Reformed & Expository Preaching

Introduction

It would be so nice to open a door to a throne room and say there is Christ, our king, sitting on a throne. We might think that Christ’s ascension appears as a disappointing event. It seems that Christ has left his church. Why does Christ leave us in this world?

We need to see that the Ascension is not a withdrawal of Christ's presence but rather a transformative moment that establishes the spiritual kingdom.

Christ’s Ascension

The Ascension of Christ is the inauguration of a new phase in God's redemptive plan. The prophets made a promise. The promise needs to come to fruition. We might want all of what the prophet’s word comes to pass, but that is not the Lord’s intention.

The scene of angels appearing to the disciples on the Mount of Olives illustrates how the heavenly realm engages with earthly realities. The angels give the assurance that Christ’s return, as predicted in Zechariah 14:4, is guaranteed. However, now is not the time for the full physical blessings of the kingdom. Christ is not retreating, but publishing the Gospel call through his heralds that holy war is certainly coming. He will bring his final judgment when he returns.

Judas’ Recollection

The Apostles begin to process Christ’s ascension and his ruling from heaven as Peter realizes that Judas needs to be replaced. We begin to see how Christ rules the church from heaven by His Spirit.

The disciples argued in the presence of Christ about their own significance, but now they see the bigger picture. Peter applies Psalms 69 and 109 to their current situation. Peter shows that Judas's betrayal was expected, but they missed it. Psalm 69:25 and 109:8 recount how David was betrayed, and he prayed that the betrayer would lose his station. The betrayer would also be replaced. Peter is showing that the apostles will take the scriptures and understand them in light of Christ.

Matthias Chosen

Peter makes the case that Judas needs to be replaced. The disciples nominate two men. They cast lots to see which of these two men the Lord desires to replace Judas. The lot falls on Matthias. He is the 12th Apostle to take Judas’ place.

Should we continue to cast lots? We now discern the Lord’s will in the Spirit rather than casting lots. We do see Israel casting lots in the Old Testament, and practiced in this transitional period before Pentecost, as we see with Matthias’s ordination.

However, we notice that after Pentecost the church moves toward deliberative, Scripture-based decision-making guided by the Spirit. We see this in Acts 15 with the Jerusalem Council. The church deliberates. It uses the Scriptures, and it judges/discerns in the Spirit. This is Christ ruling his church from heaven by His Word and Spirit. He is not ruling His church through the casting of lots.

Conclusion

The Ascension of Christ is not a disappointing departure. Rather, Christ’s ascension is a pivotal event that establishes the church's identity and mission in the world.

We need to be assured that Christ’s departure is not a disappointment, but the assurance that Christ spiritually reigns. He did not abandon the promise of judgment, but delays it. It is now the call for the gospel to go out from Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Now is the time to bow the knee to Christ when we hear the Gospel. It is not wise to delay. His second coming will bring the full physical shalom kingdom, but he will also put down all the rebellion. Let us be a people who bow the knee to Christ. Let us do so today as we walk in His Spirit being renewed after the image of our God.

Introduction

There is a danger of throwing around "the providence of God" carelessly. Job reminds us that the providence of God and suffering can be complicated. Job captures what many of us feel in seasons of suffering. We feel confusion, frustration, and even the impulse to argue with God.

Our problem is that we forget that when we suffer, God is giving us what we want. We have to remember that God does want his people to be blessed and living in Shalom. The book of Job resists an easy answer to the question of whether God’s providence is a problem. Job is not laying out a health and wealth Gospel. Job is not laying out a poverty gospel either. So, what is Job teaching about God’s providence?

God Upholds and Rules (Creator and Sovereign)

The Heidelberg Catechism grounds us: God is creator and sustainer of heaven and earth. Crucially, he is not just sovereign. God is not just a king, but He is our Father. A good father doesn't shield children from every hardship; he pushes them toward growth and tenacity.

In hard seasons, we learn to wrestle with the deeper questions of who God is. Job has to learn this lesson. When you read his speeches up to this point, Job has a very black and white view of the world. You do what is right, and you necessarily receive a blessing. You do what is wrong, and you suffer. The Lord is showing that His ways and providence are more complex than a simple health and wealth gospel.

God Provides (His Care Extends Further Than We Imagine)

The Lord's speech from the whirlwind (Job 38–39) catalogs his care for creation. The cares for the details that many of us probably don’t think about a whole lot throughout our day. The Lord cares for the mountain goats, wild donkeys, the ostrich, the war horse, hawk, and eagle. The Ostrich is always the one that stands out to me. The animals are not smart enough for a basic survival instinct. They should be extinct, but the Lord continues to preserve them. God takes care of all the tiny details.

The Lord is not trying to overwhelm Job. Rather God is demonstrating that Job needs to have a bigger picture of God, redemption, and the complexity of living in a fallen world. The Lord knows Job, but Job does not really know or see God. If he tends the ostrich, who should not be alive, then how much more does he care for his redeemed people?

Job responds with a half-hearted repentance. His desire for the court is not adjourned. He needs to get ready for round 2.

God Is Consistent With His Own Nature (Good, Holy, Righteous)

Job is simultaneously right and wrong. Job is correct that he hasn't sinned to directly deserve this suffering. Job is wrong in accusing God of injustice. The Lord wants Job to see the bigger picture, and how the Lord continues to care for this creation.

The Behemoth and Leviathan aren't just shows of power. No, these are majestic creatures that will destroy man. However, to the Lord they are merely little puppies who are eager to play. The Lord is in control, there is no creature that will overpower him, and the Lord is able to protect His people.

Job's response shifts from passive-aggressive silence (ch. 40) to genuine repentance (ch. 42): "I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you." He moves from knowing about God to truly knowing God. That's the turn. Job will concede the Lord’s will even as Job does not understand the deeper struggle.

The deeper struggle is Satan’s, accuser/adversary, challenge that God cannot raise up a people. In other words it is possible that God might be stronger than Satan. However, God is not stronger than his people. His people will never love God just because God is God. Job’s concession is more than just an acknowledgement that living in a fallen world is complicated. Job’s concession and repentance mean that Job truly seeks God.

Conclusion

Providence is not a witty bumper sticker. Not every season is joyful, not every trial comes with an explanation, and God doesn't owe us one. But the God who cares for the ostrich cares infinitely more for those he has redeemed. We might not understand, but Job teaches us that there is a bigger reason. In fact, there is a cosmic battle that wages behind the scenes.

We bring our frustrations to him. God commands us to do this in our prayers. We bring these prayers respectfully, not accusatorially. We trust that in the complexity of a fallen world, this Father is working out something good, even when we cannot see it. Let that be our hope. Let us proceed in the confidence that our Lord will shepherd us to the other side of the trial. We know that He can because not only does he care for this creation, but he has redeemed His people. Let us walk in His power, and let us be confident of His shepherding hand leading us through the valley of the shadow of death to green pastures.

The book of Acts is the second volume of Luke's two-part work. Luke writes this second volume to the same audience as his first volume. His gospel records the historic work of Christ. It is the invitation for Theophilus and the world to see that Christ is the Messiah for the nations. His second volume, Acts, records the impact of Christ’s mission.

Our struggle is that we might think Christ has left his church. However, Acts is communicating that Christ is very much present with his body until the end of the age. Luke communicates that the ascended Lord remains present with his church through the Holy Spirit, actively advancing his kingdom.

Luke opens Acts by grounding it firmly in his Gospel. The same Christ who died and rose appeared to his disciples with many proofs, teaching them about the kingdom of God. The book of Luke ends with the disciples witnessing Christ being taken to heaven. Acts opens with the disciples gathered around Christ, receiving their marching orders, and then Christ being taken to heaven.

Luke is picking up where he left off, and for good reason. Luke is building continuity between Christ's earthly mission and the ongoing mission of the church in the Holy Spirit. These two volumes are meant to be read together as one story. The first volume is the basis for the church, Christ’s completed work, and the second volume is the power given from on high. The second volume assures us that Christ really is with his church until the end of the age.

Christ instructs his disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father. What is this promise you might wonder? It is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This fulfills what John the Baptist announced: one is coming who will baptize with the Spirit. John's baptism identified people with the Messiah’s mission. The people are identified in a mission that is not complete.

In order for Christ to complete his mission, he must live a perfect life, die on the cross, and be raised to life. The final event is Christ entering glory. The temptation is to think that Christ restores a physical kingdom. However, Christ must ascend into heaven. He must sit on the right hand of God while the church heralds his gospel message. The Holy Spirit baptism now confirms and seals God's people in a mission fully accomplished. The fire that is associated with judgment does not consume the Lord’s people, but cleanses them.

So, when Christ enters glory, it is the declaration that the precedent is set for the prophet’s word to have partial fulfillment. When Christ returns, he brings the full physical fulfillment.

We would think that the disciples would cherish this promise. However, when the disciples ask whether Christ will now restore the kingdom to Israel, they reveal a common misunderstanding. They want the glory kingdom now. They want the full physical blessings of Christ’s kingdom. They understand the prophets to promise: the messiah, judgment, and then physical blessings. They fail to understand the depth of the fall. Sure, the heavens and earth will have continuity, but they are to be fully glorified without any remnant of sin. Christ cannot just put a Band-Aid on this world.

Christ redirects them: the timing of final restoration belongs to the Father alone. Now is not the time for full glory. What the church is called to is witness and herald. The Gospel will be preached beginning in Jerusalem, to Judea (wider district), and Samaria (a mix of Jewish/Gentile heritage). The gospel will then go to the ends of the earth.

This is the intention of the Abrahamic covenant coming to its full spiritual flowering: blessing going out to all nations through a Spirit-empowered, gospel-bearing community. The new covenant is not new in substance, but it shows the intention of the promise made to Abraham. The intention has been for the nations to receive the benefit of Christ’s work. However, the disciples did not expect the delay between the first coming of Christ and the second coming. They struggle with disbelief because they expected the full glory of Christ’s kingdom.

The church today lives between two great events: the ascension of Christ and his return. We are in the New Covenant. This is not new in the radically different sense. It is new in the sense that it is confirmed and qualitatively different. It means that the intention has always been for the nations to embrace the messiah. However, now we see the revelation of that intention.

Right now, we live as Spirit-empowered people, united and rooted in Christ. As we journey together as a people set apart in Christ, we are bearing witness to his gospel and caring for one another as we go. Acts is not a record of a church left to fend for itself. It is the story of a church sent, empowered, and united to the living Christ.

May we be a people who walk in Christ's power, a people who wait for our Savior, and a people confident that he has set a historic precedent that will never be overturned.

Introduction

Redemption has a purpose beyond just our personal salvation. Yes, that is part of it, but there is more. The Heidelberg Catechism makes clear that we are redeemed by a specific God who personally reveals himself. He is one God and three persons. He is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each of these persons shows their connection to creation and our redemption. His goal is not just to save, but to commune with his people.

The driving question is: what does it mean to be set apart as disciples of the Trinitarian God, and why does that designation matter?

The Father of All Creation

The Father is the source of all life. This means that generally He gives life to all creation. He is the one who brought this world into existence through the word: Christ (Col. 1:15-20). This whole creation knows God. He sustains even those who reject him, which speaks to his patience and character.

The Father specifically gives life to his people. More specifically, the Father is the one who elects and calls his people before the foundation of the world. The Father sent Christ on Christ’s successful mission.

Thus, he is the father of his creation and the father of his redeemed people.

The Son of Our Deliverance

Christ is both the means of creation and the agent of redemption. We mentioned in the previous point that this whole world has its existence in Christ. Christ is the word.

Christ is also the one who secures our life. His resurrection is the precedent for eternal life. He moves from asserting God's promises to fulfilling them with authority. "All authority has been given to me" is not a tyrant's boast; it is the declaration of a risen Redeemer who has accomplished the work he set out to do. The beauty of Christ’s farewell speech in Matthew is that Christ secured the authority for the church to exist, and Christ is with his church until the end of the age.

The Holy Spirit of Our Sanctification

He gives life to this creation. This means that all creatures, all creation, and humanity receive their life from him. (Psalm 104:29-30)

The Spirit also gives life to God’s people. The Spirit indwells Christ’s people. You cannot have Christ without the Spirit. Christ is with His people, and Christ is with his church until the end of the age. So, when we have the Spirit, we have Christ dwelling with us individually and as the body of Christ.

Conclusion

Our redemption is carried out by the Trinitarian God. God does care for this creation, but how much more for his church. The Great Commission belongs to the church, not just to individuals, and it is carried out under Christ's authority while he remains present with his church. The call to make disciples begins with prayer and humility, trusting that it is the Father who calls normally through Gospel preaching, the Son who redeems, and the Spirit who gives life. Our identity is secure in Christ, and nothing will annul what he has decreed. Let us be empowered by our God, and let us walk in him.

Introduction

Christians often take the resurrection of Christ for granted. We do not do this because we necessarily doubt Christ, but because we have heard the story so many times that we fall into a trap where we think we already know this stuff. So, we are tempted to tune out. The problem is we can have such a superficial understanding that we miss the scope and necessity of Christ’s resurrection.

Why Suffer These Things?

The resurrection serves as God's vindication of Christ's innocence. The reality is if Christ stays in the grave then he really did fail. It would mean that he really did transgress the Lord’s holiness.

Luke furnishes for us proof that Christ is innocent. There are three witnesses: Pilate, Herod, and the Centurion. Despite these multiple witnesses declaring Christ innocent earthly courts condemned him to death.

The resurrection represents the heavenly courts overturning this verdict. This is what the prophets have predicted. Christ himself stated that he will suffer these things. The problem is not with God’s revelation, but his disciples’ ability to comphrehend.

Why Enter into Glory?

When Christ appeared to his disciples on the road to Emmaus, they were "slow of heart" to believe what the prophets had spoken. They couldn't reconcile their expectations of a triumphant Messiah with the reality of a suffering Savior who died.

Christ wasn't attacking their intelligence but their spiritual obtuseness. Christ is not calling them stupid, but saying they lack dicernment. Their expectaiton is that the messiah comes, and brings glory. They forgot the whole part about suffering. Christ is making clear that in order for Easter to be Easter there has to be Good Friday: The Messiah’s death on the cross.

Why the Disbelief?

Despite their doubt and misunderstanding, Christ didn't abandon these disciples. One would expect that Christ would just be fed up. No, he listened to their ignorant claims about Christ’s mission.

Christ does not cast them away, but instead, he dined with them. Remember the banquet themes in Luke’s gospel? Table fellowship communicates a social partnership. This meal symbolized Christ's continued communion with those who struggle to understand redemption. Christ’s dining is showing that even when we fail to grasp the full significance of his work, he still welcomes us into fellowship.

Conclusion

The resurrection of Christ is the cornerstone of Christianity. We can think that Easter is a nice story of victory. We can think that Easter is a great day that guarantees our resurrection. These things are true.

What we need to realize is without Easter, our faith is futile and we remain dead in our sins. The beauty of the resurrection is it grounds in history a precedent. The Lord does not just assert, but he brings to pass what he sword to do. The resurrection validates the Lord’s word.

Rather than casting us aside when we fail to understand, he invites us into fellowship, patiently instructing us, and assuring us that we really are united to him. Our hope is found not in our perfect understanding, but in the resurrected Christ who walks through hell in our place and emerges triumphant, guaranteeing our own resurrection and eternal life.

Introduction

The term "Good Friday" is a strange name for this day. There's nothing on the surface that looks good about it. Our Savior is mocked, beaten, and handed over to die by the very people he came to save. His closest friends are gone. The crowds have turned. And the ones putting him to death are convinced they're doing Rome a favor.

In the midst of the miscarriage of justice, a Roman centurion watches Jesus die and glorifies God at the end of it. Not a grieving disciple. Not a repentant Pharisee. A career soldier. A man who has seen everything and trusts nothing he hasn't verified himself. That's the man who gets it.

So, why would this man affirm Christ?

Who is this man?

We can think of a centurion as someone who is just a mindless killing machine. These men could read people. They can shift strategies on the fly. They could govern. They could lead men into war and through war. These were men who loved Rome and were willing to die for Rome.

We need to see that this isn't just a soldier doing a job. These men are serious about carrying out their mission with their loyalty to Rome. He has turned down bribes, seen through lies, and keeps his cool while being called every name in the book. He reads people for a living. When he's handed this assignment to bring this man to death, he would likely have considered every contingency 3 steps ahead of any guerrilla army. An insurrectionist would know his place. A revolutionary, like Christ, who was accused, would be an example to all who had the bright idea to rebel against Rome.

What has happened?

But then something strange happens. The "insurrectionist" doesn't act like one. His followers don't fight. A dying criminal owns his own guilt and asks for mercy. The criminal rebukes another heckling criminal on the other side of Christ. Jesus himself prays for the people crucifying him. And Pilate has borne testimony three times that Christ is innocent. Herod has affirmed that Christ is innocent by sending Christ over to Pilate.

This means that there is a threefold testimony from Pilate. Herod corroborates his innocence by sending him back. That means there is the testimony of two or three witnesses. Christ is never trying to save his life, badger the soldiers who lead him to death, or even encourage the people to rebel. This is not the normal scene of an execution. The centurion must already be noticing that something is different.

Why the innocence?

When Jesus dies, the centurion doesn't go home relieved that the job is done. This is not another day in the office. In fact, his reaction contrasts with those who follow Christ… from a distance. The ones who follow Christ from a distance go home beating their breasts. They are saddened. The reason is that their messiah is not to suffer and die. Their messiah brings in the glorious kingdom.

He glorifies God. He calls Jesus innocent. He affirms that Christ is righteous. This is the third witness and the fourth explicit pronouncement that Jesus is righteous. The centurion understands the fourth servant song. This is the righteous sufferer. This man, who has no reason to say it, who gains nothing by saying it, says it anyway because it is true. He sees what the religious leaders fail to see. He sees what even Christ’s followers failed to see from a distance. The centurion comprehends that this is the lamb of God who was a servant absorbing the weight of the sinful fall. This man shows himself to be one of Christ’s true disciples by the Lord’s grace.

Conclusion

What does this man see?

He sees the very thing that makes this Friday good. He sees the pain. He sees the injustice. However, he sees the bigger picture. The righteous servant had to suffer as the lamb of God. He might not comprehend the full message at this point, but he sees that this death was not accidental. He understands the cosmic proportions of Christ’s accomplishment.

Let us never minimize the depth of our sin. Let us never minimize the significance of Christ’s suffering. May we never minimize the victory gained in Christ’s resurrection.

In the final chapter of Devoted to God, we are called to consider the ultimate goal of the Christian life: full conformity to Jesus Christ. Sanctification is the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit, transforming believers to reflect Christ’s image. We do this both inwardly in heart (thinking in Christ like wisdom) and outwardly in life.

This transformation is a lifelong process. While we grow in holiness now, its fullness will only be realized in glory. Through the Spirit, believers are progressively shaped. We are called to turn away from the world and turn to Christ become more like Christ in character, our priorities, and values.

Ferguson highlights two key aspects of this transformation: imitation and participation.

Imitation means following Christ’s example of humility, service, and faithfulness, especially in the life of the church.

Participation means sharing in Christ’s life. We share both in His sufferings and in His resurrection power. The Christian life includes trials and weakness, yet these are the very means God uses to display Christ’s strength. Ultimately, he uses these seasons to produce lasting fruit.

At the heart of sanctification is union with Christ. Believers are united to Him in His death and resurrection, experiencing both the struggle against sin and the assurance of ultimate victory. This leads to a life of continual repentance, renewed priorities, and growing dependence on Christ.

The goal, then, is not merely to fight against sin, but to pursue Christ Himself. We are living in His strength, resting in His finished work, and trusting Him to bring us safely to glory. Because Christ has overcome, we can persevere with confidence, knowing He will sustain us to the end.

Introduction

There's a phrase that can land in very different ways depending on who's saying it and what they mean: we belong to the Lord.

For some, that sounds like a threat. They hear a domineering God waiting to shame or diminish his people. Unfortunately, they are not hearing anything positive when we say, ‘We belong to the Lord!”

For others, it sounds like drudgery. It sounds like this is a life of straining to keep up with an impossible family name. This is the mindset that there is a mean God who is just waiting to shame you and destroy you.

But the catechism wants us to hear something radically different. We don't merely belong to Christ the way a servant belongs to a difficult master. We are called to take hold of Christ, to possess him by faith. We know that in doing so, we are possessed by him. He keeps us not out of contempt or to harm us. No, we belong to our savior, so we can enjoy our God. We are brought to a place of wholeness and restoration rather than tyranny because Christ paid the impossible debt.

The question that presses on every believer, then, is deeply personal: how do I know that this Christ, the one who redeems and mediates on my behalf, is my Christ?

Why Only Faith?

We might wonder why faith is so significant. Paul reminds us about the significance of believing in Christ. Paul's logic in Romans 10 is simple and urgent: no one will call on Christ if they do not believe; no one will believe if they have not heard; and no one will hear without someone sent to proclaim. Hearing the gospel is not a passive experience. In the Hebrew sense Paul has in mind, to hear is to respond. The hearing echoes the Shema of Israel (Dt. 6:4). When the gospel goes out, it is the voice of the Good Shepherd calling his sheep. And the sheep hear him. His sheep turn to him. His sheep rest in him and conform to him.

This is why the preaching of the Gospel is not incidental to Christian life but central to it. Faith is not conjured up by the sheer force of our sincerity. It comes through the word of Christ, proclaimed and received. We are not the originators of our own faith, but we are the grateful recipients of God’s gift of faith.

It is by faith that we receive Christ. It is in faith that we take hold of Christ and all his distinct blessings. We walk in faith, by the Spirit’s power, and we begin to conform to our Lord.

What is Faith?

The catechism's definition of faith in Question and Answer 21 teaches us that when we have faith, we have assurance of salvation. True faith, it says, is not mere intellectual knowledge. It is a sure knowledge. It is a deep, experiential knowing, in the Hebrew sense, not just a cognitive filing away of correct doctrine.

Faith is also a hearty trust that the promises of the gospel are our promises. If we believe the Gospel, then we say Amen to the Lord’s promises. As we say AMEN, we will order our lives in light of Christ’s promises.

Think of Abraham in Genesis 15. When God promises him protection, legacy, and redemption, Abraham says, "Amen.” That amen is not just an agreement that the proposition is logically sound, but it is bowing the knee. It is a life reoriented to our Lord. It is saying, You are my God, and I will walk in the confidence that you are.

And here the catechism offers something that should quiet our anxious hearts: assurance is of the essence of faith. This does not mean we will never doubt. It means that faith takes hold of Christ. To take hold of Christ by faith is to take hold of all his benefits: forgiveness, righteousness, and eternal life. The Holy Spirit is not working a tentative, hedged hope in us. The Spirit is working in us the conviction that the Savior proclaimed in the Gospel is my Savior. The Spirit is giving us the strength and the power to persevere. As we have faith, we have the person of Christ.

What is Faith’s Content?

One of the more startling phrases in Romans 10 is Paul's reference to those who have not obeyed the gospel. We don't naturally speak of obeying the gospel or good news. But this language recovers something essential. The gospel is not merely information to be catalogued. It is a claim that demands a response. It is the same kind of response Abraham gave when he left Ur, when he climbed Moriah, when Hebrews 11 says he expected God to raise the dead.

This is not a back door into works-righteousness. Obedience here is not the ground of our standing before God or the power of our faith. It is the shape of a life that has genuinely said amen to the promises of Christ. The person who says, "I believe the gospel, but it doesn't need to change anything about how I live," should ask whether they have truly possessed Christ at all. When we believe we are saying Amen to God’s promises. We are trusting ourselves to his protection, his resurrection power, and ultimately the passage into heaven. This is a life-changing truth that is worked in us by the Holy Spirit.

True faith puts on the yoke of Christ. And Christ's yoke, he tells us, is easy. He is not a master who demeans. He is not a lord who requires the impossible. He is the one who bore the burden so we might carry it with him, and in him find rest. Abraham struggled, but the trajectory is keeping his eyes on his savior as he walked by Faith.

Conclusion

If you find yourself asking, Is this Christ really my Christ? Think about what you are asking. That question itself is a grace. An unbeliever does not lie awake wondering whether Christ is their Christ. The very ache of that question points toward faith already at work in you. Dark season? Struggling? Cling to your Lord, believe the resurrection life is in you, and walk forward in the confidence of Christ.

So the catechism's pastoral word is simply this: proceed. Realign. Come back to the promises. You are not merely one of God's employees, quietly tolerated. You are not a servant kept in an inferior place. You are a redeemed saint, purchased not to be shamed but to be made whole. See that you are the person you were created to be to dwell in the glorious fellowship of God. Do not turn away from Christ, but turn to him as you hear his voice through the Gospel call.

Introduction

Esther is a book that is best understood by reading it through the eyes of Joshua to understand the holy war. However, the characters have more of Samson’s integrity. Yes, the Lord’s will is accomplished, but not with Joshua’s conviction.

This is a book that takes place in the context of exile. Esther is the contrast to Daniel's more "dialed-in" exile faithfulness, where he is willing to endure what he has to endure for the sake of Christ. Esther and Mordecai are compromised heroes. They are pragmatic in their survival skills. Esther is a book that doesn't sanitize the human condition but honestly depicts the tragedy of the fall and the difficulty of living out the gospel in a broken age. The driving question the introduction lands on: What do we do with this book? What does it really say to us today?

Mordecai the Historian (vv. 20–22)

Mordecai is identified as a chronicler. The end of chapters nine to ten is the history of Purim, and the reminder that this world is not in the full state of glory. Mordecai is recounting this history for us.

The preacher highlights the "decree fatigue" throughout Esther. One decree, the runners run. Another decree, and the runners run again. This continues in the book. The decrees cannot be annulled, but they can contradict one another. The king will just be a spectator watching potential ethnic cleansing and then civil war.

There is a contrast in the decrees. The Lord’s decree brings rest (nuach literally Noah). This is a rest where one enjoys the peace of being in the Lord’s presence, much like Noah (soothing) after the flood. The feast of Purim answers the question of who the real hero is: not Mordecai, not Esther, but God. The transition from the king's intimidating opening feast to this closing feast of gladness signals the reversal that the whole book has been building toward.

A New Beginning for God's People (vv. 23–28)

Purim is established as a new redemptive anchor point, parallel to Passover. When Mordecai recounts the feast, he echoes the eye-for-an-eye language. Haman desired to destroy the Lord’s people, but his wickedness fell on his own head. The book turns from its comedic character and gives a serious publication warning of the Lord’s coming judgment.

The decree of Exodus 17 against the Amalekites stands. The Lord's decrees, unlike Persia's irrevocable ones, are the ones that truly cannot be overturned. Purim joins Passover as an identity-forming feast: exile is not the end of the story. God’s people will be protected. Hell’s gates will not prevail over Christ’s church.

This book publishes a two-fold warning. First, the Lord’s judgment decree stands, and he will bring judgment. Second, the Lord’s redemption will be fully realized. Esther is a book like the flood, making clear that the world has not always existed as it is, and will not always remain as it is. The flood publishes that the Lord will uncreate this world and recreate it. In the midst of that action, the Lord will bring in the new creation.

The Old Story Continues (ch. 10)

Chapter 10 pumps the brakes on any over-realized optimism. The king re-imposes taxes. The epilogue reminds us that this world is not the final victory because good and evil will continue to exist. This world is not the heavenly shalom where we enjoy full physical peace with our Lord.

Mordecai is elevated (echoing Joseph and Daniel), which is typologically significant: rejection followed by vindication, pointing forward to the Messiah. The preacher uses Mordecai's terrified ride on the king's horse as a pastoral illustration of how easily God's people forget that the Lord is their shield even when He's demonstrably working on their behalf. The "old story" is that empires keep rising and falling, God keeps preserving his people, and we keep doubting. We need to remember that when the Lord says he is a shield and defender, he really means it. His people will prevail despite the empires.

Conclusion

The preacher draws three takeaways:

(1) Don't trust earthly kingdoms.

(2) Don't despair over exploitation and complexity. We need to start with prayer (Esther called a fast), wisdom, and a long view of history.

(3) Remember the resurrection precedent. Esther assures us that when things look finished, God isn't done. The feast of Purim points forward to the feast of the Lamb. Christians are a resurrection people. This means that hell could not hold the Savior. We are not grounded and united to a dead Christ, but a living and ascended Christ. This is where each day should begin.

Let us remember: the gospel call is going out to the nations (bow the knee now). The Gospel message is going forth, calling people to Christ. We, as the covenant community, are pressing forward as sojourners, living for God's honor until we arrive at the feast. Let us live between the two anchor points in history. Christ has been raised, securing our victory and bestowing on us all the Spiritual blessings. Let us long for the future glory where we receive all the physical blessings.

Introduction

We know that we are in deep trouble. Adam had the chance to do what was right, and he failed to do it. The problem is that we can only dig the hole deeper. We think that credit card debt is bad, but our debt is far worse. Our debt will never go away, even in death. We can't out-work it, out-live it, or out-think it. So our problem is very severe and beyond overwhelming. Lord's Day 6 of the Heidelberg Catechism helps us to see the eternal solution. Only God can implement this solution.

Sin's Problem: We Need a Mediator

The catechism reminds us that we need a mediator. The very thought of a mediator means that something has gone wrong. A mediator means two parties are at odds. The very introduction of the concept of a mediator introduces an admission of our guilt. God is 100% righteous. We are 100% at fault. There is no way we can work to please God when we are 100% in debt. There is no payment plan.

And the mediator's task is staggering: take people who have fully offended a perfect God and bring them into his presence as fully righteous. This is the greatest laundering effort ever in history! In fact, it is not hiding dirty money, but fully redeeming it to remove all controversy that surrounds it.

Our cleansing requires someone who is both truly human (because it was humanity that offended God) and truly God (because no mere human can bear an infinite, eternal penalty and survive it). A human enduring his own sin would be in hell forever and never get out. There is no way that a person could pay the debt on behalf of another. This is why we need a person who is divine to endure an eternal punishment. The person also has to be human to stand in the place of the creature that offended.

Only a divine person united to a human nature can absorb eternal wrath in a moment of time. Only Christ is such a mediator.

God's Solution: The Folly of the Cross

Paul addresses a church drunk on elitism. They love their gurus. They love how they can flaunt their spiritual gifts. Ironically, Paul, who had every credential to out-elite them all, goes straight to the cross. He does not call his accomplishments to their attention as he does in Galatians. No, he goes straight to the cross.

That's a jarring move, because the cross was not a sentimental symbol like we make it today. No, the cross is a declaration of shame. In Roman culture, crucified criminals weren't even officially recorded. In Jewish culture, to be hung on a tree meant you were a covenant breaker, cursed by God. When the disciples watched Jesus die on the cross, they had every reason to think they'd been deceived. In their mind, God declared a messianic fraud who transgressed God’s holiness.

Paul knows all of this! He preaches it anyway. Why? Because the "foolishness" of the cross is precisely the point. Christ, who never broke the covenant, was publicly displayed as though he had, and that is why we need him. And because death could not hold him, the resurrection vindicates him completely. At Christ's weakest moment, he won the greatest victory. Worldly wisdom missed the cross. The Jews demanded signs and missed the sign of the cross. The Greeks sought wisdom and missed the wisdom of God standing right in front of them.

Thus, the wisest people of this age did not see the wisdom of the cross. This is why Paul calls attention to the cross. If we do not see the wisdom of God’s plan, then we will not see redemption.

God's Proclamation: The Gospel Must Keep Being Preached

Knowing the facts about Christ isn't enough on its own. Calvin puts it plainly: as long as Christ remains outside of us, he is of no benefit to us. The work of Christ has to become our work. The Lord uses Gospel preaching that lays out Christ’s cross to bring his people into their new relationship with Christ.

The Corinthians had witnessed extraordinary manifestations of the Spirit, and probably interviewed eyewitnesses of the resurrection. However, Paul still keeps going back to the gospel. This message is not a one-and-done message. It is a message that is continually preached, and we continually need this message.

The catechism traces this same pattern across all of redemptive history: the gospel was announced in Genesis 3:15, repeated to the patriarchs, foreshadowed in every sacrifice and ceremony, proclaimed by the prophets, and fulfilled in Christ. Generation after generation, God's people were sustained by this same message. It was repeated and repeated because we so easily forget Christ’s message. We fail to see that without the gospel message, we have nothing.

The cross of Christ is the message that Christ had to suffer for an insufferable people. We are such people.

We don't outgrow the gospel. We need to hear it continually, because it is the ongoing means of grace by which God keeps his people alive and moving toward glory. It is in Christ, going to the cross, that God’s wisdom is shown. It is in the cross that Christ is ultimately vindicated in his resurrection and ascension. His work was so perfect that the heavenly courts vindicated him.

Conclusion

So how do we solve our unsolvable, eternal problem? We don't. We can't. But God has.

He sent his Son. His son, who is fully God, fully man, stands in our place as the covenant breaker. We transgressed, but Christ did not. Christ bore what we deserved, was raised to prove he'd conquered it, and now the gospel goes out as the living word that unites us to him. The world will call it foolishness. Paul's response: “Fine. Call it folly. In that folly is life.”

So let us not be ashamed of the Gospel. Let us keep hearing, submitting to the preaching, and clinging to the substance of the message: Christ. Let us exude the joy that we have been redeemed by the living God. That is our significance, our credibility, and our only boast is in Christ. Let us find it there, and live in it. Amen.