INTRODUCTION: There are great dangers facing a congregation engaged in trying to restore a more honestly liturgical and reformed pattern of worship, problems that arise because of good old-fashioned sin. Call it the human factor. THE TEXTS: “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I …
Discipline in the Local Church
INTRODUCTION: Church discipline is not very common in the contemporary church, and, because it is rarely done, when it is done, it is rarely done well. As with everything, we have to turn to the Scriptures for guidance and protection. And in turning to the Scriptures, we are not just looking for procedures, but we …
What Do We Really Want?
INTRODUCTION: We often entertain a false idea of the nature of the difference between the Christian faith and idolatrous faiths, or worldviews, or opinions. The difference between life and death is a qualitative difference, and not a difference that can be reduced to a set of mere definitions. A living man and a corpse can …
Just and Fair (1 Tim. 5:17-25)
INTRODUCTION Justice and fairmindedness can take various forms, but it always reveals the same kind of heart. Remember that this giving heart has already been displayed in the section we just finished, in the discussion of widows. God loves the generous heart. THE TEXT: “Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double …
Widows Indeed (1 Tim. 5:1-16)
INTRODUCTION The Christian faith does not encourage us to have romantic or sentimental views of human nature—as this passage amply demonstrates. But as we learn to live as God would have us live, we find that the results are often quite remarkable. The instructions here are primarily about women—and the expectations are, oddly, both low …
Deacons and the Woman (1 Tim. 3:8-13)
INTRODUCTION: The apostle Paul then turns to the office of deacon, which is, in many ways, a mysterious office. We are given the qualifications for the office here, but an explicit job description is never given to us. We have some idea from the fact that the synagogue had a deacon, called a chazan, and …
Really Catty
The kingdom of God is not a way of being good in the first place. It is a way of forgiveness, which means that other things, far less respectable, have to be addressed first. Once there was a young girl in junior high school who approached her mother one night about a problem she had …
The Kingdom of God is a Fine Automobile
The doctrine of the kingdom of God is like a fine automobile. Some parts of it are lush, and polished, and comfortable, with climate control, and windows that go up and down with the press of a button. Other parts of it are cold and metallic, greasy, heavy and far too . . . doctrinal. …
Everything But His Reason
Chesterton once commented that a madman is not someone who has lost his reason; he is a man who has lost everything but his reason. Once there was a man who was driven by emotional forces, largely invisible to him. He was deeply insecure, and so he went from one fractured relationship to another. He …
Manifold Blessings
Our Father and gracious God, You have given manifold blessings to us, and we in gladness return them all to You. Prepare us for worship in the morning, and equip us now for that great privilege. We ask that this time of Sabbath resting and feasting would teach and instruct us rightly about the graciousness …