Northpointe PCA Sermons

Northpointe PCA Sermons

By Northpointe Presbyterian ChurchReligion & SpiritualityChristianity
Download on the App Store

Northpointe PCA Sermons episodes

  • The Feeding of the 5,000

    Scripture: John 6:1-15

    Order of Service
    • Call to Worship — Romans 8:38-39
    • Hymn — Lord, with Glowing Heart I'd Praise Thee
    • Prayer of Invocation
    • Confession of Sin — Psalm 51:1-4
    • Assurance of Pardon — Psalm 51:17
    • Scripture Reading — Malachi 1:1-5
    • Hymn — What Wondrous Love Is This
    • Prayer
    • Prayer of Offering
    • Hymn — The Lord's My Shepherd
    • Sermon
    • Hymn — Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy
    • Benediction — Numbers 6:24-26
    • Doxology
      • Sermon Title: The Feeding of the Five Thousand

      Scripture: John 6:1-15

      I. The Abundance of God Amidst the Poverty of Man

      A. The dire poverty of what is offered

      1. John uniquely specifies barley loaves — the bread of the poor — and two small fish
      2. The Greek word for "boy" (pais) and "barley loaves" echo 2 Kings 4:42-44, where Elisha's servant feeds 100 men with 20 barley loaves; Christ is the greater Elisha, feeding 5,000 men with only five loaves
      3. Philip's estimate of 200 denarii (roughly eight months' wages) underscores that no human resource could meet the need

        4. B. The lavish abundance of what is given

        1. The crowd ate "as much as they wanted" (John 6:11) and "had eaten their fill" (John 6:12)
        2. Twelve baskets of fragments remained after all were satisfied
        3. Throughout the Old Testament, abundance of food signaled God's covenant blessing and presence; famine signaled his absence and curse (cf. Deuteronomy 28)
        4. Christ, the covenant-keeping Son, distributes this blessing freely — "without money and without price" (Isaiah 55:1)

          5. C. Application: God's covenant blessing is not proportional to what we possess spiritually or materially; all that is required is to feel our need of him

          II. The Power of God Amidst the Weakness of Man

          A. The weakness and doubt of the disciples

          1. Jesus tests Philip, who fails: 200 denarii would not suffice (John 6:7)
          2. Andrew brings the boy but also doubts: "What are they for so many?" (John 6:9)

            3. B. The power of Christ's thanksgiving

            1. Before distributing the bread, Jesus gives thanks to the Father (John 6:11); John 6:23 labels the place as where they ate "after the Lord had given thanks," suggesting the miracle is inseparable from his prayer
            2. Jesus does nothing apart from the Father's will (cf. John 5:19); he gives thanks for what the Father will distribute through the Son

              3. C. God's power is displayed through human weakness, not around it

              1. The miracle uses the poor boy's barley loaves and fish — the same humble elements, now satisfying thousands; the fragments gathered in John 6:13 are still identified as "the five barley loaves"
              2. Parallel: Gideon's 300 men in Judges 7 — God depletes the army to display his might through weakness
              3. Supremely, the Incarnation: the power of God unto salvation comes not by skirting human weakness but by the Son becoming the weakest man on earth, hanging helplessly on the cross

                4. D. Application: Weakness, frailty, and exhaustion of circumstance may be precisely where God intends to manifest his glory

                III. The Kingdom of God Amidst the Kingdom of Man

                A. The crowd's response: "This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world" (John 6:14)

                1. Almost certainly a reference to Deuteronomy 18:15 — Moses's promise of a coming prophet; Moses was the supreme figure in first-century Jewish expectation
                2. Jesus is indeed the fulfillment of Deuteronomy 18:15 and Israel's true King

                  3. B. Jesus withdraws from the crowd's attempt to crown him by force (John 6:15)

                  1. The crowd's kingship vision is political and military — a king to break Roman rule by the sword, not the cross
                  2. This mirrors 1 Samuel 8: Israel demanding a king "like all the nations," thereby rejecting God as their King
                  3. The disciples may themselves have been influenced by the crowd; in Mark 6 Mark notes their hearts were hardened and they did not understand the feeding; two chapters after Matthew's account (Matthew 14), Peter rebukes Jesus over the cross and receives "Get behind me, Satan" (Matthew 16:23)
                  4. Satan had already offered Jesus the kingdoms of the world apart from the cross; this crowd reprises that temptation — Jesus flees to the mountain to pray, as Mark records

                    5. C. Contrast: Citizens of the kingdom of man vs. citizens of the kingdom of God

                    1. Kingdom of man: power-hungry, money-oriented takers (cf. Simon the Magician in Acts 8)
                    2. Kingdom of God: weak, helpless, naked, poor receivers of free grace
                    3. The free offer of the gospel: come, buy, eat without money (Isaiah 55:1); receive the Kingdom of God in the face of the King
                      4. 32 min
                    4. January 14, 2024; Sunday Evening Worship

                      Scripture: Ecclesiastes

                      Order of Service
                      • Hymn — Great Is Thy Faithfulness (#32)
                      • Call to Worship — Lamentations 3:22-24
                      • Hymn — Great Is Thy Faithfulness (#32)
                      • Prayer of Invocation
                      • Responsive Psalm Reading — Psalm 25
                      • Hymn — Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing (#457)
                      • Pastoral Prayer
                      • Scripture Reading — Ecclesiastes 8
                      • Sermon
                      • Hymn — When I Survey the Wondrous Cross (#252)
                      • Benediction
                        • Sermon Title: Simple Wisdom in a Complex World

                        Scripture: Ecclesiastes 8

                        I. Wisdom Is Simple Obedience

                        A. The command to submit to governing authorities (Ecclesiastes 8:2-9)

                        1. The king's authority is ordained by God, regardless of whether the king is righteous
                        2. The fifth commandment encompasses honor for all governing authorities, not only parents
                        3. Jeremiah's counsel to Israel in Babylon: seek the welfare of the place God has put you; honor the king over you

                          4. B. The seasonal and temporal nature of earthly rulers (Ecclesiastes 8:8-9)

                          1. Kings and governments hold power over men, but have no power over death
                          2. All earthly authority is only for a season — kings come and go, presidents come and go
                          3. Viewing tyrannical authority as permanent breeds impatience, which leads to taking vengeance into one's own hands and becoming like the very tyrant one opposes

                            4. C. The burial of the wicked is a reminder that evil seasons end (Ecclesiastes 8:10)

                            1. When punishment is not swift, the heart of man is emboldened to do evil (Ecclesiastes 8:11)
                            2. Those who fear God will ultimately be at peace; the wicked will be judged (Ecclesiastes 8:12-13)
                            3. Summary principle: fear God, honor the king (1 Peter 2:17)
                              4. II. Wisdom Is Simple Joy

                              A. Solomon commends eating, drinking, and rejoicing as the best good under the sun (Ecclesiastes 8:15)

                              1. Fretting over things outside our finite, temporal capacities hardens the countenance (Ecclesiastes 8:1)
                              2. Wisdom shines on the face; anxiety and bitterness over uncontrollable things darkens it
                              3. The answer to the vanity of unresolvable complexity is to receive and enjoy the simple gifts God gives daily

                                4. B. The tyranny of clock-time as an obstacle to simple joy

                                1. Neil Postman's observation: the invention of the clock may have done more to dampen true religion than the Enlightenment
                                2. Ancient agricultural societies lived seasonally, according to the natural rhythms of sun and moon established in Genesis 1
                                3. The mechanical clock programs anxiety — always counting down — whereas seasonal living invites contentment with what is presently before us
                                4. The remedy is not asceticism (throwing away clocks and phones) but awareness of the subtle mastery time-machinery can hold over us, so that God and his gifts remain our true master
                                  5. III. Wisdom Is Simple Faith

                                  A. The key phrase in Ecclesiastes 8:17 is "the work of God" — man cannot find it out because it belongs to God

                                  1. Man cannot mine the depths of God's ways and works in time and space
                                  2. Ever since the Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution, man has claimed sovereignty over the world's direction and future
                                  3. Cornelius Van Til's insistence that "God is a person" — a personal God who takes personal interest and is sovereignly and personally engaged in all of history

                                    4. B. The common objection to God's goodness ("Why does evil exist if God is good?") is actually answered by Solomon's argument, not undermined by it

                                    1. The objection assumes: if I were God I would eliminate evil immediately; since evil persists, a good God does not exist
                                    2. Solomon inverts this: the very complexity and inscrutability of evil and good working together proves it is the work of a sovereign, holy God — not the work of man
                                    3. The objection strips God of his holiness (otherness), reducing him to a being who must conform to our finite, temporal understanding of goodness
                                    4. Open theism (Clark Pinnock) attempted to salvage God's goodness by denying his foreknowledge — but this merely strips God of his holy otherness entirely

                                      5. C. The cross is the ultimate answer to the complexity of evil and goodness under the sun

                                      1. At the cross, the greatest display of human wickedness and the greatest display of God's holy goodness occur in one event
                                      2. Peter's rebuke of Jesus' prediction of the cross illustrates the tendency to set the mind on the things of man rather than the things of God (Matthew 16:22-23)
                                      3. "Far be it, Lord" — the natural human reaction to suffering and evil — is the voice of the things of man, not the things of God
                                      4. The word of the cross is folly to man but holy wisdom and goodness for those who are being saved
                                      5. Faith is resting in, longing for, and aspiring to God's holy, infinite, eternal understanding of goodness — not our finite, limited, temporal understanding
                                      6. The goal of the Book of Ecclesiastes: live a simple life in a complex world — simple obedience, simple joy, simple faith — resting in God's goodness until Christ returns and that goodness shines like the sun
                                        7. 32 min
                                      7. January 14, 2024; Sunday Morning Worship

                                        Scripture: John 5:30-47

                                        Order of Service
                                        • Hymn — Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
                                        • Call to Worship — Psalm 103:1-22
                                        • Hymn — Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
                                        • Prayer of Invocation
                                        • Confession of Faith — Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 8
                                        • Baptism — Valerie Pervis
                                        • Prayer
                                        • Hymn — Spirit of the Living God
                                        • Pastoral Prayer
                                        • Offering
                                        • Prayer of Dedication
                                        • Hymn — We Come, O Christ, to You
                                        • Sermon
                                        • Hymn — Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
                                        • Benediction
                                          • Sermon Title: The Witnesses to the Son

                                          Scripture: John 5:30-47

                                          I. The Witness of the Father Concerning the Son

                                          A. Jesus acknowledges the witness of John the Baptist but points to a greater witness — the Father himself (John 5:32-38)

                                          B. The Father's witness to the Son is direct, not mediated through a third party

                                          1. At Jesus's baptism, the Father speaks directly: "This is my beloved Son" — no prophet required
                                          2. Jesus speaks with divine authority ("But I say to you") — the Father witnesses through the Son's own words and works (Hebrews 1:1-2)
                                          3. The Son does and says only what the Father does and says; to see the Son's works is to see the Father's witness

                                            4. C. The Father bearing direct witness to the Son distinguishes Jesus from a mere prophet, priest, or king — he is the eternal Son always in the bosom of the Father (John 1:18)

                                            II. The Witness of John the Baptist Concerning the Son

                                            A. Jesus appeals to John's witness not because he needs it, but to accommodate himself to his hearers for their salvation (John 5:34)

                                            1. John was widely received — all Israel, including the leadership, came out to him
                                            2. John created nationwide anticipation for the Messiah's arrival
                                            3. Yet when Messiah came — healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, raising the paralyzed — the leaders rejected him

                                              4. B. The failure to move from receiving John to receiving Jesus exposes the real problem (John 5:41-44)

                                              1. They seek glory from one another rather than the glory that comes from God alone
                                              2. Their vast scriptural knowledge was rendered blind because their focus was inverted — on self and man rather than on God
                                              3. Eyes and ears trained on self cannot see or hear the Son, no matter how diligently the scriptures are searched

                                                4. C. The fifth Sola — Soli Deo Gloria — is not a throwaway phrase; it is the dividing line between belief and unbelief

                                                1. Adam forfeited life by grasping at equality with God
                                                2. The Son of God stripped himself of equality with God to glorify the Father (Philippians 2:6-8)
                                                3. Discipleship requires crucifying self-glory to seek the glory of God alone in the face of the Son
                                                  4. III. The Witness of Moses Concerning the Son

                                                  A. Moses was the supreme authority in first-century Judaism — to invoke Moses against the leaders was extraordinarily provocative (John 5:45-47)

                                                  1. The leaders' entire identity was built on Mosaic teaching and Torah expertise
                                                  2. Jesus declares that Moses himself accuses them and that Moses wrote of him
                                                  3. Failure to believe Moses's writings means failure to believe Christ's words

                                                    4. B. Jesus's confrontation serves a divine purpose — hardening those already hardened in heart

                                                    1. As the Father hardened Pharaoh so that redemption through the Passover lamb might be glorified, so Christ hardens these leaders
                                                    2. He is speaking to the very men who will put him on the cross, and God uses glory-of-man seekers as instruments to bring glory to himself through the blood of his only Son
                                                    3. Moses stands with Elijah at the Transfiguration as a witness to Christ's glory — the irony of using Moses's law to crucify the one Moses testified to

                                                      4. C. The new Exodus: Christ as the greater Moses and the true Passover Lamb

                                                      1. His blood is applied to the doorposts of our hearts by the Spirit through faith
                                                      2. In him we are redeemed from the law, sin, and death, passing from death to life (Colossians 2:11-15)
                                                      3. To believe in Christ is to join the great cloud of witnesses to Soli Deo Gloria — the glory of God alone in the face of the Son alone
                                                        4. 33 min
                                                      4. January 12, 2024; Sunday Evening Worship
                                                        Order of Service
                                                        • Call to Worship — 2 Corinthians 2:14
                                                        • Hymn — We Gather Together (#415)
                                                        • Prayer of Invocation
                                                        • Confession of Sin
                                                        • Assurance of Pardon — Isaiah 53:5
                                                        • Hymn — How Marvelous, How Wise, How Great (#437)
                                                        • Pastoral Prayer
                                                        • Scripture Reading — Judges 1:1–26
                                                        • Sermon
                                                        • Hymn — Day by Day (#255)
                                                        • Benediction — 2 Corinthians 13:14
                                                          • Sermon Title: A Good Start — Judah's Victories and Unfinished Business

                                                          Scripture: Judges 1:1–26

                                                          I. A Good Start and a Kingly Tribe

                                                          A. The Book of Judges opens in a manner nearly identical to Joshua, marking a succession of leaders

                                                          1. Moses dies → Joshua leads Israel across the Jordan; Joshua dies → Judah is called to lead
                                                          2. Joshua 1:1–2 parallels Judges 1:1–2: the Lord appoints the next leader after each death

                                                            3. B. Caleb's faithfulness explains why Judah is chosen

                                                            1. Of the twelve spies, only Joshua and Caleb returned with a faithful report
                                                            2. Numbers 14:22–24: God promises Caleb, because he had a "different spirit," that his descendants would possess the land
                                                            3. Caleb is of the tribe of Judah, making it fitting that his tribe leads the conquest

                                                              4. C. Judah holds the promise of the royal scepter from Jacob's blessing

                                                              1. Genesis 49:8–10: the scepter shall not depart from Judah; the promised King comes from this tribe
                                                              2. The repeated refrain of Judges — "there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes" — points back to Judah as the solution

                                                                3. D. A foil between Judah and Benjamin highlights the kingly theme

                                                                1. Judah captures Jerusalem (Judges 1:8); Benjamin fails to drive out the Jebusites (Judges 1:21)
                                                                2. Israel later demands a king from Benjamin (Saul, 1 Samuel 8), bypassing the divinely appointed kingly tribe
                                                                3. David, of Judah, is the true answer: his first act as king is to defeat the Jebusites and make Jerusalem the City of David (2 Samuel 5)
                                                                  4. II. A Good Start and an Unlikely Alliance

                                                                  A. Judah invites Simeon to join in battle (Judges 1:3)

                                                                  1. Simeon's lot fell within Judah's territory, making them natural allies
                                                                  2. The alliance is "unlikely" because Jacob had cursed Simeon and Levi for their violent revenge in the Dinah episode (Genesis 34; Genesis 49:5–6)

                                                                    3. B. Simeon is redeemed through partnership with Judah

                                                                    1. The very people — the Canaanites and Perizzites — before whom Jacob said Simeon had made Israel a stench, are now defeated together by Judah and Simeon (Judges 1:4–5)
                                                                    2. God can bring strength out of even the most humble or cursed instrument

                                                                      3. C. Tribal unity is a signal theme in Judges

                                                                      1. Division and tribalism mark the downward spiral of the rest of the book
                                                                      2. United under Yahweh's directive, Judah and Simeon bring victory; disunity brings defeat
                                                                      3. Ephesians 3:17–18: grasping the full dimensions of Christ's love is only possible "together with all the saints"
                                                                      4. Fellowship and unity among God's people are not optional — they are essential conditions for experiencing God's strength
                                                                        5. III. A Good Start and Unfinished Business

                                                                        A. Israel's conquest is incomplete, and the text signals this deliberately

                                                                        1. Hebrew yarash (to capture/possess) versus yarash in the sense of driving out: Judah captures Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron but does not fully dispossess their inhabitants
                                                                        2. These three cities belong to the Philistine pentapolis — failure here will haunt Israel throughout her history
                                                                        3. The stated reason for failure: the inhabitants had chariots of iron (Judges 1:19); Benjamin simply did not drive out the Jebusites (Judges 1:21)

                                                                          4. B. God's command of utter destruction (herem) was not arbitrary cruelty

                                                                          1. Leviticus 18:6–30 and Deuteronomy 18:9–14 catalog the heinous sins — including child sacrifice — practiced by these nations
                                                                          2. Leviticus 18:24: "the land vomited out its inhabitants" — the destruction is divine judgment on unmitigated wickedness
                                                                          3. Exodus 23:32–33: the spiritual danger — leaving Canaanites in the land would be a snare, drawing Israel into idolatry

                                                                            4. C. Half-hearted obedience is the deeper failure

                                                                            1. Obedience is present and God blesses it (vv. 4, 22), but it is incomplete
                                                                            2. "Tolerance and suicide are congenial bedfellows" (Dale Ralph Davis) — leaving the cancer of sin means it will grow
                                                                            3. The greatest commandment calls for all heart, all soul, all mind, all strength — partial obedience is not enough (Romans 3: we all fall short)

                                                                              4. D. The Lion of Judah is the answer to what incomplete Judah could not accomplish

                                                                              1. Revelation 5:5: the Lion of the tribe of Judah has conquered and can open the scroll
                                                                              2. Colossians 2 and 1 John 3:8: the Son of God appeared to destroy the works of the devil — not merely capture but utterly annihilate
                                                                              3. Christ crushes the serpent's head completely; under his banner we are called and empowered to love God with our whole being
                                                                              4. When we fall, we turn again — as Peter did (Luke 22) — trusting the Lion of Judah who intercedes for us at the Father's right hand
                                                                                5. 33 min
                                                                              5. Like Father, Like Son

                                                                                Scripture: John 5:19-29

                                                                                Order of Service
                                                                                • Hymn — Come, Let Us Sing unto the Lord
                                                                                • Call to Worship — Psalm 98
                                                                                • Hymn — Come, Let Us Sing unto the Lord
                                                                                • Prayer of Invocation
                                                                                • Prayer of Confession
                                                                                • Assurance of Pardon — Ephesians 1:7
                                                                                • Scripture Reading — Acts 2:42-47
                                                                                • Prayer
                                                                                • Hymn
                                                                                • Offering
                                                                                • Prayer of Dedication
                                                                                • Hymn — Speak, O Lord
                                                                                • Sermon
                                                                                • Lord's Supper
                                                                                • Hymn — Rock of Ages (stanzas 1–2)
                                                                                • Lord's Supper — Bread
                                                                                • Lord's Supper — Cup
                                                                                • Prayer
                                                                                • Hymn — Rock of Ages (stanzas 3–4)
                                                                                • Benediction
                                                                                  • Sermon Title: Like Father, Like Son

                                                                                  Scripture: John 5:19-29

                                                                                  I. As the Father Judges, So Does the Son

                                                                                  A. Jesus identifies himself as the Son of Man of Daniel 7:13-14, the one given all dominion and authority to execute judgment

                                                                                  1. The Father has given the Son all judgment — not partial, but complete authority over every tribe, nation, and tongue

                                                                                    2. B. "Judgment" carries two senses in this passage

                                                                                    1. General sense: the rendering of a true and faithful verdict — as in Romans 14:10, all will stand before the judgment seat of God
                                                                                    2. Negative sense: condemnation — those who do not believe are condemned already (John 3:18)

                                                                                      3. C. The already/not-yet reality of judgment

                                                                                      1. Already: those who believe on the Son have now passed from death to life (John 5:24); they are presently justified and will not come into condemnation
                                                                                      2. Not yet: on the last day, that justification (or condemnation) will be publicly declared before all the world
                                                                                      3. Those who do not believe are, in the words of the text, "dead men walking" — moving toward the day of execution
                                                                                        4. II. As the Father Lives, So Does the Son

                                                                                        A. There is an already aspect to resurrection life for the believer

                                                                                        1. John 5:25 — an hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and live
                                                                                        2. This refers to spiritual resurrection — regeneration; see Ephesians 2:4-6 and Colossians 1

                                                                                          3. B. There is a not-yet aspect to resurrection life

                                                                                          1. John 5:28-29 — a future, bodily resurrection awaits all: believers to everlasting life, unbelievers to everlasting judgment
                                                                                          2. As 1 Corinthians 15 teaches, Christ defeats the last enemy — death, both physical and spiritual

                                                                                            3. C. The Son has authority to give life because he has life in himself (John 5:26)

                                                                                            1. The Father's name revealed in Exodus 3 — "I AM WHO I AM" — grounds the doctrine of divine aseity: God has life in himself, dependent on nothing outside himself
                                                                                            2. The Son likewise has life in himself — not borrowed from the Father, but shared in the same divine essence; the Son is equally self-existent
                                                                                            3. The Son freely gives life to whom he will (John 5:21), yet always in perfect accord with the Father's will — it is not just "like Father, like Son," but equally "like Son, like Father"

                                                                                              4. D. The life the Son grants believers is characterized by both obedience and freedom

                                                                                              1. The New Covenant represents the age of maturity: no longer the detailed supervision of the Mosaic law (as the old covenant was like a parent hovering over a young child), but the freedom and responsibility of a mature son
                                                                                              2. Obedience in the Son by the Spirit to the Father is entering into the maturity of freedom from the law — not lawlessness, but maturity and greater responsibility
                                                                                                3. III. As the Father Speaks, So Does the Son

                                                                                                A. The means by which the Son grants life is his word

                                                                                                1. John 5:24 — whoever hears my word and believes has eternal life
                                                                                                2. John 5:25 — the dead will hear the voice of the Son and live
                                                                                                3. John 5:28 — all in the tombs will hear his voice
                                                                                                4. Romans 10:17 — faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ

                                                                                                  5. B. Christianity is uniquely a word-based, hearing-centered religion

                                                                                                  1. The second commandment's prohibition of images has always directed God's people to the ear rather than the eye as the primary channel of divine revelation
                                                                                                  2. Neil Postman (writing in the 1980s) observed that when religion is presented as entertainment, it becomes a fundamentally different religion — moving from an information-oriented faith to an entertainment-based one
                                                                                                  3. Visually saturated culture trains us away from patient, attentive hearing of the word

                                                                                                    4. C. Practical application: How are you training your ears?

                                                                                                    1. Faith comes and is strengthened through hearing; the primary means of grace is the word read and proclaimed
                                                                                                    2. The visual elements of the Lord's Supper are signs designed to drive us back to the word — to hear the promise of life found in the death and resurrection of Christ
                                                                                                      3. 32 min
                                                                                                    3. January 7, 2024; Sunday Evening Worship
                                                                                                      Order of Service
                                                                                                      • Call to Worship — Psalm 95:1-7
                                                                                                      • Hymn — I Sing the Almighty Power of God (#119)
                                                                                                      • Prayer of Invocation
                                                                                                      • Psalm Reading — Psalm 24
                                                                                                      • Hymn — Marvelous Grace of Our Loving Lord (#465)
                                                                                                      • Pastoral Prayer
                                                                                                      • Sermon
                                                                                                      • Hymn — To God Be the Glory (#55)
                                                                                                      • Benediction — Numbers 6:24-26
                                                                                                        • Sermon Title: Learning from the Lessons of Your Limitations

                                                                                                        Scripture: Ecclesiastes 7

                                                                                                        I. Learn from the Lesson of Your Limited Days

                                                                                                        The teacher of death — Ecclesiastes 7:1-10

                                                                                                        A. The shocking claim of verse 1: the day of death is more valuable than the day of birth

                                                                                                        1. Death is a better teacher than birth; a coffin is a better preacher than a cradle (David Gibson)
                                                                                                        2. Solomon invites us to live life backward from our death, seeing through the lens of our limited days

                                                                                                          3. B. The house of mourning clears our vision (Ecclesiastes 7:2, 4)

                                                                                                          1. Death unclutters our perspective, helping us see what is truly important
                                                                                                          2. Better is the end of a thing than its beginning — the full picture comes into view (Ecclesiastes 7:8)
                                                                                                          3. Death is the destination of all mankind; the fool lives as though he will never die

                                                                                                            4. C. Three areas of life to view through the lesson of death (Ecclesiastes 7:7-10)

                                                                                                            1. Money (v. 7): Bribery and corruption reveal how money can enslave even the wise; viewing life from death's vantage corrects a heart lured by love of money
                                                                                                            2. Character and reactions (vv. 8-9): In light of limited days, is prideful impatience or habitual anger really worth it? The end of a thing reveals whether our life was defined by self-sufficiency or humble trust that God is in control
                                                                                                            3. Nostalgia and time (v. 10): Longing for former days is not wisdom; nostalgia can be a denial of God's providential good for the present and a distraction from future hope

                                                                                                              4. D. Believers see through two deaths

                                                                                                              1. Our own death remains a teacher, training us to live well in light of our limitations
                                                                                                              2. Christ's death removes the terror of our own — his righteousness is imputed to us, and one day there will be no more tears
                                                                                                              3. Death remains the last enemy yet to be defeated (1 Corinthians 15), but it will be
                                                                                                                4. II. Learn from the Lesson of Your Limited Deeds

                                                                                                                The teacher of sin — Ecclesiastes 7:15-29

                                                                                                                A. The key verse: Ecclesiastes 7:29

                                                                                                                1. God made man upright, but mankind has sought out many schemes
                                                                                                                2. Since Adam, humanity continuously and deliberately invents new ways of sinning
                                                                                                                3. Compare Romans 3:23: all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; and Ecclesiastes 7:20: there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins

                                                                                                                  4. B. Sin instructs us against a wrong kind of righteousness (Ecclesiastes 7:16-28)

                                                                                                                  1. Self-secured righteousness: pursuing more and more moral effort in one's own strength to feel acceptable
                                                                                                                  2. The danger: self-blindness — we cannot see ourselves rightly and forget our own failures while judging others (v. 22)
                                                                                                                  3. The hole of sexual temptation (vv. 26-28): those who trust in their own strength let their guard down and fall; very few escape — compare Joseph's example in Genesis 39
                                                                                                                  4. The lesson: know your heart, remain honest about it, keep your guard up, and learn to ask for help

                                                                                                                    5. C. Sin instructs us toward a renewed love for God and the things of God

                                                                                                                    1. The fear of the Lord (vv. 18, 26) guards against both self-righteousness and excessive wickedness; it is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10)
                                                                                                                    2. Fear of God fuels a genuine desire to please him — not to manipulate his love or feel better about ourselves, but to glorify him
                                                                                                                    3. In Christ, our righteousness is already secured; we walk in good deeds because of what he has accomplished, not to earn his favor
                                                                                                                    4. Honest awareness of our sin readies our resolve to please the God we love and drives us to depend on his strength, not our own
                                                                                                                      5. 3 min
                                                                                                                    5. Christ Will Come Again

                                                                                                                      Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10

                                                                                                                      Order of Service
                                                                                                                      • Call to Worship — Revelation 4:8-11
                                                                                                                      • Hymn — Joy to the World
                                                                                                                      • Prayer of Invocation
                                                                                                                      • Confession of Sin
                                                                                                                      • Assurance of Pardon — 1 John 1:9
                                                                                                                      • Scripture Reading — Isaiah 40:9-11 and Revelation 22:12, 20
                                                                                                                      • Hymn — Man of Sorrows, What a Name
                                                                                                                      • Pastoral Prayer
                                                                                                                      • Offering
                                                                                                                      • Hymn — O Quickly Come, Dread Judge of All
                                                                                                                      • Sermon
                                                                                                                      • Hymn — Amazing Grace
                                                                                                                      • Benediction — 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
                                                                                                                        • Sermon Title: Christ Will Come Again

                                                                                                                        Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10

                                                                                                                        I. Christ's Second Coming Means Just Retribution for the Enemies of God

                                                                                                                        A. The passage opens by pointing to evidence of the righteous judgment of God (2 Thessalonians 1:5)

                                                                                                                        1. Paul sets this evidence in the context of believers' suffering and the reality of Christ's return
                                                                                                                        2. His coming will bring what is perfectly just before God

                                                                                                                          3. B. Enemies of God are defined in verse 8 as those who do not know God and those who do not obey the gospel

                                                                                                                          1. Any person who refuses to acknowledge God and willfully, persistently disobeys his authority is an enemy of God
                                                                                                                          2. From the very beginning — from Cain and Abel onward — there has been conflict between those who trust God's word and those who do not (Romans 12:19)

                                                                                                                            3. C. Christ's coming is described as a revealing — a pulling back of the veil to make visible what was hidden

                                                                                                                            1. His return is public, before all flesh, with mighty angels and flaming fire (2 Thessalonians 1:7-8)
                                                                                                                            2. It is a consummating event — a final judgment declared for all the world

                                                                                                                              3. D. The judgment on enemies of God is Eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord (2 Thessalonians 1:9)

                                                                                                                              1. Temporally eternal — it does not end
                                                                                                                              2. Locationally away from the presence of the Lord — the words of Jesus: Depart from me
                                                                                                                              3. Enemies of God will suffer eternally what Adam and Eve suffered physically — separation from the presence of the Lord

                                                                                                                                4. E. This is a call to perseverance for afflicted believers

                                                                                                                                1. Vengeance belongs to God alone (Romans 12:19)
                                                                                                                                2. Bear up, endure, and set your hope on Christ's coming again
                                                                                                                                  3. II. Christ's Second Coming Means Just Rest for the People of God

                                                                                                                                  A. The Greek of verses 6–7 reads: God will repay those who afflict you with affliction, and repay you who are afflicted with rest (2 Thessalonians 1:6-7)

                                                                                                                                  B. It is rest from something — the full and final end of all suffering

                                                                                                                                  1. A final, sweeping end to all affliction by the enemies of God's people
                                                                                                                                  2. Rest so complete that, as C. S. Lewis suggests, it will begin to work backwards and turn even agony into glory
                                                                                                                                  3. Rest from the need to persevere — perseverance is only suited for life this side of Christ's return

                                                                                                                                    4. C. It is rest with someone — the presence of Christ forever (2 Thessalonians 1:10)

                                                                                                                                    1. In the Old Testament God promises to be with his people; at the Incarnation — Emmanuel, God with us
                                                                                                                                    2. Christ's parting words: Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20)
                                                                                                                                    3. Believers now have Christ's presence by the Spirit — sufficient to sustain through every trial and sorrow
                                                                                                                                    4. At his second coming, what is now a bud blossoms into the full, mature tree of his presence forever

                                                                                                                                      5. D. Paul grounds grieving believers' hope in this reality in 1 Thessalonians 4

                                                                                                                                      1. Both those who have died in the Lord and those still living at his coming will together meet the Lord in the air
                                                                                                                                      2. And so we will always be with the Lord — therefore encourage one another with these words
                                                                                                                                      3. The Westminster Confession defines everlasting life as the fullness of joy and refreshing that comes with the presence of the Lord
                                                                                                                                        4. III. Christ's Second Coming Means Just Regard for the Son of God

                                                                                                                                        A. At his second coming, Christ will be glorified in his saints and marveled at among all who have believed (2 Thessalonians 1:10)

                                                                                                                                        1. To glory and marvel in Christ is to acknowledge and ascribe to him the full weightiness he deserves
                                                                                                                                        2. God's people will not fail to regard Christ with his full weight of glory

                                                                                                                                          3. B. The glory of Christ is the end for which believers are saved, the goal for which they are being sanctified, and the object in which they will spend eternity enthralled

                                                                                                                                          C. The Christian longs for Christ's second coming because it means Christ will finally and fully receive the glory due him

                                                                                                                                          1. He will receive his full honor
                                                                                                                                          2. The Christian's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever
                                                                                                                                          3. Set your hope on Christ receiving his due glory
                                                                                                                                            4. 28 min
                                                                                                                                          4. Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
                                                                                                                                            Order of Service
                                                                                                                                            • Instrumental Music — Opening Instrumental
                                                                                                                                            • Congregational Hymn — Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus
                                                                                                                                            • Call to Worship — Isaiah 9:6-7
                                                                                                                                            • Hymn — Joy to the World
                                                                                                                                            • Prayer of Invocation
                                                                                                                                            • Hymn — In the Bleak Midwinter
                                                                                                                                            • Pastoral Prayer
                                                                                                                                            • Scripture Reading — Luke 2:1-21
                                                                                                                                            • Sermon
                                                                                                                                            • Hymn — Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
                                                                                                                                            • The Lord's Supper
                                                                                                                                            • Prayer
                                                                                                                                            • Hymn — O Holy Night
                                                                                                                                            • Benediction
                                                                                                                                              • Sermon Title: Christmas News, Christmas Joy, and a Christmas Sign

                                                                                                                                              Scripture: Luke 2:10-12

                                                                                                                                              I. Christmas News

                                                                                                                                              A. The angel's announcement is objective gospel news, not a subjective feeling

                                                                                                                                              1. The Greek word euangelion (gospel) signals this is an objective event, not an emotion
                                                                                                                                              2. We live in a world where truth is determined by subjective feeling; Christmas cuts against this
                                                                                                                                              3. God intruding into history by becoming man demands a response — belief or unbelief

                                                                                                                                                4. B. Good news demands to be shared

                                                                                                                                                1. Like V-Day news, the gospel of the incarnation is not kept to oneself
                                                                                                                                                2. We go and tell family, neighbors, and friends, glorifying God in this objective reality
                                                                                                                                                  3. II. Christmas Joy

                                                                                                                                                  A. The world treats Christmas joy as seasonal — once a year and then gone

                                                                                                                                                  1. Songs and movies express a longing for the Christmas feeling to last all year
                                                                                                                                                  2. The post-holiday depression many feel reflects an incomplete understanding of Christmas joy

                                                                                                                                                    3. B. The joy the angel announces is not seasonal but eternal and permanent

                                                                                                                                                    1. It is a joy that rests in the soul every hour, every day, and into glory
                                                                                                                                                    2. Those who receive the good news of Christ do not lose this joy when the decorations come down
                                                                                                                                                    3. In glory, the redeemed will join the angels singing praise to Christ forever
                                                                                                                                                      4. III. Christmas Sign

                                                                                                                                                      A. The cosmic, divine setting of the angelic announcement raises expectations for a spectacular sign

                                                                                                                                                      1. The glory of the Lord shone around the shepherds; they were filled with fear
                                                                                                                                                      2. One might expect mountains quaking, stars falling — something majestic

                                                                                                                                                        3. B. The sign given is shockingly ordinary: a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger

                                                                                                                                                        1. Isaiah 7 — Isaiah gives King Ahaz a sign; the Hebrew shifts to the plural (all Israel): a virgin will bear a son called Immanuel
                                                                                                                                                        2. Isaiah 53 — He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, no beauty that we should desire him
                                                                                                                                                        3. To eyes without faith, he is just an ordinary baby; to eyes of faith, the swaddled infant is God made flesh

                                                                                                                                                          4. C. Christmas is about the ordinary becoming extraordinary

                                                                                                                                                          1. Luther's distinction: theologians of glory seek glory as the world seeks it — bright lights, kings on thrones; theologians of the cross see glory in an insignificant baby in a manger and a naked man dying on a cross
                                                                                                                                                          2. Even the bread and cup of the Lord's Supper are ordinary elements that point to the extraordinary: God made man giving the extraordinary gift of salvation and eternal life
                                                                                                                                                            3. 17 min
                                                                                                                                                          3. The Fullness of Time: Christmas According to the Epistles

                                                                                                                                                            Scripture: Hebrews 2:14-18

                                                                                                                                                            Order of Service
                                                                                                                                                            • Call to Worship — Psalm 24
                                                                                                                                                            • Hymn — Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates
                                                                                                                                                            • Prayer of Invocation
                                                                                                                                                            • Confession of Faith — Apostles' Creed
                                                                                                                                                            • Scripture Reading — Isaiah 12
                                                                                                                                                            • Hymn — While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
                                                                                                                                                            • Pastoral Prayer
                                                                                                                                                            • Offering
                                                                                                                                                            • Prayer of Dedication
                                                                                                                                                            • Hymn — Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
                                                                                                                                                            • Sermon
                                                                                                                                                            • Hymn — As with Gladness Men of Old
                                                                                                                                                            • Benediction
                                                                                                                                                              • Sermon Title: The Fullness of Time: Christmas According to the Epistles

                                                                                                                                                              Scripture: Hebrews 2:14-18

                                                                                                                                                              I. The Salvation of the Incarnate High Priest

                                                                                                                                                              A. The children share in flesh and blood; Christ likewise partook of the same (Hebrews 2:14-15)

                                                                                                                                                              1. Christ became man because mankind, not angels, is the object of his redemption (Hebrews 2:16)
                                                                                                                                                              2. The blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin (Hebrews 10:4); Christ must offer his own righteous blood as our perfect substitute

                                                                                                                                                                3. B. The medieval Ransom Theory held that mankind's greatest problem is Satan; Anselm of Canterbury corrected this — mankind's greatest problem is a holy and righteous God

                                                                                                                                                                1. Christ comes to make propitiation for sin (Hebrews 2:17) — to satisfy and appease the wrath of God, not Satan
                                                                                                                                                                2. Satan's power over mankind is likened to a blackmailer: his weapon is the information (God's righteous condemnation) he holds over sinners
                                                                                                                                                                3. When Christ is put to open shame at the cross, bearing the full cup of God's wrath, Satan's greatest weapon — the fear of death — is vanquished
                                                                                                                                                                4. Martyrdom mocks Satan; the Christian who dies confident in Christ's finished work witnesses that death's power is destroyed
                                                                                                                                                                  5. II. The Service of the Incarnate High Priest

                                                                                                                                                                  A. The writer emphasizes the reality and fullness of Christ's incarnation

                                                                                                                                                                  1. Hebrews 2:14 — the Greek places emphasis on blood first: Christ most truly and really took on our blood
                                                                                                                                                                  2. Hebrews 2:17 — he was made like his brothers in every respect
                                                                                                                                                                  3. Philippians 2 — he did not grasp equality with God but made himself nothing, an infant utterly dependent on his Father

                                                                                                                                                                    4. B. Christ's service to God is one of total, childlike dependence from the womb to the cross

                                                                                                                                                                    1. John 5:19 — "The Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing"
                                                                                                                                                                    2. Christ's faith is the model of utter dependence on the Father — the childlike faith he calls us to (Matthew 18:3)
                                                                                                                                                                    3. Even in Gethsemane, facing the cup of God's wrath, he says "Not my will, but yours" — never leaving his Father's lap
                                                                                                                                                                    4. Application: husbands, wives, parents, children — does our daily faith reflect independent self-reliance or infant-like dependence on the Father through Christ?
                                                                                                                                                                      5. III. The Sympathy of the Incarnate High Priest

                                                                                                                                                                      A. Christ's humanity is the necessary basis of his merciful and faithful high-priestly ministry (Hebrews 2:17)

                                                                                                                                                                      1. Without total solidarity with those he represents, he cannot fulfill his high-priestly duty in a merciful and faithful fashion
                                                                                                                                                                      2. As the high priest represented the people before God, Christ cannot represent us unless he has been made like us in every respect
                                                                                                                                                                      3. The analogy of veterans: only those who have experienced war truly understand it — Christ has faced the full battle with sin, death, and Satan

                                                                                                                                                                        4. B. Christ's temptation was more intense than ours, not less (Hebrews 2:18)

                                                                                                                                                                        1. What relieves the pain of temptation for us is giving in to sin — Christ never gave in, so he bore the full weight of temptation without relief
                                                                                                                                                                        2. He faced the cup of God's wrath and said "Your will, not mine" — a depth of suffering under temptation we will never know

                                                                                                                                                                          3. C. The intercession Christ currently makes at the right hand of the Father is warm, caring, zealous, and sympathizing — not cold or mechanical

                                                                                                                                                                          1. He helps those who are tempted as a merciful and faithful high priest who has himself suffered
                                                                                                                                                                          2. Assurance: those found in Christ by faith have a fully divine and fully human intercessor pleading for them before the Father right now
                                                                                                                                                                            3. 26 min
                                                                                                                                                                          3. The Fullness of Time: Christmas According to the Epistles

                                                                                                                                                                            Scripture: Philippians2:5-8

                                                                                                                                                                            Order of Service
                                                                                                                                                                            • Call to Worship — Luke 2:10-14
                                                                                                                                                                            • Hymn — Angels We Have Heard on High
                                                                                                                                                                            • Hymn — While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
                                                                                                                                                                            • Prayer of Invocation
                                                                                                                                                                            • Prayer of Confession — Daniel 9:4-5
                                                                                                                                                                            • Assurance of Pardon — Proverbs 28:13
                                                                                                                                                                            • Scripture Reading — Micah 5:1-4
                                                                                                                                                                            • Hymn — O Little Town of Bethlehem
                                                                                                                                                                            • Pastoral Prayer
                                                                                                                                                                            • Offering
                                                                                                                                                                            • Prayer of Dedication
                                                                                                                                                                            • Hymn — O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
                                                                                                                                                                            • Sermon
                                                                                                                                                                            • Hymn — Infant Holy, Infant Lowly
                                                                                                                                                                            • Benediction — Hebrews 13:20-21
                                                                                                                                                                            • Doxology
                                                                                                                                                                              • Sermon Title: The Fullness of Time: Christmas According to the Epistles

                                                                                                                                                                              Scripture: Philippians 2:5-8

                                                                                                                                                                              I. The Incarnation Grounds Your Christology

                                                                                                                                                                              A. Saving faith requires some knowledge of Christ, but deeper knowledge enriches the experience of faith

                                                                                                                                                                              1. Westminster Larger Catechism: saving faith involves conviction of sin, inability to recover oneself, and resting on Christ and his righteousness
                                                                                                                                                                              2. The more intimate the knowledge, the richer the enjoyment of Christ as the object of faith

                                                                                                                                                                                3. B. First Viewpoint: Christ has a pre-existing, true Divine Nature (Philippians 2:6)

                                                                                                                                                                                1. The Greek word morphe (form) means the full essence and nature of a thing — Christ is fully and eternally God
                                                                                                                                                                                2. Christ did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped — unlike the first Adam, who grasped for it (Genesis 3)
                                                                                                                                                                                3. As the second Adam, Christ was totally secure in his eternal equality with the Father as he agreed to enter the humility of the Incarnation

                                                                                                                                                                                  4. C. Second Viewpoint: Christ has permanently assumed a true human nature (Philippians 2:7)

                                                                                                                                                                                  1. "He emptied himself" does not mean divestiture of divine essence — the emptying is defined by what immediately follows: by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men
                                                                                                                                                                                  2. The Incarnation is addition, not subtraction — the Son assumed a real human body and soul, the very stuff of humanity
                                                                                                                                                                                  3. This assumption is permanent; Christ remains fully man forever, even now in glory

                                                                                                                                                                                    4. D. Third Viewpoint: Christ temporarily assumes non-essential aspects of human nature (Philippians 2:8)

                                                                                                                                                                                    1. The Greek word schema here refers to outward form or appearance — aspects that are normative but not essential to humanity
                                                                                                                                                                                    2. Mortality (the ability to die) is not essential to humanity; it belongs to the curse of sin
                                                                                                                                                                                    3. Christ assumed our full weakness all the way to death — "obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross"
                                                                                                                                                                                    4. In his glorified resurrection body, Christ put off this non-essential aspect; he is the firstfruits of our own resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20)
                                                                                                                                                                                    5. The emptying involves "not the loss of deity but of dignity, not of divine nature but of divine glory" (David Strain)
                                                                                                                                                                                      6. II. The Incarnation Secures Your Prize

                                                                                                                                                                                      A. Philippians 2:5 — "have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus" points to benefits that are yours in Christ

                                                                                                                                                                                      B. The Incarnation makes Union with Christ possible — he had to become like us so that we could be united to him

                                                                                                                                                                                      1. The image of the vine and branches: Union requires being of the same stuff (John 15:5)
                                                                                                                                                                                      2. Christ is himself the chief prize; his benefits flow from him

                                                                                                                                                                                        3. C. Two specific benefits that come with Christ

                                                                                                                                                                                        1. Christ's perfect obedience and righteousness, imputed to those united to him (Philippians 2:8)
                                                                                                                                                                                        2. A new mind — a new way of thinking about self and others, set free from selfish ambition (Philippians 2:1-4)
                                                                                                                                                                                          3. III. The Incarnation Sets Your Pattern

                                                                                                                                                                                          A. Christ's self-emptying is the model for how believers are to relate to one another in the church

                                                                                                                                                                                          B. The second Adam did not grasp for his rights but emptied himself of dignity and glory for his people

                                                                                                                                                                                          C. Believers are called to practice selfless humility — not asserting every right or privilege — after the pattern of Christ's humiliation

                                                                                                                                                                                          IV. The Incarnation Centers Your Preoccupation

                                                                                                                                                                                          A. Philippians 2:9-11 — Christ's humiliation leads to his exaltation: every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord

                                                                                                                                                                                          B. The purpose of the believer's life is the glory of God — Soli Deo Gloria

                                                                                                                                                                                          C. The Incarnation is meant to focus the heart and direct worship — not merely intellectual wonder, but daily obedience and love for Christ in all of life

                                                                                                                                                                                          33 min

                                                                                                                                                                                        About Northpointe PCA Sermons

                                                                                                                                                                                        From the publisher's feed

                                                                                                                                                                                        Weekly expository preaching from the Lord’s Day morning and evening worship services at Northpointe Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Meridian, Mississippi.