You will no doubt notice that all the songs we are singing this morning are old and familiar to us. This is because we are now at the point in our musical reformation where we want to regularly reinforce what we know, and review what we have learned just a few years ago. This is …
Songs of Harvest Home
We sing before the Lord a new song. As we will sing in the ninety-eighth psalm later today, we do this because He has done great wonders. One of the wonders is the fact we can bring forth deep gratitude for those songs which we used to sing. We cannot want to grow up into …
When Someone Else Is Petty
We are living in times of polarization and conflict. We see this in families, we see it in the Church at large, and we see it in our nation. The bonds of fellowship are strained or broken, and open turmoil can break out with the slightest provocation. Our time is not unique in this respect; …
Flipping Through the Doctor’s Magazines
We do many things in this service through rote repetition – we follow the drill. Contrary to the views of many in the contemporary church, there is no necessary spiritual death in this. But contrary to the view of certain diehard traditionalists, there is no automatic life in it either. We serve God through faith. …
The Oxymoron of Unholy Saints
An unholy church is an oxymoron. God has called us to holiness. He has called us first to a perfect holiness, that which is imputed to us for the sake of Jesus His Son. In this sense, our baptism cannot be improved, and we stand before God as His redeemed people, and we shall sing …
The Baals In Your Own Village
We continue to be horrified by the recent events which have befallen our nation. But whether we have been mortified by a godly repentance will only be seen in the long run. After the initial shock has worn off, will we, along with the rest who seek superficial healings, spend all our time trying to …
The Silent Refutation of Every Lie
Those who stir up strife in towns, churches, cities, or nations are trying to create a situation when everyone will get to a point of desperation, and then try to resolve the problem with some kind of dramatic action. That dramatic action is sudden, forceful, fascinating, and its effects are very potent . . . …
No Other Way
The worship of God is not to be considered an ongoing response to what are called “current events.” At the same time, our worship is not detached from the earthly visitations of the sovereign God in heaven. The only way to keep this in balance is to remember that true worship drives the course of …
Without Sandpapering It
The Word of God is a hammer, Jeremiah says, that breaks a rock in pieces. It is not a flattering caress. The Scriptures are no Judas kiss. The textures of God’s revelation to sinful man are not smooth and silken vanities. Isaiah the prophet spoke to the proud and arrogant of his day, and used …
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 …