've built walls, A fortress, steep and mighty, That none may penetrate, I have no need of friendship, Friendship causes pain, Its laughter and its loving I disdain - I am a rock, I am an island.- --These words may seem to convey real strength and resolve by Mr. Garfunkel and Simon, but are a rejection of the way the world really works, and how we might survive a life under the sun best described as hevel. --The truth, we need to stop competing with, envying, and wrestling against one another and confess that we are to called to serve for we need one another because we are stronger together than we are apart. ----------------------------------------------------------------------This video can be found here- https---youtu.be-zu2Vu7FVf4U
If we are to live in such a way as to bring glory and honor to our King, then we must not only be people who believe rightly, but also lively rightly. Discipleship is the God-honoring application of what we know about God and what He has commanded us to do. --When Christ says I am the Holy One who sees and in conjunction with my sovereign sight my feet shall trample the nations, then know what we must do, whose counsel we must heed, and how we shall then live. --Reject the pagan goddess, mortify her bastard children, and do not fall prey to the insidious cult of hedonism. Be holy, dear children of God, and you will be given the nations.------------------------------------------------------------------------This video can be found here- https---youtu.be-UDRpXliR-VM
Growing up can be hard, especially when you begin at middle age. How can such tension be avoided- It can't, we must all move from immaturity to maturity through the same gauntlet of pain, trial, and even suffering. --Gaining wisdom brings a kind of age that we call maturity, and only wisdom can do it. Wisdom being that blessed gift of knowing, thinking, and applying God's Word and combined with an understanding and comprehension of the limits of our own creatureliness. --Ecclesiastes puts us in our place while at the same time tethering us to the Eternal glory, power, and purpose of a Sovereign Lord, who worthy of awe for His goodness and grace.------------------------------------------------------------------------This video can be found here- https---youtu.be-cT2ZZO1W7C4
Another letter to another Church and what we find is the blessed and sanctifying connection between something that is true of Christ, our Redeemer and Lord, and the doctrine and behavior of the Church. --The formula we see coming into focus is this- Christ is ---- and so we must believe ----- and do -----. This principle is reflected in the question, -What do the Scriptures principally teach-- What man is to believe concerning God and what duty God requires of man. --Christ, the Sword-bearer comes to us with His mighty Word and He calls to live in light of what He has said and to the church in Pergamum it is this- flee idolatry and sexual immorality, repent or else Christ Himself will bring the sword against you.---------------------------------------------------------------------This video can be found here- https---youtu.be-fBkCbLd6oyY
Having just expressed the immutability of the plans of God, being established and unchangeable, being higher, greater, and wholly exhaustive in scope and power, Solomon turns to reflect and even dig deeper into the plight of men in relationship to power and death.--Injustice and death afflict all creatures, and whether human or animal, one day blood stops pumping and breath will enter and exit our lungs for the last time. Death comes for us all, all are headed toward the grave, and whilst we live we often do so under the weight of those who oppress and afflict us.-------------------------------------------------------------------------This video can be found here- https---youtu.be-yKOckUcZnYM
Even as John was instructed to write unto the Church in Ephesus, he was called also to pen a letter, issuing forth from Christ's own mouth, to the Church in Smyrna. --A letter to a congregation who had suffered much reproach at the hands of the wicked, who was poor in worldly resources, who would also soon suffer again. The Church is not called to believe that they will not suffer, be tried, tested, and experience the tribulation. No, it is into the mouth of the lion we are sent, by Christ Himself, so that the world might see the only way one might gain his life is to lose it.For in this we look like our Redeemer who also suffered, that the glory and grace of God might be set loose upon the world.---------------------------------------------------------------------------This video can be found here- https---youtu.be-dVwKmzoxKIs
This is God's world and we are living in it. We can either buck against this pervasive and inescapable reality, or we can receive with gratitude and faithfulness to the One who made us and calls us into the labor of building something glorious with Him. God is not only sovereign over the big things, but the minutia of everything, and whatever He does endures forever. As He decrees so He does, and as He does, so it is assured forever. Rest in this glorious knowledge that God is sovereign, He is also very good, and His good plans stand for an eternity.
All of these things they had going for them, yet there was still something lacking. In fact they were lacking the one thing that would incur the discipline of Christ Jesus, the removal of the church from the company of the saints - a lack of love for Christ Himself. Can you believe this- With such evidence of true religion- it goes to show that it is possible to fight against the enemies of God on one hand, and be an enemy of the Lord yourself. This letter -2.1-7- should come like a whistling shot across our proverbial bows if we are seeking refuge in our mere combatting against unorthodoxy and not pursuing Christ with true love and devotion.-------------------------------------------------------------------This video can be found here- https---youtu.be-x64j5NsTHzI
All Scripture is God-breathed and is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteousness. All of Scripture is to therefore be read and preached, carefully examined and applied. There are some texts however that must be approached and handled with great fear and trembling. Our text this week is such a one. One that comes like hot iron to the touch, like a blazing fire to approach. It bids one welcome, but ever so carefully, like Moses as he approached the burning bush - come close but know where you are standing. Here, in His Word, we come to Christ ablaze, adorned, alive and there is but one thing required of us, to fall down at His feet to tremble, to fear, to worship, to adore. This is the way of the living, to worship the One True Lord, Divine.--------------------------------------------------------------------------This video can be found here- https---youtu.be-2dRojlHyVzI
Are you ready for more- Have you learned yet that it is not upon the stuff of earth that we are to rely for ultimate meaning, satisfaction, and the building up of a name-- Yeah, neither have I, but we can labor for such a perspective as we continue to move through the wise words of Solomon and by the Spirit's help we will experience the freedom to say -do it again.- This Sunday we will examine with Solomon the disappointment that is work, that is toil, that is laboring for something only to have it frustrated, fought against, and ultimate the fruit left to another. Whether it is enjoyment or toil, one thing counts, that we do all unto the Lord.
A discussion about some of the ideas introduced through the morning sermon series from the book of Revelation as well as some other miscellaneous topics.
The whole of the Church of Christ Jesus is blessed. We are blessed with an enormous list of gifts which Christ has lavished upon us, from those things things that come to us as a result of His salvation, and some things matters of His providence. --What John would have us see is that all of that comes from the One who dwells in our very midst, and He speaks from a place of intimate proximity and this is incredible. His glory is not remote, His voice does not speak from a place of distance, but in our very midst.--------------------------------------------------------------------------This video can be found here- https---youtu.be-orNTxWD8WOY
Having opened with a summary description of who the Qoheleth is and his qualifications for expressing the wisdom that he does, both being the gift of God, and also earned from much experience and exploration, he turns from his expression of hebel in all things to his biographical journey, begun in Ecclesiastes 1-12 first by closely observing other, and then going after things himself.--What Solomon is doing is teaching from experience, remarking upon everything so that no one might say after reading, -Well, have you tried this-- He tried it all and continues to express the hebel of joy, laughter, pleasure, control, accomplishment - everything to which man might put his hand.-------------------------------------------------------------------------This video can be found here- https---youtu.be-a-ALWEiDT1s
As we move through the Solomon's apology for a life well lived, it behoves me to express in a variety of ways, or a variety of statements what I think the book is all about so that we might not only better know what God is saying, but more faithfully apply this inspired portion of Scripture. To interpret rightly, leads to a more faithful Christian life, which should be our entire aim - glorying and delighting in the Godhead and one another. Leland Ryken states, -The theme of the book, far from being a problem, is a virtual summary of the biblical world view- life lived by purely earthly and human standards is futile, but the God-centered life is an antidote.- Here Solomon turns to his own observations through wisdom and experience to reflect upon the limits and futility as he evaluations the these given to men to do. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------This video can be found here- https---www.youtube.com-watch-v-8HRcWRiJeaM
Every eye will see what John describes as happening here, the question is what is happening and also when was this event in terms of redemptive history and the relation of heavenly activity and earthly reality- The language is a clue and should stir within us reverence and awe as we see our Redeemer take the throne of heaven and earth. Our Redeemer is the King and for this reason His kingship will be made known to all, saint and sinner alike, and all who trust in Him will mourn over their sins, enter into His suffering, and be raised and seated with Him in glory.
Here we find Solomon, as he does so often in this work of wisdom, a gift to the people of God, -pushing the antithesis- by asking questions that reside in all of our hearts as we observe the things around us, namely the repetition found in nature -sun, wind, sea-. It is uncomfortable and easy for us to drag Solomon down into a nihilistic perspective, but that is of no interest to him then, and should not be what we do today. Not only do the experiences of men reflect the vanity of life, but also creation itself repeats over and again its same actions day after day after day. Rather than casting off the monotony as something to be shunned, we are to see that by embracing the Lordship of Christ Jesus, brings redemption to each and every day.
As we approach a new book it alway behooves us to understand what the author is trying to communicate to the people of God, what the theme or themes of the particular book are, and how we interpret it in light of all of revelation. Historically many commentators and readers of Ecclesiastes have taken a understandably a view of that the write is pessimistic or cynical as he reflects upon the nature of things. He is not wrestling with meaning, he is helping those who might be wrestling with meaning, purpose, and joy in a world that seems to be a kind of stuck record, repeating the same refrain over and over again.
This morning we come to the opening greeting that reads rather typically if you are no stranger to New Testament letters. It is a Trinitarian greeting -4-5-, from the Father, Son, and Spirit who each have had a role and continue to labor unto the ushering in of the Kingdom of Christ on earth as it is in heaven. This Trinitarian work of redemption results in the blessing of men, described as men being made royal priests who gather around the Throne of Christ, whose central mission is bring glory to Christ. The mission of benediction, blessing men -6a-, in turn results in our bringing praise to Christ Jesus, doxology -6b-.
Some time ago I presented to you a principal that is an inevitability. I stated -You become what you behold.- The psalmist expressed it as you become what you worship. If you worship the True and Living God you live, if you behold that which is an idol, then you forfeit your life. You are what you worship, and we are to behold and listen to the One who sits upon the throne of heaven and earth. John expresses that when we hear, when we read, when we behold Christ in the pages of Scripture we will be blessed, and when we act according to that the world is transformed. It begins in seeing Christ risen, ascended and reigning upon the throne of heaven and earth. Let us behold Him together.
The gift of God's law at Mt. Sinai was a game changer for the people of God, and the nations that surrounded them. In terms of their holiness and therefore their profitability for Israel and all the nations, there is nothing that comes close to the revealed Word of God given to Israel in Exodus 20 and in the sermons of Deuteronomy that consist of case-law application of the 10 commandments. What then is their use today- Our own Westminster Confession states concerning the judicial laws- To them also, as a body politic, he gave sundry judicial laws, which expired together with the State of that people- not obliging any other now, further than the general equity thereof may require. WCF 19.4. What all that means is that there is still a place for the law of God in our lives, in every sphere of our lives, from personal to national. What then of the tenth commandment- - -Do not covet-- That is we are not to lust for and even lay hold of, out of a lack of contentment for what God has graciously given to us, that which belongs to others. You cannot have everything you want, so do not give one moment to the craving of what other's have, be it a wife, a house, or any possession.
Even as we approach this most glorious book, penned by the Apostle John to the seven young churches listed in later pages and to the church in every age, we approach it with hope, with anticipation, with reverence and awe that God has, is, will continue to unveil His glorious His purposes for the Church and the nations. Even as we sing in the Gloria Patri---...As it was in the beginning, it is now and ever shall be, world without end, amen, amen--In fact this short and often sung doxology exalts the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit as the One who has operated faithfully to bring about salvation in His Church as the Alpha and Omega, the Eternal Lord who has promised and provided for His bride and body, the Church a gracious ancient foundation and a future hope of glory.
As those who live in community with one another, we are constantly living overlapping existences. What we think, feel, and do affects not just our own lives, but that of our neighbors. Add to this the fact that we are sinful creatures, even the saints wrestling against indwelling sin, we must admit that there will be times when another's name, reputation, and honor are in our hands. The inclination to attack, harm, and degrade the reputation of another for our own sake, but this is unrighteousness. Instead let us be those who rejoice in the good name and fortune of our neighbor.
What a blessed calling we possess, and though there may be those who abandon the mission when the going gets tough, there are those who stick close, who continue to labor, fight, proclaim the glory and honor of Christ Jesus. There is great comfort and encouragement in the fellowship of, and the support that comes through being united around the Cross of Christ Jesus. Each of these mentioned here by Paul were his friends and laborers in the harvest. Who are your friends in the fight- Are you a friend in the fight- May we all be committed to walking in the grace that comes to us through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Moving on from the 7th to the 8th commandment - -thou shalt not steal.- Moses moves through a wide range of case laws devoted to theft, property, possessions and the valuing of what belongs to another as we have each and every one been called to be good stewards of the stuff that the Lord has given unto us. This begins with being grateful for what we have, and treating with an open and generous hand the needs of others. For let us remember that the heart of all the law is to exalt Christ and promote righteousness and life in the life of your brothers and sisters in the congregation, not only in the Lord's House but in the houses that He has given for us to be stewards over.
When the trials of the faith come, and they will come, they will come from those who hate the Name and true cause of Christ Jesus. They will come for the faithful and there will always be some caught in the crossfire, those who in refusing a side chose a side, and they chose the side of the oppressor. When Paul was going to his death, and as he waited in prison there were many who abandoned him and this hurt Paul, not because he was fragile or prideful but because Paul was concerned for the glory and honor of Christ and he hated betrayal of Christ represented in the betrayal of Christ's preachers. Yet even when men abandoned Paul there were still those who remained. There will always be then the faithful and the faithless. Which will you be- I pray you remain strong and that you do so by remembering that Christ is Judge of all the earth and that to chose safety on the worlds terms is to be at odds with Christ, but to seek comfort and safety in Christ's arms, though at enmity with the world, is to be truly safe.
When the curtain begins to close and if you are blessed to have the wherewithal to see end of your life coming like some closing horizon how will you think upon your life, your faithfulness to the call given you by Christ, and will you see your life as an offering to be laid at the feet of Christ, bowing under the weight of trial, suffering, and pain only rise crowned by Christ and His -well done-- Have you begun to number your days, thinking not what might be done for you but what you might do for Christ and the His everlasting kingdom- Do you love the that future day of His appearing- If not then today is the day to begin again, to be reformed unto a life that is full of proof that you have fought well, run hard, kept the faith.
The Believer possesses incredible promises given to him, not by men or the kings of men, but the High King of heaven and earth, the only true God who rules and reigns over all -Mt. 28-18-. He is not only high and lifted up, but He is with those whom He has chosen throughout all the earth, reaching back through time and across the tribes, tongues, and nations of men -Ps. 113-. He has purposed to redeem us, and so what have we to fear, not the lion's den, nor the sword of men, nor the fires of pagan kings whose very idols could not endure the judgments they have prepared for the righteous, yet there is one King, one Redeemer, one Creator who can pass through water, pass through fire, and be untouched and He holds fast to those who are His that they might pass through with Him and be saved. Oh Believer, that you might cry out, as the psalmist did, -What can man do to me--
This evening we look at a case law involving the seventh commandment, -thou shalt not commit adultery- and the occasions in Israel when there is practiced immorality in the home between a husband and a wife. The first instance being when a husband practices cruelty to his new bride, the second when a spouse cheats, when an engaged woman is taken advantage of and does not cry out for help the both are responsible, and if there is no help then the only the attacking man, and then lastly incest is strictly forbidden. None of these cases are pleasant, easy, or merely hypothetical because the sinfulness of men knows no boundaries, especially sexual sin. In all of this the call for Israel is the same - purge the evil from your midst. This is not a call to be legalistic, but rather punish sin where it is found, both as an act of judgment and of deterrent from others who might be enticed to commit the same sins. See that all sins deserve death, but in Christ there is forgiveness.
It is in God's Word where we learn of the nature and extent of our misery in sin, it is in Scripture that we learn of the manner in which we were made, first given life- pursued in redemption, the coming of Christ, His death, burial, and resurrection, the accomplishment and application of His redeeming work, and so on. All of this we get from the Word - wisdom, direction, understanding, knowledge, and a life that pleases the Lord, all of this get from the Word. This is the case because the Word is not only content but it is Divine speech made powerful by the work of the Holy Spirit.
I want us to think of the promises made by the Lord in the first part of Scripture to manifestly answered in the person and work of Jesus Christ, and even before His time, and in the days ever since His death and resurrection we find throughout history the blessing and building of one holy family, and the destruction and downfall of another. Christ, the Seed of the woman, and all who are united to Him are on the rise, while the seed of the serpent, Satan and all who belong to him are being scattered, judged, confused, and brought to nothing. What's the difference, what gives live and health - the Holy Spirit and the Word. We can play the long game because we believe in a Christ whose is dead and risen from the dead, and as Master and Lord of this earth, He holds the future. Let us then be a people devoted to love and good deeds, laboring in the strength of the Spirit given to bring wisdom, strength, and power.
This evening we examine the importance of the covenant to the formation of the hearts and souls of our children, and the responsibility that father's have to love their children, and children have to obey their parents. This responsibility is seen in how fathers are called to care for those in their home, and children to obey and not rebel against their parents authority. This evening we have a short one but a hard one, with a very clear NT expression in the Church.
So there is a lot to say about those matters of which many men have had a lot to already say about the end of days, the last days in which the Church has been called to minister. Many have attempted to interpret the length, nature of, and arrival of the last days, and many have done it quite poorly and have led a host of well meaning saints down the wrong paths. This morning Paul gives us clarity as it relates to the nature of the last days, the days between His first and second comings, as to the character of those who bump up against and even come against the church, and how we are to think of them and what we are to do with such a godless people - oppose them.
We see a collection of various laws given here it might appear a bit random in their arrangement, which would be totally fine, there is a theme - guidance for the promotion and prolonging of life. Where the world, apart from Christ, embraces death, loves death, and longs to apply death to others and to themselves- The Lord would have us, as his holy congregation, be about the business of helping one another to guard, to promote, and to prolong life as a gift from him.
-Do not be afraid- is the underlying exhortation for Israel as they go to war against those who dwell in the land, whose worship and lives are an utter offense to the Lord. When you go to war you are to carry in your chest courage that God is with you, and you are to engage as those who bear the name of the Lord, who does not wish for the force that Israel uses to become needless violence. It is for this reason that the Lord gives boundaries for just war and for how to engage righteously the nations around them. Even in war, we must be tied to the Word of God.--As Israel will one day move into the Promised Land, there must be instruction given to the people as to how they were to prepare themselves, that is dress themselves for battle. First, they were to be inwardly prepared, second, they were to get their houses in order before they left, third, they were conduct themselves according to the primary moral principle -though shalt not kill-- and that those who seek peace might find it, that those who worship through violence might be removed from off the face of the earth, and that in all things you plan for how to uphold life. What we find at the marrow of it all is this principle, that God desires for His people to show force in order to promote righteousness and life.
The previous call directed to the minister was to remember, remember Jesus Christ, the seed of David risen from the dead. This theological truth and covenantal reality was to shape Timothy's faith and hope as he ministered to the saints. In addition to this he was to help them remember the same, and to have this truth shape their own pursuit of personal holiness and congregational commitments - that they would not waste their time or another's time with vain babblings. Instead of wasting precious time show yourself to be a worker, approved and unashamed, devoted to Christ's kingdom and glory.
Even a cursory glance of the case laws of the book of Deuteronomy shines a light that reveals just how good God is, how patient He is with sinners such as ourselves, and how incredibly practical the law is in promoting the lives of those under it. Take the cities of refuge, which were safe harbors for those who might flee unrighteous vengeance against those who by accident took another life -manslaughter-. God's law met sinners in their sin and provided for them a blueprint for mitigating the effects of the Fall and even our own violent designs. Let us then reason together how we might be defenders of the innocent, uphold the cause of righteousness and truth, and establish real policy that protect life and not faint in the day of true justice.
This is the one, the text that I think of more than any other as we look down the seemingly dark corridor that appears to tighten around us as a church in what appears to be a shrinking island of tolerance by our neighbors around us. By neighbors I mean the powers that be, and by shrinking tolerance I mean the increasing distaste for the call to repent of your sin and embrace Christ alone for salvation. This exclusive claim has no place for tranny rights, unfettered murder of the unborn, or support for unbridled power at the expense of the weak and the poor. Christ will be exalted, and though it may cost us dearly, the Gospel mission does not die with us, any more than it stops when we stop. No, the Kingdom will expand until it covers over all the earth -Ezk. 47- and becomes the largest tree in the garden -Mk. 4-30-32-. Its coming, and though will not happen in our lifetime, its coming. It cannot help but come because the Resurrection power of transformation is inevitable. The Word is not bound.
Having expressed delight in the Gospel of power and grace, Paul expresses his delight in the suffering for the sake of Christ Jesus. Through his suffering there was a question in his mind concerning the saints in the various churches he ministered among - who will stand with Paul- Who will remain faithful to Christ and Christ's own disciples when the warfare comes close to our doors- Will you, that you might wear the crown of life-
There is much debate today concerning the nature of justice. What is it, how do we apply it faithfully, and how do we honor a righteous and holy God who delights in true justice. Well perhaps the first two questions are focused on, but rarely the last one, certainly not in the age where social justice is the cultural cause de jour. How would God cause us to think of and administer justice among a people where justice is neither desired and rarely achieved- Let us study this very important matter to establishing a society in which people are blessed.
Righteousness and Truth are -kissing cousins- as they both reflect the goodness and clarity of the Lord who has made Himself known. God has made His truth and goodness known in His own direct revelation to men through the prophets and apostles and has given to men in every corporate sphere of relationships, be they ecclesiastical or political -church or state- the call to maintain truth and justice that men might live in peace. How are sinners to maintain the cause of justice- Carefully, according to God's standards that the truth might come out and righteousness maintained.
When we recite the Apostles Creed we come to section conceiving the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ that reads, -I believe in the Holy Spirit- the holy catholic church- the communion of saints-- We do this because we believe that the elect are the bride and body of Christ across time and space. The church is a body of witnesses to the glory and majesty of Christ Jesus, who behold Him and then tell of His glory down through the generations. This catholic church is built through the ministry of men called, trained, and sent out into the world to father, edify, and mobilize the saints unto the end of building the Christendom.
Moses continues to expound and apply the 5th Commandment, the righteous reception of and adherence to His holy, life-giving law that He has revealed for the sake of salvation of those who wish to live and be at peace, manifesting His glory and that satisfaction that comes only in Him. Perhaps you have already seen how good the law of God is, the life that it brings, the disputes that it settles - why then do we settle for any other law- How we receive and respond to God's righteous authority among the men of earth says much about how think of God Himself, the rightful King of heaven and earth. Moses continues to unpack the 5th commandment as he applies it to religious authority. We must learn from where righteous instruction comes, how to test the spirits, and to love those words that come from above.
Paul here exhorts Timothy, as a minister in the church to be a good soldier, a faithful runner, and a diligent farmer to be focused, rule-following, and fruit expecting servants of the the Most High God. This is of course not just a message for ministers, but all who are called to labor for the exaltation of Christ throughout all the earth. Solder - Runner - Farmer.
Woven into the very fabric of God's work among His people is the joy of release, and the theme celebrating the Lord's gracious acts of deliverance. The Christian is one who never grows tired of celebrating the Lord's work of redemption, in the Sabbath-Savior, the One who brings us freedom from sin and death. The Feasts reflect the lavish mercy of God, His open-handed kindness, and His extraordinary joy in bringing us deliverance, to a place of peace. We enter into the celebration of God's Divine mercy when we remember what He has done, through the provision of deliverance, chiefly in the Son our Savior.
There is no law as blessed and committed to life as the Law of God, for it is a law that rejects wickedness, embraces righteousness and promotes life that comes through the blessed union of God with men. The Sabbath principle that goes beyond the Seventh Day, now the First, is one that proclaims God's generosity, His good-natured love for His people, and His continued call to delight in what is good. The principles of liberty, of release, of joy are to be woven into the society of men whose hope is the Lord. The Sabbath Year proclaims the release from various forms of bondage that sin brings, which means that the Sabbath is ultimately about pointing to and delighting in Christ Jesus, our Liberator. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free
As is the custom of so many, and this encouraged by Scripture is the giving of thanks to the Lord at the outset of each meal in order to give thanks to the Lord for His continued provision of what is needed for the care of our bodies. In the same way we thank the Lord for His continued care of our souls on the market day of the soul, the Lord's Day. As those who owe everything to the Lord we offer back to him tides and offerings for his continued gracious provision. What are the rules concerning tithes and how are they to be given rightly-
As those who bear the Lord's name, being His beloved children, who are we to be His Name with all faithfulness and holiness, and not with vanity by associating His Name with anything corrupt, idolatrous, or unholy. Israel, was to bear His Name by being distinct, set apart from the nations and called to represent the YHWH by different doctrine and practice, consecrated by what they did or did not do, eat, or wear. Seeing as these dietary and cleanliness laws indicated that the Holy of Holies was not yet open to us, how then ought we live as those who now have unfettered access before the Throne in Heaven, with clean hands and pure hearts, washed by the blood of Christ.
You have but one life and the years, months, weeks, days and hours to devote to a singular glorious cause - what will it be- Will you give yourself to the work of exalting Christ in all things, or will you seek a life of comfort, of ease, and self-satisfaction. These really are the two categories - a- you can devote your life to the glory and honor of God and take life as it comes, through the faithful hand of God, even hard providence, receiving it with you- or b- you can respond with fear, shame, and repulsion against Christian discipleship. But know this, you don't get the power, freedom, and hope of the Gospel if you reject the Lordship Christ Jesus. Think about what you miss when you run from being identified as a Christ-follower.
Let us never forget Paul was a man, a man with feet of clay, but who was called by, devoted to, and hoping in the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul was a man who struggled with sin, must have been tempted to give in to despair, and even longed for the Lord to end his fight against weakness. Let us never forget this, that God calls men with feet of clay to build and furnish His Church with truth, goodness and beauty by proclaiming and applying the Word of God. What does a Christ-exalting saint look like and how might we emulate him-
Having been called into the glorious fellowship with God and the saints we are to pursue lives devoted to the glorious call given us in our salvation. Whatever we are called to our chief end is to glorify and enjoy the Lord as those who have been given an extraordinary gift that we to handle as stewards of grace, blessed and called of the Lord. How then are we to be stewards in our labors and in our receiving the good gift of the Gospel-
Paul, having warned Timothy and in addition, the Church to be wary of those teachers whose motives are selfish, seeking with hearts consumed by discontent and greed, to use the church to fill their own coin purses. They held on too tightly to the promise of worldly gain through heavenly doctrine and they -gospels- were corrupted by their wicked hearts. But for Timothy, he was to let go the pursuit of worldly gain, and take hold of eternal life, this being the proper, eternal, sanctifying perspective which would grant him to strength to make the good confession, and to labor unstained until Christ returns. May we all take hold of Christ, and find will when He is ready, return and grant us full reward.
We find this evening an expansion upon the First of the Ten Commandments, and how we keep it, it is the exposition and expansion of this first and great command. What Moses focuses upon the the proper worship of the saints and involves the tearing down of high place, the offering of sacrifices, the giving of tithes and offerings, the making of vows and singing with joy to the Lord. Faithful worship lies the heart of covenant faithfulness.
We find this evening an expansion upon the First of the Ten Commandments, and how we keep it, it is the exposition and expansion of this first and great command. What Moses focuses upon the the proper worship of the saints and involves the tearing down of high place, the offering of sacrifices, the giving of tithes and offerings, the making of vows and singing with joy to the Lord. Faithful worship lies the heart of covenant faithfulness.
Paul begins to wrap up the letter written to Timothy as an expression of what he was to believe concerning the content of the Gospel, the effect that it has, and the means of ministering the Word of God to those within the Church. He turns again to the matter of holding fast to a True and Good Confession in the midst of doctrinal and practical challenges. This time, the relationship between truth and the draw of worldly wealth and sinful desires. How does the Gospel keep us content-
Paul has moved now through in the whole of chapter 5 and the first little part of chapter 6 on how honor is righty sown among the variety of people that are found within the Church. Though we are one body, unity, oneness, to feel like a family is in fact work and requires, at times, an adjustment to the way we receive and labor even in times of hard providence, or when our circumstances might even seem to prevent faithfulness to the Lord.
The command to love God is grounded upon the extraordinary grace of God which the Israelites had seen time and again, and again, and again- -Get the picture-- would be a worthy refrain for Moses' sermons and it impossible to avoid this implied question as he goes over the history of Israel and YHWH over and again. This is because ultimately in order for Israel to be devoted to the Lord, they must be aware of what the Lord has done for them - they must see, believe and be grateful for his love for them. Divine love begets human affection, because it is not mere emotion and feeling, but effectual calling, gracious deliverance and powerful forgiveness.
The Lord is slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. The Psalmist reflects upon this glorious reality that has been shown from God to His people, time and again. Upon the occasion of that first sin God could have simply sentenced the man and his wife to death, but instead He made them a promise, through the Seed which He prophesied to redeem them from their sins. All forgiveness, all sin-covered, all covenant renewal is laid upon the back of the Redeemer, this is why God can and does forgive His beloved children so much, because we are hidden in covenant union with Christ, the Messiah.
Do you need proof that it is not because of righteousness done in the flesh or salvation accomplished through the strength of human hands- God provides it here, and it is not just evidence for O.T. Israel, but for any who might say -look at what our hands have done.- Salvation is a word of God's free grace and is manifested not in response to our worthiness, but in the face of our rebellion as we will see this Sunday evening.
When the Lord sought to humble Israel before Him it in direct response to their fear and unbelief when the spies reported that there was great danger in the Land of Promise. Though there was incredibly rich natural provision, there were giants in the land -Num. 13-28-29-. They failed to remember God's promises, but were rather controlled by fear and so rejected the call -willfully disobeyed-, the spies then painting a bleak picture for the rest of Israel whom they were to encourage, save Joshua and Caleb. For this rejection God sent them to the wilderness to judge them and to teach them - to humble them for their rebellion and in this He was preparing them to enter the Land when He would bring them back. Well that is a lot to say this, God humbles us that He might lead us, God humbles us, that we might faithfully follow Him.
This Sunday we look at the application of Yahweh's incomparably character and power as that which stands at the heart of the covenant which He made with His people, and how God's character and power are to shape the way Israel thought of themselves, the nations around them and how they were to be a people wholly other from the nations of the earth, and wholly devoted to being unique throughout all the earth. An incomparable God who calls and leads an uncommon people, this who Israel was to be and the Church even to this day.
There are certainly responsibilities that officers owe to the members of Christ's Church in terms of ruling, leading, serving, counseling and so on. The reason for this is so that Christ might be exalted as the saints are exhorted to faithfulness to the Lord, both in doctrine and practice. How are you, member of the church, to view, care for, interact with and support your elders- This is what Paul handles next.
Having helped Timothy understand the nature of the relationship between men and women, young or old and his own way of relating to those who are in the mission with him, in a way that glorifies Christ and edifies the body. Everyone has a place within the membership of the church, young or old, male or female even those who have had great tragedy brought upon them by loosing a spouse, namely widows, those most vulnerable among the saints. How was Timothy to think of and shepherd widows and how were they to think of themselves and their service at home and to the Church. Let's look.
As Paul writes to Timothy, giving clear and practical advice on how to be a faithful pastor of a real, local church, he gives particular exhortations on how he is to interact righteously with men and women, both young and old. The blessed thing about Scripture is its sufficiency to address all matters pertaining to life and godliness as to how we are conduct ourselves within and outside of the household of faith. The Church is to be a body of men, women and children who see themselves as members of one family, bound together by the Spirit and strengthened and lead by the Word unto the edification of every member.
What good is the Gospel- It is good for bringing the nations under the rule and reign of our Triune Lord, who through the Word, calls men, women and children to faith in Christ Jesus by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. It is good to bring all tribes, tongues and nations under the rule and reign of Christ and so it is with the Word that we are armed to reach the nations and find our labors fruitful to the ends of which the Scriptures speak - building the Church broad and deep. Let us then be confident and determined to go forth armed with the Sword of the Spirit, and see the world changed for Christ Jesus.
This Sunday morning we commit ourselves for a short time to the exhortations given to Timothy and to the church, by Paul to devote themselves to the gifts that God has given to the Church in order to reveal and truly give all the blessings of Christ's redeeming work upon the Cross. I am speaking of the means by which God rules in His Church to call men to minister and the means of ministry, namely, His Word. All within the Church are to devote, submit and be ruled by the Word. We are to be a people called by, filled with and moved through the Word and Spirit.
It is here in this handful of verses that Paul exhorts Timothy to be and do something as man, and do something as a minister. What we learn is that Timothy was useful to the church as minister not by what he would offer as an officer, but also as a man who was to never cease striving to be an example in his own faith-walk with the Lord. A minister is therefore offering the means of grace and also himself as an example of the Spirit does in the life of one who is in the very grip of grace. This week we will focus upon Timothy, the man who strived to believe and bear witness to the glory of God, and how we might strive as Timothy, and so receive the great reward from the Lord.
As we consider not only the law of God revealed to His beloved children, but also YHWH who has revealed it, we must consider not only the relationship of God to His law, but ours to Him and His law. The Lord is walking Israel, by the hand, through cloud of smoke and pillar of fire and by His Word revealed through His servant Moses. How shall Israel live as those who know God, have seen Him and are called to live for Him in the land- By starting out those who know what they have been given.
Last week we learned of what it means to receive from the Lord not only the gift of Himself, but all the other good gifts which He has given, and to sanctify their use through the Word and prayer. What Paul has delivered to Timothy are -things- that are good for them, and in putting those things before them, Timothy will be considered a faithful teacher. What Timothy is teaching the saints to do is discern what is silly and what is good, what is worthless and what is of value. Do you know, can you discern- Perhaps this Sunday we may learn better what is good and promotes holiness and hope in us.
At the heart of the Law stands the Mountain, and atop that Mountain is YHWH, Himself. The Lord is the heart of the law, even as it reveals who He is, a God of perfect righteousness and power, a good and holy God. He is there, and we are at its base, His humble servants whose hearts are ready to receive and hands ready to apply the law of God. God remains there and it is not mere tablets we come, but a Living and Personal God. The call then is to worship, to adore, to obey a God who is known for all eternity and longs to make Himself known to us, not in a remote and terrifying way, but a fatherly and personal way. It is in Deuteronomy 6 where we find the Triune Lord revealed who He is and how His own character calls us to love and obedience.
Whatever we say about God and men, we must begin with this that we belong to the Lord. He is the Maker of heaven and earth, of all things seen and unseen, and we belong to and are the very pinnacle of His creative glory expressed at the beginning and even continuing down through the ages. We are God's, we belong to Him and we owe Him our adoration and our affection. He has not only bestowed us with life but other great gifts as well. Despite these blessings we have turned our back on Him, corrupted the gifts and gone our own way. We see this corruption all around us, and so we blame the Giver and we curse the gifts. This is not as it should be. Rather, we are to bless our Maker, embrace life and the gifts He has given and live with worshipful gratitude to the One who made and directs our lives.
The Ten Words or commandments are God's holy instructions for how we are to live as those made by Him and for His glory so that we might enjoy Him. The glory of God is seen in His law, and His holiness is represented in the Ten Commandments. In order to possess a lingering fear and awe of God we must not jettison His law, but keep it near to our hearts that we might live according to it, that it may go well with us and that we might live long in the Land He has prepared for us.
What's it all for- For what reason does the Church and her ministers exist- Why would a man like James Coates be willing to go the jail, or countless pastors and faithful Christians before bear the Name of Christ even to the point of death- Because there is nothing better, nothing more glorious, nothing for comforting than to know and trust that God has made us for Himself, that He calls us to be saved, and that we seek salvation in none other than Christ Jesus. Knowing this, and living in light of the Gospel is what we were made for, and this morning we are called again to believe and live in light of God's blessed truth.
The Lord has great designs and truly He has done great things for us. His works are without compare, and none of the gods of heaven or earth are like Him. He alone is God, the Lord of heaven and earth. We must repeat this over and over and over, because the world wants us to think that their team can much up against the Lord, our God. Zeus, Allah, Buddha all imposters, all inventions of men, all pretenders to the throne. This Sunday evening Moses expresses the glory and grace of our incomparable God.
Having addressed how the church is to address theological hindrances, authority hindrances, and hindrances with the church that arise in the practice of true, blessed and Christ-exalting religion. There are certain laws or rules - doctrines, that those who made by God must abide by in order to be blessed and to be a blessing to others. If the roles of men and women were introduced and then expanded for women, in terms of their roles within the church, then it is in chapter 3 where Paul expands upon what a godly man is to be, even as he expresses those requirements for service as an officer in the church. This week we go deeper into not only the diaconate, but how men's gifting and graces are tested and evidenced in the home.
What are the overseers and shepherds of Christ church to be like in terms of life and character, and interest- They are to be men who are devoted to personal holiness and jealous for the glory of God to be manifested in the lives of the saints, particularly the lives of those with whom them worship in the local, regional and denominational church. An elder is a pious man, a family man, a church man, and above all one who seeks to see Christ exalted wherever he goes. Are you that man-
The God of Heaven and earth is incomparable, and though entering into creation, the creation that is the work of His Hand, He is not to be compared for He cannot be compared to anything that is made. He is the One who has always been, the Alpha and Omega, who dwells in inexhaustible light, and though He has revealed Himself, we know Him only because He has stooped low to enter in to the time and space, in which we, His beloved creatures dwell. We must then cease in our efforts to use the stuff of earth to image the One is cannot be, but only by those words which He has given to us.
This Sunday evening we will come to what is for the church in every age one of the best prescriptions for how the saints of God, those who have been saved by Him and long for His appearing are to posture themselves as those who receive-from the Lord what is needed for life and godliness. How shall we then live in light of God's revelation of particular love and affection- Read and abide by Deuteronomy 4.
Oh man have we come a long way since the Fall and the pronouncement of the curses to the man, to the woman and to the serpent. Those pronouncements have certainly proved true, and even as God promised, Christ has come to crush the head of the serpent even as Paul has said, death has died in the death of Christ. Yet despite Christ's victory, even those who have been redeemed struggle against indwelling sin, in the way that God said we would. Namely, men and women, made to compliment and help one another in the Creation mandate look not to God's directives, but to their sinful, innate reflexes and desires. It is here in Paul's letter to Timothy that he turns from the matter of prayer, to that of peace within the church which being an institution filled by sinners, namely male sinners and females sinners need to be taught how to address those two groups in their midst. How has the Fall affected us and how are we to conduct ourselves in a way that brings honor and glory to the Lord and sanctifies the body- Let's see.
This Sunday we will hear from Paul words of encouragement given to Timothy and to the church in every place and age, how and for what they are to pray. Pray for those in power and those who submit to the Highest Power, even Christ Jesus who alone is Mediator between God and man. Our prayers for lesser powers are directed to the Higher Power. We do not pray or think of our president or any other early leaders as we do the One who was raised to the exalted-throne of heaven and earth. Praying for those in power reminds us, reminds them and reminds others that they are but, like all things, under the control of Almighty God.
Its gonna be a long reading this coming evening, as the second generation of those who were delivered out of Egypt hear from Moses the continued story of their parents wandering in the wilderness. Why- So that they might never forget their history, a history that is marked by failure and faithfulness, but also hope and longing. There are invaluable lessons to be learned from the history of God's people, namely God is faithful even when we are faithless and we ought not to shy away from our most shameful moments but learn from them - to trust and obey the One who is patient even when we are hard of heart.
Right off the bat, in light of the centrality of the Gospel, and what it can do -transform- and what it brings -freedom from sin- Paul wishes for Timothy to be devoted to silencing those who would preach-teach a doctrine different from that of Christ and Him crucified, Christ for sinners, of whom Paul was chief, but because of the grace of God, was made alive through Christ Jesus. Paul's own life is the clear testimony that the grace of God must not be silenced, that the true gospel of Christ Jesus for sinners must not be departed from. Without it there is no salvation, without it there is no hope to escape from a a life where the law only condemns both in this life and the life to come. Liberty is at stake and that is why Paul repeats his exhortation found in v. 3-4 again in vs. 18-20. And not only this but to know, to name and to warn the saints not to follow false teachers and their false teaching, for if one follows those who pilot their lives into the rocks, they too like so many ships will themselves be lost upon the rocks.
There is something wholly unique about the worshiping House of God, not the building, but the people of God gathered together in worship, united together to receive life through Word and Spirit. We bless the Name of our God, we exalt Him for His glory and grace, we express our thanksgiving for all that He has done and we receive from Him the blessing which He freely gives through Christ our Redeemer. The worship of the saints is an incredible transaction of blessing, where we offer the Lord the praise He is due, and He blesses us with grace that nourishes, strengthens and lifts us up. Let us not neglect such a glorious exercise of mercy.
To those devoted to the kingdom of Christ and the cause of promoting righteousness among the nations men, let us love what is good that is what God calls good, that which is a emanation of His own goodness and let us strive to live as God has for all eternity is a state of perfect holiness which alone is a condition of perfect peace and joy. We will never arrive in this life at a state of perfection, but oh how blessed the waypoints of delight the Lord provides as we fulfill our duty to glorify Him. Let us then strive with everything inside us to receive the law with thanksgiving and live as God has said.
There is a swirling mass of moral filth and theological detritus that seems to follow men wherever they go, like Pig-Pen's famous cloud of dust that went with him wherever he walked. Men are by nature limited and by sin-nature, broken, miserable and morally bankrupt under the Fall. All men have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and out of this populous of putrescence can we really expect a saving doctrine, a saving methodology, a Savior to arise- As one future president might say, -Come on man-- Yet men within the church are susceptible to the notion of another Gospel other than the one handed down to them by the Prophets and Apostles, enchanted by false teachers and fleshly approaches to that which belongs only to God by right of revelation of provision of redemption. This Gospel, that extended-hand of grace, mercy and peace which God thrust towards us sinners to lift us out of the -miry clay- must remain front and center if we are to know Christ and make Him known. This is why at the outset of Paul's letter to the young pastor, Timothy, he encourages him to nip bad doctrine in the bud by dealing with false teachers who obscure saving truth, but damning lies. What is this truth and how might we remain steadfast in it- This is the content of Paul's epistles to dear friend and fellow minister, Timothy. --We begin this morning with a familiar but essential salutation from Paul to Timothy, establishing in just a few words the authority of the Words -grace, mercy and peace.- It is essential because it accurately and sufficiently introduces the doctrine that undergirds the entirety of the epistles and even more summarizes the heart of the Gospel given to Paul and T
So right off the bat, some quick review. Last week I addressed the reason for Paul's wiring to Timothy - that the young might know, hold fast to and proclaim the Faith that has revealed the grace, mercy and peace of God. This is the One True Faith, and there is none other. It is not only but it leads to the salvation of sinners. It has been revealed by the Spirit through the prophets and the apostles and is what we call -the whole counsel of God's Word.- It is good because it comes from God, it is good because it reveals the way of salvation, and it is good because it is used by the Spirit to bring about an ongoing work of sanctification in the justified.--Timothy was to charge men to be faithful to the Faith, and that meant that he would have to work against those who taught a different doctrine, who had swerved from and caused others to swerve from -the aim- which was love, a pure, guiltless and sincere love. A love that is the work of the Holy Spirit which emanates from one who is in union with the Godhead. -The aim- is everything, that is a righteous trajectory that is brought about the Word of God rightly preached and understood and the law of God rightly overlaid and applied to the life of a person.
Having expressed in clear yet succinct terms the meaning of the Gospel, as that revelation of God that has brought grace, mercy and peace to those lost in darkness and misery due to sin. Paul is expressing to Timothy that his own mission -Paul's- and Timothy's mission is to promote this true Gospel of Jesus Christ, who alone brings us grace, mercy and peace.--To ignore the revelation of God, from the law to the Gospel is dangerous indeed, and so Paul at the outset exhorts Timothy to be vigilant in confronting those -different doctrines- that come not from God and are true and bring men to a state of grace and life, but from the vain, foolish thoughts of men, who in their babbling threaten to bring men into a state of cursing and death. Confront these teachers, and confront their doctrine and silence their false witness.--The only doctrine that we should have confidence in is that which brings about holy love, which comes from a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith. Avoid then those different doctrines that do not bring love and life, but rather cause one to swerve away from the chief aim that is love.--Paul is calling Timothy to promote that which brings life by preaching-teaching that which is true, and confronting that which is false, knowing that what is at stake is souls of men. He is calling Timothy to consider and judge by the fruit that the teaching brings - love and life, or self-righteousness and death.
Do not steal, but rather seek to receive with joy and thanksgiving all that God has given, the circumstances He has placed us in, and whatever we have or do not have as part of God's sovereign orchestration of our lives. The heart of keeping the 8th commandment is gratitude and contentment to the Lord. Let us then receive with thanksgiving all that God has and has not given and find ourselves not laboring or scheming how to lay hold of things through evil means, but to work hard unto the blessing of others, even as we have been blessed with the greatest gift, Christ Jesus.
In Zechariah 8 there is a simple yet sweet description of the nature of the -neighborhood of Zion- - that place in which the Lord was bringing Israel and a description of the nature of its fellowship. We read of the young playing in the streets while the old sit and watch. It is a picture of a community at rest -Ps. 132- and at peace. It is made possible only by the work of God, through the sending of the Prince of Peace, that Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, and Everlasting Father that became like us in the Incarnation that we might dwell together in unity. It is about the blessed unity that the Messiah brings where young and old live together, marking the generations-long faithfulness of the Lord seen in our redeemed community, the Church.
Little people, nameless people, people without their own agenda or cause. These are the people that fit best into the Kingdom of Heaven. To be sure I do not mean people without goals and ambition, but those goals and ambitions that are hidden in and aligned with the purpose of the Father - to bring honor and glory to the Son, the Redeemer of sinners. -If any man would be my disciple, Jesus said, let him deny himself.- How does man empty himself of all but love, as did our Lord- And if I end up becoming nameless, then who will a write a song about me-.... Are there any songs written about people like this anyway- The -No-names-- Yes, Psalm 130. May it be your song as well.
Keep the marriage bed holy. Thats probably sufficient a synopses because we all know what it means, but since we are slow to listen and quick to jump into someone else's bed either in our bodies or in our minds, we need to be clear and careful that call that lustful spade and -spade.- Today we are surrounded by a cultural graviton field that seeks to suck all into its gross orbit of hedonism and sexual libertarian. We must be careful that we are not drawn in by the lies and the clever reinvention of godly standards that comes from biblical revelation so that we call good evil and evil good. Let us therefore set our minds like flint and keep ourselves pure from sexual immorality.
Psalm 132 is a little bit Haggai 1 and a little bit Matthew 6, a little bit exhortation to get your priorities straight and also a blessed expression of the heart of a King who is committed to of the mission of building God's House here on earth. The King that Israel needs is a king who does a few things that belong rightly to the True, Anointed King, called and ordained by God- His heart is swept up in the building of God's House, He calls his people to worship and He reminds God the Father of His enteral and unchangeable promise to also be about the work of meeting with His people in a loving, tender and never-ending sort of way. This psalm causes us to ascend in our thoughts and in our hearts to think of the preciousness of being in the Lord's presence, knowing how we go there, and being reminded that we never have to leave.
After God completed the work of creation over the span of six days, He rested that He might delight in all that He had done. Even as God worked and rested, so too men, made in His Image are called to labor to expand and perfect creation, while resting the He might strengthened, perfected, and sanctified in his soul. Six and one is to be out pattern, after the Lord's example, that we might delight in the Lord and expand His glory in the hearts of men.
Without the Lord's direct blessing and His gracious gift of life, then all human labor and toil are but vanity. The fruit of laboring for that which is good, requires the direct gift of God both in the realm of dominion and multiplication. The return on our labors, and in seeking to be fruitful come from the Lord and both are testimony to His glory and grace. Without the Gospel all effort at home is vanity, and praise be to God that we have both promise of presence and life through His gracious presence.
What stands in the way of hope is not a lack of positive thinking, or a lack of some superficial victory or triumph, or even the -like you've always wanted-- but never been able to achieve. No, what stands in the way of hope is sin and guilt, sin and guilt before a Holy and Transcendent God. If you wish to have your soul -unburdened- then come to the Cross of Christ Jesus where you will find forgiveness, confirmation of your union with God and hope for eternal life.
This song reflects a time, not unlike current times, when the Lord did something glorious for Israel, when we restored their fortunes. It is a lament that focuses on a time in the past occasion of deliverance, incorporated to inform a plea for the Lord to do it again. And oh how the Lord has worked in times past, and how that work informs, sustains and grants us hope in the labor of sowing, unto the end of reaping the harvest.
It seems that if we were to try it quantity, or classify or described the age in which we live there is no better description than this - we live among a people who regard nothing as sacred, nothing as holy, nothing as dwelling, governing or existing higher than oneself. This is a sentiment that is be rejected wholesale by the Christian, even as we are called, to know, believe and trust in the Holy One of Israel, the God of fire and glory, who dwells in inexhaustible light and longs to be worshipped and adored, not as an object in a love song, but as the Sovereign of heaven and earth, the Creator, the Redeemer and Sustainers of all things. How then are we to revere the Name of God, in all things-