Every Lord’s Day, we confess that we believe in the communion of saints. This precious doctrine means that Christ’s Church is genuinely and really one, and that when we gather in worship, we are gathering together with all true saints everywhere, and we are doing so in the heavenly places, as we assemble in the …
Always a Good Investment
Our nation is in the midst of significant financial upheaval, along with many other nations, and because of this we have to remember certain things as we approach God with our worship. Lord willing, we will address this in greater detail in next week’s message, but it is important to say a few things about …
The Magistrates of Vanity Fair
We are in the thick of a political campaign—you have seen yard signs sprouting everywhere like they were mushrooms, and those who do not know God are evidencing their faith in democracy. But we have faith in Jesus, not democracy. We believe in Jesus, not the Republicans and not the Democrats. C.S. Lewis once said …
Hypocrisy and the Young
This exhortation is directed to the young people in our midst, to those who have grown up in the covenant. Here is the charge. Our unbelieving culture around us likes to pretend that hypocrisy, particularly religious hypocrisy, is the special province of elderly and crotchety Christians. But as one who has spent my entire life …
Twin Errors
The Church of Jesus Christ is a corporate body, a covenanted reality. Together, we are the bride of Christ, organically connected to all who love Jesus Christ all over the world and throughout history. We are the Church. We are also individual Christians. And we know that, while the elect are saved, not everyone who …
Honesty in Academics
We are a few weeks into a new school year, and we have a congregation that contains many students. Not only are there many students here, but there are many students here who are enrolled in very challenging programs—programs where failure is often a real possibility. Now in every demanding circumstance, when you have a …
Quick Lies
God is the God of all truth, and so of course, we as His people should be careful to speak the truth. One area where we sometimes neglect this duty is in the area that might be called “quick lies.” They don’t even seem like lies at all unless you take them out in the …
Together, But Not Lockstep
Last week at this time I mentioned that ritual actions are important to us. They are significant in the Bible, and we don’t ever want to fall into the trap of relegating them to the status of being insignificant. But there is another important element in all of this. We are gathered together as an …
Present Your Bodies as Spiritual Worship
Over the years we have emphasized the importance of ritual. Rituals are significant in the Bible, and they ought to be significant to us. We have also emphasized the importance of worshipping God with our bodies and not just with our minds. We have sought to resist the temptation that many Reformed Christians deal with, …
Centurions As Alms-Givers
Karl Marx famously said that religion was the opiate of the masses. Although his taunt misses true religion, there are many forms of religion in the world that his arrow hits dead center. One of them would be the Pharisaism of Jesus’ day. We often miss the import of the Lord’s teaching, his cryptic sayings, …