It is too easy to pray glibly for reformation. Who could be against that? But know that whenever God has shown His kindness in purifying His church, one of the immediate results is always turmoil. The overall result, of course, is reformation, and later historians will write about how glorious it was to be alive …
What He Purchased, He Will Have
As we gather to worship the Lord, we need to remember. This is one of the great requirements found in many place throughout the Bible—remember. But we are not called to remember a random collection of denominational distinctives. This kind of thing is done so that we can keep denominations and churches straight in our …
Grace Without Walls
As we come to God to worship Him, our constant prayer should be that He makes us unable to stand before His holy presence. When this happens, there is always a winnowing effect in the church. One of the names historians give to such winnowings is reformation. Men love religion when that religion enables them …
Complaints and Complaining
We cannot have a body of saints this size in this world without having that body contain a significant number of complaints. Every complaint has two components. The first is the objective aspect, the offense, or irritation, or annoyance. Sometimes this problem is not truly objective – it is possible to believe someone has sinned …
Jesus Is Lord. No, Really.
We are gathered here as the people of God, summoned to be citizens of new polis, a new city, a new kingdom. This kingdom is not intended to function as a sort of shadow government until the end of the world, constantly out of touch, constantly impotent. No, this kingdom was designed to grow and …
Say It Again
You know that God is the only Lord. You know that He is to be worshiped in accordance with His holy Word. You know that the gospel is the only life to be had in this wretched world. But remember also that this gospel proclaims a new creation, a new heaven and new earth. This …
Our Life
You are the covenant people of God, and You have gathered in faith today around the declaration of God’s holy gospel, and in humble reliance on the means of grace which He has given. This is your life, and your only life. What is our life? We have no life in ourselves, and our life …
Understanding Your Own Story
All of us, every day, all day long, are constructing a story. In this story that we construct, we are the hero and protagonist—sometimes rightly and sometimes wrongly. Accordingly, we interpret the actions of others, weaving them into the story of our lives. If we are the protagonist rightly, then we approach those around us …
Let the Taproot Go Down
You are gathered here as an assembly of those who have been washed in the Word of the Lord, in the waters of baptism. You are the congregation of the saints, the assembly of the righteousness. You have gathered here, not from habit or custom, but rather to hear the same Word that washed you, …
Holy Impatience
You are here in part to learn a holy impatience. By this I do not mean susceptibility to annoyance or irritability, but rather an impatience with every false thing that tricks itself out as something worthy of admiration. You may be assured that behind every such false claim is an idol, carved from some man’s …