Reformed & Expository Preaching

Introduction

We conclude our series of God’s family.  We focus on Christ’s baptism as presented in Luke and Matthew. While critics often point to differences between the Gospel accounts as contradictions, Scripture itself treats multiple witnesses as a strength, not a weakness. Each evangelist emphasizes different aspects of the same event to reveal deeper theological meaning.

Luke and Matthew are not competing narrators; they are complementary witnesses. Luke highlights humility, reversal, and inclusion, while Matthew emphasizes fulfillment, covenant faithfulness, and judgment. Together, they teach us not only who Christ is, but what it means to belong to God’s family.  Jesus is the great equalizer. 

Luke’s Report of Christ’s Debut

Luke carefully crafts a narrative in which social expectations are overturned. He introduces John the Baptist through the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth.  Remember that this is an elite, priestly family.

The controversy is that they are barren.  This carries cultural shame.  Though Luke assures us they were righteous, their childlessness would have been interpreted by society as divine displeasure. 

Their exalted place in their genealogy is taken away.  They are humbled.  However, the Lord exalts them in his timing.  John’s birth removes that reproach. His birth restores their honorable place. 

There is a parallel story of Mary.  She is a peasant woman. We do not know her genealogy.  She is young and should be praising Elizabeth.   Astonishingly, when Mary visits Elizabeth, it is Elizabeth who humbles herself, recognizing Mary as the more significant figure. 

The unborn John leaps in the womb, and Mary responds with the Magnificat.  Mary does not exalt herself, but celebrates that God lifts up the humble.  He also humbles the exalted.

These stories form the backdrop for Christ’s baptism.  Luke summarizes Christ’s baptism, but he does so after John goes to prison.  This kingdom is established by the humble being exalted.  Christ will submit to death to be raised to life. 

The baptism communciates Christ’s movement.  The heavens open and the Spirit descends like a dove.  We would expect judgment like in the flood or echoes in Isaiah.  Luke wants us to see that Christ secures the lowly to exalt them in the new family. 

Matthew’s Report of Christ’s Debut

Matthew introduces John the Baptist abruptly.  There is no backstory for John.  He appears, and he is preaching.  John arrives as a prophetic firebrand proclaiming judgment. His harshest words are aimed not at moral outcasts but at the religious elite. Matthew wants Israel to understand that covenant membership alone does not equal righteousness.

Joseph’s role reinforces this theme. Matthew gives Joseph a voice to emphasize that Christ really is in David’s line (2 Sam. 7).  Matthew shows that Jesus does not merely erase Adam’s sin.  Christ’s mission is to relieve and fulfill Israel’s story.  He is Israel’s messiah who cleanses his people and secures the nations. 

This framework climaxes in Christ’s baptism. John recognizes the theological tension: the Messiah does not need cleansing.  John needs his cleansing from Christ. Yet Jesus insists that baptism is necessary “to fulfill all righteousness.”  Christ is submitting to judgment.  The first judgment with heaven opening.  He bears the judgment Israel deserved and consecrates Himself to cleanse His people. Matthew emphasizes that God’s promises move from prophetic assertion to historical fulfillment in Christ alone.

What is Baptism?

Luke and Matthew do not contradict one another; they emphasize different facets of the same redemptive reality. Luke highlights that the humble  are welcomed into God’s family.  The outsiders and the unworthy people need their exaltation in Christ. 

Matthew highlights how redemption is accomplished through Christ reliving Israel’s history.  The elite bear testimony showing that Christ really is king. 

Luke shows Christ forming a new international family where identity is grounded in grace, not status. Matthew shows Christ as the covenantal redeemer who submits to divine judgment so His people may live. Together, they proclaim that Christ is both the humble King and the righteous Judge, the one who humbles the proud and raises the lowly by first humbling Himself unto death.

The family of God, therefore, is neither a refuge for self-righteous elites nor a consolation prize for the weak.  We must see ourselves as members of a redeemed community united under one Messiah who has borne judgment and secured peace.

We are not a worthy people, but a people who have been made worthy. 

Conclusion

Both Luke and Matthew testify that true shalom is found only in Christ. This is not a shallow peace of tolerance or coexistence, but a restored communion with God. Christ does not merely endure us; He redeems us. He enters judgment, fulfills righteousness, and rises triumphant so that heaven’s verdict of death is overturned.

Whether we are tempted to trust in our prestige or despair over our brokenness, the call is the same: find your identity in Christ alone. He is the great equalizer.  We note that the exalted must kneel, the humble are raised, and all who come find life in Him.

As we move forward, we are reminded that our entire existence is situated in Christ. As the saying attributed to Luther puts it: Live as though Christ died yesterday, rose today, and is coming again tomorrow. This is not a life of terror, but of confidence. The Redeemer has overcome. Our consecration, our joy, and our power are found in Him alone. Let us live before his face as we walk in HIs power, seeking to conform to Him. 

Introduction

In this exposition of 1 Corinthians 2, Paul’s contrast between the natural (fleshly) person and the spiritual person is carefully unpacked in light of the Canons of Dort. The goal is to correct common misunderstandings.  We might want to be very moralistic where we impose our will on someone else because we are more Spiritual.

We might want to make a distinction in the church.  Some are Spiritual Christians, and some are carnal Christians.  We all want to be Spiritual Christians.

The Spiritual Christian has the mind of Christ.  So, how can we be Spiritual with the mind of Christ?

Folly’s Judgement

Paul teaches that the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit.  Man does not have a problem of neutrality.  Man has a deep moral problem.  Man is sinful to the core and does not embrace or even see the Lord’s wisdom.  Natural man will judge the Gospel and Scripture as folly.

Scripture, from Genesis 3 onward, teaches that humanity is not merely sick but dead in sin.  Fallen man is in rebellion against God.  This is by man’s choice.

It is the fall into sin that condemns humanity.  It is not that man needs to make better choices.

Thus, the gospel appears “stupid” or “foolish” to the natural person.  This is not because a natural person fails to read the words.  The natural person can lay out the Gospel clearly.  However, the natural person will never know the Christ of Scripture.  We need the Lord to regenerate our hearts to respond in faith.

Why Not Be Judged?

When Paul says the spiritual person “is not judged,” we might think that we are above the law. We might think that we have immunity from the Lord’s judgment. This is not the case. The same word translated “judged” also means discerned or evaluated.

Paul is reminding us that we are called to discern what is right before the Lord. As we correctly discern, then we are not judged by man. We are submitting ourselves to the Lord’s judgment. As the Lord works in us by the Spirit, he convicts us of our sin.

The spiritual person can rightly evaluate life in light of Christ, while the natural person lacks the capacity to discern/judge/learn spiritual truth. They can read the Scripture, they can summarize the Gospel, but they will never live in light of it.

We are simply saying that the regenerate, spiritual person has a new bent of the will. It is by the Spirit’s work that the Spiritual person sees the wisdom and joy of life in Christ. So, the Spiritual person really desires and begins to conform to the Lord’s will.

How to Gain Christ’s Mind?

To have the mind of Christ is not to possess some sort of secret knowledge. It is to hear the gospel, and now see that message as the message of life. This is where the Christian begins to ask, “How do I please my savior?” Rather than, “How does everything please me?”

Paul is intentionally undermining Corinthian elitism. The Corinthians equated maturity with spiritual gifts. They prided themselves on having the greatest teachers.

The Apostle Paul defines maturity by embracing the cross, the resurrection, and the absolute necessity of Christ’s saving work. Paul praises the spiritual Christian or the mature Christian who sees that they need to submit to their Lord and redeemer.

The mind of Christ is shaped by doing the Father’s will. It is doing the Father’s will with joy. It is seeking to discern where we need to die to self. It is seeking to live unto the Lord.

This is the essence of a true Christian ethic. A good workflow from faith. Good work is done by the Lord’s standard or law. A good work is done for the Lord’s glory and not man’s approval (Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 91).

Those who glory in Christ’s humiliation and redemption are the spiritually mature. The reason: the spiritually mature know they need a savior. The spiritually mature want to live for their savior even if that life looks rather ordinary. The spiritually mature will know they need Christ and will not fully arrive at perfection until glory. The spiritually mature see their continual need for their savior.

Conclusion

Human depravity is deeper than just a few bad decisions. Our condemnation before God is more than just failing to respond in faith, and we need to be more informed to make better decisions. We need more than the persuasion or assistance of Grace. We need the Lord’s radical intervention to regenerate our hearts. Only the Lord can give us that new heart by his recreative power.

Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 2 dismantles every attempt to redefine spirituality apart from the gospel. Humanity’s problem is not lack of information but spiritual death. Grace does not merely assist; it regenerates. The spiritual person is not superior, autonomous, or elite. The mature spiritual Christian rests in Christ. The mature spiritual Christians realize the grace that is overwhelmed by the Spirit, giving us a new heart in regeneration. The spiritually mature discern the things of Christ and seek to live for him.

Let us be a people who want to live for Christ’s glory as he is at work in us.

Introduction

Luke’s Gospel invites us to hear a story that turns the world upside down. Kings reign, empires boast of peace, and yet heaven quietly enters history through a peasant couple in a crowded town. What Luke gives us is not a story of political triumph or cultural success, but divine irony. The true King arrives when the world’s rulers appear to have everything under control.

As we follow Luke’s narration, we encounter three surprising groups. First, there are insiders who should have recognized their King. Second, there are outsiders who had no right to believe but did. And last, the compromised witnesses bear witness to the unlikely events.

Luke wants us to feel the tension: that the kingdom of God breaks into the world where no one expects it, and through people no one would choose.

Evil Insiders?

Luke sets Christ’s birth in a world where Christ is supposed to bring world peace.  The problem: Caesar has beaten the Lord to this goal.  It seems that Caesar is calling the shots.  He calls a world census, and Joseph follows the call.

We can think about how it is that God is establishing his king, and it is Rome’s king that is driving and calling the shots?  Luke chooses to let that question linger for a moment.

One would expect that Joseph, a descendant of David, would simply have a room.  The story has been understood that Joseph is a poor planner.  However, Bailey points out that it is not the case. I think Bailey brings out a lot of helpful history regarding Christ’s birth, but we need to note at least two major things:

Joseph is in the line of David, but he is tied to peasants.  He does not stay in a wealthy man’s house. (Luke wants us to know this detail)

The world is not embracing this child.  This would include Jerusalem, which has failed to welcome Christ.

The point is that the people who should embrace the Messiah and welcome the messiah as king are failing to do so.  His being laid in a manger will be echoed when Christ dies.  He is wrapped and laid in a tomb.

The insiders in the city of David should roll out the red carpet and secure a palace for Christ.  However, the city is ruled by Rome’s ruler. Has the Lord entered history too late?

Strange Outsiders

We would expect that Christ’s birth would be announced to priests or diplomats. At least, that is how Matthew introduces Christ’s significance. Christ received a proper greeting that recalls Solomon with the Queen of Sheba. The nations are coming to bring gifts to Christ.

Luke makes it very clear that Christ is the peasant king for the simple people. There are shepherds in the field. These would be social and religious outsiders with a reputation for uncleanness. This is not only because the Levites see them as uncouth, but even Rome would not allow them to testify in court. They lacked the credibility and integrity to be believed.

However, these men that we would consider outsiders receive the testimony of Christ from Angelic messengers. They see heaven’s glory, and they are moved to find the child. They are moved to report these things. It is ironic that the first witnesses have no credibility to be credible witnesses.

Has the Lord failed in his mission? A city that rejects, and now there are witnesses bearing witness who cannot credibly testify in court.

Conclusion

Luke’s birth narrative reminds us that God’s story does not depend on human recognition, status, or credibility. The insiders failed to welcome Christ, but the outsiders who had nothing to offer became the honored guests of heaven’s announcement.

The pattern is clear: Christ comes to the unworthy to make them worthy. The manger and the cross both testify that God’s grace is not earned but given.  Christ is the King who understood the problem of the fall.  He is the priest-king who understood the loss of the fall.  He is the priest-king-prophet who speaks and acts to overcome.  He is the action and word of God.  He is God who has taken on the flesh.  He is God who has come as the servant to be raised as the victorious priest-king.  He is the definitive word from heaven.  Let us bow before him, live in him, and find our lives in him.

There are two fundamental ways of reasoning about God and Scripture. There are magisterial and ministerial.

Magisterial reasoning approaches theology from above the text, attempting to make doctrines like divine sovereignty and human will fit together through human logic. It concludes that if man truly has free will, then God must limit His sovereignty to allow freedom of choice.

Ministerial reasoning, however, submits beneath the text, accepting Scripture’s truths even when they form paradoxes the human mind cannot fully reconcile.

The Canons of Dordt seek to use ministerial reasoning and submit our theology to the text.

Humanity was created holy but fell into sin at the first temptation, revealing how even perfect free will chose rebellion over obedience.

Since the fall, human nature is unable to restore itself. Sanctification, progressively conforming to Christ by the Spirit’s work, is not achieved by moral reform or self-help but by the transforming power of the gospel.

Paul is invited to speak in the synagogue. Paul’s life illustrates the paradox of divine sovereignty and human choice: his dramatic conversion shows God’s direct intervention. One would expect Paul to say that his experience is the norm.

When we see Paul preach he does not boast of his experience, but the cross of Christ. Paul normally recites Israel’s covenant history, exalting God’s faithfulness throughout history. Paul makes very explicit that God fulfills his promises in Christ Jesus. In parcticular, that God manifests his wisdom through Christ’s cross. Paul gives the assurance that the cross is overturned in the resurrection. Christ has been vindicated!

Paul sees the message of the Gospel as the means that God uses to call his people. He does not see his radical calling as the normal way that God calls people. The Lord normally works through the means of the Gospel to regenerate and renovate man’s core.

Paul does accept this invitation. He preaches the gospel. Paul preaches the gospel faithfully. He follows his normal pattern of recalling God’s significant works throughout covenant history. These are events that the audience already knows.

Paul shows that it is Christ who is the ultimate manifestation of God’s faithfulness. Christ secures his people, confirms God’s promsies, and Christ is the Messiah. He is the Lord and Savior.

He shows that both Jews and God-fearing Gentiles are invited to hear and respond. Paul accepts the invitation to preach because he knows that faith comes through the Gospel call.

The Canons of Dort state explicitly that the gospel call is genuine and serious: those who hear are truly invited to faith in Christ.

At the same time, only the Spirit can renew the human will, awakening new desires and bending it toward repentance and obedience.

Paul simply retells the redemptive story. They would know this history. Paul believes that as one holds out Christ that he is sincerely calling all the hearers to embrace Christ. (COD Head 3/4 Art. 8). Paul does not see a contradiction of God using a means to call his people to faith.

The sermon turns to the heart of the theological paradox: “As many as were appointed to eternal life believed.”

Some hear and believe. This is in contrast to the others' rejection. However, the sincere call of the Gospel remains unchanged.


Here we see both divine sovereignty and human response in perfect harmony.

Some try to use “Appointed” in a broader sense. The reality is that this is a particular appointment.

The reason that some in the synagogue respond in faith while others do not is that some are appointed to eternal life. Some are not appointed to eternal life.

God works through the genuine preaching of the gospel, bringing life to the dead. This means when we believe the Gospel, we have the Spirit. We also need to be careful in who we think is worthy to receive the Gospel.

We have no idea who God has chosen. He chose Peter and Paul both to be apostles. Scripture gives us enough insight into them that we can see they are pretty different as people. However, they both faithfully serve the Lord. The Complex Result (Acts 13:48)

Believers are reassured that they are not puppets but renewed people whose wills have been transformed by grace. The gospel’s call is both real and effective: all who hear are sincerely invited, and those whom God has appointed will ultimately come to faith.

This truth humbles and comforts the church.  We are called to pray for the lost to come to faith.  We are called to send out preachers to proclaim the gracious call. Ultimately, we are called to gratitude for God’s grace that will not fail.

We respond, then, not with speculative pride, but with worship and trust in a sovereign Savior who uses the simple, powerful means of the gospel to bring dead hearts to life.

Introduction

There are two kinds of people in God’s kingdom.  Some are in the covenant line, and others are outside the covenant line.   Matthew captures this by showing us that there are insiders (God’s covenant people) and outsiders (those who are not directly tied to Abraham by their family line).  Matthew addresses the issue of whether or not the outsiders can be part of the family or if those who are inside the family can be outcasts.  What determines this classification?

Outside God’s Family

Matthew begins with the Magi. These men would be pagan Gentiles from the East. They would be astrologers who would advise kings. These are not men that we would see as sympathetic to the Israelites. However, they follow a start that they see in the distance.

They come to the holy city, and they encounter Herod the king. One wonders if they will allow this jealous man to discover Christ and execute him. Well, they protect Christ and seek to worship him.

The start that they follow is the fulfillment of Numbers 24:17. The great prophet Balaam was going to control the living God. Ironically, he could only speak the Lord’s word. He prophesied the star that would rise from Jacob. This star is promised to be victorious. The star testifies to the fulfillment of God’s prophecy through the prophet for hire, Balaam.

The men who were supposed to hate God came to worship God.

Inside God’s Family

Ironically, Jerusalem should rejoice the most.  This is the city that literally means, “Vision of Peace.”  They should want to commune with God.  The vision of peace is communion with the living God. If the messiah has arrived, Jerusalem should celebrate.

We read that Herod and all Jerusalem were troubled. How can this city be troubled by the “Prince of Peace” Arriving in the city of peace?  The problem is that they love their earthly kingdom and have lost sight of the heavenly one.

The problem is that the insiders lost sight of what it means to be insiders.  The wise men/magi/magicians/advisoers leave.  They see the star and they are exceedingly joyful rather than troubled.  One has to continually align with the Lord’s priorities as one walks by faith in the Spirit. It does not matter if one has the covenant lineage. It is taking hold of the substance of faith, Jesus Christ, that determines one’s identity.

In the Family

The city of Jerusalem is troubled, but the pagans from the east have exceeding joy when they see the star above Christ’s dwelling. They journey to the home. The men who are used to the finest banquets enjoy peasant hospitality.

The gifts that they offer call to our attention that the Old Testament promise is realized. Psalm 72, Isaiah, and we think of the Queen of Sheba giving Solomon gifts. This shows that they are pledging homage and honoring Christ as king.

The picture here is hilarious. These are very prestitious men who gather together to worship Christ the King. They do this despite the earthly appearance. These men are not threatened by the king or the peasant surroundings. They look beyond what they see with their eyes and see with the eyes of faith that the shalom/peace of heaven does not function on fallen worldly terms.

The insiders will see Christ despite our worldly expectations. The Spirit will enlighten us to see who the Lord is. We will respond in faith as we walk in the power of the Spirit.

Conclusion

Christ came into the world to make strangers into sons and daughters. Those who, like the Magi, lay aside their pride. They bow before Him to worship him despite his humble presentation. They empty themselves of their worldly significance. As a result, they find themselves as members of the household of God. it is only in Christ that one finds their true identity in Christ.

Introduction

We spend another week considering the doctrine of Limited Atonement. We examine this doctrine using John 17 and the Canons of Dort. Christ’s pristly work and his compassion is evident as he goes to the cross.

Our problem is that we can have a “scarcity mindset” regarding Christ’s work. We might think that limited atonement teaches that there is just enough of Christ’s work to go around. The reality is that this doctrine teaches that Christ’s work is guaranteed to be applied to Christ’s people.

Christ does not potentially secure some people, but he certainly secures his people.

Christ Accomplishes the Work the Father Gave Him

Jesus declares in John 17:4, “I have accomplished the work that You gave Me to do.” This means that Christ is conscious he has an assignment. He has met the requirements for his day’s work. Christ has done his work.

His people are not part of a co operative arrangment. Christ did the work that the Father gave him to do.


The Canons of Dort rejects the idea that Christ’s death was “without a fixed plan.” Jesus is acting as a servant completing the father’s assignment. If the plan was to save everyone then Christ’s work is sufficient. We will address that potential in a moment.

The important thint to note here is that the Father assigned work. Christ consciously accomplished that work. Christ expects his wages. This simply means that Christ has obeyed in the place of his people. He is going to the cross to bear the penalty of sin (Cover/Atone) for the sin. Now, he expects that the father will raise him from the dead.


Therefore, Christ’s atonement is not theoretical. It is deliberate, polished, and there are metrics he is espected to meet. Christ knows the expectation and he met the expectation. Therefore, the Father owes him a resurrection. Christ has earned his vindication. (cf. Romans 1:3,4; Romans 4:24-25; 1 Timothy 3:16)

Christ Secures His People

Now we address the question, “Who are Christ’s People?” The second section centers on John 17:2, 6, and 9, showing Christ consciously interceding for a specific group. This group is identified as, “those whom You have given Me.” This group is still in the world, lives in the world, but is not the world.


He possesses full authority over all flesh, but his application is only to the people that the Father has given him. Eternal life, in Jesus’ definition, means knowing God. This means that His people truly experience the blessings of the Spirit as they rightly know God. This is only by the Spirit’s work. (John 3)

The Canons of Dordt stands against the Arminian claim that grace universally restores human neutrality by a universal assisting or prevenient grace. The Canons uses the strong language that this revives the Pelagian heresy. The log is: if prevenient grace makes us capable of saving ourselves through faith, then Christ’s death becomes unnecessary. The canons is working out the consistent implication of prevenient grace.


The Reformed view maintains that faith does not save; Christ saves. Faith is the God-given instrument by which believers take hold of Christ’s accomplished work. Consequently, Christ’s prayer for “those You have given Me” assures us that the Lord’s people will necessarily receive his blessings.

This is not Universal

In verses like John 17:20–24, Christ extends His prayer beyond the disciples to include “those who will believe through their word.” When people ask, “Well why do missions?” The reason: God uses a means to accomplish his goal. So, simply here Christ is laying out the general call of the gospel will go forth. When we properly understand that God calls his people normally through the gospel and sees to it that the call will be effective in His Spirit then we have every reason to engage in missions. We know that the work will have an end. This is later in the Canons of Dordt.


Christ is very specific about who receives his work. His intent is not to save humanity in general, but to redeem the people who are one with Him and the Father. His work is going to be applied to the people who will dwell with God forever.


We might wonder if we are part of Christ’s people. When we consider Judas and Peter we see a stark contrast. Judas,(the “son of perdition” (v. 12) betrays Christ. He takes his life out of remorse rather than turning to Christ. (This is a very specific case of suicide, and not a universal commentary). Peter turns to Christ in remorse. The reprobate never sees Christ as a solution. Peter sees Christ as the only solution. Judas is not having a momentary crises, but it is a whole mindset that fails to see Christ’s mission.

So, when we doubt if Christ loves us then we should believe Christ. One who does not have Christ does not care about Christ. If we struggle in our assurance it testifies that we are God’s child, and so believe! Walk in Christ becasue he is your redeemer.


Christ’s high priestly intercession continues today. We have the snippet of Christ praying for the protection of his people. We should never minimize prayer. If our Lord does it as the first order to protect his people then we should be following our savior’s lead.

Conclusion

We need to realize that limited atonement is not cold exclusivism but comforting assurance. It teaches believers that salvation depends wholly on Christ, not our pedigree, or our performing for God’s attention.

Faith is how we take hold of Christ. Faith does not save. Faith in Christ saves. It is Christ who saves and faith is the means whereby we take hold of Christ and his his distinc benefits.


Christ’s prayer in John 17 shows His compassionate heart: He wants His people with Him in glory. Christ longs for full fellowship, Christ continues to intercede on our behalf.


Thus, the doctrine calls Christians to humility, prayer, and gratitude. We are humbled not in our choice for God, but in God’s choice of us through Christ.


Because the Redeemer has accomplished His mission and continues to intercede, our salvation stands secure. His faithfulness, not ours, sustains us. That is our peace. Let us walk in faith discerning how to live as living sacrifices unto him.

Introduction

Matthew’s genealogy prompts listeners to think about family legacy, reputation, and spiritual lineage. Just as we may judge someone by their family’s reputation, Matthew opens with Jesus’ lineage to show both the brokenness and faithfulness found in God’s people.
He highlights deeply flawed individuals.  There are high performers and not-so-high performers.

Matthew shows us that God works through an imperfect line and people to bring about the Messiah. The discouraging side of the genealogy reminds us that sin runs through human history since the fall.  However, the encouraging truth is that God knows the family he needs to redeem.

Who Is Joseph?

Joseph enters the narrative at the hinge between Israel’s history and Christ’s birth. His name itself recalls the patriarch Joseph, the son of Jacob.  He recalls a very broken history.

Joseph was betrayed, cast down, and yet exalted for the preservation of God’s people.  Joseph’s predicament is a result of his brothers, who sold him into slavery.  He was sold because of the rivalry that raged in Jacob/Israel’s house.

We recall the tragedy of Jacob’s story, but the Lord does not give up on his people.  Joseph, in Matthew’s story,  also plays his role in the covenant story.  He is the unsung hero.  He is righteous and seeks to do what is right to honor the Lord.

God’s story of redemption continues through generations, proving that His purposes never depend on perfect people but on His steadfast covenant faithfulness.

How Is Joseph the Son of David?

The genealogy reveals Joseph’s descent from David’s royal line.  It is not through biological perfection, but through God’s covenant promise. The angel addresses him deliberately as “Joseph, son of David,” affirming his role as the legal father of Jesus.  The Lord vowed that the Lord would build David’s house forever (2 Samuel 7). Joseph testifies that God kept his promise.

Matthew arranges his genealogy in three sets of fourteen generations.  This assures us that  God’s deliberate design, from David to Jeconiah, from exile to restoration, climaxing in Christ, the “seventh seven,” is God’s plan.  God has been with his people every season.

Joseph’s righteousness is not defined by faultless moral performance but by his desire to discern what is pleasing to God. When he wrestles with anger, betrayal, and uncertainty, he displays righteousness by seeking to honor God’s will rather than his own emotions.

The faithfulness of David’s line, despite its failures, reaches fulfillment in Christ’s advent.  Joseph assures us that God’s people will bear fruit of their redeemer’s power. God will prevail despite his people.

Why Is This Marriage So Important?

Here lies the crisis of the narrative: God’s redemptive plan seems fragile, hinging on whether Joseph will trust the messenger’s word and take Mary as his wife. If Joseph fails to take her, then God’s plan falls flat. The messiah did not come through the line of Judah and David’s line.

Joseph takes Mary as his wife and names the child Jesus, acknowledging Him as his legal son. Joseph secures Christ’s standing in the Davidic line. His naming Jesus, Yahweh Saves, shows his submission to God’s plan.  Joseph embraces public shame by taking Mary as his wife. Joseph forfeits his paternal right by naming the child Jesus. Truly, Jesus is God’s Son. Joseph submits to God’s plan. This is why Joseph is a righteous man. He seeks to do what pleases the Lord by walking humbly before our God. (Micah 6:5)

Conclusion

Matthew’s account calls us to contemplate the beauty of divine sovereignty expressed through frail humanity. God entrusts His promises not to the powerful or perfect but to those who wait upon the Lord.  The ones who believe the promises of God.  The ones who seek to please their God as live out of gratitude.

Joseph’s story teaches that righteousness is not about mastery of the law but humble trust in God’s redemptive plan.

The genealogy of Christ tells us one thing: God triumphs over human sin and carries His covenant promises despite every human failure.

Through Emmanuel, “God with us,” the fractured family of humanity becomes redeemed and restored. Just as Joseph obeyed in faith, we too abide in confidence that God’s promises will never fall flat.  He saves His people from their sins, fulfills His covenant, and draws us into His eternal family.  Let think about the joy of being called into God’s family.

Introduction

Limited atonement sounds as if the Lord is setting up an excluvie group or there is not enough for everyone. Far from portraying Christ’s atonement as scarce or exclusive, Scripture presents it as infinitely sufficient for the whole human race. However, Christ’s work is only applied to the sheep. So, Christ’s work is not a scarce resource, but it is only applied to the elect. This is not something for the elite because none of us deserve Christ’s work. We are all sewer dwellers who need to be lifted up by the scruff of our necks.

Who Are the Sheep?

John 10 divides humanity into two groups: Christ’s sheep and those who are not His sheep. Christ lays down His life for His sheep. The Canons of Dordt teach us that Christ’s death is infinitely sufficient. This means that if the human race continued to generate generations forever that Christ could save ever last one of them. However, God chose only to apply Christ’s work to his sheep or his elect people.

These sheep are not identified by elite status or by receiving mystical confirmation of election. Jesus explains that His sheep are simply those who hear His voice, and follow him. How do we know if we heard his voice? Do you believe the Gospel? Do you believe that Christ is the God man? Do you believe that Christ is your savior? Well, then you are one of his sheep.

The problem with this doctrine’s title, “Limited Atonement” is we think we know the number of the elect. However, we have no idea how many people will be in heaven. It is not for us to know. We are simply called to preach the gospel, call Christ’s sheep, and follow his lead as faithful sheep.

What Does It Mean That Christ Lays Down His Life for the Sheep?

Article 4 of the Canons highlights the unique value of Christ’s death: only the God-man can offer a sacrifice sufficient to satisfy God’s requirements. Christ is both truly human (creature who offended) and truly divine (able to bear the infinite wrath).

Christ is our unique savior, but the beauty of John 10 is that he is also our shepherd. His self-giving is radical. He gives his life so his sheep can have life. Christ intentionally lays down His life because this is the only way to secure His people. We do not walk in a dead shepherd, but the shepherd who also takes it up. Christ’s work definitively assures us. This is why we sometimes say that this is definite atonement.

What Does “Limited Atonement” Actually Mean?

The doctrine does not teach scarcity, insufficiency, or elitism. Instead, it affirms:

Christ’s atonement is infinite in worth and fully sufficient for all if God so chose. The beauty of this is that Christ’s sheep not only will hear his voice, but they will obey. As they obey their shepherd they will be lead into the heavenly pastures.

Assurance comes through believing Christ, not by calculating how many are saved or whether the “supply” of atonement has run out. Christ knows His sheep, calls them, gives them eternal life, and promises that no one can snatch them from His hand.

Conclusion

We need to remember that the doctrine of limited atonement or definite atonement is not meant to unsettle believers but to anchor them. Christ never reveals the number of the redeemed or invites us to speculate on who is in the flock. Rather, He directs us to one simple question: Do you hear the Shepherd’s voice and believe the gospel? If so, His atonement is yours, His life is yours, and His protection is yours. The doctrine is therefore not restrictive but profoundly comforting: the Good Shepherd lays down His life with purpose, gathers His sheep across history, and guarantees that His sheep will dwell with him him in glory. Let us hear the voice of our shepherd. Let us walk in the Good Shepherd, who not only laid down his life, but who also took it up again.

This is our conclusion to our study of Luke’s Gospel. As we reflect on Luke, we remember how the gospel begins: angels, shepherds, women, and an elderly priestly family in scandal. God turns their barrenness, which is scandalous because they are not blessed by God, into life, as they will be the means to bring in the prophet before the messiah.

The Lord confirms his promise, but we see that the world has its categories. Kings do not come from peasants. No one will give up their house or bed, even though they will be called to bear their cross. Christ is given all the hospitality of a peasant baby. We might think that this is a failure until we realize that the Lord shows his strength through weakness. Life comes from death. Children come from scandalous, barren people.

We would think that by the end of the Gospel, people have these dials. However, the scene is set with the disciples alone in a room. They hear reports, but fail to see our glorified Lord. Luke presents Christ’s work as Christ reveals himself, and then he leaves. Does this mean that Christ is upset? How do we know that we can draw near to a savior who leaves us?

Luke opens the scene with the disciples in a room talking about these things. This echoes what we heard from the disciples on the road to Emmaus. They expected redemption through Israel, but Christ had died. They are processing grief, fear, and confusion. Their mindset is that they have been duped. They are trying to process what might not make sense while wondering if their crucifixion is next.

Suddenly, Christ stands in their midst and says, “Peace to you.”

At first, they are startled, thinking they are seeing a spirit. Yet, Christ shows His hands and feet. They are invited to examine the scars of His suffering. They are to comprehend that Christ is revealing His glorified body.

Christ should say that he is going to find new disciples. However, Christ knows our frailty and weakness. He is long-suffering. Rather than pronouncing judgment, he comes to pronounce the shalom of the Gospel. We need to be careful where we set the boundaries for what God can do. He may not always fit within the parameters of our box. However, we drew the box in our own understanding.

Luke reminds us that while the disciples doubt, Christ’s appearance restores hope and demonstrates that His mission is accomplished in ways they did not anticipate.

Christ’s greeting of “Peace to you” mirrors the angels’ proclamation at His birth, yet now it carries profound significance. This peace is not a temporary truce but a full restoration. It is not God tolerating us, but God entering into a full communion with us. The promises of the gospel are confirmed. The hope that Abraham had as a promise we realize now because Christ has been raised from the dead.

We see this peace because Christ invites the disciples to draw near to him. The examination of his wounds confirms that this is not an illusion. His dining with the disciples communicates that they are in fellowship with one another. Luke’s Gospel revolves around meals. God’s people dining with Christ is their communing together around the table. It is saying that they have fellowship as a family that enjoys the food together. The Lord’s family dines together as His people.

• Trust that, despite human failure, God’s mercy and grace endure.

Even in doubt, even in the midst of human failure, Christ draws His people near. Christ’s peace is granted to flawed disciples. The Gospel shalom is far deeper than we can comprehend.

Christ opens the disciples’ minds to understand the Scriptures, showing how His suffering and resurrection fulfill God’s plan. He connects the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings, revealing the continuity of God’s covenant. Christ gives the assurance that he has confirmed the work.

Christ invites them to meet him outside the city. He is taken up to glory before their eyes at Bethany. If you put this in the context of Zechariah 12-14 then you will see Christ’s confirmation. The kingdom is here. Christ leaves from the Mount of Olives, which is the place where the messiah is going to return. The promise of judging the nations is not annulled, but delayed. Now is the time for the gospel to go forth. The call to prepare for the king’s return. When he comes down to the Mount of Olives, it is the time when the people will be held accountable for their response to the herald’s gospel call.

Christ now lives in heaven to intercede for his people. His people are seated with him as a victorious people who are more than those who have overcome. Let us heed the Gospel call. Let us cling to our savior. Let us walk in him as living sacrifices who live for his glory.

The conclusion of Luke reminds us that Christ’s mission is complete; he is in heaven, but he continues to work. Today, we live in the reality of Christ’s resurrection and ascension. He intercedes on our behalf, invites us into fellowship, and guarantees that the fullness of the kingdom is ours in Him. Let us draw near, find joy in Him, and anticipate the eternal feast at the Lamb’s table.

Christ shows that the disciples should not be troubled.

Introduction

As we continue through the Canons of Dort, it is important to remember how this confession is structured. Each head of doctrine has a positive section, where the churches state what they believe, and a “rejection of errors” section, where they clarify what they do not believe. The goal is not to be reactionary or merely negative, but to confess positively what Scripture teaches about God’s grace and then explain why certain opposing views must be rejected.​

When we come to the rejections concerning election, we are really dealing with one central question: do we in any way influence God’s decision to choose us for his kingdom? The Arminian position says, in various ways, that there is something in us—our decision, our perseverance, our right use of grace—that becomes the decisive factor in God’s choice. The Canons insist instead that election is entirely of God’s grace, so that all glory belongs to him alone.

We Do Not Influence God

The first cluster of Arminian errors says that God looks ahead in history, sees who will believe, who will persevere, and then chooses those people as his elect. In that scheme, God’s choice finally rests on something in us. We make the decision for God. We are faithful enough for God’s mercy. We have made a wise choice.

But this turns God into a passive observer of history rather than the sovereign Lord who orders it. God is only watching who reacts rather than God definitively securing His people as His citizens in His kingdom.

Scripture paints a very different picture. Ephesians 2 describes us not as spiritually sick but as “dead” in trespasses and sins. We were walking according to the course of this fallen world and following the prince of the power of the air.

Dead people do not reach out to God, climb a ladder out of the sewer of sin, or give God a reason to choose them. God acts when there is nothing in us that would or could move him to love us.

When Paul says that God made us alive with Christ “even when we were dead,” he is insisting that God’s gracious choice and saving action are not responses to our initiative. Rather, God is the one who is the cause of our new life and faith.

Because of this, election cannot be based on foreseen faith, foreseen perseverance, or any foreseen quality in us. If God’s choice depended even partly on something in us, grace would no longer be grace, and we could boast that we were, in some sense, more receptive, more responsive, or more lovable than others. Instead, the biblical doctrine of unconditional election guards the truth that salvation is “not because of works but because of him who calls,” so that no flesh may boast before God.

God is Personal

A common charge against the Reformed doctrine of election is that it makes God cold, impersonal, and mechanical.  There is the accusation that God is a distant force who decrees without caring.

But Ephesians 2 shows precisely the opposite. After exposing the depth of our misery in verses 1–3, Paul turns with those rich words, “But God…” and then grounds everything that follows in God’s mercy and great love. God is not moved by our efforts to escape the sewer of sin; he is moved by his own compassion and covenant love toward his people.  This is what the Canons want us to understand.

God’s intervention is intensely personal. He does not merely offer an opportunity and wait to see what we will do with it. He takes hold of those who are content to remain in rebellion and refuses to leave them there. He makes us alive together with Christ, raises us with him, and seats us with him in the heavenly places. That is not the action of a distant bystander but of a Father who refuses to let his children live in filth and death.

The Arminian scheme, for all its concern to protect human freedom, actually makes God more indifferent. In that view, God gives the same general help to all, stands back, and waits for us to use it well or poorly.  This makes God indifferent because many, and more likely all, will perish. In the Reformed view, God comes down into the mess, interrupts our course, overcomes our resistance, and claims us as his own. The doctrine of unconditional election, far from making God impersonal, magnifies his intimate, pursuing, intervening love.  It is God who not only cares about us, but He also advocates and intervenes for us.

Election without Works/God’s Choice is Certain

Finally, the election is without our work and therefore absolutely certain. The Arminian errors the Canons reject say that all people are in some sense “elect” in possibility, but that this election only becomes real and final if they continue to meet certain conditions. On the Arminian system, we have to choose Christ. We have to persevere to the end, utilizing grace. Sewer-dwelling sinful saints would not enter Christ’s kingdom because our performance falls below the perfect mark.

Paul again cuts across this in Ephesians 2. By the time he says, “By grace you have been saved through faith,” he has already made clear that even that faith is “not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Faith itself is not the one good work we contribute; it is God’s gift. God gives Christ, God gives new life, and God gifts the power of faith that takes hold of Christ. Election is therefore not conditioned on works, not even on the “work” of a wiser decision or stronger perseverance; it rests solely on God’s purpose and grace given in Christ before the ages.

Because God’s choice is free, gracious, and not founded on anything in us, it is unshakably certain. The same God who chose his people in Christ before the foundation of the world also prepared the good works in which they will walk. This means that perseverance is nothing we achieve to secure our place; it is something God produces in us as the fruit of his electing love.

The God who pulls us out of the sewer does not drop us halfway; he carries us all the way home.

Conclusion

So, do we influence God’s decision in the election?

No. By nature, we are dead in sin and children of wrath. We are naturally content to rebel against God. We are naturally content to follow the course of this world. We cannot be merely aided to follow God. We have to be recreated from our core.

God is the one who acts first, who loves first, and who gives life where there is only death. That is why all boasting is excluded, and all glory belongs to him.

Our sovereign God is not distant or indifferent. He is rich in mercy and great in love. He personally intervenes and intercedes to save his people from the sewer of sin. He lifts them out of sin’s sewer and seats us with Christ in heavenly glory.

His choice is not cold fate but fatherly favor. And because the election rests entirely on his gracious will and not on our works, it is sure and unchangeable. The doctrine of unconditional election, rightly understood, does not make God impersonal, but it reveals that God acts to secure his people to dwell with him forever. We taste it now by his mercy as we possess Christ in faith. We have the privilege of seeing the fruits of holiness as we conform to him.