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- Tota Scriptura
Scripture: 2 Timothy 3-14-17
Order of Service- Call to Worship — Psalm 100:1-5
- Hymn — All People That on Earth Do Dwell (Old Hundredth)
- Prayer of Invocation
- Confession of Faith — Westminster Shorter Catechism Q&A 33
- Scripture Reading — Ephesians 1:1-23
- Hymn — Marvelous Grace of Our Loving Lord
- Pastoral Prayer
- Offering
- Hymn — A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
- Sermon
- Hymn — In Christ Alone
- Benediction
- Doxology
Sermon Title: Tota Scriptura — The Totality of Scripture as Our AuthorityScripture: 2 Timothy 3:14-17
I. Tota Scriptura and the Life of the BelieverA. All Scripture is profitable for four interconnected purposes (2 Timothy 3:16)
- Teaching — right instruction about God, man, Christ, and salvation
- Reproof — rebuking false teaching and wrong thinking
- Correction — addressing immoral and godless behavior
- Training in righteousness — forming life in accord with God's holy law
B. The goal: that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work
- Tota Scriptura leads to tota man — all of man formed and shaped by all of God's Word
- "Nothing less than a whole Bible can make a whole Christian"
C. Timothy's formation illustrates the believer's life under Scripture (2 Timothy 3:14)
- Paul exhorts Timothy to continue in what he has learned and firmly believed
- Three teachers are in view: Paul himself, Timothy's mother Eunice, and grandmother Lois (2 Timothy 1:5)
- Timothy's mother, a Jewish believer, taught him the sacred Scriptures despite his Gentile unbelieving father
- The credibility of those who taught shapes confidence in the Word — consider who taught you and how your life commends the Word you present
II. Tota Scriptura and the Life of the SpiritA. "All Scripture is breathed out by God" — theopneustos (2 Timothy 3:16)
- A uniquely Pauline word, found nowhere else in Greek literature
- Combines theos (God) and pneuma (breath/spirit) — Scripture is the visible mark of God's invisible breath
- Parallels the Spirit compared to wind in John 3:8 — unseen yet its effects are visible
B. God-breathed language recalls the creation of Adam — God breathed ruach (breath/spirit) into lifeless man
- Scripture is a living, breathing, Spirit-wrought book
- Hebrews 4:12 — the Word of God is living and active
C. The unity of Scripture under the one Spirit
- Many genres, authors, and writing styles across 66 books, yet one mind, one breath, one Spirit
- The Bible is not a pile of disconnected blocks but an organic unity — every truth connected to every other truth (John Murray)
- 444,919 total words (306,757 Hebrew OT + 138,162 Greek NT), yet one Word of God
III. Tota Scriptura and the Life of the SonA. The sacred writings make one wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:15)
- "Sacred writings" is a Jewish idiom for the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament)
- The Old Testament is the age of preparation; the New Testament is the age of fulfillment
- All of Scripture points to Jesus Christ as its end, climax, and crescendo
B. Salvation lies not in the Scriptures themselves but in the person to whom they point (Gordon Fee)
- The treasure of Christ is hidden under every word of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation
- Luther's concept of alien righteousness — a righteousness not our own, received through faith alone in Christ alone
C. The living and active status of Scripture depends on the risen Son
- Unlike the words of Plato or Aristotle — words of dead men — Scripture is the living God speaking through the living Spirit by the resurrected Son
- The Old Testament apart from Christ only brings death and condemnation (2 Corinthians 3; 1 Corinthians 15)
- God spoke through prophets who died; now he speaks through the Son who lives — Hebrews 1:1-2
- Matthew 24:35 — heaven and earth will pass away, but Christ's words will never pass away
D. Practical conclusion: to be a tota Scriptura believer is to affirm the five solas
- To believe in salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to God's glory alone, is to embrace the lifegiving treasure of all Scripture
- Christ is the yes and amen of all Scripture — Augustine's call applies: "Pick up and read"
29 min - "Disposition Towards God"
Scripture: James 1:9–18
Order of Service- Call to Worship — Hebrews 13:15
- Hymn — We Praise You, O God, Our Redeemer, Creator (#247)
- Prayer of Invocation
- Heidelberg Catechism — Lord's Day 31 (Questions 83–85)
- Hymn — In Christ There Is No East or West (#414)
- Pastoral Prayer
- Sermon
- Hymn — Great Is Thy Faithfulness (#245)
- Benediction — 2 Corinthians 13:14
Sermon Title: Disposition Towards GodScripture: James 1:9–18
I. How Do You See Your Status in the World?A. James addresses both the poor and the rich within the church (James 1:9–11)
- The rich are warned not to find their identity in wealth — like a flower of the grass, the rich man himself will fade away
- The image of the scorching east wind evokes divine judgment (cf. Hosea 13:15)
B. The key word throughout verses 9–11 is boast
- You can know a person by what they boast about
- The poor are not to boast in their poverty — asceticism has the appearance of godliness but is not true godliness (cf. Colossians 2)
- Both rich and poor are to boast in their standing in Christ — in his exaltation and in his humiliation on their behalf
C. The Christian is to be status-blind
- This is only possible when one's identity is fully rooted in the person and work of Christ
- Wealth or poverty becomes irrelevant when Christ is the defining marker
II. Where Is the Reward You Are Seeking?A. James 1:12 serves as a segue: the crown of life is promised to those who love God and remain steadfast under trial
B. Some in James's audience were blaming God for tempting them into sin (James 1:13–15)
- God cannot be tempted with evil and tempts no one
- Each person is tempted by their own desire — desire conceives sin, sin brings forth death
- Accusing God of tempting you contradicts any claim to love him — like a husband who slanders his wife and then says "I love you"
C. God is the unchanging giver of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17)
- The language of the Father of lights — sun, moon, stars — contrasts God's constancy with creation's variation
- The contrast is of cosmic proportions: the great Giver is being accused of wanting to harm his children
- The call is to move from accusing God to boasting about God — those who love him long to be where he dwells
III. What Is the Desire of Your Heart?A. James draws a parallel between James 1:15 and James 1:18 using birth language
- Human desire gives birth to sin, which fully grown brings death
- God of his own will brings forth new birth by the word of truth — the first fruits of his creation
B. Two wills, two births, two destinies
- Man's will in bondage to sin gives birth to death
- God's free will gives birth to righteousness and life
- This echoes Luther's Bondage of the Will against Erasmus: salvation is not a cooperation of wills — man's will is in bondage; it is all of God's will
C. James likely has the Fall in view (Genesis 3)
- Adam was surrounded by every gift of God and yet followed his own desire toward the one forbidden thing
- Adam's response — "the woman you gave me" — mirrors those who blame God for their temptation
- Luther's rebuke of Erasmus applies here: Your thoughts concerning God are too human
D. Closing challenge: Whose will do you want for your life — yours or God's?
- Man's will leads to emptiness, sin, and death
- God's will leads to new creation by the Spirit, the crown of life, and the eternal presence of God
29 min - Suffering in Exile
Scripture: Daniel 1:1-7
Order of Service- Call to Worship — Psalm 117
- Hymn — From All That Dwell Below the Skies
- Prayer of Invocation
- Confession of Sin — Psalm 51:1-4
- Assurance of Pardon — Psalm 51:17
- Scripture Reading — Luke 1:1-4
- Hymn — Blessed Assurance
- Pastoral Prayer
- Offering
- Prayer of Dedication
- Hymn — Be Still My Soul
- Sermon
- Prayer
- Hymn — Psalm 63
- Benediction
- Gloria Patri
Sermon Title: Suffering in ExileScripture: Daniel 1:1-7
I. The Suffering of Exile Involves Spiritual WarfareA. The historical setting: 605 BC, the first wave of Nebuchadnezzar's conquest
- 2 Kings 24:1 — Jehoakim paid tribute to Nebuchadnezzar for three years, then rebelled against God's command through Jeremiah to submit to Babylon (Jeremiah 29)
- Jehoakim's rebellion ultimately led to Jerusalem's destruction in 586 BC and his own death
B. Nebuchadnezzar's conquest was also a deliberate act of spiritual warfare
- He removed the vessels of the house of God and placed them in the treasury of Marduk, his god, in the land of Shinar — declaring Marduk superior to Yahweh
- This parallels 1 Samuel 5 when the Philistines placed the ark of the covenant before Dagon — with similar ironic consequences to follow
C. Marduk was the chief god of Babylon, credited in the Enuma Elish as creator of the world — Nebuchadnezzar's act was a direct theological claim against Yahweh
D. The name changes of Daniel and his friends reinforce the spiritual warfare theme
- Daniel ("God is my judge") → Belteshazzar ("Marduk protect his life")
- Hananiah ("Yahweh is gracious") → Shadrach ("command of Aku the moon god")
- Mishael ("who is what God is") → Meshach ("who is what Aku is")
- Azariah ("Yahweh has helped") → Abednego ("servant of Nebo, god of wisdom")
E. Application: The enemies of God have always sought not merely to marginalize Christianity but to destroy and silence it entirely
- The primary battleground is not Capitol Hill but the pulpit — where the gospel, the power of God unto salvation, disarms spiritual forces in heavenly places (Romans 1:16)
- Our aim must be hearts and souls, not merely cultural customs
II. The Suffering of Exile Involves Pagan IndoctrinationA. Name changes in the ancient world expressed authority over a conquered people
- Nebuchadnezzar renamed Mattaniah as Zedekiah to mark him as a puppet vassal king
- The renaming of Daniel and his friends to Babylonian names indicated a deliberate effort to fully assimilate them into Babylonian culture and religion
B. Nebuchadnezzar targeted the most gifted youth — approximately 14 years of age — for a three-year intensive education in the literature and language of the Chaldeans
- Curriculum included Sumerian, Akkadian, and Aramaic, along with mythological texts, astrological omens (77 tablets), and dream interpretation
- The education was simultaneously academic and religious — full induction into the Babylonian worldview
C. The divine irony of God is seen in Daniel's use of his Babylonian education against Babylon itself
- Chapters 2–7, written in Aramaic (a language Daniel learned in Babylonian schools), contain direct indictments of the kings of Babylon
- Like Haman building his own gallows in Esther, Babylon trained Daniel for their own undoing — culminating in the vision of the Ancient of Days and the Son of Man in Daniel 7
- Nebuchadnezzar's dreams, which Daniel interprets, were a genre Daniel was trained in — again, his education becomes the instrument of Babylon's exposure
D. Application: This divine irony runs throughout redemptive history
- James 1:2-4 — "Count it all joy when you meet trials of various kinds" — suffering produces steadfastness
- The very trials that cause pain are the instruments God uses to draw his people closer to Christ and prepare them for glory
- Satan erects his own gallows at the cross — the supreme example of divine irony
III. The Suffering of Exile Involves Humble SovereigntyA. Verse 2 is the theological key: "The Lord gave Jehoakim, king of Judah, into his hand" — God is the sovereign agent behind Israel's exile, not merely Babylon's military power
B. God not only gives his people into judgment but willingly gives the vessels of his own house into the house of Marduk — sovereignly allowing his own name to be humiliated among the nations
- This is the vicarious nature of Yahweh's covenant relationship: his name is bound to his people, so their judgment becomes his public shame
- Exodus 32–33 — Moses intercedes by appealing to God's reputation among the nations, and God relents
- Ezekiel 39:25 — God restores Israel from exile for the sake of his holy name: "I will be jealous for my holy name"
C. This humble sovereignty finds its fullest expression in Christ
- The eternal Son sovereignly humbles himself, counting equality with God not a thing to be grasped
- He dies outside the camp as an exile (Hebrews 13:12), his name mocked among the nations, as the full weight of God's judgment on his people falls on him
- The cross is the ultimate act of humble sovereignty — God's name in the mud on Friday, exalted above every name on Sunday
D. Application: God's own reputation is at stake in the salvation of his people
- Acts 17 — Paul declares to the Gentile intellectual elite that the time of ignorance is over; God has established his name through the resurrection of Christ and now calls all people everywhere to repent
- If God has placed his name on you, he will not allow that name to be permanently shamed — he is jealous for his holy name and will exalt his people through the exaltation of the name above every name
- Blessed assurance: the reputation of God himself is the guarantee of the believer's salvation
36 min - Farseeing through the Fog of Trials
Scripture: James 1:5-8
Order of Service- Call to Worship — Psalm 92:1-4
- Hymn — All Praise to Thee, My God, This Night (#158)
- Prayer of Invocation
- Heidelberg Catechism — Questions 80, 81, 82
- Hymn — In Christ There Is No East or West (#414)
- Pastoral Prayer
- Sermon
- Hymn — If Thou but Suffer God to Guide Thee (#474)
- Benediction — Numbers 6:24-26
Sermon Title: Farseeing through the Fog of TrialsScripture: James 1:5-8
I. The Wonder of Praying for Wisdom in TrialsA. James connects 1:5 to the preceding verses (1:2-4) through the repeated theme of "lacking"
- Trials can descend like a dense fog, making it hard to see clearly
- Wisdom is defined as God-given insight providing perspective to see past trials to their end result — to see history from the divine perspective
- Doug Moo: wisdom is "that quality needed if God's people are going to endure trials with fortitude and godliness"
B. God's generosity in giving wisdom
- He is an overflowing, wholehearted giver — not stingy or reluctant
- The Greek adverb carries the sense of sincerity or wholeheartedness, reflecting God's undivided, single-minded nature
- This generosity is nowhere clearer than in the gift of his Son (Romans 8:32)
C. God's patience in giving wisdom
- He gives "without reproach" — he does not mock or find fault with those who ask repeatedly
- He knows our frame, our inconsistency, fear, and fickleness, and still invites us to ask
- Jesus confirms this in Matthew 7:7-11: "Ask and it will be given to you… how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him"
D. The giving of wisdom is a process over time, not an instant deposit; ongoing, habitual asking is required
II. The Way to Pray for Wisdom in TrialsA. James's second imperative: ask in faith with no doubting (James 1:6)
- William Gurnall: "Prayer is the very natural breath of faith"
- Thomas Manton: "Faith is the fountain of prayer, and prayer should be nothing else but faith exercised"
- Asking in faith means believing God hears, that he is good, and that he gives what is truly needed
B. What "no doubting" means
- The Greek word for doubting suggests not primarily intellectual doubt but an inner conflict — a wavering resulting from divided loyalties between God and self or the world
- Doug Moo: "not so much intellectual doubt as a basic conflict in loyalties"
- Even strong faith in this life contains mixed doubts; the warning is against a fundamentally divided heart, not momentary weakness
C. The double-minded man (James 1:7-8)
- Literally a "double-souled" man — one soul that believes and one that does not (Bunyan's "Mr. Facing-Both-Ways")
- He asks God for wisdom while still trusting inwardly in himself or outwardly in worldly resources
- James's simile: such a person is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind — unanchored, chaotic, unstable in all his ways
III. The Warning in Praying for Wisdom in TrialsA. The double-minded person must not suppose he will receive anything from the Lord (James 1:7)
- God, who is himself single-minded and wholehearted, calls his people to ask with sincerity of belief
- This is a warning against presumption — assuming God is obligated to give regardless of where one's true trust lies
B. God knows what is in a man
- 1 Chronicles 28:9: "The Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought"
- We cannot offer divided faith and presume upon his generosity and omniscience
C. The remedy: get roots deep into Christ
- Hebrews 12:1-2: Run with endurance, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfector of our faith, who endured the cross for the joy set before him
- Jesus himself faced every trial with wisdom given to him by the Spirit
- Ask God even for more sincere, single-minded faith — he does not hold past double-mindedness against us
- Matthew Henry: "In asking for divine and heavenly wisdom, we are never likely to prevail if we have not a heart to prize it above rubies"
D. Final exhortation: ask God in faith for wisdom to see through the fog of trials to the glory that is to come, trusting that he will use trials and the testing of faith to produce steadfastness leading to wholeness
30 min - Introduction to Daniel
Scripture: 2 Peter 1:19-21, 1 Peter 3:13-17
Order of Service- Announcements
- Opening Hymn — All Creatures of Our God and King
- Call to Worship — Genesis 2:1-3
- Hymn — All Creatures of Our God and King
- Prayer of Invocation
- Confession of Faith
- Scripture Reading — Ezra 10:1-17
- Hymn — Out of the Deep I Call
- Prayer of Confession
- Offering
- Prayer of Dedication
- Hymn — Spirit of the Living God
- Scripture Reading — 2 Peter 1:19-21
- Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 3:13-17
- Sermon
- Closing Hymn — Teach Me, O Lord, Your Way of Truth
- Benediction — 2 Corinthians 13:14
- Doxology
Sermon Title: Introduction to Daniel — The Trustworthy and Inerrant Word of GodScripture: 2 Peter 1:19-21; 1 Peter 3:13-17
I. The Inerrant Word of God Reveals the Lord of ProphecyA. The unique role of the prophet in Israel
- In ancient Near Eastern kingdoms, the king was the supreme authority — often seen as the human manifestation of the chief god (e.g., Pharaoh as the manifestation of Ra)
- In Israel, the prophet functioned like a "freedom of the press," holding the king accountable to God's law
- Deuteronomy 17 — the king was to rule according to God's law, his constitutional authority
B. Daniel as a prosecuting prophet in a pagan court
- Unlike other prophets, Daniel does not prosecute an Israelite king but Babylonian kings
- Romans 2:12-16 — even Gentiles without the law are judged by the work of the law written on their hearts
- Romans 13:1 — all authority is instituted by God; Babylon was raised up as an instrument of judgment on Judah
- Isaiah 47:6 — God judged Babylon for showing no mercy to his people
- Jeremiah 1:9-10 — God's word placed in the prophet's mouth has power over nations and kingdoms
C. The power of God's word displayed through Daniel
- Daniel, a conquered exile, becomes a mouthpiece of the Lord who overthrows kingdoms
- As in A Mighty Fortress Is Our God — "one little word shall fell him"
- Christians hold in their hands that same powerful, living word
II. The Inerrant Word of God Reveals the Lord of LanguageA. The critical scholarly attack on Daniel
- Since Rudolf Bultmann, critical scholars have sought to strip the supernatural from Scripture, reducing it to merely a human document
- Specifically, Daniel 11:29-39 is claimed to describe the atrocities of the Seleucid king Antiochus Epiphanes (~170 BC) with such precision that critics argue it must have been written after the fact
- Critical scholars date Daniel to 165 BC rather than the traditional date of ~530 BC
B. The linguistic evidence of Daniel
- Daniel uniquely alternates between Hebrew (Daniel 1), Aramaic (Daniel 2:4–7:28), and Hebrew again (Daniel 8–12)
- The Dead Sea Scrolls (discovered 1947), written by the Essenes at Qumran between 200–100 BC, contain Aramaic that is markedly different from the Aramaic in Daniel
- Nine-tenths of the Aramaic vocabulary in Daniel is attested in texts from the fifth century BC or earlier
- Gleason Archer concluded there is "absolutely no possibility" of regarding Daniel as contemporary with Qumran based on syntax, morphology, vocabulary, and spelling
- Even the critical scholar Montgomery (1927), who advocated a late date, could not resolve the problem posed by the Aramaic of Daniel 2–7
C. What the language of Daniel teaches us about God
- God cares about the details — even syntax, vocabulary, and punctuation
- Matthew 5:18 — not an iota or dot will pass from the law until all is accomplished
- Isaiah 46:9-10 — God declares the end from the beginning; his counsel shall stand
- The very language Daniel writes in, preserved through history, proves that God predicts the end from the beginning
- Christians can hold their Bibles with confidence as the very word of God
III. The Inerrant Word of God Reveals the Lord of HopeA. The critical scholars' claim about Daniel's purpose fails
- Critics argue Daniel was written to give the Jewish people hope during the Maccabean revolt under Antiochus Epiphanes
- Dale Ralph Davis notes the writer did a poor job if that was the aim — the Maccabean response was violent revolt, not the patient exile-posture Daniel models
- Commentator Wallace: the book is written for those living in a "settled condition within an alien culture" — a Babylonian situation, not a Maccabean one
B. Daniel speaks directly to Christians as exiles
- Daniel shows that powerful kingdoms rise and fall, but only the kingdom of the Son of Man, the Ancient of Days, endures forever
- Peter addresses the church as "exiles" — we await the new heavens and new earth
- The Son of Man riding on the clouds (Daniel 7) points forward to Christ's return and the consummation of his kingdom
C. Two lessons from Daniel on living as exiles in a foreign culture
Be people of high character
- Daniel gained the respect of Babylonian authorities and rose to a position of influence in the pagan court
- Like Joseph, God used his character and wisdom from within a position of prominence
- 1 Peter 2:17 — honor everyone, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the emperor
- Romans 12:18 — as much as possible, live peaceably with all
- Christians are to carry themselves with dignity so that even pagan rulers take notice
Be willing to suffer rather than compromise
- Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego strove for peace but refused to deny God's word
- Daniel was taken "under the wing of the dragon" of Babylon but never allowed himself to grow comfortable there
- Matthew 13:22 — the cares of the world and deceitfulness of riches choke the word and make it unfruitful
- As exiles with everything at our fingertips, we are susceptible to the same danger as Daniel faced
- We must be grounded morning, noon, and night in the inerrant, infallible, life-giving word of God as we await the Ancient of Days
31 min - Coming up Next...
Scripture: Matthew 16:24-28
Order of Service- Call to Worship — 1 Timothy 1:17
- Hymn — Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
- Prayer of Invocation
- Scripture Reading — Matthew 22:34-40
- Confession of Sin
- Assurance of Pardon — Ephesians 2:8-9
- Confession of Faith — Shorter Catechism Q&A 97
- Pastoral Prayer
- Offering
- Hymn — Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken
- Sermon
- Hymn — And Can It Be?
- Lord's Supper
- Hymn — And Can It Be? (verses 4–5)
- Benediction — Numbers 6:24-26
- Gloria Patri
Sermon Title: Coming Up NextScripture: Matthew 16:24-28
I. Know What It Will Cost You in Following JesusA. Context: Peter has confessed Christ, then rebuked Jesus for predicting his suffering; now Jesus addresses the disciples who are in dread of the cross
B. The cost is self-denial (Matthew 16:24)- We live in a self-saturated world — "have it your way," "follow your heart"
- The root of self-centeredness goes back to the garden; the serpent ignited a flame of self-focus in Eve that still burns in every heart
- Self-denial does not mean ceasing to be an individual, but refusing to let the things of this world hold the heart captive
- Calvin: self-denial means giving up natural inclinations and affections of the flesh so that God lives and reigns in us
- Practical questions: Is it your child's happiness? Your comfort? Your possessions? Your freedoms?
- Jesus did not die to make you happy; he died to make you holy
B. The cost is cross-bearing (Matthew 16:24)
- Having mind and body trained for suffering in this life
- Readiness to accept persecution, ridicule, loss of reputation, and shame for Christ
- Obedience in parenting, submission to parents, pursuing holiness regarding sexuality — all may bring scorn
- For many believers throughout history and around the world today, the cost has been death
- J.C. Ryle: "True Christianity brings with it a daily cross in this life"
- The flesh must be daily crucified, the devil daily resisted, the world daily overcome
- We do not get Matthew 11:28-29 without Matthew 16:24; rest and fighting orders come together
- This cost follows from salvation; it is not a cost paid to earn salvation
II. Know What Is Most Precious in Following JesusA. Jesus contrasts the temporary and the eternal (Matthew 16:25-26)
- Whoever would save their temporary life will forfeit their eternal soul
- Whoever loses their life for Christ's sake will find it — their soul safe in Christ's arms
B. The soul is most precious
- The things of this world are temporary — moth and rust destroy them; even a parked car deteriorates
- The soul is eternal and priceless
- Do not trade what is eternal for temporary comfort, pleasure, or gain
- The choice: eternal death for temporary life, or temporary death for eternal life
- J.C. Ryle: "The soul is eternal — let it sink down deep in your hearts... What shall it profit a man?"
III. Know What to Await in Following JesusA. Await the Rewarder to come (Matthew 16:27)
- The Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels
- Calvin: "If we would perceive the worthlessness of this fading life, we must be deeply affected by the view of the heavenly life"
- Do not miss the Rewarder himself for the gifts he brings — like a bride whose eyes are fixed on the bridegroom, not the decorations
- 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18: the Lord will descend with a cry of command, the dead in Christ will rise, and we will always be with the Lord — therefore encourage one another
B. Await the rewards to come
- He will repay each person according to what he has done — rewards are for all mankind
- For those who reject Christ: eternal destruction, the just wrath of the holy God suffered eternally; Kevin DeYoung — "Wrath is not only a result, it is a recompense"
- While there is breath, there is still hope — believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved
- For believers: this reward is not a final justification by works; justification is enjoyed immediately by faith in Christ
- Calvin: rewards for good works done in response to justification are held out to excite believers to aim at doing what is right
- Rewards will include eternal life, glory, and honor — public commendations of the good works Christ himself worked in his people
C. Application: The Lord's Supper as a way station for waiting believers
- 1 Corinthians 11:23-26: "as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes"
- The table offers no more than the Word does — both give us Christ and proclaim him to us
- The table spiritually nourishes believers to bear up under trials and to await what is coming
- Live the life of faith in waiting, knowing what is coming up next
38 min - "Pilgrim Trials"
Scripture: James 1:1-4
Order of Service- Call to Worship — Isaiah 58:13-14
- Hymn — Lord of the Sabbath (#151)
- Prayer of Invocation
- Heidelberg Catechism — Lord's Day 29 (Questions 78–79)
- Hymn — In Christ There Is No East or West (#414)
- Pastoral Prayer
- Scripture Reading — James 1:1-4
- Sermon
- Prayer of Application
- Hymn — The Lord Will Provide (#246)
- Benediction — 2 Corinthians 13:14
Sermon Title: Pilgrim TrialsScripture: James 1:1-4
I. Joyful Pilgrim Trials (v. 2)A. Two contrasting kinds of joy run throughout Scripture
- The serpent's joy — rooted in self-indulgence; exemplified in Genesis 3 when Eve is offered the fruit as a path to wisdom and delight
- The cross-shaped joy of the Christian — rooted in self-denial; exemplified in Hebrews 12:2: "For the joy set before him he endured the cross"
B. The serpent's joy is the dominant cultural assumption: if something is hard, it cannot bring joy; joy comes only through self-gratification
C. Christian joy is entirely foreign to this assumption
- Its object is God, not self — "You shall take delight in the Lord" (Isaiah 58:14)
- The aim of life must shift from the glorification of self to the glorification and enjoyment of God
- Solomon in Ecclesiastes illustrates this: possessing every delight of the serpent's joy, yet concluding "all is vanity" because his heart had been pierced by the goodness of God
D. Only when the heart is regenerated by the Spirit and captivated by God as the supreme object of joy can a believer count trials as joy — because trials in self-denial draw the soul closer to the triune God, who is the sum and substance of true and lasting joy
II. Testing Pilgrim Trials (v. 3)A. Two kinds of testing appear in Scripture
- Negative, sinful testing — the people testing God, as condemned in Deuteronomy 6:16 ("You shall not put the Lord your God to the test as you tested him at Massah"), which Jesus quotes to Satan in Luke 4:12
- Positive, gracious testing — God testing his children for their good, the predominant pattern in Scripture
B. When God tests his children, he does so for their benefit
- Trials confirm assurance of salvation and solidify interest in Christ (cf. 2 Peter 1 — making one's calling and election sure through practiced obedience)
- James 1:13 anticipates a key distinction: God never uses trials as an instrument to lead his children into sin, but into rest in his provision
C. Testing produces steadfastness (v. 3b)
- Illustration: a child jumping from the diving board trusts the father waiting below; having done it once, he runs back to do it again without hesitation — steadfastness is built by repeatedly finding God faithful
- Polycarp's martyrdom illustrates mature steadfastness: "Eighty-six years I have served Christ and he has done me no wrong — how can I blaspheme my king?" His courage was the fruit of decades of passed tests
- Judas as the antitype: he consistently fed the serpent's joy (stealing from the money bag, John 12:6), failed the tests, and ended in cowardice rather than martyrdom
- The practical question: "Could I die for the Lord?" is answered by another question: "How am I scoring on the tests God is giving me now?"
III. Perfecting Pilgrim Trials (v. 4)A. "Perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" does not mean sinless perfection but wholeness and maturity
- We will never be entirely free of indwelling sin in this life; the flesh wars against the Spirit (Galatians 5)
- The critical distinction is between sin's reigning power and sin's remaining presence
B. In Christ, sin's dominion has been broken
- Romans 6:12 — "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies to make you obey its passions"
- The believer's identity is servant of Christ, not servant of sin; living as a slave to sin contradicts that identity
C. John Owen's warning: multiplying religious duties to compensate for an unmortified sin involves no actual exercising of grace
- No prayers, sermons attended, or outward duties can compensate for one area of the heart still under sin's rule and reign
- As Paul says, to break one part of the law is to break it all; one cracked corner renders the whole window broken
D. Practical application and closing exhortation
- Honest self-examination: where do our trials truly lie? Where does Satan most often find an opening?
- For those convicted: 1 John 1:9 — "He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins when we confess them"
- The pilgrim's pattern: stumble, confess, receive fresh forgiveness and the joy of salvation, rise and endeavor after new obedience, and actively dethrone every place where sin has raised its banner
32 min - September 28, 2025; Sunday Evening WorshipOrder of Service
- Hymn — All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name (#374)
- Call to Worship — Philippians 2:5-11
- Hymn — All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name (#37)
- Prayer of Invocation
- Catechism Reading — Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 28 (Q&A 75–77)
- Psalm — Psalm 106A (stanzas 5–8)
- Pastoral Prayer
- Sermon
- Hymn — When I Survey the Wondrous Cross (#338)
- Benediction — 2 Corinthians 13:14
Sermon Title: The Mind of Christ Set on His MissionScripture: Matthew 16:21-23
I. The Direction of Christ's Mind Set on His MissionA. The phrase "from that time" marks a turning point in Matthew's gospel
- First occurrence in Matthew 4:17 introduces Jesus's proclamation of repentance
- Chapters 4–16 focus on the question: Who is this? — answered in Matthew 16:13-20
- Second occurrence in Matthew 16:21 marks a new section: Jesus turns toward his mission and the cross
B. Matthew uniquely uses the language of showing rather than teaching
- Jesus is walking his disciples through the Old Testament scriptures as they point forward to his suffering, death, and resurrection
- His words make such an impression as to affect all of the disciples' senses — a vivid, embodied teaching experience
C. The Old Testament passages Christ likely opened to his disciples
- Isaiah 52:13–53:12 — the suffering servant, despised and rejected, pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities
- The entire Old Testament sacrificial system — all the offerings pointing to him as the ultimate sacrifice
- Hosea 6:2 — "on the third day he will raise us up"
- Psalm 16:10 — "you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor let your holy one see corruption"
D. Christ's mind is soaked in and directed upon the Word of God
- After the resurrection, Jesus opened the Scriptures on the Emmaus road — Luke 24:27
- He opened his disciples' minds to understand the Scriptures — Luke 24:44-46
- He desires his people to have their eyes trained on him in all the Scriptures
II. The Difficulty to Christ's Mind Set on His MissionA. Peter, having just confessed Jesus as the Christ, now rebukes him
- He takes Jesus aside and says, "Far be it from you, Lord. This shall never happen to you."
- Peter is bold and zealous — speaking representatively for all the disciples, just as he did in Matthew 16:16
B. The disciples had no category for a suffering Messiah
- They understood Messiah only as conqueror — how could the Christ be killed before he conquered?
- J.C. Ryle: "His eyes were blinded to the necessity of our Lord's death"
C. First lesson: There are those who name the name of Christ but reject his mission
- They may embrace Jesus as a social reformer but recoil from the bloody cross
- They resist the substitutionary, atoning death as the way of reconciliation with God
- Paul: "I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified" — 1 Corinthians 2:2
- J.C. Ryle: "Error on many points is only a skin disease. Error about Christ's death is a disease at the heart."
D. Second lesson: There may be much spiritual ignorance even in a true disciple
- Peter is a genuine believer, yet deeply mistaken here
- True believers may still lack full understanding of Christ's active obedience, imputed righteousness, or the two natures in one person
- We must be patient and gracious with one another in these things
- The right posture: "I believe; help my unbelief" — Mark 9:24
III. The Determination of Christ's Mind Set on His MissionA. Jesus turns and rebukes Peter — not rashly, but with love and resolve
- There is no impulsive anger — he is patient, long-suffering, slow to anger
- He rebukes Peter out of love for him
B. "Get behind me, Satan" — understanding the rebuke
- Jesus is not calling Peter himself Satan or suggesting demonic possession
- Jesus recognizes the purposes of Satan lying behind Peter's words
- Calvin: Peter is unknowingly acting the part of Satan
- Satan knows the Scriptures and knows his time is up if Christ completes his mission
- Peter's words echo Satan's wilderness temptation — offering an easier path, avoiding the cross — Matthew 4:8-10
- Peter is "setting his mind on the things of man, not the things of God"
C. Jesus declares his absolute determination to reach the cross
- "You are a hindrance to me" — a stumbling block placed in his path
- Peter, proclaimed the rock in Matthew 16:18, now becomes in this moment a stumbling stone
- As Joseph fled Potiphar's wife in faithfulness to God, so Christ with far greater resolve turns from this temptation toward the cross
D. Love drives his determination
- His love for the Father drives him on to do the will of God
- His love for his people drives him all the way to the nails of the cross
- Nothing — not Peter's words, not his own human will — could stand between Jesus and the completion of his mission
34 min - "The Image of God Glorified"
Scripture: Revelation 22:1-5
Order of Service- Hymn — Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah, O My Soul
- Call to Worship — Psalm 146
- Prayer of Invocation
- Confession of Faith — Heidelberg Catechism, Question 1
- Scripture Reading — Ezra 9:1-15
- Hymn — Great Is Thy Faithfulness
- Pastoral Prayer
- Offering
- Prayer of Dedication
- Hymn — Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah
- Sermon
- Prayer
- Hymn — The God of Abraham Praise
- Benediction — Numbers 6:24-26
- Doxology
Sermon Title: The Image of God GlorifiedScripture: Revelation 22:1-5
I. The Image of God Glorified Will Experience No PainA. In the fall, God pronounced pain as a consequence for both Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:16-17)
- Pain affects the three primary spheres of human life: home and family, the workplace, and religious worship
- Even redeemed image-bearers experience pain in sanctification — picking up the cross and dying to self
B. The new heavens and new earth bring the end of all pain
- Revelation 21:4 — every tear wiped away; no more death, mourning, crying, or pain
- In Revelation 22:2, the leaves of the tree of life are for the healing of the nations — the medicine that takes away pain entirely
- The servants of God (Revelation 22:3) work actively but with no pain, frustration, or discontentment
C. The river of life flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb, recalling the river flowing out of Eden (Genesis 2)
- Adam was called to cultivate and expand the garden temple to the ends of the earth; in the last Adam, that mission is consummated
- Ezekiel 47:12 anticipates this imagery — life-giving waters flowing from the sanctuary
- G.K. Beale notes the "tree of life" may be taken collectively as a grove, echoing Ezekiel's vision of many trees lining the river
II. The Image of God Glorified Will Experience No CurseA. The curse at the fall bound man and the ground together in death (Genesis 3:17-19)
- The Hebrew wordplay between Adam (man) and adamah (ground) highlights this interplay
- Thorns, thistles, and death — including the earth swallowing up man — are evidence of the curse
- Korah's rebellion in Numbers 16 is a dramatic display of the cursed earth subduing man
B. Revelation 22:3 declares no longer will there be anything accursed, because the throne of God and of the Lamb are present
- Cain brought an offering from the cursed ground; God had regard for Abel's lamb — pointing forward to the Lamb of God
- Christ, crucified on a cursed tree (Deuteronomy 21:23; Galatians 3:13), becomes by faith the true tree of life
- John 6:53 — the fruit of that true tree of life is the body and blood of the crucified Lamb
C. In the glorified state, creation itself is restored and uncursed — its fruitfulness flows entirely from the sanctuary of the Lamb
- Even in glory, the nail-scarred Lamb will be a constant reminder of why redeemed image-bearers are there
- All of creation will taste and be healed because the Lamb who died now rules and reigns in resurrected, glorified body
III. The Image of God Glorified Will Experience No DarknessA. The light of day one in Genesis 1 precedes the creation of the sun and moon on day four
- Ancient Jewish tradition (the Talmud) identified this first light as the effulgent splendor of the divine presence — the Shekinah glory
- The sun and moon are called "greater and lesser lights" — a deliberate polemic against ancient Near Eastern sun and moon worship
- The Shekinah glory was lost in the fall; God graciously restored a measure of it in the tabernacle and temple
B. The progressive unveiling of God's presence through redemptive history
- In the Holy of Holies, only the high priest could enter, once a year, veiled by smoke and incense (Exodus 30)
- God showed Moses only the "backside" of his glory — "No one can see my face and live"
- In the incarnation, the light shines in the darkness — but the Shekinah glory remains veiled by Christ's humiliation
- John 14:9 — "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father"
C. Revelation 22:4-5 — the glorified image of God sees his face and needs no lamp or sun
- The name of God written on their foreheads is the sign of belonging fully to him
- The restored image-bearer now beholds the Son of glory without remainder of sin, without veil, without dimness
- Present experience: we know the warmth of the Son through the Spirit and the means of grace, but only "through a glass, dimly"
- The glorified state: no more sunglasses, no more squinting — beholding the face of God face to face, forever
30 min - September 21, 2025; Sunday Evening WorshipOrder of Service
- Call to Worship — Exodus 13:3
- Hymn — O Sing Hallelujah (#106A)
- Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and Deuteronomy 8:1-20
- Scripture Reading — Psalm 78:1-11, 32-42
- Prayer of Confession and Supplication
- Hymn — Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah
- Scripture Reading — Genesis 9:8-17
- Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 16:59-63
- Scripture Reading — Hebrews 10:15-17
- Hymn — Great Is Thy Faithfulness (#245)
- Scripture Reading — 2 Timothy 2:8
- Scripture Reading — Ephesians 2:1-22
- Prayer of Thanksgiving
- Hymn — By Grace I Am an Heir of Heaven (#477)
- Benediction — 2 Corinthians 13:14
Sermon Title: Forgetting and Remembering — A Call to Recall the GospelScripture: Ephesians 2:1-22
I. We Are a Forgetful PeopleA. The theme of the evening service is forgetfulness and remembrance, moving through Scripture and song from our forgetfulness to the gospel call to remember
B. The historical psalms — Psalm 106 and Psalm 78 — chronicle Israel's repeated forgetfulness of God's mighty works
- Psalm 78:10-11: They forgot his works and the wonders he had shown them
- Psalm 78:32: In spite of his wonders, they did not believe
- This is our spiritual heritage — we are like them
C. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 calls God's people to set continual reminders of his grace and providence before their eyes — in the home, on the hand, between the eyes, on the gates
D. Deuteronomy 8:1-20 warns Israel on the cusp of the Promised Land: prosperity breeds forgetfulness
- "Take care lest you forget the Lord your God" (Deuteronomy 8:11)
- "Beware lest you say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth'" (Deuteronomy 8:17)
- "You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth" (Deuteronomy 8:18)
E. Illustration: In C. S. Lewis's The Silver Chair, Aslan tells Jill to repeat the signs over and over because she will have every reason to forget — and she does forget; so do we
II. God Is a Remembering GodA. Though we forget, God never forgets — he is faithful to his own word and covenant promises
B. Genesis 9:8-17: God establishes his covenant with Noah and all creation
- The rainbow is the sign of the covenant
- "When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant" (Genesis 9:16)
C. Ezekiel 16:59-63: God speaks to a covenant-breaking people who deserve his wrath
- "Yet I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish for you an everlasting covenant" (Ezekiel 16:60)
- God points forward to the day when he will atone for his people through Christ
D. Hebrews 10:15-17: The God who remembers his covenant declares that he will remember our sins no more
- God's faithfulness to himself results in the forgiveness of our sin
- Because he remembers his covenant, he no longer remembers our lawless deeds
III. The Gospel Calls Us to RememberA. 2 Timothy 2:8: Paul's most basic charge — "Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel"
- Even Timothy, a faithful minister, needed this reminder
- As Israel had to remember God's faithfulness in the wilderness, so we must remember what God has done in Christ
B. Ephesians 2:1-10: Remember what you have been saved from, how you have been saved, and what you have been saved unto
- Saved from: death in trespasses and sins, following the prince of the power of the air, being by nature children of wrath (Ephesians 2:1-3)
- Saved by: the two greatest words in the gospel — "But God" (Ephesians 2:4); by grace through faith, the gift of God, not of works (Ephesians 2:8-9)
- Saved unto: good works which God prepared beforehand (Ephesians 2:10); union with Christ and all the riches that are ours in him
C. Ephesians 2:11-22: Remember that you have been saved into a new community — one people, Jew and Gentile together
- "Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:12)
- The dividing wall of hostility has been broken down in Christ (Ephesians 2:14)
- The church is now the dwelling place of God by the Spirit, built on Christ as the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20-22)
- Do not forget this — remember, remember, remember
14 min
About Northpointe PCA Sermons
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Weekly expository preaching from the Lord’s Day morning and evening worship services at Northpointe Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Meridian, Mississippi.