Distorted, Deadly "Christianity" [Family Worship lesson in Jude v8–11]

What does dreamer-religion cause? Jude v8–11 looks forward to the second serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these four verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that religion that is not bounded by Scripture results in men running off into their own destruction. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

The Spirit's Work in Assurance [2024.06.02 Sabbath School on WCF 18.2h—Hopewell 101]

We continue to study the Scriptures behind the sound and sweet doctrine of our church's Confession of Faith. This week, we come to WCF 18.2h and the Spirit's work in giving believers assurance of faith.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

The Fullnesses of God’s Plan for Us [2024.05.29 Midweek Sermon in Romans 15:13–16]

God's intention toward believers is to fill them with joy, peace, faith, hope, goodness, knowledge, and holiness unto God's glory.

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

Gifts: Christ-Given Roles in Which to Give Ourselves for His Church [2024.03.20 Midweek Sermon in Romans 12:1–8]

By the gospel, the God of glorious mind and mercy transforms sinners from the perversion of their self-willed self-service into members of Christ who sacrifice themselves for other members' good. He gives gifts TO us that are FROM Him and FOR His church.

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

The God Who Testifies about Himself in Creation, Providence, and Redemption [2022.10.09 Morning Sermon in Acts 14:8–20]

God testifies about Himself by His works of common grace in the whole world and special grace among believers.

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

How the Holy Spirit Does Missions: Ordinary Men, Ordinary Means, and Holy Boldness [Family Worship lesson in Acts 12:25–13:12]

What does the Lord’s work look like? Acts 12:25–13:12 looks forward to the morning sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these thirteen verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that even to do miraculous, spiritual work, the Lord uses ordinary men and ordinary means. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

The Sanctifying Work of the Spirit of Life, Spirit of Leading, and Spirit of Longing (2022.04.06 Prayer Meeting sermon in Romans 8:1–27)

The Fellowship of the Holy Spirit:
     gives us life for the empowering of our sanctification (v1–11),
     gives us leading in the direction of our sanctification (v12–17), and
     gives us longing for the completion of our sanctification (v18–27.
Learn to know and trust and love and rejoice over the Fellowship of God the Holy Spirit, Who is with you and loves you and is making you holy!(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this sermon)

Ideal Church-Plant Conditions (Family Worship lesson in 1Thessalonians 1:1–7)

Why is the apostle so thankful and encouraged as he prays for the Thessalonians and writes to them? Pastor leads his family in today’s “Hopewell @Home” passage. 1Thessalonians 1:1–7 prepares us for the second serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these seven verses, the Holy Spirit teaches us that when the marks of Spirit-given faith, hope, and love appear in our lives or others’ lives, we may take encouragement from a work of the Spirit that was purposed from eternity and will be fulfilled in glory!(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

Spirit-ual Skill for a Spectacular Temple (Family Worship lesson in 1Kings 7:13–51)

What are we to make of this part of the making of the temple? Pastor leads his family in today’s “Hopewell @Home” passage. 1Kings 7:13–51 prepares us for the first serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these thirty-nine verses, the Holy Spirit teaches us that He sustains and superintends the building not only of Solomon’s great, strong, beautiful, detailed, and costly temple—but also of that eternal temple of which even such a temple as Solomon’s was a mere shadow of a hint.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

Christ-Sized Thanksgiving for Christ-Sized Grace (Family Worship lesson in Colossians 1:3–8)

What should prayers of thanksgiving for other believers look like? Pastor leads his family in today’s “Hopewell @Home” passage. Colossians 1:3–8 prepares us for the second serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these six verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that biblical thanksgiving for other believers is Christ-sized thankfulness that rejoices over the measure of God’s grace, the means of God’s grace, and the ministers of God’s grace.(click audio title within player for a page where you can download mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

The Day of the Spirit (2021.06.27 Morning Sermon in Joel 2:28–29)

The day of the locusts, the day of repentance, and the day of restoration all looked forward to the coming day of the Spirit—when there would be an outpouring of gospel grace, and God's people of all sorts from all nations would have His Word and both understand and use it to announce salvation in Christ. How have you availed yourself of the day of the Spirit?

The Power of Believers' Ordinary Faithfulness and Brotherly Love (2021.01.10 Evening Sermon in Ephesians 6:21–22)

God is often pleased to do extraordinary things through Christians' ordinary faithfulness and brotherly love.

Praying in the Holy Spirit to Build Ourselves Up (201014 Prayer Meeting Lesson in Jude v20–21)

Let us pray not according to our impulses but according to the Holy Spirit's written Word. Let us pray not in our power, but depending upon the Holy Spirit's power in our weakness. Let us pray in confidence that the Holy Spirit is also praying for us! Let us pray in the Holy Spirit!

(Family Worship in Luke 9:1–11) Recognizing and Responding to God's Demonstration of Power and the Spirit in Preaching

Does God still attend gospel preaching with miracles? What does this mean for us? Pastor leads his family in tomorrow's "Hopewell @Home" passage. In these eleven verses, we learn that God attends the faithful preaching of His Word with miraculously transformed lives. This is gladness and encouragement for those who receive that Word, but dreadful warning to those who are unaffected by it or even reject it.

Gospel Gifts from the Victorious King: Offices of Word and Doctrine

After giving Himself as His own greatest Gift, and the Chief Cornerstone of the church, Jesus gave four foundational and constructional gifts. The foundational gifts of apostles and prophets, through whom His foundation of Scripture was finished. And the constructional gifts of evangelists (who proclaim His Word where it hasn't yet been heard) and pastor-teachers (who lead by and proclaim His Word to the members of the church so that each may cause all the others to grow properly upon the foundation).

Looking Forward to Learning to Do Things Jesus's Way (2020.08.01 Pastoral Letter and Hopewell Herald)

Hopewell Herald – August 1, 2020

Dear Congregation,

Everyone whom the Lord saves, He brings to the point where they see that Jesus has a way of saving them, and that it is the only way of being saved.

In our Ephesians passages for the next several weeks, we will see that Jesus has a way of keeping us in ministry-shape, a way of building His church, a way of unifying His church, a way of making us know Himself, a way of maturing us, a way of filling us with Himself.

For some of us who walked for some time with the Lord before we learned that He defines ministry, unity, and maturity, this realization was a significant moment in our Christian life—not unlike some who have walked for some time with Him before embracing the doctrines of sovereign grace or before coming to understand the church covenantally or before coming to understand union with Christ.

So, I’m eager for us to be hearing these afternoon texts together and hope that you’ll be praying with me that by God’s helping me preach and all of us to hear, that He will bring us into the enjoyment of those glorious results that He describes in these passages.

Looking forward to His ministry among us in the means of grace tomorrow,

Pastor

Jesus's Idea of a Spiritual Gifts Church (Family Worship lesson in Ephesians 4:11)

Pastor leads his family in today's Hopewell @Home passage. In Ephesians 4:11, Jesus has given Himself first as a gift. And He has given each believer the gift of being a gift. Since we must walk in this calling according to the truth of His mind, instead of the futility of our own mind, His first gifts among men were those through whom the Holy Spirit wrote the Scriptures, and those by whom these written Scriptures are proclaimed both outside and inside the church. Elders are gifts from Jesus to enable us to be stable, helpful theologians with one another.

The Lord shows Saul, and us, that He has appointed His servants for their part in His plan to redeem His own inheritance. And they can carry out their role only by His Spirit not their strength, and only in obedience to His Word not their supposed wisdom.

190430FW Romans 11:33-12:33 - Gifts from God for His Church to His Glory

An example of a family worship lesson in Romans 11:33-12:13