Pummeling Pluralism: Paul's Preaching of Creation, the Judgment, and the Need to Repent and Believe in Jesus before We Have to Stand before Him [Family Worship lesson in Acts 17:19–34]

What is the message of the gospel in a place like Athens? Acts 17:19–34 looks forward to the morning sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these nineteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the message of the gospel is that the One True God Who created the world and all things is alone worthy of praise, the One True God Who doesn’t need our service is trustworthy of our faith, and the One True God Who will surely judge the world in righteousness has assured this not by the rising and falling of nations but by the resurrection of Jesus Christ the Judge and only Savior. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

God's Eternal Plan to Glorify Himself as Giver of Repentance to the Nations in Jesus [2022.08.14 Morning Sermon in Acts 11:2–18; Ephesians 1–4; Genesis 3:14–15; Psalm 72]

When we glorify God for giving repentance to the Gentiles, we are glorifying Him in Jesus Christ for having reconciled us to Himself, reconciled us to each other, delivering us from the devil, and bringing us under the everlasting and blessed kingship of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(click here to DOWNLOAD video/mp3/pdf files of this sermon)

No Partiality with God: Rewards that Accord with Deeds, Not Ethnicity (Family Worship lesson in Romans 2:6–11)

What is the real distinction-maker that divides the human race? Romans 2:6–11 looks forward to the this week’s midweek sermon. In these six verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the human race is not split up into Jew and Greek, but rather good-working and evil-working. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

Christ Himself the Only Foundation of Peace with God and Growth in Grace (2021.04.20 Family Worship in Ephesians 2:13–22)

What great error lay behind the ethnic tension in the Ephesian church? Pastor leads his family in today’s “Hopewell @Home” passage. Ephesians 2:13–22 prepares us for the call to worship, prayer of adoration, and first song in the public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these ten verses of Sacred Scripture, we learn that our peace and unity with one another is a necessary result of having Christ Himself as the only ground of peace with God and Christ Himself as the only foundation of the growth of any Christian and of the church as a nation/family/building/body.

Christian Privilege: Humility, Service, Sacrifice, Suffering

Christians view being humbled, and serving, and sacrificing, and suffering—like Christ and for Christ—as a great privilege

Privilege, Providence, and Priorities (1) (2020.08.30 Sabbath School)

The only true and lasting privilege is to receive everything as a gift from, and an assignment for, the Lord. Desire for more than that, or employing it in any other way, is a prescription for disappointment, disaster, and destruction.

Real Reconciliation 1 — Applying the Cross to Offenses (2020.08.16 Sabbath School lesson)

This week, we started in on how to reconcile offenses among believers, beginning with a reminder that is only with believers that real reconciliation can take place to begin with. It is an application in the present of the reality that Christ has already reconciled us, and a participation in the ultimate fulfillment of that reality. We began distinguishing between things that need not be confronted at all and those that do, and what to do when the confrontation is necessary. We'll pick up with that next week.

Racial Reconciliation, Part 3: True Peace Found Only in Christ (2020.07.19 Sabbath School Lesson)

True reconciliation has already been accomplished by Christ, and is applied in the lives of believers. Only believers can genuinely love. And their love can genuinely cover over one another's sins because those sins have been forgiven at the cross, those sins are being used by God for good, and those sins are soon going to be eradicated.

Reconciliation (Part 2): Civil Justice v.s. Personal Justice (2020.07.12 Sabbath School)

Began with a brief summary of part 1 ("The Current Culture's View of Reconciliation"), since it didn't get recorded the previous week. This second installment focused upon the difference between what the Bible requires from an authority and what the Bible requires from an individual.

Biblical Clarity on Race and Racism, Part 2 (2020.06.28 Sabbath School)

The second half of a lesson on race and racism. Accepting the idea that humanity is not one race dismantles the foundation for understanding and believing the gospel. Only the gospel can undo the hatred or vainglory that we sometimes call "racism," and justice in order to be just must follow God's law without reference or preference to any ethnicity.

Race and Racism, Part 1 (2020.06.21 Sabbath School)

Scripture emphasizes the unity of the human race in the one blood of Adam and the one image of God. The idea of "race" that we have is an artificial, human construct—and not a very good one at that. Overemphasizing lines of demarcation along ethnic or cultural differences takes "boundaries and times" implemented by God for redemption and turns them into occasions for hate and pride instead.

Exploring Race and Finding Jesus (2020.06.20 Pastoral Letter and Hopewell Herald)

Hopewell Herald – June 20, 2020

Dear Congregation,

It’s amazing to think that the Eternal, Blessed, only True and Living God has made us in His image! Certainly, this is one of the truths that is most under attack in our day.

In our studies together, the Lord has woven together for us Genesis 28:10–22 (and God’s promise to be with believers) with Ephesians 2–3 (and God’s eternal plan to unite all believers as a dwelling place for Himself in Christ) and Revelation 21:1–8 (and God’s dwelling place being with man).

At the heart of each of these is Jesus Christ as our Immanuel, God-with-us.

The days of the fallen creation are numbered, because God’s “Plan-A” has always been to unite all things in Christ unto His glory in a New Heavens and New Earth.

Though we are one race in Adam, that race is now in rebellion against God and therefore hatred toward one another. But God has given Christ not only as our Immanuel, but also as the last Adam, in Whom there is a new, redeemed race.

Believers are reconciled to God and reconciled to one another. When we are commanded to love one another, we are not trying to produce something new, but rather embracing and living something that is already a reality in Christ, as we battle against and kill whom we were in Adam.

Tomorrow morning in the class (10 a.m.), we are beginning our mini-series on topics that arise out of current events. The first topic will be “race” and “racism,” which I hope will enable us to think and speak clearly at a time where the culture and much of the church either doesn’t know what to think or even is actively embracing utter nonsense.

More than that, I hope that we will see the great privilege that God has given us to be created in His image, and the even greater privilege of being redeemed and re-created into His image in Christ!

Looking forward to doing so with you,

Pastor