The New Covenant is not a covenant that altered the fundamental nature of covenants. Throughout the Old Testament, covenants always had attendant blessings and curses. Some have wanted to imagine that the New Covenant was a covenant of automatic blessings, and that by its very nature, curses were impossible. But St. Paul tells us here …
Lord of the Fingertips
Your worldview is not what you think — that is, in another sense, your worldview is not limited to what you are thinking. Your worldview comes out your fingertips, and expresses itself, incarnationally, in what you are doing. In making a salad, spanking a child, caressing your wife, or holding a communion cup, you are …
God Restores All His People
God delights to restore His people, and we are convinced that He is in the process of doing so. At the same time, be aware that the enemy of our souls does not leave such restorations unopposed. We will be attacked, and we will be attacked where we are the weakest. When God restores His …
The Table Fences Us
St. Paul tells us that we must not eat and drink from the table of the new testament unworthily. He uses the word several times, but remember the context of his warning. The Corinthians were guilty of divisions in the church, drunkenness, sexual immorality, and greed. Paul tells them that such sins, unrepented, were inconsistent …
Arranged On The Altar
The Word of God is like a very sharp sword, and the Bible teaches us that preparation for worship is actually preparation to be cut in pieces so that God might place us on His altar. As He does this, we ascend before Him in the smoke of the burnt offering. Our prayers, our psalms, …
Returned Glory
Minister: Lift up your hearts! Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord! Father of all, we praise Your mercy for bringing us here yet again. We thank You for all that You are doing, and have done, on behalf of us, Your people. We are called by Your name, and we would ask for …
God in Battles
The Lord Jesus taught us to be confident in God when He said that not a sparrow falls to the ground apart from the will of the Father. God’s sovereignty is not concerned with generalities—for example, He does not look at a battle from a middle distance, determining only the large issues, such as which …
Fighting With the Supper, Not Over It
As we noted last week, there is another complaint that has been brought against us—in our observance of the Lord’s Supper, we serve alcohol to minors. There are many principles involved in all this, but we need to focus on just one of them right now, and bring this wisdom with us as we come …
Infinite Humility
Minister: Lift up your hearts! Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord! Father of all mercy, and God of all comfort, we praise You as the God who does not neglect us in our sorrows and troubles. We know that false gods pretend to be above the daily concerns of tiny creatures such as …
And the Walls Come Down
Religious claims, by their very nature, are total. Whenever someone advances a religious claim that is partial, they are not disproving this claim, but rather demonstrating that they are dishonest or confused. If they are dishonest, they recognize that their religious claims really are total, but also that those people who are not adherents are …