Northpointe PCA Sermons

Northpointe PCA Sermons

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Northpointe PCA Sermons episodes

  • Rev. Bob Penny

    Scripture: Acts 10

    Order of Service
    • Call to Worship — Psalm 95:1-11
    • Hymn
    • Prayer of Invocation
    • Prayer of Confession — from Psalm 51
    • Assurance of Pardon — from Psalm 51
    • Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 20:1-17
    • Pastoral Prayer
    • Special Music
    • Sermon
    • Hymn
    • Benediction — 2 Corinthians 13:14
      • Sermon Title: The Gospel Goes to the Gentiles

      Scripture: Acts 10:1-48

      I. The Character of Cornelius

      A. Cornelius was a Roman centurion — commander of a hundred men — stationed at Caesarea

      B. He is described in four ways:

      1. Devout
      2. God-fearing, with his whole household
      3. Generous in giving alms to the people
      4. Devoted to continual prayer
        5. C. He was well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation (Acts 10:22)
        D. Cornelius is a "one and done" figure in Scripture — appearing only in this chapter — yet his example is rich and instructive
        II. The Vision and the Divine Coordination

        A. Cornelius received a vision at the ninth hour: an angel directed him to send for Peter in Joppa (Acts 10:3-6)

        B. Peter received a complementary vision on the rooftop: a sheet lowered from heaven containing all kinds of animals, with a voice saying, "What God has made clean, do not call common" (Acts 10:9-16)
        C. The Holy Spirit confirmed the connection, telling Peter to go with the men without hesitation (Acts 10:19-20)
        D. The two visions are complementary — God was orchestrating the first proclamation of the gospel to the Gentiles

        III. Cornelius's Gospel Expectations

        A. He gathered his family, relatives, and close friends to hear the word — godly family leadership in action (Acts 10:24)

        B. His declaration sets the tone for the whole gathering: "We are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord" (Acts 10:33)

        1. This is the right posture for any congregation gathered for worship
        2. To be in the presence of God is not to be taken lightly (Matthew 18:20)
          3. C. The preached word comes as pastor and elders pray and seek what God has commanded for a particular congregation
          IV. Peter's Gospel Message

          A. Peter declared that God shows no partiality — in every nation, those who fear him and do what is right are acceptable to him (Acts 10:34-35)

          B. The content of the gospel Peter preached:

          1. God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power (Acts 10:38)
          2. Jesus went about doing good and healing all oppressed by the devil
          3. He was put to death — hung on a tree
          4. God raised him on the third day (Acts 10:40)
          5. The apostles were witnesses who ate and drank with him after the resurrection
          6. He is appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead (Acts 10:42)
            7. C. The culminating promise: "Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name" (Acts 10:43)
          7. This includes the worst of sinners — even Paul, the former persecutor of the church (Acts 9)
          8. Justification by faith brings peace with God — this is the most important message in the world (Romans 5:1)
            9. V. A Mini-Pentecost Among the Gentiles

            A. While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word (Acts 10:44)

            B. The Jewish believers with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles
            C. This mirrors the outpouring in Acts 2 — the same Spirit, now extended beyond Israel
            D. Peter commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 10:48)

            32 min
          9. Rev. Larry Mills

            Scripture: Psalms 139:1-12

            Order of Service
            • Call to Worship — Psalm 98:1-3
            • Hymn
            • Prayer of Invocation
            • Affirmation of Faith — Nicene Creed
            • Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 19:11-24
            • Pastoral Prayer
            • Offering
            • Hymn
            • Sermon
            • Hymn
            • Benediction — 2 Corinthians 13:14
              • Sermon Title: From Lonely to Loved — Knowing God Is Always Present

              Scripture: Psalm 139:1-12

              I. God Knows Me Intimately

              A. He knows who I am — "You have searched me and known me" (Psalm 139:1)

              B. He knows what I do — when I sit down and rise up (Psalm 139:2)
              C. He knows what I think — "You discern my thoughts from afar" (Psalm 139:2)
              D. He knows where I go — "You search out my path and my lying down" (Psalm 139:3)
              E. He knows what I say — even before a word is on my tongue (Psalm 139:4)
              F. He knows what I need — "You hem me in, behind and before" (Psalm 139:5)
              G. This knowledge is not cold or distant — it is personal, beloved, and caring

              1. David seeks the limits of God's love and understanding
              2. The psalmist marvels: "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me" (Psalm 139:6)
              3. The great news: we are never alone; the Lord is always with us
                4. II. God Is Present Everywhere — There Is No Escape

                A. The psalmist asks where he can flee from God's Spirit or presence (Psalm 139:7)

                B. God is present in death — in heaven and in Sheol (Psalm 139:8)

                1. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord
                2. The soul continues for eternity — there is no annihilation
                3. Whether in blessing or judgment, God will meet every person at death
                  4. C. God is present at the farthest distance — "the uttermost parts of the sea" (Psalm 139:9-10)
                4. Illustration: Jacob, who thought God was a local tribal deity, could not escape Him
                5. Illustration: Jonah fled to Tarshish but could not outrun God (Jonah 1)
                  6. D. God is present in darkness — "even the darkness is not dark to you" (Psalm 139:11-12)
                6. We are tempted to sin in the dark, thinking God will not see
                7. There is no hiding our sin or our thoughts from God
                  8. III. God's Omnipresence Brings Warning and Comfort

                  A. Warning for those outside of Christ

                  1. God hates iniquity and cannot look upon sin with approval
                  2. Those who hide from God will face judgment in this life and the next
                  3. Our deeds are exposed and our words overheard — there is no escape
                    4. B. Comfort for the believer in Christ
                  4. Though we are sinners, we are clothed in Christ's righteousness, not our own (2 Corinthians 5:21)
                  5. Our sins are removed as far as the east is from the west — salvation is by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9)
                  6. Illustration: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace — a fourth figure, like the Son of God, was present with them
                  7. Illustration: Sir Ernest Shackleton crossing 800 miles of Antarctic ocean felt another presence with him; his testimony was grounded in Psalm 139:9-10
                  8. Hymn of assurance: Abide with Me (Henry Lyte)
                    9. C. The ultimate confidence of the Christian
                  9. "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21)
                  10. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus — not COVID-19, not death, not any circumstance (Romans 8:38-39)
                  11. God is sovereign, omnipresent, and all-knowing — nothing surprises Him; trust Him for now and for eternity
                    12. 31 min
                  12. Rev. Gary Sinclair

                    Scripture: John 6:15-36

                    Order of Service
                    • Call to Worship — Psalm 96:1-6
                    • Hymn
                    • Prayer of Invocation
                    • Confession of Faith — Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 8.1
                    • Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 18:17-30
                    • Pastoral Prayer
                    • Hymn
                    • Sermon
                    • Benediction — 2 Corinthians 13:14
                      • Sermon Title: The True Bread That Satisfies

                      Scripture: John 6:14-35

                      I. There Are Things That Result in Jesus Withdrawing His Presence

                      A. The crowd wanted Jesus on their own terms — as prophet and king, but not as priest and suffering servant

                      1. After the feeding of the 5,000, the people sought to take Jesus by force and make him king (John 6:14-15)
                      2. They wanted a religious and political leader requiring no sacrifice — God's leader on their terms, not God's lamb on God's terms
                      3. Jesus would not be king and prophet without the cross; he withdrew rather than accept a kingship stripped of his priestly, sacrificial role

                        4. B. Application: The world today still seeks a messiah on its own terms, wanting a king and prophet while rejecting the Lamb and the cost of following him

                        C. The proof of a life poured out to Christ is daily return to the cross

                        1. Through the cross, Jesus rules and reigns as king in the hearts of his followers
                        2. Through the cross, we recognize his prophetic voice and follow him in love
                        3. On the narrow road we march to a different beat, gazing upon the one who is prophet, priest, and king
                          4. II. There Are Things That Cause Jesus to Restore His Presence

                          A. Jesus sent the disciples into the storm, yet watched them from the mountain (Mark 6)

                          1. He never took his eyes off them even as the sea became rough
                          2. He came to them in compassion; they were more terrified of his presence than of the storm itself

                            3. B. The disciples' greater distress was not the storm but Jesus's absence — a pattern for the believer in every season of difficulty

                            C. Jesus always speaks peace to those who cry out in fear: "It is I; do not be afraid" (John 6:20)

                            1. God ordains all eventualities, including the rough seas of recent months
                            2. He has not taken his eye off his children; the call is to pour out every fear before him in intimate communion

                              3. D. When Jesus stepped into the boat, they immediately reached the shore (John 6:21)

                              1. Illustration of surrendering control to Christ — as soon as he steps in, peace follows and we land safely
                              2. Question for the present moment: Is God bringing his people to the end of themselves so they build on the solid rock of Christ alone?
                                3. III. Jesus Confronts the Crowds While Revealing Himself as the True Bread

                                A. The crowds returned seeking more bread, not understanding the sign (John 6:22-26)

                                1. Jesus did not answer their question about how he crossed the sea; he aimed immediately at the heart
                                2. "You are seeking me not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves" — they missed the point entirely

                                  3. B. What is the bread that perishes?

                                  1. It is anything or any time we seek satisfaction without desiring and enjoying intimate communion with Almighty God
                                  2. It is stopping short to enjoy the crumbs of God's goodness without going on to enjoy God himself
                                  3. It is also pushing beyond Jesus — assuming it must be "Jesus plus something else"
                                  4. Examples: the student attending church only before exams; the businessperson present in body but transactional in heart

                                    5. C. Jesus reveals himself as the true bread — "I am the bread of life" (John 6:35)

                                    1. The "I am" echoes Exodus 3 — Jesus identifies himself with the covenant God
                                    2. "Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst"
                                    3. Augustine: "God created us for himself and we are restless until we find our rest in him"

                                      4. D. One true sign of being born again is a deep-seated hunger for intimacy with God

                                      1. The Spirit gives new passions, desires, and affections; without this it is mere religion
                                      2. A Puritan: when friends, flesh, heart, and life fail — Christ will not fail; he stands by and strengthens in the darkest hours

                                        3. E. Closing call

                                        1. To the unconverted: come, repent, believe, and feed on Christ
                                        2. To believers who have drifted: return, fix your eyes on Christ, and feast on the written Word as the living Word each day
                                        3. Echoing Peter's confession: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (John 6:68)
                                          4. 37 min
                                        4. Rev. Tommy Carr
                                          Order of Service
                                          • Call to Worship — Psalm 100
                                          • Hymn
                                          • Prayer of Invocation
                                          • Corporate Confession of Sin
                                          • Assurance of Pardon — Psalm 103:11-13
                                          • Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 18:1-16
                                          • Pastoral Prayer
                                          • Offering
                                          • Sermon
                                          • Hymn — Wonderful Words of Life
                                          • Benediction
                                            • Sermon Title: The Church as Pillar and Foundation of Truth

                                            Scripture: 1 Timothy 3:14-15

                                            I. The Household of God

                                            A. The church is not a building — it is the people of God

                                            1. The New Testament places no emphasis on buildings or architecture
                                            2. Wherever the people of God are, there is the church — in worship, in community service, in evangelism

                                              3. B. Because God is our Father and his Spirit dwells within us, we are called his household

                                              1. Every gathering of Christians carries within it resurrection power — Ephesians 3:20
                                              2. Illustration: The Jesus film shown in a Mozambique refugee camp — spontaneous mass repentance and 500 new believers worshiping the following Sunday
                                                3. II. The Church of the Living God

                                                A. Paul's phrase was a deliberate contrast to the lifeless idol at the Temple of Diana in Ephesus — the center of pagan worship in the Roman Empire

                                                B. The living God is the source of all life and vitality

                                                1. Paul declared in Athens: "In him we live and move and have our being"
                                                2. Every human being draws breath by the grace of the living God

                                                  3. C. God has committed himself exclusively to working through the church — his chosen instrument of world change

                                                  1. Jesus promised: "On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it"
                                                  2. The church is equipped with spiritual gifts, wise guidance by the Holy Spirit, and powerful non-violent weapons: faith, hope, love, prayer, righteousness, compassion, and mercy
                                                    3. III. The Pillar and Foundation of Truth

                                                    A. The church's great calling is to introduce truth into a world saturated with error and confusion

                                                    1. Secular authorities never possess the missing truths that make human life function as God intended
                                                    2. In every generation, humanity repeats the same mistakes because it refuses access to God's truth

                                                      3. B. People hunger for answers the world cannot give — Who am I? Why am I here? — and God has chosen to dispense those answers through his church

                                                      C. Illustration: The prayer of Rev. Joe Wright before the Kansas Legislature (1996)

                                                      1. Named specific ways society has called evil good — pluralism, multiculturalism, moral inversion
                                                      2. Demonstrated the power and necessity of speaking God's truth plainly in the public square

                                                        3. D. Application: Every believer — individually and corporately — is charged with bringing this truth to the world

                                                        1. Nothing will heal our world apart from God's truth
                                                        2. The church must own its identity as the household of God, the church of the living God, and the pillar and foundation of truth
                                                          3. 39 min
                                                        3. The Divine Warrior

                                                          Scripture: Joel 3

                                                          Order of Service
                                                          • Call to Worship — Psalm 96:2-6
                                                          • Prayer of Invocation
                                                          • Confession of Faith (Westminster Shorter Catechism)
                                                          • Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 17:38-58
                                                          • Pastoral Prayer
                                                          • Offering
                                                          • Prayer of Thanksgiving
                                                          • Hymn — Jesus, Draw Me Ever Nearer
                                                          • Sermon
                                                          • Hymn
                                                          • Benediction — Numbers 6:24-26
                                                            • Sermon Title: The Divine Warrior

                                                            Scripture: Joel 3

                                                            I. The Divine Warrior Wages War in the Courtroom (vv. 1–8)

                                                            A. God summons the nations to the valley of Jehoshaphat — the valley of judgment

                                                            1. "Jehoshaphat" means Yahweh judges; it is a figurative place of divine courtroom proceedings
                                                            2. All elements of an ancient lawsuit are present: summons, accusation, cross-examination, and verdict

                                                              3. B. The specific charges against Tyre, Sidon, and Philistia

                                                              1. Scattering God's people among the nations, dividing his land, and trafficking Israelites as slaves
                                                              2. Taking silver, gold, and treasures from God's temple into their own temples
                                                              3. These nations took advantage of Judah's vulnerability during the Babylonian captivity (586 BC); compare Obadiah 11

                                                                4. C. These nations represent all enemies of God and his people in every age — including Edom and Egypt (v. 19)

                                                                D. The principle of lex talionis (eye for an eye) dominates vv. 1–8

                                                                1. "I will return your payment on your own head" — repeated in vv. 4 and 7
                                                                2. God's judgment perfectly conforms to the sinner's own actions — there is not one particle of injustice

                                                                  3. E. Application: God's fairness is a devastating thing

                                                                  1. To enter God's courtroom on the basis of one's own works is to meet the devastating fairness of a holy God
                                                                  2. What we need is not God's fairness but his mercy — an advocate who has swallowed up God's judgment at the cross
                                                                  3. We must enter God's courtroom clothed in the righteousness of Christ alone
                                                                    4. II. The Divine Warrior Wages War on the Battlefield (vv. 9–16)

                                                                    A. God summons his enemies — from the mighty to the weak — to muster all their forces against him

                                                                    1. Plowshares beaten into swords, pruning hooks into spears (v. 10) — the opposite of the coming peace
                                                                    2. "Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision" (v. 14) — all gathered to be ripe for judgment

                                                                      3. B. It is God himself who stirs up his enemies for battle

                                                                      1. Romans 1:28-32 — "God gave them up to a debased mind"
                                                                      2. By withdrawing restraining grace, God allows his enemies to fully manifest their evil, filling up the harvest of judgment
                                                                      3. The wine press fills; the cup of wrath overflows

                                                                        4. C. Application: When we see evil in the world, God is sovereign over it

                                                                        1. Statistics on Christian persecution (2018): over 4,000 Christians murdered for their faith; 75% of all religiously motivated violence suffered by Christians
                                                                        2. Persecution and the open celebration of evil are signs that God is ripening the harvest for final judgment
                                                                        3. Even in the midst of evil, God is in control and is moving history toward the day of absolute judgment
                                                                          4. III. The Divine Warrior Wages War for His Chosen People (vv. 16–21)

                                                                          A. God's people are his personal possession — he takes attacks on them personally

                                                                          1. Note the first-person possessives throughout ch. 3: my people, my heritage, my land, my silver, my gold (vv. 2, 4, 5)
                                                                          2. Jesus to Paul on the Damascus road: "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" — to persecute the church is to persecute its head

                                                                            3. B. The Father's response to his children's suffering

                                                                            1. Illustration: a bullied child's father — the bullies must answer not to the child but to the father
                                                                            2. Illustration: an assaulted bride — the attacker must answer to the bridegroom
                                                                            3. This is what frees the church to turn the other cheek, love enemies, and preach the gospel amidst blows — as Jesus does at the cross and Stephen does in Acts 7

                                                                              4. C. Warfare brings lasting peace for God's people (vv. 17–21)

                                                                              1. The land will drip with sweet wine, flow with milk and water — the cup of life, not destruction
                                                                              2. Jerusalem (city of peace) will finally realize what its name means

                                                                                3. D. Contrast and fulfillment in Isaiah 2:1-5

                                                                                1. In Joel 3:10 farming tools are made into weapons; in Isaiah 2:4 swords are beaten back into plowshares — the reversal signals that the battle is won
                                                                                2. Judah and Jerusalem in Isaiah 2 consist of believers from all nations who do not bow to the kings of this world
                                                                                3. The cause of this peace: God the Father fighting for all his adopted children through the Son, who cries "It is finished" as he crushes the serpent's head (Genesis 3:15)

                                                                                  4. E. Conclusion: Even now, in the midst of enemies surrounding the church, God's people can cry "Peace" — with the full assurance that an eternal, unfading peace awaits when the Divine Warrior King is fully and finally victorious

                                                                                  33 min
                                                                                4. The Day of the Spirit

                                                                                  Scripture: Joel 2:28-32

                                                                                  Order of Service
                                                                                  • Call to Worship — Psalm 105:1-15
                                                                                  • Prayer of Invocation
                                                                                  • Prayer of Confession — from Daniel 9
                                                                                  • Assurance of Pardon — Ephesians 1:7
                                                                                  • Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 17:1-37
                                                                                  • Pastoral Prayer
                                                                                  • Special Music
                                                                                  • Offering
                                                                                  • Prayer of Thanksgiving
                                                                                  • Sermon
                                                                                  • Benediction — Romans 15:13
                                                                                    • Sermon Title: The Day of the Spirit

                                                                                    Scripture: Joel 2:28-32

                                                                                    I. The Day of the Spirit Is a Day of Expansion

                                                                                    A. God promises to pour out his Spirit on "all flesh" — sons, daughters, old men, young men, male and female servants (Joel 2:28-29)

                                                                                    B. Luke's exhaustive list in Acts 2:9-11 deliberately echoes Joel's language of "all flesh," depicting the whole world present in Jerusalem on Pentecost

                                                                                    1. The Spirit expands outward from Jerusalem — to Samaritans (Acts 8) and then to Gentiles (Acts 10)
                                                                                    2. The Spirit explodes because Christ has finished his work, been raised, and now sits at the Father's right hand, pouring out the Spirit on all he has purchased

                                                                                      3. C. The Spirit's prominence is tied to the glory of the Son

                                                                                      1. In the Old Covenant the Son was veiled in types and shadows, so also the Spirit was veiled and sporadic
                                                                                      2. Now Christ is enthroned; the fullness of the Spirit comes in fullness (Sinclair Ferguson)
                                                                                      3. Christ's universal authority (Matthew 28:19) extends to all flesh; where Christ reigns, the Spirit reigns (Abraham Kuyper)

                                                                                        4. D. The evidence of the Holy Spirit is not ecstatic experience but the glorifying and magnifying of Christ — his rule and reign in the heart (John 16:13-15)

                                                                                        II. The Day of the Spirit Is a Day of Explanation

                                                                                        A. Joel prophesies that when the Spirit is poured out, God's people will prophesy (Joel 2:28); on Pentecost they proclaim "the mighty works of God" in languages understood by all (Acts 2:11)

                                                                                        B. In the Old Testament the Spirit worked especially through prophecy — Scripture never originates with man but with the Spirit (2 Peter 1:21)

                                                                                        C. Moses longed that all the Lord's people would be prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them all (Numbers 11:28-29); Pentecost is the fulfillment of that longing

                                                                                        1. The church is a kingdom of prophets — endowed by the Spirit to shine the light on God's final Word, Jesus Christ

                                                                                          2. D. The Holy Spirit is a spirit of order, not confusion

                                                                                          1. He hovered over chaos in creation to bring order (Genesis 1:2)
                                                                                          2. He equipped the builders of the tabernacle and the seventy elders of Israel to bring order
                                                                                          3. Unintelligible, chaotic utterances reflect Babel — the manifestation of God's judgment — not the Spirit

                                                                                            4. E. The Spirit explains and teaches the person and work of Christ, bringing peace and order to the church (John 14:26)

                                                                                            1. The mark of the Spirit's presence in a church is the clear expounding of the gospel — regeneration, justification, adoption, sanctification, glorification — all flowing from Christ's finished work
                                                                                              2. III. The Day of the Spirit Is a Day of Escape

                                                                                              A. The cosmic judgment language of Joel 2:30-31 — blood, fire, smoke, sun darkened, moon turned to blood — points to the great and awesome day of the Lord

                                                                                              B. Those on whom the Spirit is poured out will escape that day; everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Joel 2:32)

                                                                                              C. Peter's interpretive change is decisive: Joel says "in those days" (Joel 2:29); Peter says "in the last days" (Acts 2:17)

                                                                                              1. Pentecost inaugurates the last days; all that remains is the final day of judgment when Christ comes on the clouds

                                                                                                2. D. God has fixed a day of judgment and given assurance by raising Christ from the dead; he now commands all people everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30-31)

                                                                                                E. The evidence of the Spirit's reign in the heart is repentance — turning from sin and calling upon the only name by which men must be saved

                                                                                                1. For those united to Christ by faith, the day of the Lord is not a day of dread but of salvation — Maranatha: Come, Lord Jesus
                                                                                                  2. 28 min
                                                                                                2. The Day of the Lord

                                                                                                  Scripture: Joel 2:1-27

                                                                                                  Order of Service
                                                                                                  • Call to Worship — Psalm 95:1-7
                                                                                                  • Prayer of Invocation
                                                                                                  • Confession of Faith — Nicene Creed
                                                                                                  • Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 16
                                                                                                  • Prayer
                                                                                                  • Hymn
                                                                                                  • Pastoral Prayer
                                                                                                  • Hymn
                                                                                                  • Sermon
                                                                                                  • Prayer
                                                                                                  • Hymn
                                                                                                  • Benediction — Jude 24-25
                                                                                                    • Sermon Title: The Day of the Lord

                                                                                                    Scripture: Joel 2:1-27

                                                                                                    I. The Day of the Lord Brings Judgment (Joel 2:1-11)

                                                                                                    A. The passage is bookended by the phrase "the day of the Lord" (vv. 1, 11), framing the intervening imagery as a picture of that great and final day of judgment

                                                                                                    1. The language of darkness, gloom, and thick clouds recalls God's terrifying presence at Mount Sinai — Exodus 19:16
                                                                                                    2. The trumpet blast in v. 1 echoes the trumpet at Sinai; it is an alarm calling Israel to attention before God's approaching judgment

                                                                                                      3. B. The locusts are described as a divine army (vv. 4–5, 7, 25), God's instrument of judgment

                                                                                                      1. God explicitly calls them "my great army which I sent among you" (v. 25)
                                                                                                      2. John picks up this imagery in Revelation 9:7, using Joel's locusts to depict the last days — horses, chariots, lion's teeth all echo Joel 2

                                                                                                        3. C. The day of the Lord is not merely one future event but a recurring pattern of God's visitation in judgment and salvation, each instance a penultimate fulfillment pointing to the ultimate day

                                                                                                        1. Examples: the Babylonian captivity, the return under Ezra and Nehemiah, the birth and death of Messiah, the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70
                                                                                                        2. The ultimate and final day is the one Paul describes in Acts 17:31 — God has fixed a day to judge the world in righteousness by Jesus Christ

                                                                                                          3. D. Present-day catastrophes (pandemics, wars, natural disasters) are birth pains pointing to that final day — Matthew 24:7

                                                                                                          1. God in His grace uses such events as alarm calls to wake His people from complacency
                                                                                                          2. The question of v. 11 — "Who can endure it?" — is meant to drive us to repentance
                                                                                                            3. II. The Day of the Lord Brings Repentance (Joel 2:12-17)

                                                                                                            A. The most important words in this section are "yet even now" (v. 12) — no matter how deep in sin, God's hand of forgiveness remains open

                                                                                                            1. Even obstinate, repeatedly unfaithful Israel is called back to God
                                                                                                            2. God takes pleasure in relenting over disaster; His mercy is greater than His wrath

                                                                                                              3. B. True repentance is a matter of the heart, not outward show — "rend your hearts and not your garments" (v. 13)

                                                                                                              1. God is not like man, who looks on the outward appearance; He looks on the heart (cf. 1 Samuel 16:7)
                                                                                                              2. Israel had been going through the motions of the sacrificial system while returning to sin — God demands wholehearted return, not religious performance

                                                                                                                3. C. The character of God is the ground of the call to repentance (v. 13): "He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and he relents over disaster"

                                                                                                                1. The king of Nineveh responded in the same way — "Who knows whether he will not turn?" (Jonah 3)
                                                                                                                2. Warning against presuming on God's mercy (cf. Heinrich Heine): forgiveness is not God's "job" but an act of His sovereign mercy — Exodus 33:19

                                                                                                                  3. D. The call to repentance is universal — elders, children, even nursing infants (v. 16)

                                                                                                                  1. There is no "age of accountability" in Scripture; children are to be called to confess sin and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
                                                                                                                  2. Parents are charged with teaching their children the urgency of repentance
                                                                                                                    3. III. The Day of the Lord Brings Restoration (Joel 2:18-27)

                                                                                                                    A. God reverses everything taken away in the locust plague of chapter 1

                                                                                                                    1. Grain, wine, and oil restored (v. 19; cf. Joel 1:5, 10, 17)
                                                                                                                    2. The army of locusts is driven into the sea — their stench of defeat replaces their devastation (v. 20)
                                                                                                                    3. Gladness and rejoicing replace the dried-up joy of chapter 1 (vv. 21, 23; cf. Joel 1:12)

                                                                                                                      4. B. The climactic promise of v. 25: "I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten"

                                                                                                                      1. God's mercy does not merely give a blank slate — it lavishes abundance
                                                                                                                      2. V. 27: "I am in the midst of Israel" — the greatest blessing of restoration is God's own presence

                                                                                                                        3. C. God's grace restores more than what sin took away — it brings the fullness of God Himself

                                                                                                                        1. Christ's words to the thief on the cross: "Today you will be with me in paradise" — not merely a clean slate but the presence of God
                                                                                                                        2. 1 Corinthians 2:9: "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him"
                                                                                                                        3. The word "wondrously" (v. 26) means what is difficult or impossible for the finite mind to comprehend — God's blessing on His repentant people will be extraordinary and all-surpassing
                                                                                                                          4. 33 min
                                                                                                                        4. The Locust Plague

                                                                                                                          Scripture: Joel 1

                                                                                                                          Order of Service
                                                                                                                          • Call to Worship — Psalm 100
                                                                                                                          • Hymn — Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken
                                                                                                                          • Prayer of Invocation
                                                                                                                          • Confession of Sin
                                                                                                                          • Assurance of Pardon — Joel 2:12-13
                                                                                                                          • Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 15:10-35
                                                                                                                          • Pastoral Prayer
                                                                                                                          • Offering
                                                                                                                          • Hymn — Surely the Presence of the Lord
                                                                                                                          • Sermon
                                                                                                                          • Hymn — Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us
                                                                                                                          • Benediction
                                                                                                                            • Sermon Title: The Locust Plague

                                                                                                                            Scripture: Joel 1

                                                                                                                            I. The Reason for the Plague: Sin

                                                                                                                            A. Joel is introduced without historical markers — the date of his ministry is uncertain, but the message is clear regardless of when he prophesied

                                                                                                                            B. The locust plague is a direct fulfillment of God's covenant warnings to Israel

                                                                                                                            1. Deuteronomy 32:23-24 warns of disasters, hunger, plague, and beasts as consequences of disobedience
                                                                                                                            2. Joel 1:6 echoes this language — locusts with "lion's teeth" and "fangs of a lioness"
                                                                                                                            3. The name Joel means "Yahweh is God" — the prophet comes to a people bowing to Baals and Ashtoreths

                                                                                                                              4. C. The plague is not the force of nature but the hand of God in judgment against sin

                                                                                                                              D. Application to 2020: the COVID-19 pandemic and social unrest are not primarily political or policy failures — they are the visible effects of sin and the fall

                                                                                                                              1. Sin produces division, strife, violence, hatred, economic turmoil, and natural disaster
                                                                                                                              2. No politician or policy can reach the core of the problem — only Christ and the proclamation of the gospel addresses the root disease of a rebellious heart
                                                                                                                                3. II. The Recipients of the Plague

                                                                                                                                A. The plague touches every inhabitant of the land

                                                                                                                                1. The drunkards — the vine is destroyed (Joel 1:5)
                                                                                                                                2. The farmers — the harvest has perished (Joel 1:11)
                                                                                                                                3. The storehouses are desolate, the granaries torn down (Joel 1:17)

                                                                                                                                  4. B. Creation itself is a recipient of the plague

                                                                                                                                  1. The vine and fig tree (Joel 1:7), the ground mourns, the oil languishes (Joel 1:10), the beasts groan (Joel 1:18)
                                                                                                                                  2. Romans 8:20-22 — all creation was subjected to futility because of sin and groans together in the pains of childbirth

                                                                                                                                    3. C. The spiritual leaders of Israel are addressed first and foremost — judgment begins at the house of the Lord

                                                                                                                                    1. Joel 1:2 — "Hear this, you elders" opens the first section (vv. 1–12)
                                                                                                                                    2. Joel 1:13 — "Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests" opens the second section (vv. 13–20)
                                                                                                                                    3. Israel assumed God's judgment fell on the pagan nations around them — not on themselves
                                                                                                                                    4. Christ's coming brought judgment first to the leaders of Israel, not to Rome
                                                                                                                                    5. In Revelation, Christ's warnings begin with the seven churches, not the seven pagan nations
                                                                                                                                    6. Our first response to disaster must not be "the nation needs to get in order" but "the church needs to get in order"
                                                                                                                                      7. III. The Response to the Plague: Sorrow Over Sin

                                                                                                                                      A. Throughout the chapter, deep, inconsolable sorrow is called for

                                                                                                                                      1. Joel 1:5 — "Awake, you drunkards, and weep and wail"
                                                                                                                                      2. Joel 1:8 — "Lament like a virgin wearing sackcloth for the bridegroom of her youth" — sorrow like a bride who loses her fiancé the night before the wedding
                                                                                                                                      3. Joel 1:9 — the priests mourn because the grain offering and drink offering (the daily tamid sacrifice) are cut off — the worship of Yahweh itself is interrupted
                                                                                                                                      4. Joel 1:13-14 — sackcloth, lamentation, and a solemn assembly are called for

                                                                                                                                        5. B. The Westminster Confession of Faith (Chapter 15) defines repentance as a sinner who, out of a sense not only of the danger but of the filthiness and odiousness of his sins, and upon apprehension of God's mercy in Christ, so grieves for and hates his sins as to turn from them all to God

                                                                                                                                        1. The question is posed: do you mourn over sin like a bride who has lost her husband, or treat it as a minor nuisance?
                                                                                                                                        2. The tax collector's posture — beating his chest and crying "wretched man that I am" — is the model, not the Pharisee's comparison to others

                                                                                                                                          3. C. This sorrow over sin is to be remembered across generations

                                                                                                                                          1. Joel 1:3 — "Tell your children of it, and let your children tell their children"
                                                                                                                                          2. The pattern in Judges: Israel cries out in anguish, is restored, then returns to its old ways
                                                                                                                                          3. The events of 2020 — loss of corporate worship, social isolation, death without loved ones present — should mark and change God's people permanently, not temporarily
                                                                                                                                          4. In remembering these things, we are to look to the cross, where the only remedy for sin is found in Christ alone
                                                                                                                                            5. 36 min
                                                                                                                                          5. Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 33: The Last Judgement
                                                                                                                                            Order of Service
                                                                                                                                            • Sermon
                                                                                                                                              • Sermon Title: The Last Judgment

                                                                                                                                              Scripture: Matthew 25:31-46

                                                                                                                                              I. The Last Judgment and the Judge

                                                                                                                                              A. God has appointed Jesus Christ as the judge of the last day

                                                                                                                                              1. John 5:22, 27 — the Father has given all authority to execute judgment to the Son
                                                                                                                                              2. The title "Son of Man" comes from Daniel 7:13-14 — dominion over all nations given to one like a son of man
                                                                                                                                              3. Acts 17:31 — God will judge the world in righteousness by the man he has appointed
                                                                                                                                              4. 2 Corinthians 5:10 — we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ

                                                                                                                                                5. B. Christ's call to believe is not merely a call to a happy life; it is the call of the coming judge

                                                                                                                                                1. Gospel messengers are like envoys entering a city the king is coming to conquer, calling people to bow the knee before he arrives
                                                                                                                                                2. To honor Christ as sovereign now is to be spared his judgment when he comes
                                                                                                                                                  3. II. The Last Judgment and Angels

                                                                                                                                                  A. Fallen angels are being held for judgment on the last day

                                                                                                                                                  1. Jude 6 — angels who left their proper dwelling are kept in eternal chains until the judgment of the great day
                                                                                                                                                  2. 2 Peter 2:4 — God cast sinning angels into hell, committed to chains of gloomy darkness until judgment

                                                                                                                                                    3. B. Believers will participate in the judgment of angels — 1 Corinthians 6:2-3

                                                                                                                                                    1. If Christ is the final judge, believers are something like the final jury
                                                                                                                                                    2. Paul uses this future responsibility not as a reason for speculation but as a present call to judge rightly among ourselves within the body of Christ
                                                                                                                                                    3. Context: believers taking other believers to secular courts — if we will one day judge angels, how much more should we be able to judge matters within the church

                                                                                                                                                      4. C. End-times realities in Scripture are given primarily as incentives for present godly living, not as occasions for speculation and debate

                                                                                                                                                      1. The Westminster Confession deliberately avoids speculative millennial questions
                                                                                                                                                      2. Revelation 22:12, 16 — Christ's final words to John are given "for the churches," to teach them how to live now in light of what is coming
                                                                                                                                                        3. III. The Last Judgment and Humans

                                                                                                                                                        A. The purpose of judgment: the manifestation of God's mercy in the salvation of the elect and his justice in the condemnation of the reprobate

                                                                                                                                                        1. Matthew 25:31-46 — the separation of the sheep and the goats illustrates the twofold outcome of judgment
                                                                                                                                                        2. The wicked respond with obstinate self-justification — "When did we not do these things?" — displaying arrogance and self-assurance even before the throne
                                                                                                                                                        3. The believers respond with humility — "When did we do these things?" — undone before the holiness of the glorified Christ, as Isaiah was in Isaiah 6
                                                                                                                                                        4. For both groups the verdict will seem "unfair" but for opposite reasons: the unbeliever does not believe he deserves judgment; the believer knows he does, yet receives mercy — "Well done, good and faithful servant"

                                                                                                                                                          5. B. Judgment as a deterrent to sin and a consolation to the suffering Christian

                                                                                                                                                          1. 2 Corinthians 5:9-10 — we make it our aim to please him, knowing we must all appear before his judgment seat
                                                                                                                                                          2. 2 Peter 3:11-14 — since all things will be dissolved, what sort of people ought we to be? A double reality: reverent fear that spurs obedience, and joyful anticipation as one lives in obedience to the judge

                                                                                                                                                            3. C. The purpose of not knowing the day or hour

                                                                                                                                                            1. The confession follows Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 12 — because we do not know the day or hour, we must always have our house in order
                                                                                                                                                            2. We cannot postpone repentance; today is the day of salvation
                                                                                                                                                            3. Christ has not given us a timetable so that no one can set aside eternal matters in favor of present worldly concerns — the unknown hour keeps us in daily readiness
                                                                                                                                                              4. 21 min
                                                                                                                                                            4. The Good Life

                                                                                                                                                              Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:11-21

                                                                                                                                                              Order of Service
                                                                                                                                                              • Call to Worship — Psalm 118:1-9
                                                                                                                                                              • Hymn — Fairest Lord Jesus
                                                                                                                                                              • Prayer of Invocation
                                                                                                                                                              • Confession of Faith — Apostles' Creed
                                                                                                                                                              • Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 15:1-9
                                                                                                                                                              • Pastoral Prayer
                                                                                                                                                              • Hymns
                                                                                                                                                              • Sermon
                                                                                                                                                              • Hymn
                                                                                                                                                              • Benediction — 2 Corinthians 13:14
                                                                                                                                                                • Sermon Title: The Good Life

                                                                                                                                                                Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:11-21

                                                                                                                                                                I. The Good Life Consists of a Good Fight

                                                                                                                                                                A. Paul addresses Timothy as a "man of God" — a minister of God's Word — called to flee sin and pursue virtue

                                                                                                                                                                1. He is to flee the ungodly characteristics of the false teachers: arrogance, controversy, unhealthy pursuit of gain (1 Timothy 6:3-10)
                                                                                                                                                                2. He is to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness

                                                                                                                                                                  3. B. The Christian life is not flight to neutral territory but entry into a land where the good life must be actively pursued

                                                                                                                                                                  1. Like immigrants fleeing persecution to pursue the good life in America, we flee sin to pursue life in Christ
                                                                                                                                                                  2. We are justified in Christ's blood and freed to pursue these virtues

                                                                                                                                                                    3. C. The call to the good life is a call to fight

                                                                                                                                                                    1. 1 Timothy 6:12 — "Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called"
                                                                                                                                                                    2. Contrast of Jesus and Peter in Mark 14:37: Jesus arms himself through prayer and is faithful; Peter sleeps and denies his Lord
                                                                                                                                                                    3. "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" — every day is filled with internal and external warfare; we are called to stay awake, pray, pursue, and fight
                                                                                                                                                                      4. II. The Good Life Consists of a Good Confession

                                                                                                                                                                      A. Timothy's good confession (1 Timothy 6:12-13)

                                                                                                                                                                      1. Paul emphasizes the testimony Timothy made at his conversion before the body of Christ
                                                                                                                                                                      2. This confession is the pure gospel Paul has been defending throughout the letter against the false teachers

                                                                                                                                                                        3. B. Christ's good confession before Pontius Pilate

                                                                                                                                                                        1. Not a particular creed, but Christ holding fast to the promises of God in the face of death
                                                                                                                                                                        2. Throughout his ministry Jesus clung to his Father's word — "I and the Father are one" — even when accused and mocked
                                                                                                                                                                        3. He held fast all the way to Pilate and now sits in eternal glory — the good life

                                                                                                                                                                          4. C. The doxology of 1 Timothy 6:15-16 grounds the good confession

                                                                                                                                                                          1. In Ephesus, Emperor worship and the cult of Artemis were dominant — people bowed to temporal sovereigns
                                                                                                                                                                          2. Paul declares the true Sovereign: the blessed and only sovereign, King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light
                                                                                                                                                                          3. Hold fast the good confession because the one who calls you holds immortality in his hands

                                                                                                                                                                            4. D. Historical illustration: The Guanabara Confession (1558)

                                                                                                                                                                            1. Five Huguenot missionaries returned to Brazil, were captured, and forced to write a confession of faith
                                                                                                                                                                            2. Their confession declared Christ as the only mediator through whom, justified in his blood, they would have full victory over death
                                                                                                                                                                            3. All five were executed the next day — they held fast to the good confession and to the God who alone holds immortality
                                                                                                                                                                              4. III. The Good Life Consists of Good Stewardship

                                                                                                                                                                              A. Paul addresses the wealthy in the congregation (1 Timothy 6:17-19)

                                                                                                                                                                              1. This is not a call for the church to have no wealthy members, but a call for the wealthy to fix their eyes on God rather than on their riches
                                                                                                                                                                              2. "Do not set your hopes on the uncertainty of riches but on God who richly provides us with everything to enjoy"
                                                                                                                                                                              3. Only with eyes fixed on God can the rich be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share

                                                                                                                                                                                4. B. True life — eternal life — is found in God alone

                                                                                                                                                                                1. The doxology just declared: God alone has immortality; if you want eternal life, you must go to God
                                                                                                                                                                                2. God does not hoard his riches but lavishes them on poor, wretched sinners — he is the all-sufficient God

                                                                                                                                                                                  3. C. The proper understanding of treasure in heaven (Luke 12:33-34)

                                                                                                                                                                                  1. This passage is often misread as simply trading temporal stuff for eternal stuff
                                                                                                                                                                                  2. Scripture's concern is not eternal stuff but the eternal God who dwells in heaven
                                                                                                                                                                                  3. Psalm 84:10-11 — "A day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God" — nearness to God, not material abundance, is the treasure
                                                                                                                                                                                  4. We give generously because our treasure in heaven is God himself — our sun and shield who withholds no good thing from those who love him
                                                                                                                                                                                  5. As Psalm 42:1-2 expresses: "As a deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God" — we give freely because we thirst for God himself

                                                                                                                                                                                    6. D. Summary: The good life consists of a good fight, a good confession, and good stewardship — all grounded in God himself, who alone holds immortality in his hands

                                                                                                                                                                                    28 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.