In the great hymn found in Philippians, we are told that Jesus humbled Himself, and was obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross. Therefore God exalted Him highly, and has given Him the name that is above every name. This is what we celebrate on Ascension Sunday—Jesus Christ is Lord of …
Eating and Drinking Weakness
You have heard from Pastor Leithart this morning that we must be careful not to slip into the assumptions of modernity, thinking that the principalities and powers, against which we do battle, have somehow disappeared in our enlightened age. And we must also take care not to misunderstand the nature of these principalities and powers, …
True Lovingkindness
Minister: Lift up your hearts! Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord! Our God and Father, we worship You now, in accordance with Your Word, and in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ. We offer our thanks to You, for we are Your people, and You have thrown down Your enemies, to the …
Worship Topples Idols
The fundamental center of all human history is the issue of worship. In the faithful worship of the true God, we contend with the worship of all idols. Idolatrous societies structure everything around their idolatrous assumptions, and their constant ploy is to try to get true worshippers of God to share in those assumptions somehow, …
Becoming Israel
The Lord Jesus arrived in Israel two thousand years ago in order to show Israel a new way of being Israel. Of course this “new” way was the way that God had always intended; the new way was actually the old way. A new commandment I give you, John said, but it is not actually …
Marriage as Manifest Glory XX
Introduction: It may seem odd to include a message on imitation in a series of sermons on marriage, but it is actually a very important aspect of marriage. In fact, it is so important to godliness in marriage that the world has an entire framework of “countermeasures” arraigned against it, so that most of our …
All Particulars
Our Father in Heaven, we glorify Your name, and we do so through Jesus’ name. Father, Your kindness to us extends into all particulars, and we are very grateful for the opportunity to rest before You in this way. We rejoice in the fact that it is through the rest of Your saints that the …
Marriage as Manifest Glory XIX
Introduction: Learning is awkward. Even assuming good motives, and a desire to learn, and no rebellion against God’s pattern, there are still difficulties. G.K. Chesterton once said that the “chief object of education is not to learn things but to unlearn things.” Couple this with the fact that what we must unlearn is frequently what …
Worship As A Gift
Minister: Lift up your hearts! Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord! Our Lord and Father, we come to You in the name of Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, and who has poured out the Holy Spirit upon us. We long for fuller communion with You, and we praise You for …
We Believe In One Gods
We are gathered to worship the triune God. The fact that He is triune is not a side doctrine; it is at the very center of who we are. It is not the case that we believe that monotheism is “basic,” and that our particular form of monotheism affirms this extra truth. All unitarian conceptions …