Minister: Lift up your hearts! Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord! Torment is my lot, deliver me, I hold tight to Your law. God, plead my cause, deliver me, And quicken me, fulfill Your Word, Keep all Your promises to me. Salvation is a distant isle From all these wicked men. They do …
Sacrificial Violence
We know from the Scriptures that those who maliciously seek to inflict violence on others—whether verbally, or physically, or within the confines of their own bitter hearts—are incurring guilt. But at the same time it is important for us to note that this is not what they are seeking to do. They are not trying …
The Pursuit of Hospitality
Hospitality, where it is still practiced in the church, is largely an unstudied virtue. The demands of modernity and the frenetic pace of life around us dictate that we neglect our responsibility to have our brothers and sisters into our homes. Nevertheless, the Bible is very plain in requiring us to be disciplined in our …
Bear With Me A Little In My Folly
Introduction: The apostle Paul was a polarizing figure. You either really loved him, or you really didn’t. Not only was this the case in his day, it remains the case down to the present. The Text: “Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. For …
God-centered Worship?
Reformed Christians have sometimes reacted away from the man-centered worship of much of the contemporary church, and they have lurched to another extreme, one just as dangerous. If you react away from a style of worship that seems to be saying nothing more than “gimme, gimme, gimme,” the temptation is to think that “God-centered worship” …
The OPC Report on the Federal Vision
The OPC report on the Federal Vision is being considered at their General Assembly this week. Because of this, I want to say just a few things for the record. It is not that my opinion matters all that much, but I feel free to make these comments because I am labeled as one of …
For the Giant’s Forehead
We are the Church militant. We have not yet entered into the final Sabbath rest of the resurrection, and we still contend with unbelieving forces that array themselves against the God of heaven, and which, like Goliath, taunt the armies of God. Like the armies of Israel at that time, the church today is largely …
Safely Through Another Week
Our gracious Father and God, we lift up our thanks to You in the name of Jesus, and amen. We are grateful that You have brought us safely through another week, and that we have the opportunity of worshiping you tomorrow, laying the foundation stone of another week of service and love rendered back to …
Many Thanks and Saint Peter
I am very grateful to be able to say that the report of the CREC Pastoral Commission for Saint Peter Presbyterian Church is now done. That report can be found here, along with a good statement about the report from a number of men from outside the CREC. I am extremely grateful for the sacrifice …
Ezra Nehemiah 22
Introduction: We come now to the conclusion of the great story of the work of reformation conducted under Ezra and Nehemiah. And at the conclusion of this work, we find that there is still much to do. There is always much to do. Semper reformanda. The Text: “On that day they read in the book …