Christ Reformed Baptist Church: Recent Episodes
Long before Abraham hears the word of God, the Lord is already at work arranging his ancestry, his geography, and even his suffering, to prepare the man of faith for the life of faith, through whom the promised savior would come. In this we learn that life is not a series of random events and circumstances, but is all an outworking of God's plan, where human weakness and even human sin and unbelief cannot thwart His purposes.
Sunday School Hour: studying the John Owen book, Rules for Walking in Fellowship, or The Duties of Christian Fellowship. The current section covers our obligations toward other church members, rules 7-9. Rule 7: bear one another's weaknesses with patience, forgiving one another. Rule 8: supporting one another in spiritual and temporal needs, marked by compassion. And Rule 9: willingly sharing our resources so that the love of Christ is visibly expressed in the church.
Perseverance in Corinth Christians need other Christians Don't harden yourself God's has an elect people Expect Persecution Christ Church has the final victory
What authority of rule has Christ given pastors/elders? And what say, or rights, or privileges has Christ given church members in relation to the rule of pastors? Here we cover chapter 4 of John Cotton's book, The Keys of the Kingdom.
How do we grow as Christians? Spiritual growth is not an isolated or individual pursuit, but is rather a communal, corporate pursuit rooted in God's redemptive plan of gathering his people for grace, growth, and commissioning. Here, sanctification occurs in faithful participation within the local church, where God's grace is poured out, believers are formed, and the body of Christ is equipped for mission, all to the glory of God.
This sermon explores the covenantal significance of the priestly ordination meal in Exodus and its fulfillment in Christ. It highlights how God provided priests to mediate for His people, foreshadowing Jesus as our eternal High Priest. The fellowship meal ratified the covenant, pointing to the Lord's Supper, where believers remember Christ's sacrificial death. We are called to approach the Table with true preparation, recognizing its holy purpose, reflecting on the cost of our redemption, and celebrating our deliverance from sin. Ultimately, it is a call to live in grateful, joyful communion with God through the finished work of Jesus Christ.
This sermon examines the final stages of the priestly ordination process from Exodus 29 and Leviticus 8, emphasizing the significance of the blood ritual applied to the ear, hand, and foot of Aaron and his sons. Each element symbolized their complete consecration— ears to hear God's Word, hands to serve, and feet to walk in His ways. These rituals pointed forward to the perfect sacrifice of Christ, our Great High Priest, who alone grants true peace with God. Believers today are likewise called to be set apart, not conformed to the world, but wholly devoted to God in life and service.
This sermon explores the burnt offering in Exodus 29 and its fulfillment in Christ, highlighting the call to wholehearted devotion in response to God's saving work. Just as the priests offered a ram entirely consumed by fire, believers are called to present their whole lives as living sacrifices—fully consecrated to God. Salvation begins with justification but leads to a life of sanctified obedience. True worship demands surrender, inward cleansing, and outward holiness. The Christian life is not passive but active, marked by daily dying to self and living unto Christ. A sweet aroma rises only from a life wholly given to Him.
What are the signs of the End? How are we to respond to times of distress, trials, perils, and persecutions? Here we see how such things, in God's good providence, ultimately serve for the advancement of the gospel.
Working toward gently restoring in conflict. What does it mean to 'go to your brother in private' when someone sins against you?
What does honestly confessing our sin have to do with being peacemakers and pursuing peace in conflict? Ricky Lobach opens up Proverbs 28:13 - "Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy."
Where does conflict begin? And what role do our desires, our sinful idols, and God's work of sanctification in us play in how we identify both the root source of conflict as well as the solution to conflict found in the gospel?
Gifted brother Chandler Kelley opens up Psalm 15 as divine catechism which reveals the covenant of works, the covenant of grace, and ultimately, the Lord Jesus Christ.
In our final sermon through 1st Corinthians, how does Paul conclude such a long, heartfelt letter? He leaves a firm, lasting impression with one last exhortation, warning, and blessing.
As we strive to be biblical peacemakers (Matthew 5:9), at what point do we overlook an offense? And how does "take the log out of your own eye" relate to such?
How does the church "abound in the work of the Lord"? In part, by loving the universal church through giving to the needs of the saints, sending out ministers to promulgate the gospel, and receiving/welcoming others in the Lord.
In conflict, Christians are called to trust that God is sovereign and loving, and that even in conflict He is working for our good, despite our questions, doubts, and fears. Faith's response in conflict is to focus on God, and see how He's using circumstances to work on and shape our own heart.
The doctrine of the resurrection as revealed in 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 culminates in the transformative victory over death through the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ, compelling believers to steadfastly abound in the work of the Lord with the assurance that their labor in Him is not in vain.
Peacemaking is not optional for the Christian. For God displays His love and power through the church as we strive to maintain peace and unity with others around us.
Part 2 of Peacemaking: When viewed properly from a Christian perspective, conflict gives us an opportunity to Glorify God.
What kind of body will the dead be raised with? Here we see how nature (natural revelation) teaches us the power and wisdom of God, and how Jesus Christ is both the pattern and power of the new creation.
Just as God's word proved true to Adam in that sin brings death, His word to us in Christ proves true in that Christ's obedience and resurrection have brought life.
What is a peacemaker? How are we to pursue peacemaking as children of God in Christ? In our SS hour, here we see see how God helps us throw off worldly ideas about resolving conflict that we may embody the words of Christ in Matthew 5:9 -- "Blessed are the Peacemakers".
The Christian life is one lived in tension, suspended between the central truths: the cross and the empty tomb. Here we see how important the doctrine of the resurrection is to the gospel, and how our union with Jesus Christ changes everything.
Our 10th and final study of the topic of #deconstruction where we summarize what we've considered and how we are to move forward from here.
When interacting with those who 'deconstruct', it's important that we properly understand what they are deconstructing from.
What is the gospel? Why is it important that we carefully define and know the gospel? Because the gospel is the means by which we have been, are being, and will be saved.
What is our fundamental identity? To the believer, our fundamental identity is found in our baptism: at the individual and corporate level.
The Christian life is often one of affliction. But God's desire for us in affliction is faith, comfort, and perseverance, by His grace and His strength that He works in us.
What does the nature and character of God have to do with our corporate worship? Here we find basic principles for corporate worship, all centering on our doctrine of God.
Truth over tongues: The centrality of the reading and proclamation of the word of God in worship.
Gifted brother Chandler Kelley: The hope of Christ for the coming new year, from Genesis chapter 3
Sunday School hour: how culture and our experiences can shape our understanding of God and His word, and how we might both be on guard against #deconstruction and be prepared to give an answer to it.
Can we identify the origins of #deconstruction and identify some common patterns therein? Here we see how humanity's questioning of God and His word all began in the garden.
Sunday School Hour: What is an #exvangelical, and what does it have to do with #deconstruction?
Gifted brother Chandler Kelley: God is the God of the living, and how that relates to our understanding of scripture, marriage, and the resurrection of the dead.
Sunday School Hour: What is #deconstruction, and why does it seem so popular in our day?
Read the article here:https://www.academia.edu/125360330/Jeffrey_T_Riddle_Does_the_King_James_Version_Wrongly_Translate_Acts_5_30_Bible_League_Quarterly_No_499_October_December_2024_22_28_PDF_Draft_
This article appears in Quarterly Record, No. 649 (October-December, 2024): 21-26.Read the article online here: https://www.tbsbibles.org/page/Zero-Support
Sunday School Hour- The Law and Gospel distinguished, from chapter 8 of -A Treatise on the Law and the Gospel- by John Colquhoun.
1 Corinthians 11-2-3 - The critical theologian foundation of the head coverings passage. Here we see that the text must be understood in light of its doctrine of headship, creation, and redemption.
Gifted Brother Chandler Kelley from the gospel of Mark- Christ's Sonship and authority is indisputable and indispensable for God's people.
Sunday School Hour- The Law and Gospel distinguished, from chapter 7 of -A Treatise on the Law and the Gospel- by John Colquhoun.
What is love-- In exhorting the church to love one another, we see that the ground for such a command is rooted in the nature of God, the work of God in history, and the abiding power of God through the indwelling Holy Spirit.
The parable of the unforgiving servant highlights both the mercy of our God in Christ as well as the Christian's calling to model that mercy in forgiving one another.
The gospel revealed in the story of the Prodigal Son, which is more accurately a parable of a merciful father and his two wayward sons.
Sunday School Hour- The Gospel defined, in distinction from the law, from chapter 5 of -A Treatise on the Law and the Gospel- by John Colquhoun.
Sunday School Hour- The place and role in the Law in the Christian Life- Rules for rightly understanding the 10 commandments, covering chapter 4 of -A Treatise on the Law and the Gospel- by John Colquhoun.
Acts 3-19-26-1. Peter calls Jews to repent-2. Blessings of repentance outlined-3. Peter calls Jews to remember
Matthew 6-11-1. The Fourth Petition.-2. The Bread.-3. The timing -daily-.-4. The Goal of God -Humility-.
This excerpt is taken from Dr. Master's morning sermon at Metropolitan Tabernacle Church in London, England on Sunday, October 29, 2023.