Northpointe PCA Sermons

Northpointe PCA Sermons

By Northpointe Presbyterian ChurchReligion & SpiritualityChristianity
Download on the App Store

Northpointe PCA Sermons episodes

  • The Surprising God who Sees

    Scripture: 1 Samuel 16:1-13

    Order of Service
    • Hymn — All People That on Earth Do Dwell
    • Call to Worship — Isaiah 12
    • Hymn — All People That on Earth Do Dwell
    • Prayer of Invocation
    • Confession of Faith (Nicene Creed)
    • Scripture Reading — Acts 8:26-40
    • Hymn — There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood
    • Pastoral Prayer
    • Offering
    • Hymn of Preparation — God Be Merciful to Me
    • Sermon
    • Closing Prayer
    • Hymn — Abide with Me
    • Benediction — 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
      • Sermon Title: The Surprising God Who Sees

      Scripture: 1 Samuel 16:1-13

      I. The Surprising God Sees Our Sadness

      A. Samuel is grieving deeply over Saul's rejection

      1. Samuel had walked with Saul for approximately 20 years, serving as mentor, corrector, and friend
      2. Samuel mourned not only personally but for the people of Israel — as goes the king, so goes the people
      3. Saul has hardened his heart, and there is fear and division across the kingdom

        4. B. God meets Samuel in his sorrow with both rebuke and grace

        1. The rebuke: "How long will you grieve over the one I have rejected?" — a righteous jealousy from the Lord
        2. The grace: the Hebrew word ra'ah (to see) first appears here — "I have provided for myself a king" (i.e., I will see to it myself)

          3. C. The remedy to Samuel's sorrow is God's glory, not the restoration of what was lost

          1. God does not say "I have provided a king for you, Samuel" — he says "for myself"
          2. Mary and Martha's ultimate remedy was not Lazarus restored, but the glory of God revealed in resurrection
          3. Revelation 21:4 — every tear wiped away in the context of God's glory filling the earth
          4. Application: Whatever has been lost, pressing on toward the glory of God in Christ is the true and lasting answer to sorrow
            5. II. The Surprising God Sees Our Hearts

            A. Samuel arrives in Bethlehem and immediately fixes his eyes on Eliab — tall, handsome, firstborn

            1. Notably, it is not foolish Israel but wise and godly Samuel who makes this mistake — showing the power of outward appearances
            2. Samuel had just grieved over the tall and handsome Saul, yet defaults to the same standard

              3. B. God's corrective word: 1 Samuel 16:7

              1. "The Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart"
              2. God peers behind the veneer of niceties into the private space of motive, character, intention, and desire

                3. C. The point of the passage is not David's purity but God's electing grace

                1. David is not named until verse 13 — his worthiness is never the focus
                2. Genesis 6:5, 8 — every heart is only evil continually, but Noah found grace in the eyes of God; grace precedes righteousness
                3. Psalm 51 (David's own words) — David was conceived and born in sin
                4. 2 Samuel 7:18 — David's response: "Who am I that you have brought me thus far?"
                5. Jeremiah 13:23 — telling a sinner to purify his own heart is like telling a leopard to change his spots

                  6. D. Application: The Beatitudes — Matthew 5:3

                  1. "Blessed are the poor in spirit" — those who recognize their spiritual bankruptcy before a holy God
                  2. The only fitness God requires is to feel your need of him (Come Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy)
                  3. God promises to hear all who cry out to him in faith and to save them to the uttermost
                    4. III. The Surprising God Sees Our Weakness

                    A. David is anointed simply and without ceremony; the Spirit of the Lord rushes upon him from that day forward

                    1. Unlike Saul, the Spirit remains on David for the remainder of his life
                    2. The Spirit equips David not merely for military exploits (e.g., Goliath in ch. 17) but for enduring intense persecution

                      3. B. David's trials reveal the Spirit's deeper purpose

                      1. Beginning in chapter 19, Saul drives David into caves and wilderness
                      2. The Psalms written in this context overflow with despondency and despair — yet God upholds David throughout
                      3. The Spirit's rushing upon David is not for a triumphant sunset but for withstanding the darkness of a fallen world

                        4. C. The David–Christ typology in Matthew's Gospel

                        1. Matthew 1 — Jesus is the Son of David
                        2. Matthew 2 — born in Bethlehem
                        3. Matthew 3 — the Spirit rushes upon Jesus; the Father declares, "This is my beloved Son"
                        4. Matthew 4 — immediately driven into the wilderness to do battle with Satan
                        5. Unlike David, Christ rises from the dead and pours out that same Spirit on his people

                          6. D. The Spirit's role for believers today (citing J.I. Packer)

                          1. The Spirit's primary role is to shine the light on Christ
                          2. The wilderness is not evidence that the Spirit is absent — it is the scene of the Spirit's presence
                          3. A Mighty Fortress Is Our God: "The Spirit and the gifts are ours through him who with us sideth"

                            4. E. Application: Whatever cave you find yourself in today — small trials (car trouble) or great ones (loss of a loved one) — the Spirit equips you to face them

                            1. Satan's temptation: "What's the point? Join the kingdom of this world"
                            2. The Spirit-equipped answer: "Christ is King, and his kingdom is forever"
                              3. 37 min
                            3. NOTE: There will be no audio streamed during our evening time of prayer, audio will resume when the message commences.

                              Scripture: 2 Peter 2:10b-16

                              Order of Service
                              • Call to Worship — Psalm 146
                              • Hymn — We Gather Together (#363)
                              • Catechism — Shorter Catechism Q&A #5
                              • Hymn — Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah (#57)
                              • Pastoral Prayer
                              • Sermon
                              • Hymn — The Church's One Foundation (#347)
                              • Benediction
                                • Sermon Title: False Teachers in the Church — Dishonoring Evil, Acting on Instinct, and Tainting the Body

                                Scripture: 2 Peter 2:10–16

                                I. False Teachers Dishonor Evil

                                A. Peter describes false teachers as bold and willful, blaspheming "the glorious ones" — likely the fallen angels referenced in 2 Peter 2:4

                                1. The holy angels, though greater in power, do not pronounce blasphemous judgment against fallen angels before the Lord
                                2. To "blaspheme" here does not mean worship — it means to fail to respect their dangerous reality

                                  3. B. The Greek word for blaspheme in this context carries the sense of mocking or dismissing a real and present danger

                                  1. Illustration: dressing up as evil spirits at Halloween, using Ouija boards — treating evil as a game
                                  2. We are to pray as Christ taught: deliver us from evil — or literally, from the evil one (Matthew 6:13)

                                    3. C. The reality of Satan and fallen angels has been evaporated from modern church language

                                    1. Spiritual battle has been replaced with primarily psychological categories
                                    2. Even the concept of evil has become archaic in many congregations
                                    3. Those who treat evil with mockery and arrogance, Peter warns, will be destroyed
                                      4. II. False Teachers Act on Instinct

                                      A. Peter compares false teachers to irrational animals — creatures of instinct born to be caught and destroyed (2 Peter 2:12)

                                      1. Their animal-like instincts are evident in sexual lust: eyes full of adultery, echoing Christ's words in Matthew 5:28
                                      2. Their revelry occurs in the daytime — a shocking boldness even beyond that of common drunkards

                                        3. B. Peter invokes the example of Balaam (Numbers 22–24)

                                        1. Balaam, hired by Balak king of Moab to curse Israel, was rebuked by his own donkey when he failed to see the angel of the Lord
                                        2. Unable to curse Israel directly, Balaam devised a plan to destroy Israel from within by enticing them into sexual immorality and idolatry with the Baal of Peor — 24,000 Israelites fell as a result
                                        3. The false teachers in Peter's day similarly seek to destroy the people of God by enticing unsteady souls

                                          4. C. Peter's use of Balaam carries a pointed irony: a donkey proves wiser than the false prophet

                                          1. Those who follow their lusts and greed are more foolish than the most foolish animal
                                          2. The world calls Bible-believing Christians irrational — Peter reverses this: unbiblical living is irrational and dehumanizing
                                          3. Sin dehumanizes; conformity to Christ as image-bearers of God is what is truly rational and human
                                            4. III. False Teachers Taint the Church

                                            A. Peter calls the false teachers "blots and blemishes" — a stark contrast to the imagery of Christ as the spotless Lamb (1 Peter 1:19) and the call to be found without spot or blemish (2 Peter 3:14)

                                            B. These false teachers are feasting with the body of Christ — whether in love feasts or the Lord's Supper — actively present within the congregation

                                            C. They prey on "unsteady souls" — those not grounded in the faith

                                            1. Christ's parable of the thorny soil applies here: the cares of the world and deceitfulness of riches choke the Word and make it unfruitful (Matthew 13:22)
                                            2. Such thorny confessors may nod assent to gospel truth but inwardly lust for flesh and money

                                              3. D. Peter calls them "accursed children" — children of the curse, not of blessing

                                              1. Jesus similarly addressed false teachers in John 8, calling the Pharisees and scribes children of Satan
                                              2. Balaam's method — leading 24,000 into idolatry and sexual immorality — mirrors what these teachers do within the church

                                                3. E. Application: The church today faces the same infiltration

                                                1. The ordination of practicing homosexuals and the normalization of gender confusion in major denominations reflects the bold and willful rebellion Peter describes
                                                2. The church must publicly and clearly denounce such teaching — this is not incompatible with love for sinners outside the church walls
                                                3. Peter's strong language — "accursed children" — is a model for public ecclesiastical pronouncement against false doctrine
                                                4. Christians are called to love all sinners, invite them into relationship, and share the gospel — but this must never translate into the church upholding wickedness as good or right
                                                  5. 26 min
                                                5. The Character of God

                                                  Scripture: 1 Samuel 15

                                                  Order of Service
                                                  • Hymn — I Sing the Mighty Power of God
                                                  • Call to Worship — Psalm 134
                                                  • Hymn — I Sing the Mighty Power of God
                                                  • Prayer of Invocation
                                                  • Corporate Confession of Sin — Isaiah 53
                                                  • Assurance of Pardon — 1 John 1:9
                                                  • Scripture Reading — Acts 8:1-25
                                                  • Hymn — Breathe on Me, Breath of God
                                                  • Reception of New Members
                                                  • Prayer for New Members
                                                  • Pastoral Prayer
                                                  • Offering
                                                  • Prayer of Dedication
                                                  • Hymn — Immortal, Invisible
                                                  • Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 15
                                                  • Sermon
                                                  • Lord's Supper
                                                  • Hymn — When I Survey the Wondrous Cross (stanzas 1–2)
                                                  • Institution of the Lord's Supper — 1 Corinthians 11
                                                  • Bread
                                                  • Cup
                                                  • Prayer of Thanksgiving
                                                  • Hymn — When I Survey the Wondrous Cross (stanzas 3–4)
                                                  • Benediction — Numbers 6:24-26
                                                    • Sermon Title: The Character of God

                                                    Scripture: 1 Samuel 15

                                                    I. God Is Just

                                                    A. God commands the utter destruction (cherem, the ban) of the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15:1-9)

                                                    1. The Amalekites attacked helpless Israel in the wilderness — see Exodus 17 and Deuteronomy 25:17-19
                                                    2. Their wickedness is catalogued in Leviticus 18 and 20: incest, homosexuality, bestiality, child sacrifice, adultery, murder
                                                    3. God is not destroying innocent people but judging entrenched, comprehensive wickedness

                                                      4. B. God's judgment was delayed almost 300 years, demonstrating his long-suffering

                                                      1. The Amalekites remained unrepentant sinners (1 Samuel 15:18, 33)
                                                      2. Contrast with Nineveh in Jonah: when they repented, God stayed his hand
                                                      3. The flood in Genesis 6 was similarly delayed roughly 120 years
                                                      4. 2 Peter 3:9-10: God is patient, not wishing any to perish, but the Day of the Lord will come

                                                        5. C. God's justice is exercised on behalf of his covenant people

                                                        1. He holds their tears in a bottle and takes account of persecution against them
                                                        2. Justice in a fallen world is often horrific in appearance — like a gallows, like the cross — yet it is good and salvific
                                                        3. The cross is the supreme display of God's justice: our wickedness placed on Christ, God's wrath poured out on sin (Romans 3)
                                                        4. We cannot know salvation apart from God's justice being satisfied
                                                          5. II. God Is Immutable

                                                          A. Samuel declares that the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for God is not a man (1 Samuel 15:29)

                                                          1. Immutability: God does not change in his being, character, or purposes and plans
                                                          2. This is an incommunicable attribute — not shared with creatures (unlike communicable attributes such as holiness, love, righteousness)

                                                            3. B. God's immutability here is specifically covenantal and gracious

                                                            1. Samuel ties God's unchangeableness to his promises to Israel — the Glory of Israel
                                                            2. Hebrews 6:13-17: God swore by himself to Abraham; his oath confirms the unchangeable character of his purpose
                                                            3. Saul is the king after Israel's own heart; God replaces him with a better king (David) for the sake of his promises, not because Israel deserved it

                                                              4. C. The Lord's Supper is a sign of God's immutable purposes

                                                              1. The bread and cup confirm that God's promise to be our God is established and concrete
                                                              2. Christ at God's right hand is the very Glory of Israel, the best King and best sacrifice, who has secured God's unchangeable redemptive purposes once for all
                                                                3. III. God Is Personal

                                                                A. The language of divine regret in 1 Samuel 15:11 and 35 gives a window into God's heart

                                                                1. This is an anthropopathism — God condescends (as Calvin says, prattling to us like infants) to express genuine anguish when his image-bearers turn from him
                                                                2. Recalls Genesis 6: God grieves that he made man; contrast Genesis 1:26 where he creates humanity to share in the joy of the Godhead
                                                                3. Sin grieves the Holy Spirit; it is a personal offense against a personal God, not merely the violation of an abstract rule

                                                                  4. B. Saul's sin exposes the nature of impersonal religion

                                                                  1. Saul erects a monument to himself (1 Samuel 15:12) rather than an altar to the Lord
                                                                  2. He claims to have saved the best spoil for sacrifice, but Samuel responds: to obey is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22-23)
                                                                  3. Rebellion is as the sin of divination; presumption is as iniquity and idolatry — all sin is personal rebellion against the personal God
                                                                  4. To reject the word of the Lord is to reject the Lord himself — cf. John 1:1

                                                                    5. C. Saul's concern is consistently with men, not God

                                                                    1. 1 Samuel 15:21: the people took the spoil; 15:24: I feared the people; 15:30: honor me before the elders
                                                                    2. True repentance looks like Psalm 51: Against you, and you only, have I sinned
                                                                    3. Our sacrifices and service must be motivated by personal love and devotion to God — drawing us closer, not appeasing him from a distance

                                                                      4. D. The Lord's Supper is an intimate, personal table

                                                                      1. God spares not his own Son — the most personal gift imaginable
                                                                      2. Through the bread and cup, Christ invites us into the joyous fellowship of the Godhead (Genesis 1:26)
                                                                      3. Come with penitent hearts — Against you only have I sinned — and with assurance that God is personally invested in his people
                                                                        4. 48 min
                                                                      4. The Ordination and Installation of Kevin Vollema
                                                                        Order of Service
                                                                        • Call to Worship — Psalm 100
                                                                        • Hymn — How Great Thou Art
                                                                        • Prayer of Invocation
                                                                        • Introduction of Commission Members
                                                                        • Scripture Reading — John 13:1-9
                                                                        • Prayer before Sermon
                                                                        • Sermon
                                                                        • Hymn — The Church's One Foundation
                                                                        • Constitutional Questions to the Candidate
                                                                        • Constitutional Questions to the Session
                                                                        • Prayer of Ordination
                                                                        • Laying on of Hands and Declaration of Ordination
                                                                        • Charge to the Ordinand — 2 Timothy 1:6-7
                                                                        • Charge to the Session — 2 Timothy 1:3, 2 Timothy 3:10
                                                                        • Pastoral Prayer
                                                                        • Hymn — A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
                                                                        • Benediction — Numbers 6:24-26
                                                                          • Sermon Title: The Beauty of Humility and the Difficulty of Empty Hands

                                                                          Scripture: John 13:1-9

                                                                          I. The Shocking Humility of Jesus at the Last Supper

                                                                          A. The setting: a dinner scene in which a host's servant would normally wash guests' feet

                                                                          B. Jesus, a rabbi, takes on the role of the lowest servant — removing his outer garments, tying a towel around his waist, and washing the disciples' feet
                                                                          C. The act points forward to the cross

                                                                          1. John 13:7 — "What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand" — Jesus means after his death and resurrection
                                                                          2. The water washing dirt from feet is a parable of his blood washing away sin
                                                                            3. II. The Subtle Pride of Peter — and of Us All

                                                                            A. Peter's emphatic refusal: John 13:8 — a double negative in the Greek, "You will never wash my feet"

                                                                            B. Peter's resistance is not humility — it is the inability to receive grace with empty hands

                                                                            1. Illustrated by Andy Catlett in Wendell Berry's Remembering: a farmer who loses his hand and cannot receive his wife Flora's inexhaustible care, because he does not see himself as lovable
                                                                            2. Illustrated by Jean Valjean in Victor Hugo's Les Misérables: the bishop's grace toward Valjean is described as "the trauma of grace" — Valjean dimly felt the pardon, and that was the hardest assault he had ever sustained
                                                                            3. As Flannery O'Connor said: grace must wound before it can heal
                                                                              4. C. The thread running through Andy Catlett, Valjean, and Peter runs through all of us — we all pull our feet back
                                                                              D. Peter's transformation: John 13:9 — "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head" — he surrenders and goes on surrendering
                                                                              III. The Call to Pastoral Humility — A Charge to the Ordinand

                                                                              A. Ministry brings enormous volume, variety, and intensity; the temptation is to carry burdens never meant to be carried

                                                                              B. A pastor has limited time, wisdom, focus, vision, strength, and health — his limits will disappoint people, and his sin will produce failure
                                                                              C. The deliberate, ongoing choice: pastor not with strength but with weakness and need of God's love

                                                                              1. Learn to live as God sees you — his son, not merely his servant
                                                                              2. Believe that he delights in you and not just your efforts for him
                                                                                3. D. Humility is the greatest friend of a pastor — more than relevance, numbers, popularity, or praise
                                                                              3. The posture of John the Baptist: "He must increase, I must decrease"
                                                                              4. Pride — wanting to bring something to the table, to make a name — is the most besetting sin of ministry
                                                                                5. E. The pastor's soul finds gravitas by embracing the hurts of his parishioners
                                                                              5. North Point brings nothing to the table but need; Christ brings all that he is
                                                                              6. These people are cherished, forgiven, engraved on Christ's heart, unsnatchable from his hand
                                                                              7. Lead them into green pastures and beside still waters; teach them about the inexhaustible heart of Jesus Christ — John 13:9: "Not my feet only but also my hands and my head"
                                                                                8. 24 min
                                                                              8. The Reformation & Confession

                                                                                Scripture: Colossians 2:16-23 & Timothy 1:13

                                                                                Order of Service
                                                                                • Call to Worship — Psalm 117
                                                                                • Hymn — A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
                                                                                • Prayer of Invocation
                                                                                • Confession of Faith — Luther's Small Catechism
                                                                                • Scripture Reading — Romans 8
                                                                                • Baptisms — Constance Wadley, Levi Wadley, and Parker Gunn
                                                                                • Prayer
                                                                                • Hymn
                                                                                • Pastoral Prayer
                                                                                • Offering
                                                                                • Hymn — In Christ Alone
                                                                                • Sermon
                                                                                • Hymn — Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
                                                                                • Benediction — 2 Corinthians 13:14
                                                                                  • Sermon Title: The Reformation and Confessions

                                                                                  Scripture: Colossians 2:16–23

                                                                                  I. Confessions Uphold Sola Scriptura — Scripture Alone as Authority

                                                                                  A. Paul warns against "human precepts and teachings" and "self-made religion" in Colossians 2:20–23, condemning man-made tradition treated as divine teaching (cf. Matthew 15)

                                                                                  B. In 2 Timothy 1:13 Paul instructs Timothy to "follow the pattern of sound words" — a structured, transmissible doctrinal tradition, not merely verbal repetition

                                                                                  C. The historic creeds and Reformed confessions embody this "pattern of sound words"

                                                                                  1. The Apostles', Nicene, and Chalcedonian Creeds carry forward apostolic orthodoxy
                                                                                  2. The reformers were not anti-tradition; they opposed man-made tradition and sought to re-establish scriptural tradition
                                                                                  3. The Westminster divines initially resisted proof-texting, preferring conclusions drawn from the whole counsel of God

                                                                                    4. D. Without confessional standards, Sola Scriptura becomes a vague slogan open to anarchic interpretation

                                                                                    1. The American church's "no creed but the Bible" motto in the early 1800s (documented in Nathan Hatch's The Democratization of American Christianity) led to the spread of Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, Unitarianism, and Universalism
                                                                                    2. Confessions give the church a shared "we confess" rather than a fragmented "I confess"
                                                                                      3. II. Confessions Uphold Solus Christus — Christ Alone

                                                                                      A. The false teaching in Colossae was a syncretism of Jewish ritualism (Colossians 2:16–19) and Greek mystical asceticism (Colossians 2:20–23)

                                                                                      1. The Jewish elements were genuinely scriptural — festivals, sabbaths, food laws — yet Paul says these are shadows; "the substance belongs to Christ" (Colossians 2:17)
                                                                                      2. Christ is the sum and substance of all Scripture's meaning

                                                                                        3. B. Paul himself answers false teaching with creedal and confessional language

                                                                                        1. Colossians 1:15–20 — Christ as firstborn of creation and firstborn from the dead
                                                                                        2. Philippians 2:6–11 — Christ's humiliation and exaltation, every knee bowing
                                                                                        3. 1 Timothy 3:16 — "Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh…"

                                                                                          4. C. Without confessional standards, "Christ" becomes whoever any teacher says he is

                                                                                          1. Every heterodox group — including Mormons — claims Scripture and Jesus; the Nicene Creed exposes the difference
                                                                                          2. Confessions draw a clear line: the triune God of one substance, Christ born of the virgin Mary, conceived by the Holy Spirit
                                                                                            3. III. Confessions Uphold Soli Deo Gloria — The Glory of God Alone

                                                                                            A. Paul's concern in Colossians 2:19 is that growth comes from God, not from human systems

                                                                                            1. Man-made religion gives the appearance of wisdom (Colossians 2:23) but has "no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh"
                                                                                            2. Human traditions offer false assurance: "so long as I follow this leader or observe this practice, I am good" — the very error Luther attacked in the indulgence system

                                                                                              3. B. Man-made religion is dangerously attractive to fallen human nature

                                                                                              1. Jim Jones led over 900 followers to death; Christ died utterly alone — a stark contrast showing how powerfully man-made religion captivates fallen hearts
                                                                                              2. Cult leaders often wielded Scripture literally while ignoring the orthodox pattern of sound words

                                                                                                3. C. The Reformed confessions liberate the church from self-made religion and anchor it in God's glory alone

                                                                                                1. From the Augsburg Confession (1530) to the Westminster Confession and the London Baptist Confession (1689), the reformers — Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, Bullinger, Ursinus, Owen, Goodwin — labored to give the church a biblically robust confessional standard
                                                                                                2. These confessions uphold all five Solas: Scripture alone, Grace alone, Faith alone, Christ alone, to the Glory of God alone
                                                                                                3. As Spurgeon warned: we eagerly hear what the Spirit says to us but care little for what the Spirit has said to others — confessions guard against this arrogance by connecting us to the faith "once for all delivered to the saints"
                                                                                                  4. 35 min
                                                                                                4. October 24, 2021; Sunday Evening Worship

                                                                                                  Scripture: 2 Peter 2:1-10

                                                                                                  Order of Service
                                                                                                  • Call to Worship — Psalm 66:1-5
                                                                                                  • Hymn — Great Is Thy Faithfulness (#32)
                                                                                                  • Shorter Catechism — Question and Answer 4
                                                                                                  • Hymn — Amazing Grace (#416)
                                                                                                  • Pastoral Prayer
                                                                                                  • Scripture Reading — 2 Peter 2:1-10
                                                                                                  • Sermon
                                                                                                  • Hymn — Blessed Assurance (#693)
                                                                                                  • Benediction — Numbers 6:24-26
                                                                                                    • Sermon Title: The Character, Aim, and End of False Teachers

                                                                                                    Scripture: 2 Peter 2:1-10

                                                                                                    I. The Character of False Teachers

                                                                                                    A. They are manipulative — they secretly bring in destructive heresies (2 Peter 2:1)

                                                                                                    1. "Heresy" in Greek means something other than what has been generally accepted — the opposite of orthodoxy (right teaching)
                                                                                                    2. This follows directly from 2 Peter 1:19-21: the Old Testament Scriptures are the foundation on which the gospel rests
                                                                                                    3. False teachers historically distort Christ by neglecting or rejecting the Old Testament (e.g., Marcion in the second century, who rejected the entire Old Testament canon)
                                                                                                    4. When the Old Testament is set aside, Christ is more easily molded to cultural norms; the New Testament becomes far more susceptible to distortion
                                                                                                    5. False teachers rarely make a bold frontal assault — they are vague, adopting the language of the surrounding culture to gain a hearing

                                                                                                      6. B. They are morally flawed — they live according to sensuality (2 Peter 2:2)

                                                                                                      1. Their doctrine promotes a sensual, promiscuous lifestyle
                                                                                                      2. They distort the liberty of the gospel — turning freedom from sin into freedom to sin
                                                                                                      3. False doctrine and false living go hand in hand; sometimes false doctrine leads to false living, but often false living comes first and drives the reconstruction of doctrine
                                                                                                      4. The distortion of Christian liberty through sexuality is nothing new — it was present in Peter's day and should be expected today
                                                                                                        5. II. The Aim of False Teachers

                                                                                                        A. Their aim is exploitation — greed, power, and influence (2 Peter 2:3)

                                                                                                        1. They feed congregations with false words in order to line their own pockets — a first-century prosperity gospel
                                                                                                        2. The prosperity gospel is not uniquely American; it has existed since the fall of man

                                                                                                          3. B. They claim secret knowledge — a form of Gnosticism

                                                                                                          1. Second- and third-century Gnostic teachers claimed exclusive spiritual secrets accessible only through them
                                                                                                          2. This same pattern is visible today: "You have no standing to speak unless you have had the right experiences" — experience replaces objective truth
                                                                                                          3. The so-called enlightened ones silence opposition through slander and character assassination because their aim is power and influence, not truth
                                                                                                          4. This pattern is seen in Paul's ministry: he repeatedly had to defend himself against sophists in Corinth and Judaizers in Galatia — both sought the people's ear and needed to destroy opposition to maintain influence (Galatians 1; 1 Corinthians 1-2)
                                                                                                            5. III. The End of False Teachers

                                                                                                            A. Their condemnation is certain and already ordained (2 Peter 2:3)

                                                                                                            1. "Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep"

                                                                                                              2. B. Peter provides three historical examples of God's sure judgment (2 Peter 2:4-8)

                                                                                                              1. The fallen angels — cast into hell and committed to chains of gloomy darkness until judgment
                                                                                                              2. The ancient world — God brought the flood on the ungodly but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, and seven others
                                                                                                              3. Sodom and Gomorrah — condemned to extinction as an example, yet righteous Lot was rescued

                                                                                                                4. C. The purpose of these examples: confidence for the church (2 Peter 2:9)

                                                                                                                1. "The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment"
                                                                                                                2. False teachers are, in effect, already on death row — imprisoned within their sin, awaiting full judgment
                                                                                                                3. Romans 1:18, 24, 26 — God's giving them over to their lusts is their judgment; their glorying in sensuality and false doctrine is the evidence of their prison house
                                                                                                                4. Augustine's Confessions: the pursuit of autonomous freedom was itself his prison; those from whom God withdraws restraining grace are left to their own destruction

                                                                                                                  5. D. The inverted wisdom of God — apparent victory is actual defeat

                                                                                                                  1. 1 Corinthians 1-2 — God's wisdom is inverted: at the cross, when Satan declared victory, God sealed Satan's destruction
                                                                                                                  2. Every declaration that "the church is dead" or "God is dead" mirrors this pattern — those who mock are only sealing their own fate
                                                                                                                  3. We are to be assured: God has delivered his remnant before (Noah, Lot), he is doing so now, and he will do so for his church in the future
                                                                                                                    4. 28 min
                                                                                                                  4. Self-serving Piety

                                                                                                                    Scripture: 1 Samuel 14:24-52

                                                                                                                    Order of Service
                                                                                                                    • Announcements
                                                                                                                    • Hymn — Spirit of the Living God
                                                                                                                    • Hymn — Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart
                                                                                                                    • Call to Worship — Psalm 113
                                                                                                                    • Prayer of Invocation
                                                                                                                    • Confession of Faith — 1 Timothy 3:16
                                                                                                                    • Scripture Reading — Acts 7:29-60
                                                                                                                    • Hymn — All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name
                                                                                                                    • Pastoral Prayer
                                                                                                                    • Offering Prayer
                                                                                                                    • Hymn — Not What My Hands Have Done
                                                                                                                    • Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 14:24-52
                                                                                                                    • Sermon
                                                                                                                    • Hymn — My Faith Has Found a Resting Place
                                                                                                                    • Benediction
                                                                                                                      • Sermon Title: Self-Serving Piety

                                                                                                                      Scripture: 1 Samuel 14:24-52

                                                                                                                      I. Self-Serving Piety Brings Disruption to Salvation

                                                                                                                      A. Saul's rash oath burdens the people rather than liberating them

                                                                                                                      1. The people are described as "hard pressed" and "faint" — language echoing the Philistine oppression of 1 Samuel 13:6
                                                                                                                      2. Saul's vow depletes Israel's fighting strength, limiting the victory over the Philistines
                                                                                                                      3. The thread runs through the whole passage: the Philistines are never fully routed; 1 Samuel 14:52 notes "hard fighting against the Philistines all the days of Saul"

                                                                                                                        4. B. Saul's piety is self-serving, not God-glorifying

                                                                                                                        1. Verse 23 declares "the Lord saved Israel that day," but verse 24 shifts to Saul's words: "I am avenged on my enemies" — the battle becomes his, not the Lord's
                                                                                                                        2. Contrast with Jonathan in 1 Samuel 14:6, who called the Philistines "uncircumcised," recognizing them as the Lord's enemy and the battle as the Lord's

                                                                                                                          3. C. Self-serving piety removes the freedom and joy of salvation

                                                                                                                          1. Jonathan says the people should have "eaten freely" of the spoil — freedom is the natural response to the Lord's victory
                                                                                                                          2. Paul warns against returning to a yoke of slavery in Galatians 5:1
                                                                                                                          3. The Reformation parallel: Luther's nailing of the 95 Theses freed the people from the suffocating self-serving piety of Rome and unleashed the gospel
                                                                                                                            4. II. Self-Serving Piety Brings Disobedience to the Saved

                                                                                                                            A. Saul's oath produces the very sin it was meant to prevent

                                                                                                                            1. The famished people slaughter animals and eat meat with the blood, violating Leviticus 3:17
                                                                                                                            2. Saul then corrects this by building an altar — a godly response to a problem created by his own godless oath

                                                                                                                              3. B. Self-serving piety provokes rebellion rather than obedience

                                                                                                                              1. Leaders who heap burdens on God's people drive them toward disobedience and away from God
                                                                                                                              2. Paul's warning to fathers not to provoke children to anger applies equally to church leaders (Ephesians 6:4)
                                                                                                                              3. Luther's testimony: "I hated the righteous God" — self-serving piety brought him to hatred of his Creator before he discovered the gospel of grace
                                                                                                                              4. The question for believers: what kind of God are we displaying — a slave-master with arbitrary rules, or the God of grace, love, and mercy?

                                                                                                                                5. C. Minor distinctions are elevated to majors, creating false lines of inclusion and exclusion

                                                                                                                                1. This gives the appearance of controlling God's declarations rather than submitting to them
                                                                                                                                2. Self-serving piety feeds on making the pious person the standard rather than Christ
                                                                                                                                  3. III. Self-Serving Piety Brings Destruction to the Savior

                                                                                                                                  A. Saul's oath leads him to condemn Jonathan, the very instrument of Israel's salvation

                                                                                                                                  1. God falls silent when Saul inquires, signaling unresolved sin in the camp
                                                                                                                                  2. Saul swears with religious zeal — "as the Lord lives" — that even Jonathan must die (1 Samuel 14:39)
                                                                                                                                  3. Parallel with Jephthah's rash vow in Judges 11
                                                                                                                                  4. Solomon's wisdom: "It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it" (Ecclesiastes 5:5)

                                                                                                                                    5. B. The people ransom Jonathan, recognizing him as God's instrument of salvation

                                                                                                                                    1. "Shall Jonathan die who has worked this great salvation in Israel?" (1 Samuel 14:45)
                                                                                                                                    2. The people intercede and Jonathan is ransomed — likely through substitutionary atonement at the altar Saul had built

                                                                                                                                      3. C. Jonathan as a type of Christ

                                                                                                                                      1. Jonathan says, "Here I am, I will die" — willingly bearing the curse for the people's sake
                                                                                                                                      2. Unlike Jonathan, Christ received no ransom from the people; the crowd cried "Crucify him" — the self-serving piety of the scribes and Pharisees placed the true Savior on trial
                                                                                                                                      3. Like Isaac on Mount Moriah, Jonathan was ransomed; Christ received no ram in the thicket
                                                                                                                                      4. Christ became the curse for us (Galatians 3:13) — he was not ransomed because he was the ransom; he had no substitute because he was the substitute
                                                                                                                                      5. Through Christ, God's silence is broken forever: "It is finished" — victory over sin and death declared once and for all
                                                                                                                                        6. 45 min
                                                                                                                                      6. October 17, 2021; Sunday Evening Worship

                                                                                                                                        Scripture: 2 Peter 1:12-21

                                                                                                                                        Order of Service
                                                                                                                                        • Call to Worship — Psalm 34:1-7
                                                                                                                                        • Hymn — Hallelujah, Thine the Glory (#179)
                                                                                                                                        • Shorter Catechism — Question 3
                                                                                                                                        • Hymn — (#501)
                                                                                                                                        • Pastoral Prayer
                                                                                                                                        • Scripture Reading — 2 Peter 1:12-21
                                                                                                                                        • Prayer for Illumination
                                                                                                                                        • Sermon
                                                                                                                                        • Hymn — How Firm a Foundation (#94)
                                                                                                                                        • Benediction — Philippians 4:7-9
                                                                                                                                          • Sermon Title: The Sure Word of Life and Godliness

                                                                                                                                          Scripture: 2 Peter 1:12-21

                                                                                                                                          I. The Sure Word Is a Word to Be Remembered

                                                                                                                                          A. Peter's burden in 2 Peter 1:12-15 is to remind his people of the gospel

                                                                                                                                          1. He speaks of remembrance three times: he intends always to remind them, to stir them up by way of reminder, and to make provision so they can recall these things after his departure
                                                                                                                                          2. Peter writes as an apostle and ambassador of the true gospel — his burning passion is that his flock remember and recall the truth

                                                                                                                                            3. B. Peter is writing to people who already know these things and are established in them, yet still need to be reminded

                                                                                                                                            1. False gospels and empty messages assail us constantly — pleasures, self-saving works, doubts
                                                                                                                                            2. The remedy: remember the word read, remember the word preached; preach the true gospel to yourself every day

                                                                                                                                              3. C. Peter's written record provides lasting nourishment even after his death

                                                                                                                                              1. Peter is transient, but the word he leaves is lasting
                                                                                                                                              2. The promise of life and the call to godliness is a word worthy to be remembered again and again
                                                                                                                                                3. II. The Sure Word Is Built on Apostolic Witness

                                                                                                                                                A. Peter shifts to the first-person plural in 2 Peter 1:16-18, speaking as one of the apostles who were eyewitnesses of Christ

                                                                                                                                                1. He recounts the Transfiguration — Peter, James, and John witnessed the unveiled glory of Christ on the holy mountain
                                                                                                                                                2. They heard the voice of the Father declare, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased"

                                                                                                                                                  3. B. Eyewitness testimony grounds the reliability of the apostolic message

                                                                                                                                                  1. Peter contrasts the apostolic witness with "cleverly devised myths" — the kind the false teachers promote
                                                                                                                                                  2. The church is built on the foundation of the apostles who proclaim Christ's life, death, and resurrection (cf. Paul's defense of his apostleship)

                                                                                                                                                    3. C. The apostolic message is entirely about Christ

                                                                                                                                                    1. Christ — the eternal Son of God made incarnate — is the one to whom all power, majesty, honor, and glory belong
                                                                                                                                                    2. The coming of Christ referenced here points to the promised Second Coming, which the false teachers deny
                                                                                                                                                    3. In light of Christ's return, Peter calls believers to godliness — to be found without spot or blemish, diligent in sanctification
                                                                                                                                                      4. III. The Sure Word Is Built on Inspired Revelation

                                                                                                                                                      A. In 2 Peter 1:19-21, Peter points to the prophetic word as a second ground for the sure word

                                                                                                                                                      1. The Greek of verse 19 speaks of the "reliable" or "abiding" prophetic word — the Old Testament is not lacking but is itself firm and confirmed
                                                                                                                                                      2. Peter's argument: the apostolic witness to Jesus stands on ground already prepared by the Old Testament prophets — from Moses to Malachi, the Scriptures spoke of Christ

                                                                                                                                                        3. B. Old and New Testaments together form one complete inspired revelation

                                                                                                                                                        1. The Old Testament promises and prophesies the coming Messiah; the New Testament bears apostolic witness to the historical incarnation of that Messiah
                                                                                                                                                        2. Christ himself on the road to Emmaus: all the Law and the Prophets were pointing to him (cf. Luke 24:27)

                                                                                                                                                          3. C. The nature of inspiration: 2 Peter 1:20-21

                                                                                                                                                          1. No prophecy comes from someone's own interpretation or the will of man
                                                                                                                                                          2. The Holy Spirit did not replace the human authors' minds — he bore them along in all their human fullness, making use of their histories, faculties, and experience, inspiring them to write exactly what God decreed

                                                                                                                                                            3. D. The sure word is a lamp shining in a dark place (2 Peter 1:19)

                                                                                                                                                            1. All other lights — political figures, celebrities, entertainment — offer only dim imitations that cannot pierce the darkness
                                                                                                                                                            2. The Morning Star is Christ himself (cf. Revelation 22:16) — all Scripture points either ahead to or back upon him
                                                                                                                                                            3. Christ alone can satisfy the weary soul; false teachers offer only sand and pebbles — Christ is the Rock
                                                                                                                                                              4. 37 min
                                                                                                                                                            4. Godly Courage Versus Godless Fear

                                                                                                                                                              Scripture: 1 Samuel 14:1-23

                                                                                                                                                              Order of Service
                                                                                                                                                              • Announcements
                                                                                                                                                              • Call to Worship — Psalm 105:1-3
                                                                                                                                                              • Hymn — We Gather Together
                                                                                                                                                              • Prayer of Invocation
                                                                                                                                                              • Corporate Confession of Sin
                                                                                                                                                              • Assurance of Pardon — Psalm 130:3-4
                                                                                                                                                              • Scripture Reading — Acts 7:1-29
                                                                                                                                                              • Hymn — Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah
                                                                                                                                                              • Pastoral Prayer
                                                                                                                                                              • Offering
                                                                                                                                                              • Hymn — Onward, Christian Soldiers
                                                                                                                                                              • Sermon
                                                                                                                                                              • Hymn — Lead On, O King Eternal
                                                                                                                                                              • Benediction
                                                                                                                                                                • Sermon Title: Godly Courage Versus Godless Fear

                                                                                                                                                                Scripture: 1 Samuel 14:1-23

                                                                                                                                                                I. Good Company Versus Bad Company

                                                                                                                                                                A. Jonathan's good company: his armor-bearer

                                                                                                                                                                1. The armor-bearer was not merely a luggage carrier but a fellow combatant and right-hand man in battle
                                                                                                                                                                2. His response in verse 7 — "Behold, I am with you heart and soul" — reflects confidence not in Jonathan himself, but in Yahweh whom Jonathan trusts
                                                                                                                                                                3. Jonathan frames the battle covenantally, calling the Philistines "the uncircumcised," identifying the conflict as the Lord's battle between covenant and non-covenant peoples
                                                                                                                                                                4. Jonathan's words echo Samuel's charge to Saul in 1 Samuel 10: "Do what your hand finds to do, for God is with you"
                                                                                                                                                                5. Nothing inspires courage in others more than a man of strong faith — as Martin Luther's stand at the Diet of Worms inspired men like Martin Bucer

                                                                                                                                                                  6. B. Saul's bad company: Ahijah the priest of the line of Eli

                                                                                                                                                                  1. The author singles out Ahijah from among the 600, giving his genealogy: son of Ahitub, brother of Ichabod, son of Phinehas, son of Eli (1 Samuel 14:3)
                                                                                                                                                                  2. The mention of Ichabod is deliberate — his name means "the glory has departed," born on the day the ark was captured and Eli's line was judged
                                                                                                                                                                  3. Saul, who departed from Samuel (the true mouthpiece of God), now keeps company with the rejected priestly line — the line of departing glory
                                                                                                                                                                  4. This foreshadows 1 Samuel 15:29: "The Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret" — the glory must depart from Saul
                                                                                                                                                                  5. Proverbs 13:20 — "Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm"

                                                                                                                                                                    6. C. Application: Who are your comrades and heroes? Who you walk with shapes whether you fight or hide in a cave.

                                                                                                                                                                    II. Inactivity Versus Activity

                                                                                                                                                                    A. Saul's inactivity

                                                                                                                                                                    1. Saul sits in the cave at Migron with 600 men, doing nothing
                                                                                                                                                                    2. He possesses the ephod (the Urim and Thummim used to inquire of the Lord) but does not use it
                                                                                                                                                                    3. He only thinks to inquire of God after the battle has already begun (1 Samuel 14:18)
                                                                                                                                                                    4. Even then, he dismisses the priest and rushes into battle without hearing the Lord's instruction — repeating the pattern seen in chapter 13

                                                                                                                                                                      5. B. Jonathan's active faith

                                                                                                                                                                      1. Before engaging, Jonathan seeks a confirming sign from the Lord: if the Philistines say "come up," the Lord has given them into Israel's hands
                                                                                                                                                                      2. This contrasts sharply with Israel's superstitious use of the ark in 1 Samuel 4 — Jonathan does not treat God as a magic instrument but genuinely inquires of Him
                                                                                                                                                                      3. God fights alongside Jonathan: an earthquake and great panic cause the Philistines to turn on one another
                                                                                                                                                                      4. Even Israelite defectors who had joined the Philistines switch sides when they see God's power at work

                                                                                                                                                                        5. C. Application

                                                                                                                                                                        1. God brings clarity not to those sitting in caves but to those actively pursuing His ways and trusting His promises
                                                                                                                                                                        2. There is a difference between nodding "yes and amen" to God's promises in passivity and actually moving in concert with them
                                                                                                                                                                        3. 2 Peter 1 — "Practice godliness and make your calling and election sure"
                                                                                                                                                                        4. A boxer who keeps his arms down gets knocked out — God has called us to a fight, not a meadow; we must engage
                                                                                                                                                                          5. III. The Possibilities with God Versus the Impossibilities with Man

                                                                                                                                                                          A. The impossibility with man seen in Saul

                                                                                                                                                                          1. Saul counts men and sees 600 against 30,000 chariots — by every human calculation, inaction is rational
                                                                                                                                                                          2. Saul and Israel have only two weapons between them (his own and Jonathan's)
                                                                                                                                                                          3. Seeing only on the horizontal plane — through the eyes of man — produces paralysis and fear

                                                                                                                                                                            4. B. The endless possibilities with God seen in Jonathan

                                                                                                                                                                            1. 1 Samuel 14:6 — "It may be that the Lord will work for us, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few"
                                                                                                                                                                            2. Jonathan's "it may be / perhaps" reflects the faith of Gideon (Judges 7:2) — God reduced 32,000 to 300 so Israel would not boast that their own hand saved them
                                                                                                                                                                            3. Dale Ralph Davis: Jonathan's "perhaps" is part of his faith — he confesses the power of Yahweh while retaining the freedom of Yahweh; faith does not make God its errand boy
                                                                                                                                                                            4. Biblical examples of "perhaps/maybe" faith:
                                                                                                                                                                              • David prays for his dying son (2 Samuel 12) — "Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me?"
                                                                                                                                                                              • Joel calls Israel to repentance — "Who knows whether he will turn and relent?"
                                                                                                                                                                              • Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3) — "Our God is able to deliver us… but even if he does not, we will not serve your gods"
                                                                                                                                                                              • Jesus in Gethsemane — "Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not my will but yours" (Matthew 26:39)
                                                                                                                                                                              • Matthew 19:26 — "With man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible"

                                                                                                                                                                                • C. The gospel and application

                                                                                                                                                                                1. Our salvation is only possible because it is impossible for God to abandon His holiness — the Son must go to the cross; there is no other way
                                                                                                                                                                                2. Christ's courageous faith at Gethsemane — hearing "no other way" from the Father, He did not turn away but went all the way to the cross
                                                                                                                                                                                3. True faith says: "Who knows, perhaps… but even if not, I will serve God unto death and into glory"
                                                                                                                                                                                4. This faith is not self-generated — it is a Spirit-wrought gift from above, opening our eyes to gaze upon Christ alone
                                                                                                                                                                                  5. 45 min
                                                                                                                                                                                5. A Godly Life

                                                                                                                                                                                  Scripture: 2 Peter 1:5-11

                                                                                                                                                                                  Order of Service
                                                                                                                                                                                  • Call to Worship — Romans 12:1
                                                                                                                                                                                  • Hymn — All People That on Earth Do Dwell (#1)
                                                                                                                                                                                  • Catechism — Westminster Shorter Catechism, Question & Answer #2
                                                                                                                                                                                  • Hymn — Trust and Obey (#672)
                                                                                                                                                                                  • Pastoral Prayer
                                                                                                                                                                                  • Scripture Reading — 2 Peter 1:5–11
                                                                                                                                                                                  • Sermon
                                                                                                                                                                                  • Hymn — Take Time to Be Holy (#537)
                                                                                                                                                                                  • Benediction
                                                                                                                                                                                    • Sermon Title: A Godly Life

                                                                                                                                                                                    Scripture: 2 Peter 1:5–11

                                                                                                                                                                                    I. The Way of a Godly Life (vv. 5–7)

                                                                                                                                                                                    A. Peter lists a chain of godly characteristics, each building on the one before it, beginning with faith as the foundation

                                                                                                                                                                                    1. Faith looks backward to Christ's finished work and forward to the unseen eternal kingdom — Hebrews 11:1
                                                                                                                                                                                    2. Any pursuit of godliness apart from faith will bring misery and destruction

                                                                                                                                                                                      3. B. Virtue (excellence) — praiseworthy, honorable, high moral living

                                                                                                                                                                                      C. Knowledge — practical wisdom, not mere intellectual accumulation; living virtuously on the right path, not the path of the fool

                                                                                                                                                                                      D. Self-control — mastery over bodily passions; one cannot claim wisdom while enslaved to fleshly desires

                                                                                                                                                                                      E. Steadfastness — when self-control fails and we fall, we persevere; a gracious provision for the reality described in Romans 7

                                                                                                                                                                                      F. Godliness — 1 Timothy 3:16: the mystery of godliness is Christ himself, manifested in the flesh

                                                                                                                                                                                      1. In 1 Peter, the pattern for godly living is Christ's example of submission, service, and suffering

                                                                                                                                                                                        2. G. Brotherly affection — tender, compassionate care specifically for fellow believers in the church

                                                                                                                                                                                        H. Love — extends beyond the church to all people, including enemies; as taught in the parable of the Good Samaritan

                                                                                                                                                                                        II. The Effect of a Godly Life (vv. 8–9)

                                                                                                                                                                                        A. The key verb is increasing — Christians are always a work in progress; we need not possess these qualities fully, but we must be growing in them — Philippians 3

                                                                                                                                                                                        B. Those who are increasing in these qualities will not be ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of Christ

                                                                                                                                                                                        C. Those who lack these qualities and remain in unrepentance are blind — they have forgotten their cleansing from sin (v. 9)

                                                                                                                                                                                        1. The primary target is apostates — those baptized and in the church who walk away; they were never truly of us — 1 John 2:19
                                                                                                                                                                                        2. Secondarily, Peter addresses the spiritually backsliding believer going through the motions without pursuing godliness

                                                                                                                                                                                          3. D. True knowledge of Christ is manifested in fruit-bearing — Matthew 13:23

                                                                                                                                                                                          1. One who truly understands the gospel will bear fruit and pursue godliness
                                                                                                                                                                                          2. If someone is not pursuing personal holiness, there is reason to question whether they truly know Christ
                                                                                                                                                                                            3. III. The Assurance of a Godly Life (vv. 10–11)

                                                                                                                                                                                            A. Election must be understood from two perspectives

                                                                                                                                                                                            1. From God's perspective: election is his eternal decree, set before the foundation of the world — Ephesians 1:4; 2 Timothy 2:19; Romans 8:30
                                                                                                                                                                                            2. From man's perspective: the secret things belong to God, but the revealed things belong to us — Deuteronomy 29:29

                                                                                                                                                                                              3. B. We are not given knowledge of who the elect are, but we are told what the life of the elect looks like: a pursuit of godliness

                                                                                                                                                                                              1. Paul was confident the Philippians would persevere because he witnessed godliness in them — Philippians 1
                                                                                                                                                                                              2. Paul was uncertain about the Galatians because he saw godlessness in their lives

                                                                                                                                                                                                3. C. Personal assurance of election is bolstered by pursuing godliness; the Holy Spirit confirms with our spirit that we are children of God as we grow in sanctification

                                                                                                                                                                                                D. The reward: a rich entrance into the eternal kingdom (v. 11) — not merely admitted, but welcomed with rejoicing

                                                                                                                                                                                                1. J. C. Ryle quote: an unholy person would find heaven miserable — its pleasures, company, and worship would be foreign and unbearable
                                                                                                                                                                                                2. Heaven is a never-ending sabbath of holy worship; only those trained in the school of grace will find joy there
                                                                                                                                                                                                3. The way to heaven is the way of holiness; pursuing godliness now is preparation for the holy joy of eternity
                                                                                                                                                                                                  4. 35 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.