Northpointe PCA Sermons

Northpointe PCA Sermons

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Northpointe PCA Sermons episodes

  • Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 27: Sacraments
    Order of Service
    • Sermon
      • Sermon Notes: The Sacraments According to the Westminster Confession of Faith

      Scripture: Romans 4:11

      Text of Study: Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 27

      I. The Sacraments as Signs and Seals

      A. The confession defines sacraments as "holy signs and seals of the covenant of grace"

      1. Language of signs and seals drawn from Romans 4:11, where circumcision is called "a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith"
      2. The Old Testament sacraments (circumcision and Passover) pointed ahead to Christ; the New Testament sacraments (baptism and Lord's Supper) point back to what Christ accomplished
      3. Per WCF 27.5, the sacraments of the Old Testament "were for substance the same" as those of the New — both signify and seal Christ and his benefits

        4. B. A sign points to a spiritual reality beyond itself

        1. A stop sign has no intrinsic power; its meaning comes from the reality it points to
        2. Baptism points to Christ washing away sins by his blood
        3. The Lord's Supper points to the shed blood and broken body of Christ

          4. C. A seal validates and confirms a promise

          1. The rainbow in Genesis 9 is a seal of God's promise never to flood the earth again — a visual confirmation of his word
          2. The sacraments similarly confirm and validate God's word of promise in the gospel

            3. D. The sacraments are only meaningful in reference to the Word of God

            1. Baptism is just water; the Lord's Supper is just bread and wine — neither is a magical potion
            2. Their significance is tied entirely to the word of promise they signify and seal
            3. Augustine: the sacraments are "the visible Word of God"

              4. E. Because sacraments are a word-based, teaching ordinance, only lawfully ordained ministers should administer them (WCF 27.4)

              1. Just as only ordained ministers proclaim God's Word publicly, so only they should administer the visible Word to the gathered people
                2. II. The Sacraments Are Given to Us by God

                A. The direction of the sacraments is from God down to us, not from us up to God

                1. God instituted circumcision for Abraham (Genesis 17)
                2. God instituted the Passover in Exodus
                3. Christ instituted the Lord's Supper and commanded baptism in Matthew 28:19

                  4. B. The sacraments are first and foremost God's seal of his commitment to us, not our commitment to him

                  1. Much of modern evangelicalism treats baptism as a sign of the believer's commitment to God, leading people to be rebaptized multiple times when they feel their commitment was inadequate
                  2. This is a backward understanding; the sacrament signifies God's gracious covenant faithfulness, not human resolve

                    3. C. The efficacy of a sacrament does not rest in the elements, nor in the piety or intention of the minister, but in the work of the Holy Spirit (WCF 27.3)

                    1. Just as the Word of God must be applied by the Spirit to the heart of the dead sinner, so the visible Word must be bound by the Spirit to the heart of the receiver
                    2. The positive effect of the sacrament depends on the Holy Spirit knitting the gospel promise signified and sealed to the heart of the worthy receiver
                      3. III. Sacramental Union

                      A. WCF 27.2 teaches that "there is in every sacrament a spiritual relation, or sacramental union, between the sign and the thing signified, whence it comes to pass that the names and effects of the one are attributed to the other"

                      B. Old Testament example — circumcision and the covenant

                      1. In Genesis 17:10, God says of circumcision, "This is my covenant" — the sign is spoken of as though it were the covenant itself
                      2. Yet the covenant promises were delivered through God's word to Abraham in Genesis 12 and Genesis 15; circumcision is closely knit to but is not identical with the covenant

                        3. C. New Testament example — baptism

                        1. 1 Peter 3:21 — "Baptism now saves you" — the sign is spoken of as the thing signified
                        2. This does not contradict Romans 10:9-10, which grounds salvation in heart-belief and confession; Peter is using sacramental language, tying the sign to what it signifies

                          3. D. The Lord's Supper and the debate over "This is my body"

                          1. Roman Catholicism — transubstantiation: the bread and wine literally become the body and blood of Christ
                          2. Luther — consubstantiation: Christ's physical body is "in, with, and under" the elements; the sign points to something real but Luther would not go as far as Rome
                          3. Zwingli — memorialism: the words are purely metaphorical, similar to John 15 ("I am the vine")
                          4. Calvin and the Reformed — sacramental union: the bread remains bread and the wine remains wine; Christ's body remains at the right hand of the Father; but the elements are not mere metaphor — they are a sign and seal closely tied to the promises secured by Christ's body and blood
                            • Against Luther: Christ's body is not physically present in or under the elements
                            • Against Zwingli: it is far more than metaphor; unlike John 15, Jesus ties these elements to a covenant-sign command ("do this in remembrance of me") and commissions their use among all nations

                              • E. Conclusion: the sacraments are not magical, but neither are they empty symbols — they are signs and seals of the covenant of grace, validating all the goodness that flows from Christ's life, death, and resurrection

                              27 min
                            • The Pursuit of Godliness

                              Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:6-10

                              Order of Service
                              • Call to Worship — Psalm 118:1-9
                              • Prayer of Invocation
                              • Confession of Faith — Apostles' Creed
                              • Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 13:1-7
                              • Pastoral Prayer
                              • Sermon
                              • Benediction
                                • Sermon Title: The Pursuit of Godliness

                                Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:6-10

                                I. Godliness Involves Sound Teaching of God

                                A. Paul contrasts sound doctrine with speculative, false teaching

                                1. The false teaching in Ephesus is not blatant heresy (e.g., polytheism) but subtle, speculative teaching — "irreverent silly myths" or old wives' tales
                                2. In 1 Timothy 1:4, Paul warns against myths and endless genealogies that promote speculation rather than faith
                                3. The false teaching does not openly contradict God's Word but diverts focus away from it

                                  4. B. Godliness is the litmus test for sound teaching

                                  1. Sound teaching is "being trained in the words of the faith" (1 Timothy 4:6) — it comes from God's revealed Word and produces godly living
                                  2. Deuteronomy 29:29 — "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us… that we may do all the words of this law"
                                  3. Sound teaching conforms us to the image of Christ; unsound teaching turns our focus toward the intellectual fancies of men

                                    4. C. Sound teaching does not mean shallow teaching

                                    1. Rejecting speculative teaching must not swing the pendulum toward superficial, pragmatic teaching
                                    2. Godliness requires deep mining of the whole counsel of God from Genesis to Revelation
                                    3. The analogy of marriage: love deepens as knowledge of the other grows; so our love for God deepens as we know Him more
                                      4. II. Godliness Involves Serious Training for God

                                      A. Paul uses the Greek word gymnazō ("train") — the root of our word "gymnasium" — implying sweat, discipline, and zealous effort

                                      1. Bodily training has value for this life; training in godliness has value for both this life and the life to come (1 Timothy 4:8)
                                      2. As an Olympian trains seriously for competition, the Christian trains seriously for godliness

                                        3. B. The gospel itself demands seriousness

                                        1. The message of the gospel — God incarnate bearing our sin and absorbing God's wrath — requires a serious response
                                        2. The reality of sin's consequences is displayed plainly in the world, including in present suffering and death

                                          3. C. Seriousness in godliness does not equal unhappiness

                                          1. The common assumption that seriousness is the enemy of happiness is false
                                          2. The Puritans, who took Scripture most seriously, were among the most content and joyful people, because their joy was bound to eternal realities rather than passing earthly pleasures
                                          3. Training in godliness gives a foretaste now of the heavenly joy that will be ours in fullness — like opening one gift on Christmas Eve before the abundance of Christmas morning
                                            4. III. Godliness Involves a Secure Trust in God

                                            A. Paul grounds the call to godliness in the gospel: "we have our hope set on the Living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe" (1 Timothy 4:10)

                                            1. This echoes 1 Timothy 2:3-4 — God desires all people to be saved; "all" means all without distinction, not all without exception (Jews and Gentiles, men and women, slave and free)
                                            2. Parallel to Peter's Pentecost sermon in Acts 2:39 — the promise is for you, your children, and all those far off, even all whom the Lord calls to Himself

                                              3. B. The incentive for pursuing godliness is the gospel, not legalism

                                              1. Paul calls himself the worst of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15) yet pursues godliness with all his strength
                                              2. 1 Corinthians 15:10 — "By the grace of God I am what I am… I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me"
                                              3. We do not toil for godliness hoping to earn salvation; we toil because we have already been saved — the bonds of sin have been broken by grace

                                                4. C. Verse 9 — "The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance" — is Paul's assurance that our pursuit of godliness will not be in vain

                                                1. Condemnation no longer hangs over the believer; we have been justified in Christ's blood
                                                2. We pursue godliness not toward a possible joy at the end, but in the joy already ours in Christ
                                                3. Even in physical captivity (whether pandemic or persecution), the believer is spiritually free — freed from sin, freed from the domain of darkness, and called to pursue God with full assurance of His smile upon their imperfect efforts
                                                  4. 34 min
                                                4. Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 26: Communion of the Saints
                                                  Order of Service
                                                  • Sermon
                                                    • Sermon Notes: Communion with Christ and with One Another

                                                    Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-14

                                                    Text: Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 26 — Communion of the Saints

                                                    I. Union and Communion with Christ

                                                    A. Union with Christ in Eternity Past

                                                    1. Ephesians 1:4 — God chose us in him before the foundation of the world; election is grounded in our mysterious union with Christ from eternity
                                                    2. Ephesians 1:7 — redemption through his blood is ours because we were united to Christ at the cross
                                                    3. Romans 6:8 — if we have died with Christ, we will also live with him
                                                    4. Galatians 2:20 — "I have been crucified with Christ"; Christ's death was effectual because we were united to him in it
                                                    5. John 10:15 — Jesus lays down his life for the sheep, showing the personal nature of this union

                                                      6. B. Union with Christ in the Present

                                                      1. Ephesians 1:13 — in him believers are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit at the moment of faith
                                                      2. Our "existential union" — the union we become aware of at faith — does not begin at faith; it flows from the union established in eternity and at the cross
                                                      3. Faith is not what produces union with Christ; union with Christ produces faith; faith is a spiritual blessing that flows from Christ

                                                        4. C. Union with Christ in the Future

                                                        1. Ephesians 1:11 — in him we have obtained an inheritance; our future glorification is grounded in union with Christ
                                                        2. Romans 8:30 — those predestined are called, justified, and glorified — all in Christ
                                                        3. Every saving benefit (justification, sanctification, glorification) belongs to us only in union with Christ; we cannot speak of any saving benefit apart from him
                                                        4. Galatians 2:20 — "Christ who lives in me" summarizes the whole doctrine

                                                          5. D. The Confession's Qualifier (WCF 26.3) — Union with Christ Does Not Make Us Equal with Christ

                                                          1. We do not share in the substance or being of Christ's Godhead; we are united to him only as Mediator
                                                          2. This guards against the Eastern Orthodox doctrine of theosis (deification) — the error that union with Christ means sharing in his divine qualities or being
                                                          3. Psalm 45:6-7 (quoted in Hebrews 1:8-9) — "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever" is said of the Son alone; the Father calls Christ God, a designation given to no one united to Christ
                                                            4. II. Union and Communion with the Saints

                                                            A. Communion with the Saints in Worship

                                                            1. Isaiah 2:2-3 — prophecy of the latter days: the nations stream to the house of the Lord, saying "Come, let us go up"; corporate worship is the eschatological gathering of God's people
                                                            2. We are currently living in the latter days (1 Timothy 4; 2 Timothy 3:1)
                                                            3. Acts 2:42, 46 — the early church devoted itself to teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers; a fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy as multitudes gathered to worship
                                                            4. Hebrews 10:24-25 — the saints are commanded not to neglect meeting together; mutual edification and stirring one another to love happens in corporate gathering
                                                            5. Application: The current inability to gather together should move us to lament what has been lost and to value corporate worship, not taking it for granted when it is restored

                                                              6. B. Communion with the Saints in Giving

                                                              1. Acts 2:44-45 — believers shared possessions and distributed to any who had need
                                                              2. 1 John 3:17-18 — closing one's heart to a brother in need calls into question whether God's love abides in that person; love must be expressed in deed and truth
                                                              3. Application: As a body, believers are to care for one another physically and financially, not only spiritually, because of shared union with Christ

                                                                4. C. The Confession's Qualifier (WCF 26.3) — Communion of Goods Does Not Destroy Private Property

                                                                1. Generosity is not the same as collectivism; Scripture commands sharing but does not require communalism
                                                                2. Ephesians 4:28 — the thief is to work with his own hands so that he has something to share; Christians own what they give
                                                                3. Acts 5:4 — Peter tells Ananias that both before and after the sale the property was his own; even in the radical sharing of the early church, ownership rights were not abolished
                                                                4. 2 Corinthians 9:7 — "God loves a cheerful giver"; compulsion (collectivism) destroys the joy that is to characterize Christian giving
                                                                5. The proper order: immersion in the grace and spiritual blessings of union with Christ causes hearts to overflow in cheerful, generous giving to brothers and sisters in need
                                                                  6. 27 min
                                                                6. "Religion of Denial" 1 Timothy 4:1-5
                                                                  Order of Service
                                                                  • Call to Worship — Psalm 96:1-6
                                                                  • Prayer of Invocation
                                                                  • Confession of Faith — Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 8, Section 1
                                                                  • Confession of Sin — adapted from Isaiah 53
                                                                  • Assurance of Pardon — Psalm 130:3-4
                                                                  • Scripture Reading — 1 Samuel 12
                                                                  • Pastoral Prayer
                                                                  • Offering
                                                                  • Sermon
                                                                  • Benediction — 2 Corinthians 13:14
                                                                    • Sermon Title: Religion of Denial

                                                                    Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:1-5

                                                                    I. The Warning of Denial

                                                                    A. The Holy Spirit expressly warns the church of false teachers in the last days

                                                                    1. "The Spirit expressly says" refers either to the words of Jesus during his earthly ministry or to apostolic teaching inspired by the Spirit
                                                                    2. "Later times" is equivalent to "last days" in 2 Timothy 3:1 — the age between Christ's first and second coming

                                                                      3. B. The nature of this false teaching is not liberal but ascetic — a false conservatism, not an anything-goes permissiveness

                                                                      1. Satan is dynamic: he attacks through false liberalism at the front door and false conservatism at the back
                                                                      2. Church history shows a recurring pattern: orthodoxy corrects one heresy, but a faction swings the pendulum to a new extreme
                                                                      3. The Reformers battled both Rome and the radical reformers (e.g., the Peasants' War, 1524–1525); the Reformed confessions, including the Westminster Confession, address both errors
                                                                      4. North Point, as a conservative church, must guard against Satan entering from both directions
                                                                        5. II. The Subtlety of Denial

                                                                        A. These are described as deceitful spirits — Satan comes as an angel of light, not in a Halloween costume

                                                                        B. Fallen human nature has an ingrained ascetic, Pharisaic tendency

                                                                        1. Our knee-jerk reaction to self-denial is to call it pious and holy
                                                                        2. Kent Hughes's illustration: moving through rooms that grow progressively bluer — each step is barely noticeable, but placed back in the original green room, the drift becomes obvious; this is how man-made denial moves us away from Christ

                                                                          3. C. This passage follows 1 Timothy 3:16 deliberately — godliness rests in Christ and Christ alone, not in conformity to a man-made do-not list

                                                                          1. False teachers locate godliness in self-denial rather than in Christ
                                                                          2. Biblical commands to deny certain things are real, but conformity to God's will must flow from faith fixed on Christ
                                                                          3. The church in Ephesus is called in Revelation 2 to return to its first love — Christ alone

                                                                            4. D. Application: What man-made rules produce guilt and shame in you apart from Scripture? This is the ascetic spirit pulling you from Christ

                                                                            III. The Ungratefulness of Denial

                                                                            A. The specific ascetic practices in Ephesus: forbidding marriage and requiring abstinence from certain foods (1 Timothy 4:3)

                                                                            1. This reflects syncretism — a blending of Greek dualism (material world is evil, spiritual world is good) and Jewish food laws from the Mosaic administration
                                                                            2. Greek dualism led to denial of marriage and physical pleasure
                                                                            3. Food restrictions were a carryover from the Mosaic law, but Acts 11 shows Christ declared all foods clean — "What God has made clean, do not call common"

                                                                              4. B. God's good gifts are created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth (1 Timothy 4:3)

                                                                              1. From the beginning, creation's good gifts were meant to be enjoyed by God's image bearers to his glory
                                                                              2. These gifts are never to be severed from the Creator who gives them

                                                                                3. C. These gifts are made holy "by the Word of God and prayer" (1 Timothy 4:5)

                                                                                1. The Word declares them good (cf. Acts 11; Isaiah 5:20 — woe to those who call good evil)
                                                                                2. Prayer is our grateful response to God's declaration — a conversation: God gives and declares it good; we respond with thanksgiving and praise

                                                                                  3. D. The religion of denial is not merely thanklessness — it is an accusation against God as a flawed creator and a bad gift giver

                                                                                  1. Illustration: giving a gift someone throws in the dumpster and then lectures you about — worse than ingratitude
                                                                                  2. God's good gifts are meant to draw our eyes upward to the gift-giver himself, not merely to the gifts — praising God to others: "Have you heard of this God? Let me tell you what a generous gift-giver he is"

                                                                                    3. E. Application for the present moment of hardship

                                                                                    1. God is removing many of our "toys" (American abundance) so we can be grateful for daily bread and refocus on him
                                                                                    2. Matthew 6:11 — "Give us this day our daily bread" — a fitting prayer for this season
                                                                                    3. Like children on vacation with only three or four toys, scarcity produces gratitude
                                                                                    4. This is a time not to bewail God's goodness but to laud it — "He has dealt bountifully with us" (cf. Psalm 13) in and through Jesus Christ
                                                                                      5. 42 min

                                                                                    About Northpointe PCA Sermons

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