A new MP3 sermon from Michiana Covenant Presbyterian Church is now available on SermonAudio.com with the following details:

Title: The Word of the LORD in Egypt (Jer. 44-45)

Subtitle: Jeremiah

Speaker: Peter J. Wallace

Broadcaster: Michiana Covenant Presbyterian Church

Event: Sunday Service

Date: 7/3/2016

Bible: Jeremiah 44:1-45:5

Length: 40 min. (64kbps)

Overview: In the Alexandrian manuscript of Jeremiah, this is the end of the book of Jeremiah. -the oracles to the nations in chapters 46-52 were inserted back in chapter 25-.----And as we-ll see in a few weeks, the Babylonian manuscript ends with God-s word to Seraiah - Baruch-s brother, who was sent to Babylon with the Babylonian manuscript-----But the Alexandrian manuscript ends with God-s word to Baruch. Chapter 44 takes place in 586 or 585 B.C. - after Jeremiah and Baruch are taken forcibly to Egypt. Chapter 45 takes place 20 years earlier - in 605 B.C. - during the reign of Jehoiakim.----And as 45-1 tells us, this happened around the same time as chapter 36, when Jehoiakim burned the scroll that Baruch wrote of Jeremiah-s words. In this way chapters 36-45 all fit together as the story of Baruch and Jeremiah.----Why is this important- Just think about what would happen if the book ended at chapter 44. -You-re all going to die-- What happens by adding chapter 45- There is a way to survive the coming catastrophe on the exiles. Baruch has been faithful to the LORD. Therefore Baruch, like Joshua and Caleb in the wilderness, provides a ray of hope.----God is bringing disaster on all flesh - but he will have mercy on those who fear him.-----Chapter 44 is Jeremiah-s final speech to the exiles in Egypt. God has sent the prophets as a gracious gift to Israel. -But Israel has refused to listen.----But all these things are written down for us.----You are called to repent - to turn away from your idolatries.--Will you listen---Will you obey-

A new MP3 sermon from Michiana Covenant Presbyterian Church is now available on SermonAudio.com with the following details:

Title: The Stewardship of Gifts (2 Cor 8:16-9:5)

Subtitle: 2 Corinthians

Speaker: Peter J. Wallace

Broadcaster: Michiana Covenant Presbyterian Church

Event: Sunday Service

Date: 5/29/2016

Bible: 2 Corinthians 8:16-9:5; Genesis 33

Length: 41 min. (16kbps)

Overview: -Sung Psalm- 112-----Many commentators have said that Jacob feels guilty about -stealing- Esau-s blessing, and so he offers a gift as a token of his repentance.----This entirely misses the point- This has nothing to do with guilt -after all, there is no indication in Genesis that Jacob was guilty-- rather, this has to do with Jacob-s very cautious assertion of the right to bless his brother.----He humbles himself before his brother - he will not be proud and arrogant. And in so doing, Jacob portrays the humility of Christ.----All Jacob wants is for Esau to renounce any claim on the blessing-birthright. And Esau does. Esau vacates the Promised Land and returns to Seir. In effect, Jacob gives Esau 550 animals in exchange for Esau-s renouncing the inheritance.----Jacob lives a very precarious life in the land. He is a wandering nomad in the midst of powerful tribes. But he understands that this blessing - and the presence of the living God that goes with it - is worth any sacrifice- -even humbling himself before the brother who should have bowed to him------Our Lord Jesus will do this when he stands before Esau-s heir, Herod. He could have asserted the right of Jacob -or, of course, his divine status--, but some things are more important than asserting your rights.----If you are obsessed with your own legacy -with your own name - your own family - then you will fade into obscurity.----But if you seek the face of God - if your quest is to know God, and Jesus Christ, whom he has sent, then as you persevere in that quest, you will receive that imperishable name that Jesus has received from his Father.

A new MP3 sermon from Michiana Covenant Presbyterian Church is now available on SermonAudio.com with the following details:

Title: The Cheerful Giver (2 Cor. 9:6-15)

Subtitle: 2 Corinthians

Speaker: Peter J. Wallace

Broadcaster: Michiana Covenant Presbyterian Church

Event: Sunday Service

Date: 6/5/2016

Bible: 2 Corinthians 9:6-15; Numbers 18

Length: 46 min. (16kbps)

Overview: -Sung Psalm- 16-----When we think of Old Testament financial principles we tend to think of the tithe.----But Numbers 18 tells us about several different financial requirements that God gave to Israel- there is the tithe, but there are also the firstfruits, grain offerings, sin offerings, guilt offerings, wave offerings, and redemption offerings - and the holy contributions from the peace offerings.----And that-s just one chapter- So Old Testament financial responsibilities are pretty complicated-----And we can see from Paul-s letters to the Corinthians that Paul does not simply quote OT requirements to explain how Christians ought to give.----Rather, Paul builds on the principles of the Old Testament and applies those principles to help us understand how we ought to give.

A new MP3 sermon from Michiana Covenant Presbyterian Church is now available on SermonAudio.com with the following details:

Title: A World Without God (Jer. 40:7-41:18)

Subtitle: Jeremiah

Speaker: Peter J. Wallace

Broadcaster: Michiana Covenant Presbyterian Church

Event: Sunday Service

Date: 6/5/2016

Bible: Jeremiah 40:7-41:18

Length: 45 min. (16kbps)

Overview: Where is God- For that matter, where is Jeremiah------We know from verse 6 of chapter 40 that Jeremiah was living in Mizpah with Gedaliah. But in our whole text, neither God nor Jeremiah shows up.----Sometimes God is silent. Sometimes God allows all sorts of awful things to happen. And sometimes he does not tell us why- Sometimes you have to wait-----Last time we heard about the fall of Jerusalem very briefly - with almost no detail, and certainly no emotion-----Now the narrative slows down. We hear a very detailed account of events that would appear far more trivial. For two chapters Jeremiah disappears. This is narrative history - not prophetic oracle- ----Not only does the narrative slow down - the narrative shrinks- In the book of Chronicles the size of the armies are gigantic. Tens or hundreds of thousands of men are waging war with each other. Here in Jeremiah the size of the armies are miniscule. Ishmael defeats Gedaliah with 10 men. He escapes with 8 men.-----Talk about -micro-history------And all through our text place matters. So we-ll pay attention to our geography as we go through the text. Because our text is setting us up for Israel return to Egypt in chapters 42-43.----God had told Israel that they should never return to Egypt. And yet, the relentless burden of this section of the book of Jeremiah is to show how intent the remnant of Judah is to return to Egypt.----All of Israel-s history is going backwards.

A new MP3 sermon from Michiana Covenant Presbyterian Church is now available on SermonAudio.com with the following details:

Title: The Fall of Jerusalem (Jer 39:1-40:6)

Subtitle: Jeremiah

Speaker: Peter J. Wallace

Broadcaster: Michiana Covenant Presbyterian Church

Event: Sunday Service

Date: 5/29/2016

Bible: Jeremiah 39:1-40:6

Length: 43 min. (16kbps)

Overview: After all the fervent emotion of the prophet Jeremiah throughout the whole book, this is a remarkably emotionless telling of the story.----If you want to hear the same story told in all its pathos, we could pause here and spend a few weeks in the book of Lamentations. The book of Lamentations takes five chapters to reflect on the Fall of Jerusalem.----But Jeremiah 39 is a cold factual account devoid of prophetic passion - and totally lacking in the -jeremiad- - the recounting of Jerusalem-s sins.----Indeed, in the whole account of the destruction of Jerusalem in verses 1-14, there is no reference to God - no reference to sin - only a simple, bare, factual account of the events.----Why so simple-----Because by this point, it would be redundant. Jeremiah has been telling us over and over that God-s judgment is coming against Jerusalem.-----Sometimes you just need to lay out the plain, unvarnished facts. ----If you want to compare the fall of Jerusalem with other biblical events, this one is up there with the Flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, the conquest of Canaan.----Though, of course, all of those events were judgments against the nations. This is the son of God - the people of God - the temple of God. God is bringing judgment against his own people.----There is no other event to compare it to - until you come to the cross of Jesus. The destruction of Jerusalem was a picture of God-s wrath against the sin of his people. As such, it also points to the cross of Jesus.----And as God forsook his only Son at the cross, so also he turned away from Jerusalem - and remained silent....

A new MP3 sermon from Michiana Covenant Presbyterian Church is now available on SermonAudio.com with the following details:

Title: The Everlasting Covenant (Jer. 33)

Subtitle: Jeremiah

Speaker: Peter J. Wallace

Broadcaster: Michiana Covenant Presbyterian Church

Event: Sunday Service

Date: 4/17/2016

Length: 40 min. (16kbps)

Overview: oI will restore their fortunes, declares the LORD.o This is where we started at the beginning of the Book of Consolation, in Jeremiah 30. And this continues as the refrain throughout Jeremiah 30-33.----oI will restore their fortunes.o The phrase is used 7 times in these four chapters o three times in this chapter alone.----oI will bring back the captivityo of Jerusalem. God promises that you have a future-----But how can you be sure that you have a future- In Jeremiahos day, Jerusalemos confidence was shaken. Hasnot God rejected us- Our sin has removed us far from his presence. What hope do we have-----Are there times when you feel that way- It would have been very easy for Jeremiah to have the same question. After all, in chapter 1, God had promised Jeremiah that his enemies would not prevail against him-----But now Jeremiah is imprisoned in the court of the guard, while the whole city of Jerusalem is besieged by Nebuchadnezzar....

A new MP3 sermon from Michiana Covenant Presbyterian Church is now available on SermonAudio.com with the following details:

Title: Now Is the Day of Salvation (2 Cor. 5:18-6:13)

Subtitle: 2 Corinthians

Speaker: Peter J. Wallace

Broadcaster: Michiana Covenant Presbyterian Church

Event: Sunday Service

Date: 4/24/2016

Bible: Isaiah 52:13-53:12; 2 Corinthians 5:18-6:13

Length: 47 min. (16kbps)

Overview: -Sung Psalm- 23-----In 2 Corinthians 6, Paul will speak of himself and his colleagues as oservantso of God. Yes, Jesus is the Servant of the LORD o and Paul will use Isaiah 53 to speak of what Jesus did for us o Jesus is the innocent suffering servant o who became sin for us, so that we might become -in him- the righteousness of God. And because Jesus is the Servant of the LORD therefore those who are called to be servants of God in the ministry of reconciliation must exhibit the characteristics of the suffering servant.----Chris Wisdom has said this really well-----oGrounded in Godos redemptive grace accomplished in Christ selfish sinners are now graciously invited into union with Him in a new status, a new spirituality, and a new service, following Him into this ministry of fruitful servant leadership in the way of humility, submission, obedience, suffering, and hope. ----In this way, Christian servant leaders follow Jesus the Messianic Servant Leader through all these steps of humiliation in the sure hope that God will fully and finally exalt His image in them with Christ, all by Godos grace and only for Godos glory.o

A new MP3 sermon from Michiana Covenant Presbyterian Church is now available on SermonAudio.com with the following details:

Title: What Is True Holiness? (2 Cor. 6:14-7:1)

Subtitle: 2 Corinthians

Speaker: Peter J. Wallace

Broadcaster: Michiana Covenant Presbyterian Church

Event: Sunday Service

Date: 5/1/2016

Bible: Isaiah 52; 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1

Length: 47 min. (16kbps)

Overview: -Sung Psalm- 74-----Isaiah 52 speaks of the return from exile. Isaiah reminds us of how God had rescued Israel from bondage in Egypt o and how God delivered Jerusalem from the oppression of Assyria.----Isaiah has already told Hezekiah that the day will come when Jerusalem will go into exile in Babylon. But here Isaiah comforts Jerusalem with the promise that God will restore them. And when you leave Babylon, when you are restored to the Promised Land, do not be afraid o do not think for a moment that you are in any danger-----oThe LORD has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends off the earth shall see the salvation of our God.o----And when this happens, what do Godos people need to hear- What will we need to do-----oDepart, depart, go out from there- touch no unclean thing- go out from the midst of her- purify yourselves, you who bear the vessels of the LORD.o----Paul will tell us that Jesus has brought about the great restoration from Babylon. And so we are called to depart from Babylon o to be separate from Babylon o to touch no unclean thing------Holiness has to do with being separate o being distinct. The people of God are supposed to be different from the world around us.

A new MP3 sermon from Michiana Covenant Presbyterian Church is now available on SermonAudio.com with the following details:

Title: Godly Grief Produces Repentance (2 Cor. 7:2-16)

Subtitle: 2 Corinthians

Speaker: Peter J. Wallace

Broadcaster: Michiana Covenant Presbyterian Church

Event: Sunday Service

Date: 5/8/2016

Bible: Proverbs 9; 2 Corinthians 7:2-16

Length: 48 min. (16kbps)

Overview: -Sung Psalm- 111-----2 Corinthians is the place where we see most clearly how leadership in the church is to be patterned after the cross. God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. And now God makes his appeal to you through us o as the pattern of Christian ministry is demonstrated from Christ to us to you.----This is not the pattern of the Levitical priesthood. The Levitical priesthood entered the holy places instead of you. Think back to chapter 3 o where Paul contrasts the Mosaic covenant with the new covenant in Christ. Because of the work of the Holy Spirit, owe all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.o -3-18-----The pattern of Christian ministry is found in the cross of Jesus. Jesus suffered and passed through affliction to glory. Therefore we o the ministers of a new covenant o oare afflicted in every way, but not crushedo always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.o -4-10- And as your pastors and elders and deacons model this, that same pattern is to characterize your life as well.

A new MP3 sermon from Michiana Covenant Presbyterian Church is now available on SermonAudio.com with the following details:

Title: A Lesson in Faithfulness (Jer. 34-35)

Subtitle: Jeremiah

Speaker: Peter J. Wallace

Broadcaster: Michiana Covenant Presbyterian Church

Event: Sunday Service

Date: 5/8/2016

Bible: Jeremiah 34:1-35:19

Length: 45 min. (16kbps)

Overview: Consider the Rechabites. God gave Israel cities that they did not build o vineyards that they did not plant o and he called Israel to be fruitful and multiply in the land. God also called Israel to bring burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings o and at the annual Feast of Tabernacles, the LORD urged his people to rejoice -drinking wine and strong drink- at his holy place.----Jonadab, the son of Rechab, told his sons not to plant -or have- vineyards or build houses, or drink wine or sow seed. Jonadab told his sons to be nomads o contrary to what God told Israel to do-----And yet God blesses the Rechabites- Jonadab gives his family a whole bunch of commands that at best go beyond what God had said o and at worst may even contradict what God had said- Why does God bless the Rechabites-- -At least you obeyed your father------Godos point is not that everyone needs to be a Rechabite. We do not need to all become homeless nomadic teetotalers in order to follow Jesus- But we do need to follow Jesus with the same devotion that the Rechabites showed to their father....