Reformed & Expository Preaching

Christ’s Entry into Jerusalem and the Divided Reception
Jesus approaches Jerusalem, the city meant to embody peace and God’s presence. Although pilgrims herald him as the Messiah, Christ knows his fate: rejection. This tension between celebration and impending suffering highlights the irony of the moment: the city that should welcome its King is blind to his true mission. Christ has predicted his rejection, death, and resurrection, and as he rides in, we are reminded that his mission is not triumphant conquest but humble submission to God's redemptive plan as the king who lays down his life.

Israel’s Failed History and Christ’s Mission

We can think that this is a problem with current Israel.  However, this is a consistent problem with God’s covenant people.  Joshua was one of the best leaders Israel had, but even he failed to inquire of the Lord and was deceived by the Gibeonites.  David was their greatest king, but he went through a season like the pagan kings.  These examples illustrate how even the most celebrated leaders could not secure true peace or obedience. When Paul tells us that Israel, is likened to a pedagogue (strict tutor), we learn how much we need a redeemer. Christ enters not as another failed leader, but one who comes to redeem by taking away the root problem: sin.  He can only do this as the true sacrifice.

Jesus Cleanses the Temple and Confronts False Security
Christ’s clearing of the temple is a deliberate, prophetic act. He quotes Isaiah and Jeremiah, calling out how the temple has become a “den of robbers”—a place of false security rather than true worship. This wasn’t just a rebuke of corrupt commerce; it was a declaration that the people used religion as a safe zone while their hearts remained far from God. Jesus reveals that the temple was intended to be a house of prayer for all nations, but had become a hiding place for those rejecting true repentance and holiness.

The True Nature of Seeking Christ
The message concludes with a confrontation between Jesus and the religious leaders. While the crowds hang on his words, the scribes and priests seek his destruction. This contrast reminds us that not all "seeking" is sincere. Some seek to listen and follow; others, to control or eliminate. Christ invites us to receive him humbly, not by mere tradition or external acts, but through deep submission to his His Spirit through His Word. His mission is to sow peace, not wield force.  So we must ask: do we receive him as King, or resist him from a place of false security?  Do we stand over him dictating how he must serve or do we sit beneath him eager to serve?

We can think that we are doing well in terms of murder because we are not on death row, and we have never physically taken a life. The catechism emphasizes that murder begins in the heart through attitudes such as hatred, anger, belittling, and even silent desires to harm others. The catechism calls believers to honor our fellow citizens and humans as bearers of the image of God by guarding not only our actions but also our thoughts, words, and gestures. This deeper understanding exposes how destructive behavior towards others can manifest long before any violent act, urging Christians to avoid participating in harmful speech or actions and to promote peace and respect in all relationships.

The message further explores the root causes of murder, identifying anger and envy as the seeds that mature into murder, if nurtured, can grow into more destructive outcomes. Drawing from the wisdom of James, it warns against giving in to impulsive anger or harsh speech, encouraging believers to be “slow to speak and slow to anger.” True righteousness and Christian integrity are reflected in self-restraint and honoring God even amidst conflict. This teaching calls believers to recognize their brokenness and need for continual grace and transformation through the implanted word of God.  This is the preaching of the Gospel, which empowers us to live out love, mercy, and patience consistent with the gospel.

The catechism also underscores the importance of guarding one’s body and life as a stewardship from God, balancing care for ourselves without idolizing the physical. It reminds believers that civil authorities have the God-given role to restrain and punish murder, promoting peace and justice in society. Yet internal transformation is paramount because sin is not merely in outward acts, but starts in the heart as we conceive it and give birth to it.

Ultimately, the teaching calls for a “sweet surrender” to God’s ongoing work in the gospel preaching. It is the means that overcomes the Recognizing that perfectly living out these commands is impossible in our fallen state, it emphasizes the continual need for the gospel’s transformative power through the Word. Christians are invited to humbly submit to God’s grace, receiving His wisdom and cultivating a spirit marked by gentleness, mercy, and joy even in suffering. This posture enables believers to reflect Christ’s peace and righteousness, waiting patiently upon Him, and seeking to glorify Him by living faithfully in love toward their neighbors as redeemed saints.  It is in the gospel message that the reigning wickedness is put down, and we see the glorious call of heaven that we taste by the Spirit.

As Christ approaches Jerusalem, expectations are high among the people, who anticipate the visible and immediate arrival of God’s kingdom. Christ is presenting a tone of a peace transition even while bringing judgment. The approach through the Mount of Olives carries deep prophetic significance, connecting to Zechariah’s vision of both judgment and deliverance at the Mount of Olives using language like the Red Sea parting. The humble entry on a colt rather than on foot or a war horse signals a fulfillment of prophecy and communicates a kingdom rooted in peace and humility, contrary to popular hopes for a triumphant, earthly ruler.  The full physical judgment is delayed.

The act of sending disciples to secure the colt is not only an example of Christ’s divine foreknowledge but also links back to covenant history and the promises of Genesis and Zechariah. This colt, unbroken and pure, underscores Christ's consecrated purpose and fulfills the imagery of the coming king arriving in humility, not as a conquering hero as the crowd expects. The crowd responds by laying down cloaks and shouting praise, echoing Psalm 118 and Psalm 148.  These are Psalms that echo God’s saving power, and ultimately the Lord building his city despite his people rejecting his chosen stone. Christ is going to the vision of peace, but it will not be peaceful.  However, his heavenly kingdom will be established; he does not ride on a war horse to establish his kingdom, but on a donkey symbolizing his peaceful laying down his life.

Some of the Pharisees are not impressed with Christ’s seizing power.  Their words expose a conviction that Christ is not the messiah.  They tell the teacher to command his disciples to be silent.  It is true that if Christ is not the God-man, then the crowds are out of line.  They are committing blasphemy by making a mere mortal into God.  However, if Christ really is the God-man, then the Pharisees need to repent.   Their demand to silence the crowds shows their inability to see Christ as the promised Messiah and God incarnate, reflected in their outrage that divinely reserved praise is being offered to Jesus.

What is the right profession? Christ’s reply that even the stones would cry out if the people were silent highlights both the inevitability of his recognition and the spiritual blindness of the religious leaders, who see themselves as guardians of truth but stand outside the true kingdom. You see, this is an echo back to John the Baptist warning Israel that they better not find their comfort in their covenant lineage.  They need to embrace the Messiah because God could raise up children of Abraham from these very stones.

Despite outward celebration, Christ weeps over the city, revealing the depth of his compassion and the divine sorrow at Jerusalem’s failure to apprehend the true peace he offers. His lament is not a sign of defeat or doubt but underscores the tragic reality that many will reject the path of suffering and redemption he embodies. The passage concludes with a call to recognize Christ’s unique mission: to embrace his version of peace, compassion, and justice, living as people marked by humility and readiness to discern the truth of the gospel in the shadow of the cross.  This only comes as one bows the knee to Christ, one is born by the Spirit,and one is united to Christ. We are called to continually adopt that cross-like posture of wanting to be informed and instructed by our savior.

As Jesus journeys to Jerusalem, He tells a parable that echoes the story of Herod Archelaus, who is a harsh ruler.  In fact, his own subjects protested his reign. In the parable, a nobleman departs to receive a kingdom, entrusting his servants with a single mina each. Upon returning, he rewards those who invested wisely with more, but punishes both the rebellious citizens and the servant who protected his mina through burial.

The parable carries both historical familiarity and moral tension.  This parable that echos Herod Acrhelaus is shocking for audience.  You see the servant who hid his mina may appear cautious, even virtuous because he does not engage in loan sharking or charge his fellow man interest. The servant is not rebuked for breaking the rules; he’s condemned for failing to act in faith. The kingdom of God, Jesus implies, is not preserved through caution or fear. It grows through bold, obedient trust, and living out the gospel in Christ’s Spirit. This parable challenges us to reject passive discipleship. We are not called to simply maintain what we’ve been given, but to take risks for the sake of Christ’s name.

The nobleman is not a one-to-one symbol of Christ, but his story exposes the high calling of discipleship. Jesus’ followers live between His first and second coming, stewarding the gospel with courage and faith. We are pilgrims journeying toward Zion, not clinging to worldly safety, but walking by the Spirit. True wealth and stewardship are not what we accumulate but who we become in Christ. We are empowered in Christ, we live as living sacrifices, and we live in light of Christ’s certain return.

The Lord’s Sabbath rest signifies His rest from creation.  There is a promise that this world was never intended to last in its state, but was intended to be glorified.  The Lord does not enter his sabbath rest because he is tired, but because he publishes the assurance of truly resting in the shalom, wholeness, of the Lord’s kingdom. Adam was supposed to enter it, but he failed.  Israel transgresses like Adam, and they fall short in the wilderness.

Hebrews uses Israel’s history as a lesson for us.  Israel tested the Lord in the wilderness.  They wanted the Lord to prove himself.  The Lord swore that they would not enter his rest.  The thing to remember is that this group all saw the same exodus.  They saw the same Lord work out his plan of redemption in the exodus, the provision of manna, and making water sweet.  The problem is that Israel grumbled.

Hebrews warns us that if we deny Christ, then we too run the risk of failing to enter the Lord’s rest.  You see, Joshua did not give them rest because the promise of rest still stands. This is the warning that if we deny Christ, if we deny the power of the living and abiding word, then we face the potential consequence of death.

The author emphasizes the importance of striving to enter God’s rest, which is not just physical rest but dwelling in the full glory of heaven. It is true that striving is work, but it is also an eagerness.  So, we should not see this as a burdensome task.  It is rather longing and living in such a way that we want to see our Lord.  We are eager for the reunion because we perceive Christ’s significance.

When we gather together for worship, we taste heaven’s glory and reorient our lives in Christ. We should press forward in Christ, knowing we have the abundance of life in Him.  So, the striving is not proving our worthiness to receive Christ, but it is our working in the Spirit with an eagerness to please our priest, longing for his return.  Let us be a people who strive to glorify Christ as we realize the power of living in God’s shalom.

Children are contrasted to a blind beggar while an unnamed rich ruler is contrasted to a rich tax collector.  The problem: This man named Zacchaeus, meaning “righteous”, does not measure up to righteousness.  Luke affirms this by telling us that the man is short in stature.  This is not just height, but even morality or significance.

As Jesus approaches Jericho on the way to Jerusalem, he has two significant encounters.  Two men encounter Christ.  First, there is a blind beggar who cannot see, but perceives that Jesus is not from Nazareth, but he is the Son of David.  He is blind, but correctly perceives that Jesus is the promised redeemer king who was covenanted to David in 2 Samuel 7.

The other figure is a wealthy tax collector.  This man parallels the poor man in the sense that the crowd is a barrier; they tell the tax collector to be silent, but the blind man and the rich tax collector correctly perceive Christ. They perceive that Christ is the messiah, the giver of true life, and the great equalizer.  It is not about what one owns, but it is about being identified as a Son of Abraham.  That is, one who is in Christ by faith in the power of the Spirit.

The stage of this encounter cannot be ignored.  The city is identified as Jericho.  This is the first city that the Lord put before Israel on their campaign to seize the land in full holy war.  They marched around the walls, they entered the city, and carried out the picture of final judgment.  They destroyed everything except the one unclean prostitute who followed God over man.

When Christ enters this city, we see a different campaign.  Jesus is the new Joshua.  In fact, Jesus is the Greek or New Testament name for the Hebrew name Joshua.  It means Yahweh saves.  Israel, the pedagogue, teaches us about final judgment, but also that man will not subdue this creation.  The mission is a failed mission that ends in multiple exiles and God’s people being pragmatic sellouts rather than victorious warriors.  This is the fate of fallen man.

There is only one way for the Lord to secure his glorified kingdom.  It is in the Son of Man/Son of David who must go to the cross.  It is in his people emptying themselves as the true sons of Abraham.  The true children of the promise who sojourn by faith, in the power of the Spirit, seeing their identity in the true heavenly vision of peace.  The earthly Jerusalem is destroyed, and now we sojourn through this age as suffering pilgrims.  Our lives are grounded in Christ, we seek to live a peaceful and quiet life honoring him, and we wait for his return.  This is why Christ comes as the suffering son of man and returns as the glorified Son of David.

Our call is to journey through this age in the power of the Holy Spirit, who grants us heaven’s power, orients us in the true vision of peace (Jerusalem), and grounds us in our savior.  Let us empty ourselves of significance in his age and find our significance in our savior.  It is truly a joy that he can commune with a sinful people.  He does not get contaminated, unlike the priests of old, but he sanctifies his citizens.

A ruler, who is a very rich man, approaches Jesus to ask about the kingdom entrance.  Jesus questions the man’s flattery because the man calls Jesus good.  Is this claiming that Jesus is God?  Jesus never denies that He is God, which tells us that Jesus sees this as a good profession.  If Jesus is not God, then clearly he is not credible because he is making himself God.  Jesus should rebuke the man and demand that he repent.   So, clearly Christ is God, as Christ never rebukes this ruler for claiming Christ is God.

However, does the ruler really believe that?  Jesus leaves the question as a rhetorical question for the ruler to think about the Gospel implications.  Jesus does not ask about a profession of Christ, but he asks about the man’s performance. Jesus asks the man about obeying the laws regarding one’s neighbor.

The man affirms that he has kept the lord’s commands.  When Luke reports about Christ, the rabbi, we learn that Christ wants us to personally think about the deeper implications of following Christ.  How is this done?

The rich man claims that he has followed and obeyed the Lord’s commands since birth.  However, Christ cuts to the real issue that stands in the way of this man being a disciple: This man’s cherished status.  When Christ tells the man to sell all that he has then the rich ruler leaves discouraged.  You see, the rich man is identified by what he does and what he has.  He loves his status. This status can be his righteousness or his wealth.  Christ shows that we want to parade our righteousness rather than give glory to God.  We are prone to using our righteousness and our status to influence the community rather than discern what it means to serve Christ.

The rich ruler’s obedience, driven by self-sufficiency, highlights the distinction between the rich and the poor in the gospel. The poor, recognizing their need for a redeemer, are those who see their true condition apart from Christ. One can possess nothing in Luke’s gospel and have everything.  One can possess everything and have nothing.  Wealth or poverty is not the ultimate determining factor, but how one is oriented in Christ’s mission.

What is the orientation to Christ’s mission?  Christ embodies the Son of Man.  He is the Last Adam to take away the consequence of creation’s curse.  Man tries to climb and harness God on man’s terms at Babel.  This is what man continues to do, whether it is through perceived righteousness or the status we think we bring to the table.  However, Christ’s mission is to suffer, empty himself of all significance.  This happens in the incarnation, and especially when he goes to the cross.  It is only have emptying himself that he is raised to glory.  The call is to humble oneself, emphasizing the need for humility and reliance on God.

Christ’s message is to find identity in Him, not self-sufficiency or personal righteousness. Seek to live for His glory and find significance in Christ.  We are assured that everything else will be added to us.

Rev. Austin Britton encourages us to contemplate the goodness of the Lord’s church.

Rev. Austin Britton exhorts us to live out the Gospel as we look at James.

The law of God sets the standard for believers to grow in Christlikeness. It teaches us that God’s holiness is supreme. The first commandment calls us to an exclusive relationship with God. The second commandment guides us in how to worship the true God. The third commandment instructs us on how to honor the Lord’s name.

It’s easy to think that God’s name is just a word or a label, but the Bible shows it means much more than merely some description. In Leviticus 24, we read about a young man who misused God’s name and faced the severe penalty of death via stoning by the entire community. While this seems extreme today, the passage teaches that misusing God’s name is like wounding God Himself because it diminishes His greatness, slanders His character, and mocks His holiness. God is not petty; His name is who He truly is. To misuse it is to show disrespect for God’s very identity.

Why don’t we see such punishments for sin today? This is a rather extreme punishment, and we might wonder if the God of the Old Testament is harsh while the God of the New Testament is merciful.  Ethically, we need to see ourselves as Israel in exile, as strangers awaiting the fullness of God’s kingdom or a reconstitution of heaven on earth.  We are pilgrims sojourning in our exile (James 1:1; 1 Peter 1:1). When similar sins occur in the New Testament church, discipline takes a different form: the offender is removed from the fellowship (1 Corinthians 5:5), given space to repent before Christ returns. The community plays an important role, warning divisive people and ultimately avoiding false teachers and divisive people (Titus 3:10-11; Romans 16:17-18), but not with physical punishment. Jesus instructs that persistent offenders are to be treated as outsiders to the church family (Matthew 18:17).  Our Lord tells us to put them outside the church as punishment to be as a gentile or a tax collector.

This is why the Apostle Paul reminds us that the Mosaic order is the “pedagogue” (Galatians 3:24-25).  The pedagogue was the slave commissioned to make sure that the children knew how to behave in public.  They were normally cruel and harsh teachers who exercised harsh punishments.  The Mosaic order teaches us the standard of holiness.  When Israel lived in the Promised Land, the law’s holiness was enforced strictly to reflect heaven’s perfection on earth.  However, Israel ended up in exile on more than one occasion, teaching us that we will not bring heaven on earth.

Paul admits his own past as a blasphemer before receiving mercy (1 Timothy 1:13), reminding us how seriously God takes His name. Today, as God’s people, we live as pilgrims in a foreign land, awaiting Christ’s return. We honor God’s name by living the gospel daily, walking in the Spirit’s power, and living in hopeful anticipation of the coming kingdom.

The only one who could establish the full and real glory is the promised messiah promised at the exit of Eden, covenanted to Abraham, and the one who establishes his kingdom now, spiritual.  He is the new Joshua leading us through the wilderness to heaven’s glory. This is why we revere the name of God today.  We do so as redeemed people who represent the Lord’s name.  We do not want to be a people who always takes oaths for people to believe our words.  We don’t want to hastily take oaths, but only when it is necessary.  We certainly want to use the Lord’s name in a manner that honors him.  Praise be to God who has secured us, grounded us, and redeemed us in Christ, ultimately vindicating his name by fulfilling his promise in Christ and making us alive in his Spirit.