Northpointe PCA Sermons

By Northpointe Presbyterian ChurchReligion & Spirituality Christianity

Northpointe PCA Sermons episodes

July 30, 2023The Incarnate Light
Scripture: John 1:6-13
Order of Service
Announcements
Hymn — Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken
Call to Worship — Matthew 11:28-30
Hymn — Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken
Prayer of Invocation
Confession of Faith — Colossians 1:15-20
Scripture Reading — Acts 26:1-11
Hymn — Amazing Grace
Pastoral Prayer
Offering
Prayer of Dedication
Hymn — As with Gladness Men of Old
Prayer for Illumination
Scripture Reading — John 1:6-13
Sermon
Hymn — Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts
Benediction
Sermon Title: The Incarnate Light
Scripture: John 1:6-13
I. The Forerunner to the Incarnate Light (John 1:6-8)
A. John the Baptist was a prophet sent by God to prepare Israel for the Messiah, primarily through a ministry of repentance
B. The key word describing John's role is witness — a legal/courtroom term denoting testimony
Remarkably, John bears witness to Christ before Christ's public ministry and finished work
Even so, saving faith was available to John's disciples through his testimony
C. John stands in the line of all Old Testament prophets as a witness to Christ
All of Scripture — Old and New Testament — serves as one grand witness to Jesus Christ
Hebrews 12:1 calls the Old Testament saints a "great cloud of witnesses"
Abraham saw Christ's day and rejoiced (John 8); Moses and Elijah witnessed his glory at the Transfiguration
The Bereans searched the Old Testament scriptures to confirm testimony about Christ (Acts 17)
D. Application: Covenant theology in its most basic form is this — God reveals himself by means of covenant, and what he reveals is Jesus Christ the mediator
The Abrahamic, Mosaic, and Davidic covenants all witness to Christ
Sola Scriptura leads to Solus Christus — Scripture's sole authority points to Christ alone as its content
The question is not merely how often we read our Bibles, but how — are we reading christocentrically?
II. The Fullness of the Incarnate Light (John 1:9)
A. Throughout John's Gospel, true does not contrast false with true so much as partial with full — the fullness of God's revelation versus a partial revelation
Jesus is the true bread (John 6:32) — the manna in the wilderness was real but only partial
Jesus is the true vine (John 15:1) — Israel was called the vine, but only as a partial fulfillment
The Law was called a lamp and a light (Psalm 119:105) — true but only partial; Christ is the fullness of God's wisdom and path to life
John the Baptist's testimony was true, but he must decrease so the True Light might increase
B. This fullness of revelation extends to everyone — not only Jew but also Gentile, to the ends of the earth
C. Illustration: Augustine spent his life climbing intellectual ladders searching for truth, meaning, and pure reason
This passage on the Incarnate Light broke Augustine — true Enlightenment is not found in philosophy but in Christ
God did not send an idea from heaven; he became a servant, humbling himself even to death on a cross (Philippians 2:6-8)
This truth is not reserved for the intellectual elite — it is for every man, woman, and child
D. Application: Christ is our hermeneutic — the interpretive grid through which we filter everything in this world
To live and make sense of the world apart from Christ is like reading in the pitch dark
With Christ the light is on; we can interpret all things by funneling them through the fullness of God's revelation in the Son
III. Faith in the Incarnate Light (John 1:10-13)
A. Verses 10–11 highlight the devastatingly depraved state of fallen mankind: the world did not know its maker, and even Israel rejected her Messiah
B. The great conjunction of verse 12 — but — introduces the remnant who receive Christ and believe in his name
C. Saving faith is not produced by human means (John 1:13)
Not of blood — not ethnic lineage or family heritage
Not of the will of the flesh — not human desire or free will
Not of the will of man — not another person's decision
But of God — Supernatural regeneration by which the Father calls his remnant into the Son by the Spirit
D. Calvin: "Faith is not a bare or cold knowledge, since no man can believe who has not been renewed by the Holy Spirit"
Faith that precedes regeneration becomes cold, intellectual knowledge lacking the warmth of the Spirit
Romans 8:15 — we cry "Abba, Father" not because we figured it out, but because of the Spirit of adoption
E. The Reformers distinguished intellectual assent from fiducia (trust/dependence)
One may know all the facts of the gospel yet, apart from the Spirit, lack childlike dependence on God
Illustration: Biblical faith is not like Indiana Jones leaping into a dark void hoping something is there
True fiducia is like a child at the pool's edge who, with eyes of faith wide open, sees Christ with outstretched arms and leaps — knowing he will catch them
Faith is neither cold intellectual reasoning nor mindless spiritualism; it is a Spirit-enlightened mind that sees Christ and rests all its weight on him
F. Closing application: Who is Jesus Christ to you?
Is he simply the answer at the end of an equation, or the best option in an information-overloaded world?
Or is he your all in all — the God in the flesh into whose arms you leap and rest?
He is the Light who has come down for you — leap into the arms of your Savior
27 min
July 23, 2023The Divine Son
Scripture: John 1:1-5
Order of Service
Announcements
Hymn — Jesus Saves
Call to Worship — Psalm 96:1-6
Hymn — Jesus Saves
Prayer of Invocation
Confession of Sin
Assurance of Pardon — John 3:16
Reception of New Members (Bruce Family)
Prayer for New Members
Hymn — To God Be the Glory
Pastoral Prayer
Offering
Prayer of Dedication
Hymn — Of the Father's Love Begotten
Scripture Reading — John 1:1-5
Sermon
Hymn — O Splendor of God's Glory Bright
Benediction
Sermon Title: The Divine Son
Scripture: John 1:1-5
I. The Divine Word
A. John opens with "in the beginning," deliberately echoing Genesis 1:1, but points back before creation to the eternal Son who was the Word — already existing with God and as God
The Word was with God — the Son was in the company of the Father in eternity past (cf. John 1:18)
The Word was God — the Son shares in the divine essence and nature (cf. Hebrews 1:2; Philippians 2:6; John 8:58)
B. Logos (Word) carried meaning in Greco-Roman philosophy (wisdom, reason, creative principle), but John grounds the concept in the Hebrew Scriptures
In the Old Testament, the word of God was God's self-expression — in creation, in revelation, in law and covenant
God's word is inseparable from God himself — as Psalm 119 shows, love for the word is love for God; the Ten Commandments ("ten words") express the immutable character of God written in stone
The word of God conveys all God's attributes — holiness, righteousness, omnipotence, omniscience; without God's speech we would know none of these
C. The Son has always been the Father's divine self-expression to mankind
In the Old Testament, the Father revealed himself through types, shadows, statutes, and laws pointing to the Son
In these last days, God reveals himself through the Word incarnate, so that the Son can say, "If you have seen me, you have seen the Father" (John 14:9)
To hold the Son close through faith and repentance is to hold the Father close; to depart from the Son is to depart from the Father
II. The Divine Creator and Sustainer
A. The Son is the original Creator (John 1:3)
"Without him was not anything made that was made" — not one thing in all creation was made apart from the Son
Colossians 1:16 confirms the exhaustive scope: "By him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible"
In Genesis 1:2-3, the Spirit hovers over the darkness and void; it is the spoken Word that drives the Spirit into lifeless darkness, bringing light, life, and order
B. The Son is also the Sustainer of all he created (John 1:4)
"In him was life" — the Son causes creation and life to continue; he sustains all he made
Acts 17:28: "In him we live and move and have our being"
Colossians 1:17: "In him all things hold together" — if he withdrew his sustaining hand, all creation would collapse back into void
C. Calvin's insight: because the Son is the source of all original creation life, we should expect him to be the source of redemptive, salvific life as well
There is no definition of life outside the Son — therefore he must be the only way, truth, and life
The postmodern "coexist" worldview treats exclusivity as the greatest heresy, but John's logic is clear: to deny the Son is to deny life itself
In the fullness of time, the one in whom we live, move, and have our being has become our new creation life — "believe in the Son; believe in life"
III. The Divine Light
A. In John 1:4, John narrows from the macro picture of all creation to the image bearer — man
This follows the pattern of Genesis 1:26 and Genesis 2, where the creation narrative narrows its focus onto mankind
"The life was the light of men" — light here correlates with understanding and wisdom; unlike the animals, mankind has rational faculties, the ability to converse with and respond to God
B. This light has been darkened through sin
The Hebrew word for sin means to miss the mark — the light of understanding was given so that man would always aim at the glory of God
The Hebrew word for iniquity carries the idea of being bent inward — man was created to be bent outward toward God and his glory, but sin turns man inward toward self
All of man's intellectual capacities — reason, understanding, will, affection — are now misdirected away from God's glory toward self
C. John 1:5 — the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not comprehended it (preferring the NASB rendering over the ESV)
This fits the context of the whole prologue, especially John 1:9-10: "The world did not know him" — fallen man cannot reason or think his way into salvation
Anselm of Canterbury: "I do not seek to understand in order that I might believe, but I believe in order to understand"
What is needed is not greater education but a new creation — the Word must speak into the darkness of our fallen hearts, driving the Spirit in to bring supernatural regeneration, just as in the beginning the Word drove the Spirit over the void to bring life and light
Call to believe on the Son, receive the Spirit, and live life to its fullest — doing all things to the glory of God
28 min
July 23, 2023July 23, 2023; Sunday Evening Worship
Scripture: Matthew 6:19-24
Order of Service
Call to Worship — Psalm 117
Hymn — From All That Dwell Below the Skies (#7)
Missionary Presentation — Elizabeth Murray (MTW Japan)
Prayer
Scripture Reading — Matthew 6:19-24
Sermon
Hymn — My Jesus, I Love Thee (#648)
Benediction
Sermon Title: Where Is Your Heart? Treasure, Vision, and Master
Scripture: Matthew 6:19-24
I. Where Are Your Investments? (Matthew 6:19-21)
A. Jesus uses the language of investment — what are you investing your life, resources, and time in?
B. Earthly treasures are fleeting — moth, rust, and thieves illustrate their impermanence
Death is the great equalizer; we depart as naked as we arrived (Ecclesiastes)
Jesus is not condemning savings, hard work, or wealth itself — the question is where your resources are directed
C. Two planes of investment
Vertical: Is your mind captivated by God's Word? Do you invest in worship, prayer, and growth from milk to solid food? (cf. Hebrews)
Horizontal: Is your money directed toward the kingdom — missions, the poor, the widow, the orphan — or only toward self?
D. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:21)
How you spend money and time steers the heart either toward dust or toward glory
A convicting question: What does your bank account say about your Christian life?
II. What Is Your Eye Set On? (Matthew 6:22-23)
A. The eye and the heart are interchangeable concepts in Hebrew thought — where the heart is, the eye will focus
B. The word for healthy (Greek: haplous) conveys simplicity and generosity — illustrated by the widow's two coins
Generous, unpretentious giving without expectation of return
C. The word for bad (Greek: poneros) conveys evil expressed through jealousy and envy
The eye of the imagination — what do you covet? What do you fantasize about when there is nothing else to think about?
This connects to the tenth commandment: You shall not covet — which encapsulates all the previous nine (Exodus 20:17)
D. Hendrickson: Inordinate yearning for earthly treasure obscures the spiritual eye and darkens the whole inner life
Satan's temptation of Adam and Eve worked by instilling a covetous heart — jealousy of what God possessed (Genesis 3)
Jealousy produces a compassionless heart and turns those who possess what we desire into idols
This explains the idolization of celebrity culture — people worship those who possess what they covet
E. Remedy: Turn to the light of Christ, which drowns out the darkness of envy and covetousness
III. Who Is Your Master? (Matthew 6:24)
A. The word mammon (trusted thing) frames the contrast as two kinds of faith — two different objects of trust
What you give your heart and mind's eye to is ultimately what you trust
The five solas of the Reformation express the posture of leaning on Christ alone
B. The word master conveys something that lords over you — an idol that may lie dormant but, when it calls, commands everything
Positive example: the disciples dropped their nets immediately when Christ called (Matthew 4:18-22)
Negative example (Doriani): Treating faith as a hobby or God as one employer among many — reserving Sunday for God and the rest of the week for mammon
C. A master demands service at any time — what you drop everything for is your true master
What do you organize your day and week around?
Could you drop your net today if Christ called you to?
Are the lawful pleasures of this life held with a loose grip — enjoyed moderately for God's glory — or clutched as a god?
D. Application and Gospel call
Calvin: Our hearts are perpetual idol factories; we will battle idols until we die
Do not lie to yourself about your sin — honesty with oneself is essential
Luther's first thesis: repentance is not a once-for-all event but a lifelong continuous process
When guilt is found: repent, turn to Christ, receive his forgiveness, and endeavor after new obedience to your Lord and Master
28 min
July 16, 2023Introduction to the Gospel of John
Scripture: John 20:30-31
Order of Service
Call to Worship — Psalm 50:1-6
Hymn — The Mighty God, the Lord
Prayer of Invocation
Confession of Faith — Nicene Creed
Scripture Reading — Acts 25:13–26:1
Hymn — On Jordan's Stormy Banks
Pastoral Prayer
Offering
Prayer of Dedication
Hymn — In Christ Alone
Sermon
Hymn — Holy, Holy, Holy
Benediction
Sermon Title: Introduction to the Gospel of John
Scripture: John 20:30-31
I. The Distinctive Use of Signs
A. John's Gospel uniquely organizes Jesus's miracles as seven signs in the first eleven chapters (the "Book of Signs")
Turning water into wine — John 2
Healing the nobleman's son — John 4
Healing the man at the pool — John 5
Feeding the five thousand — John 6
Walking on water — John 6
Healing the man born blind — John 9
Raising Lazarus from the dead — John 11
B. Signs are not ends in themselves; they function as arrows pointing beyond the miracle to Christ
In John 6:26, Jesus rebukes the crowd for seeking him because they ate bread, not because they saw signs pointing to a deeper reality
C. The seven signs are interwoven with the seven "I Am" statements of Jesus
I am the bread of life
I am the light of the world
I am the door
I am the Good Shepherd
I am the resurrection and the life
I am the way, the truth, and the life
I am the True Vine
The absolute "I Am" without predicate — John 8:58 — echoes Exodus 3 and the divine name Yahweh
D. God's aseity (from the Latin a se, "of himself") — God is pure, self-existent being; all creation is derivative and points beyond itself to him
The Incarnation means that this absolute, self-existent God has come to earth in Jesus Christ
Every created thing declares, "I am the creation of the Great I Am"
II. The Distinctive Use of Eternal Life
A. The Greek word pistis (faith/belief) appears 98 times in John — more than in all three Synoptic Gospels combined
B. John presents a "vertical" contrast (heavenly sphere vs. worldly sphere) rather than the Synoptics' "horizontal" contrast (present age vs. age to come)
The Greek word kosmos (world) in John refers to the worldly sphere marked by sin and passing away
John 18 — Jesus says his kingdom is not of this world
John 8:23 — "You are from below; I am from above"
C. Eternal life in John is a present reality received through faith, not only a future hope
John 11:23-26 — Martha expects resurrection "on the last day"; Jesus declares, "I am the resurrection and the life" (present tense)
Ephesians 2:4-6 — believers have already been raised and seated with Christ in the heavenly places
D. The "already and not yet" — John emphasizes the "already" of the Kingdom; the Synoptics emphasize the "not yet"
Believers are united to Christ by faith and are therefore no longer defined by their earthly, creaturely condition
The believer's true identity is bound up in the eternal Son seated in the heavenly places, not in dust and frailty
III. The Distinctive Use of the Trinity
A. No other biblical book provides as robust and clear a picture of the Trinity as John does
B. The Synoptics emphasize Jesus's role in redemptive history (son of David, last Adam, promised Messiah); John emphasizes his eternal divine identity — John 1:1, John 1:18
C. John holds together both the unity and distinction of the persons
The Son is one with the Father — John 14:9
Yet the Son prays to the Father, showing two distinct persons
The Holy Spirit is a distinct person referred to with the masculine pronoun "he" — John 14
D. The doctrine of perichoresis — the mutual indwelling of the three persons of the Trinity
John 14:10-11 — "I am in the Father and the Father is in me"
When one person acts, the one God acts — Father, Son, and Spirit mutually indwell one another
Combats modalism (God wearing different masks) and tritheism (three separate gods)
E. Believers are invited into the Triune communion through the Spirit
John 14:20 — "I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you"
Genesis 1:26 — humanity was always designed for intimate union with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
What was lost in Adam, Christ restores by his Spirit — uniting believers to the Son who is in the Father
29 min
July 16, 2023July 16, 2023; Sunday Evening Worship
Order of Service
Call to Worship — Isaiah 40:9-11
Hymn — Behold Our God
Prayer of Invocation
Psalm Reading — Psalm 8 (Responsive)
Hymn — All Creatures of Our God and King (#122)
Pastoral Prayer
Sermon
Hymn — As the Hart Longs for Flowing Streams (#662)
Benediction — Jude 24-25
Sermon Title: The Desire of the Heart for True Worship
Scripture: Psalm 42:1-5
I. Introduction to Psalm 42
A. Context: A psalm of the sons of Korah, Temple keepers and singers
B. The psalmist's situation: separated from corporate worship and surrounded by mocking enemies who question God's covenant faithfulness
C. Structure of the psalm
Verses 1–5: A longing for God while in exile from corporate worship
Verses 6–11: The cry of a troubled heart pleading for God's help
II. The Psalmist's Longing for the Face of God
A. The core desire: to appear before the Living God — Psalm 42:2
Corporate worship is the ordained means through which believers encounter the Living God
The psalmist misses not merely the spectacle of temple worship but God himself
B. The means of grace are means to God, not ends in themselves
They bring believers into fellowship with God and shower them with the experience of his promises, person, and glory
Inability to participate in those means is spiritual torture to the one who knows their blessing
III. Love for God's House as the Essence of True Piety
A. Love for corporate worship is the essence of holiness for both Old and New Covenant believers
B. God's house under the New Covenant is the gathered people of God, who can worship in spirit and truth wherever they assemble — John 4:23-24
C. Christ promises a unique presence among his gathered people — Matthew 18:20
D. William Plumer's warning: those who voluntarily absent themselves from God's worship ought to suspect that not all is right with them
To absent oneself voluntarily is to do willingly what grieved the psalmist to be compelled to do
True godliness consists more in the desires of the heart for more grace and more fellowship than in satisfaction with what has already been attained
IV. Christ as the Great Worshiper
A. This psalm ultimately reveals Christ — the supreme worshiper whose food was to do the will of his heavenly Father
B. Christ himself knew separation from the house of God and endured mockery that questioned God's covenant faithfulness
His enemies taunted him on the cross just as the psalmist's enemies taunted him
Jesus cried out the opening of Psalm 22:1 — My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Yet his heart held Psalm 22:22 — I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you
C. Christ is the chief worshiper, longing to lead his people in covenant worship of the Living God
V. Application and Conclusion
A. The psalmist's inscripturated grief is a call to examine our own hearts toward corporate worship
B. True godliness longs for God above all things — not for isolated individual experiences, but for the communal experience of God through Word, prayer, song, and sacrament
C. Where longing for God and his house is absent, we must ask: what is amiss?
26 min
July 09, 2023July 9, 2023; Sunday Evening Worship
Order of Service
Call to Worship — Psalm 107:1-9
Hymn — All Praise to God Who Reigns Above (#4)
Pastoral Prayer
Sermon
Hymn — Amazing Grace (#460)
Benediction — Numbers 6:24-26
Sermon Title: Knowing Christ as God's Power for Spiritual Growth
Scripture: Ephesians 3:14-19
I. Why We Need This Power
A. Paul's prayer follows from the soaring declarations of Ephesians 1–2 — God's redeeming work in Christ, adoption, the gift of the Spirit, salvation by grace through faith
B. The gap between who God has declared us to be and how we actually live reveals our need
We are declared righteous in Christ, yet we continue to struggle with sin
We are being built into a dwelling place of God, yet we still have conflict with one another
C. Paul falls to his knees before the Father — the one from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named — because only God can give the transformation we long for
D. God answers not out of his leftovers but according to the riches of his glory — the resources available are limitless (Ephesians 3:16)
E. Illustration: newborn children are fully their parents' own from birth, yet need help to grow into the full expression of who they already are — spiritually, so do we
II. What This Power Is For
A. Strengthened through the Spirit in the inner being (Ephesians 3:16)
God changes us from the inside out; the focal point is the heart
The Spirit is the means by which God's power works in us
B. So that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith (Ephesians 3:17)
Where the Spirit truly is, there Christ is
The word dwell carries the idea of moving in, settling down, taking up permanent residence — not a temporary visit
Illustration: moving into a house — it is yours from the moment of purchase, but over time you make it more and more your own; similarly, Christ inhabits our hearts and sets about making them more and more fit for himself
C. Strengthened to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge (Ephesians 3:17-19a)
Paul reaches for language — breadth, length, height, and depth — to capture the vastness of Christ's love
All doctrines of Ephesians (adoption, redemption, forgiveness, justification, sanctification) are fueled by the love of Christ
The full arc of Jesus's life — incarnation, ministry, suffering, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and return — was done out of love for us
Paul prays not merely for intellectual knowledge but for the heart to be touched and enlivened by this love
III. Where This Power Leads
A. That we may be filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:19)
Fullness carries the idea of growth and maturity — growing up into what God has made us to be
Ephesians 4:11-13 — God gave leaders to equip the church to grow to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ
B. The goal of spiritual growth is to reflect Jesus — his love for God and people, his holy life, the fruit of the Spirit, his self-sacrificial love even for enemies
C. The key insight of the prayer: Paul does not simply ask for power to do good actions, but for power to know Jesus and his love, which then produces growth and love for others
God, give us the power to know Jesus Christ and his great love, so that we may love one another
Knowing Christ is not a step toward spiritual growth — it is God's power for spiritual growth
D. Application: We are easily consumed by news cycles, fears, debates, and problems — when did we last stop and meditate on the love of Jesus Christ that we do not deserve?
We may look for power in our own giftedness, personality, work ethic, the praise of others, programs, or books
This passage declares with divine authority: the key is simply and gloriously knowing Jesus Christ and his great love
We will not reach full maturity in this life, but God is truly at work to change us as we keep looking to Jesus
27 min
July 02, 2023July 2, 2023; Sunday Evening Worship
Scripture: Matthew 6:16-18
Order of Service
Call to Worship — Psalm 48:1-3
Hymn — How Great Thou Art (#44)
Prayer of Invocation
Responsive Reading — Psalm 5
Hymn — O God, Our Help in Ages Past (#30)
Pastoral Prayer
Scripture Reading — Matthew 6:16-18
Sermon
Hymn — (#534)
Benediction
Sermon Title: The Benefits of Fasting
Scripture: Matthew 6:16-18
I. Fasting Brings an Eternal Focus
A. Fasting reorients our whole self — body and soul — away from temporal concerns and toward eternal things.
We are slaves to the clock, and the clock works hand in hand with mealtime, crowding out eternal concerns.
C. S. Lewis illustrates this in The Screwtape Letters: the demon Screwtape instructs Wormwood to make his subject feel hungry so that the hustle of the world drowns out his eternal focus.
B. Matthew 5:6 — Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied — points to the primary purpose of fasting: hungering for righteousness.
C. James 1:22-25 warns against hearing the word without doing it, like a man who looks in a mirror and forgets what he looks like — fasting keeps eternity before our eyes so we do not forget who we are in Christ.
D. Matthew 6:33 — Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness — fasting is a means by which our hearts beat for that kingdom which is not of this world.
II. Fasting Brings Expectation of the Future
A. Jesus says when you fast, not if — there is a clear expectation that his disciples will fast (Matthew 6:16).
B. Luke 5:33-35 — Jesus explains that his disciples will fast when the bridegroom is taken away; we are living in those days, in the time between Christ's first and second Advent.
C. The example of Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel 19 — he did not trim his beard or wash his clothes while King David was gone; likewise, we fast while our King is absent.
D. Herman Bavinck's The Philosophy of Revelation is referenced: every worldview has an eschatology, but only the Christian eschatology is concrete, resting at the right hand of God the Father.
Marxist, Nietzschean, and Darwinian eschatologies are wishful thinking.
The Christian eschatology is solid — 2 Peter 3:13: we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
E. Fasting cultivates the waiting posture of the Christian — enabling us to say with the early church, Maranatha, come quickly, Lord Jesus.
Christians are not a "give me my best life now" people but a "give me the hope of the best life ever" people.
Fasting counters our culture's demand for instant gratification and draws our hearts forward to the day of new beginnings.
III. Fasting Brings an Experience of the Father
A. Jesus instructs his disciples to fast in secret — not to disfigure their faces like the hypocrites — so that their fasting is seen by the Father alone, who rewards in secret (Matthew 6:17-18).
B. This mirrors Jesus's earlier teaching on prayer (addressed the previous week): go into your room, shut the door, and pray to your Father in secret (Matthew 6:6).
When Jesus repeats himself, we must pay attention.
Both prayer and fasting are not for the praise of men but to draw us closer to the Father.
C. The illustration of Saving Private Ryan: Captain Miller refuses to describe his wife and her rose bushes, saying he has kept that memory just for himself — to share it would cheapen it.
Intimate fellowship with the Father in secret can similarly be cheapened when made into social currency.
A social media mentality — posting every spiritual experience for approval — seeps into the Christian life and undermines genuine communion with God.
D. The reward of fasting is not praise from others but the Father himself — union and communion with the Father, in the Son, by the Spirit.
The Gospel of John presents the reality of being made one with the Son who is one with the Father.
Fasting is one of the means by which we experience this objective reality — invited into the Triune fellowship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
E. Practical encouragement: if fasting is not yet part of your Christian life, start small — skip a meal and devote that time to prayer.
Fasting in Scripture most strictly refers to fasting from food, though there may be seasons of fasting from other idols.
God uses fasting as an instrument to draw his saints into deeper fellowship with himself.
26 min
July 02, 2023The Mighty Men
Scripture: 2 Samuel 23:8-39
Order of Service
Opening Hymn — Spirit of the Living God
Call to Worship — Zephaniah 3:14-17
Prayer of Invocation
Confession of Faith — Apostles' Creed
Scripture Reading — Luke 24:28-35
Pastoral Prayer
Offering
Prayer of Dedication
Hymn of Preparation — How Firm a Foundation
Sermon
Lord's Supper — Words of Institution from 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Hymn — Fairest Lord Jesus (verses 1–2)
Distribution of Bread
Distribution of Cup
Hymn — Fairest Lord Jesus (verses 3–4)
Benediction — Joshua 1:9
Sermon Title: The Mighty Men
Scripture: 2 Samuel 23:8-39
I. The Mighty Men Display the Grit of God (vv. 8–12)
A. The top three Mighty Men: Josheb-basshebeth, Eleazar, and Shammah
Josheb-basshebeth kills 800 with his spear at one time
Eleazar holds his ground against the Philistines until his hand clings to his sword
Shammah stands alone in a field of lentils and strikes down the Philistines while the rest flee
B. The key refrain: "The Lord worked a great victory" (2 Samuel 23:10, 12)
God gets all credit for the victory, but works it through the grit of his servants
God does not work victory through a lazy, complacent church but through the church militant
C. The Christian life is a call to fight
Genesis 3:15 — God puts enmity between the seed of the woman and the serpent; he places a fighting spirit in his people
Romans 7:21-23 — Paul describes an internal war in the believer between the law of God and the law of sin
Philippians 2:12-13 — Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you
Matthew 5:46-47 — Servants of the kingdom fight their natural inclinations; mere natural affection is not the mark of a Christian
Luther: we are simultaneously sinner and saint until glory — the fight remains
D. Application: Do you fight, or is your Christian life only active when natural inclinations and schedule align with it? The absence of struggle and enmity with evil is cause for concern.
II. The Mighty Men Inspire Gratitude Toward God (vv. 13–17)
A. Three of the Thirty break through the Philistine camp to bring David water from the well of Bethlehem
An act of extraordinary courage, strength, and loyalty
B. David pours the water out as an offering to the Lord rather than drinking it
He says, "Shall I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?" (2 Samuel 23:17)
The water represents the blood of his men; blood belongs to Yahweh — he pours it out not as trash but as treasure
This is a token of David's thanksgiving to God for his faithful servants
C. Paul consistently says "I thank God for you" — never merely "I thank you" — recognizing that the body is a gift from the head
Paul is never a solitary, self-sufficient Christian; he always has companions and receives the church's aid (see Acts)
When I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:10) — weakness forces reliance on the body, which manifests Christ's love materially
D. Application: Do not live as an isolationist Christian
We speak much about how to give; we need to speak more about how to receive
Closing yourself off from the church cuts you off from a primary means of grace — the material manifestation of God's warmth and affection through the body
Love the church, embrace the church, and thank God for her
III. The Mighty Men Remind Us of the Grace of God (v. 39)
A. The list of Mighty Men — connected to David's success and the davidic covenant — ends with Uriah the Hittite
Uriah is the man David murdered in cold blood; he stands as a monument to David's sin
To cap the list with Uriah is to declare that the kingdom's success is not grounded in the might or righteousness of sinful men but solely in the unmerited grace of God
B. Uriah appears again in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:6
"David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah" — highlighting David's sin
Matthew 1:16 — "Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born" — not born of Joseph by natural generation (and thus not born in original sin) but conceived by the Holy Spirit, born in original righteousness
C. Christ is the ultimate Mighty Man and Mighty King
He does not cling to a sword until his hand hurts; he clings to a cross, offering up his own blood
He crushes the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15) through self-sacrifice, not military conquest
He fulfills all righteousness for unrighteous sons and daughters of Adam
D. Application: Come to the Lord's Table in the strength of your Mighty King
We come not as mighty men and women in our own flesh, but as weak vessels — prodigals looking to Christ alone
Uriah's blood cries out from the ground for a mighty king; behold Jesus Christ, whose pure body and spotless blood are shed for his people
29 min
June 25, 2023The Prophecy of David
Scripture: 2 Samuel 23:1-7
Order of Service
Hymn — God the Lord a King Remaineth
Call to Worship — Psalm 93
Hymn — Lord Have Mercy
Prayer of Invocation
Prayer of Confession
Assurance of Pardon — Exodus 34:6-7
Scripture Reading — Acts 24:1-21
Hymn — The Day of Resurrection
Pastoral Prayer
Offering
Prayer of Dedication
Hymn — Till He Come
Sermon
Hymn — O Quickly Come, Dread Judge of All
Benediction — Hebrews 13:20-21
Sermon Title: The Prophecy of David
Scripture: 2 Samuel 23:1-7
I. The Future Kingdom Is Joyful
A. David's oracle uses agrarian imagery to describe the Messianic King's reign
2 Samuel 23:4 — the king dawns like the morning light, like sun and rain that makes the grass sprout
The three harvest festivals (Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles) frame Israel's joy; each is tied to the land's abundance
B. The righteous rule of the Messianic King — not the sun or rain alone — is the true source of joy and abundance
2 Samuel 23:3 — "when one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God"
Worthless men are likened to thorns (2 Samuel 23:6); since Adam's fall, thorns symbolize misery and the curse
C. Christ fulfills all three harvest festivals
At Passover, Jesus declares his body true bread and his blood true drink
At the Feast of Tabernacles — John 7:37-38 — Jesus cries out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink," and in John 8:12 declares himself the light of the world
At Pentecost, the ascended Christ pours out the Spirit from the right hand of the Father
Application: Matthew 6 — "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness" — true joy and contentment are found in Christ's reign, not in the things of this world
II. The Future Kingdom Is Secure
A. 2 Samuel 23:5 — the Everlasting Covenant points back to the Davidic Covenant of 2 Samuel 7
God promised David's house, dynasty, and kingship would stand forever
"Ordered in all things and secure" — the kingdom reflects a new creation, reversing the curse of thorns and thistles
B. The Davidic Covenant finds its fulfillment in Christ's resurrection and ascension
Acts 13:32-35 — Paul declares that God fulfilled the promise to the fathers by raising Jesus; the coronation language of Psalm 2 ("You are my Son, today I have begotten you") is realized at Christ's enthronement
Christ rises never again to see corruption; the sure blessings of David are confirmed in him
C. Application: when self is on the throne, life fills with thorns and thistles — disorder and insecurity; only Christ's reign brings order, Shalom, and security
Submit to the righteous rule of the Messiah and seek first his kingdom
III. The Future Kingdom Is Precious
A. 2 Samuel 23:6-7 — worthless men (Hebrew: Belial — "without value") are like thorns that must be removed with iron tools and burned
Worthlessness does not equal harmlessness — thorns hurt and must be destroyed to protect what is valuable
The farmer's task of weeding illustrates Christ's work of purging enemies from his kingdom
B. Westminster Shorter Catechism Q. 26 — Christ executes his kingly office by subduing us to himself, ruling and defending us, and restraining and conquering all his and our enemies
C. Assurance for believers today
If you are a Christian who hates sin, Christ has subdued you to himself and is actively defending you
John 10:27-29 — "No one will snatch them out of my hand … no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand"
The only reason any believer remains in the faith is because Christ restrains and conquers every enemy — Satan and all his worthless forces
D. Application: you are precious to your King; one day Christ will cast all enemies into the Lake of Fire and you will know fully how precious you have always been to him — seek first his kingdom and righteous rule
28 min
June 25, 2023Prayer
Scripture: Matthew 6:5-15
Order of Service
Call to Worship — Psalm 24
Hymn — A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing (#289)
Prayer of Invocation
Scripture Reading — Psalm 4
Hymn — All Praise to Thee, My God, This Night (#401)
Pastoral Prayer
Sermon
Hymn — The Lord's Prayer (#725)
Benediction — Numbers 6:24-26
Sermon Title: The Right Custom, Current, and Content of Prayer
Scripture: Matthew 6:5-15
I. Your Communion with God in Prayer Has a Right Custom
A. Two wrong customs frame the right one (Matthew 6:5-7)
The wrong custom of the hypocrite — fueled by a wrong motivation; prayer offered merely to be seen by others; self-glory is the end (Matthew 6:5)
The wrong custom of the empty talker — fueled by a wrong belief about God; heaping up empty phrases as though God is moved by the volume or eloquence of words (Matthew 6:7)
Both wrong customs stem from excessive concern with impressing men or God; both bypass the heart
B. The right custom: prayer in the secret place (Matthew 6:6)
The believer stripped of performance, communing with God alone
Jesus himself modeled withdrawing to pray privately
Private prayer is commanded, but public prayer is not excluded — acts and epistles show the church praying publicly
Whether private or public, the posture is always the same: a leaning of the heart toward God, seeking him and seeking from him
II. Your Communion with God in Prayer Has a Confident Current
A. The core of prayer: your Father knows what you need before you ask him (Matthew 6:8)
Six times in the passage Jesus refers to God as "your Father" or "our Father," driving home the relationship of adoption
God's foreknowledge of our needs is not a reason to withhold prayer — it is the very reason to pray with confidence
The father-child analogy: a father often knows what his child needs before the child can form the words, yet still invites the child to ask
The confident current flows directly into the Lord's Prayer: "your Father knows… pray then like this" (Matthew 6:9)
III. Your Communion with God in Prayer Has a Theological Content
A. The Lord's Prayer as a model of theological prayer (Matthew 6:9-15)
Jesus is not prescribing a single rote formula but forming and fashioning a way of thinking about prayer
As image-bearers, humans alone have the capacity for a conscious religious life; the prayer reflects our position as creatures before the Creator
B. Theological truths embedded in the prayer
God as Father and reigning Lord — "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come" (Matthew 6:9-10)
Creaturely dependence — "your will be done… give us this day our daily bread" (Matthew 6:10-11); we are not self-sustaining; all we have comes from his hands
The reality of sin and our need for forgiveness — "forgive us our debts" (Matthew 6:12); we owe a debt we cannot pay
Our forgiveness of others is not a condition of God's forgiveness of us; rather, as Calvin notes, it is a seal — Christ's forgiveness overflows into our forgiving others (Matthew 6:14-15)
Dependence for protection — "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" (Matthew 6:13)
C. Application: Do your prayers reflect your theology?
How well do you know yourself, your needs, the world, and the God to whom you pray?
Christian, do you love to pray? — even the hypocrite loved to pray, but we are called to love prayer rightly, for God's glory
The goal: that others might say of us, "he loves to pray" or "she is a prayer warrior" — not for our glory but for God's
37 min

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

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