What Faith in Jesus Christ Is [Shorter Catechism 86 Simply Explained]

Pastor walks his children through Westminster Shorter Catechism question 86—especially explaining that faith is a grace, that it always saves completely, and that it receives and rests upon a person (not merely ideas about Him or benefits from Him).

Q86. What is faith in Jesus Christ? Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in the gospel.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

Covenant Patience As an Awesome Display of God's Glory [2023.05.07 Evening Sermon in Exodus 34:8–28]

God does an awesome thing, not only saving His people among a world of sinners, but even forgiving His people's own sin, bearing patiently with their many backslidings, and bringing them into conformity with Himself instead of with the world.

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

Running and Finishing Our Own Race with Joy [2023.05.07 Morning Sermon in Acts 20:22–25]

Christians should live their lives as limited-time assignments from the Lord Who died for them and sustains their life.

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

Generous Christians Are a Sign and Wonder [2023.05.07 Sabbath School; Biblical Theology of the Diaconate #33]

Biblical Theology of the Diaconate #33: Believers know God's overarching plan to destroy all opposition to God and His Christ, but first to redeem those who will kiss the Son and trust in Him. They rejoice when the effect of the Lord's redemption is seen in turning back not only sin but also misery as a consequence of His gracious work in the saints.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

Grace-Powered Confidence and Commitment [Family Worship lesson in Romans 6:14]

Why will Christians succeed in overthrowing sin? Romans 6:14 looks forward to the sermon in the midweek meeting. In this verse of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that Christians succeed in overthrowing sin because they do it not by the law but by grace.(click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2023.05.08 Hopewell @Home ▫ Romans 6:14

Read Romans 6:14

Questions from the Scripture text: What is the subject of the first clause in Romans 6:14? What will it not do? Over whom? Why not—what aren’t believers under? What are they under instead? 

Why will Christians succeed in overthrowing sin? Romans 6:14 looks forward to the sermon in the midweek meeting. In this verse of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that Christians succeed in overthrowing sin because they do it not by the law but by grace. 

Throughout this chapter, we’ve been learning that Christians have been joined to Jesus in a resurrection life that is almighty in its power, eternal in its period, and unto God for righteousness in its purpose. We have come into all of this by the baptism of the Spirit, which put us in union with the Son. God has done it, which is to say that this has been done by grace. 

So shall we continue in sin that grace may increase (Romans 6:1)? No, Romans 6:14 says that we will most certainly overthrow sin, precisely by God’s grace. Grace does not excuse our sin. It is a power under which we overthrow it. 

When we treated righteousness as if it was by works, we marched under the banner of the law. But now, we know that righteousness is in Christ, by the Spirit, unto God. We march under the banner of grace, because we march under the banner of God. We have passed from the death of the law-realm, in which we sought to live by our own power, into the life of the grace-realm, by which we live by the Spirit, in the Son, unto God. 

O, what confidence we should have against sin! If we are in Christ, sin has lost its right over us. It will not be our master. God, Who has delivered us from sin’s guilt has most certainly delivered us from its power. He has not only declared us to be free from sin by what Christ has done for us by grace; He has actually empowered us to resist sin by what Christ has done in us by grace. 

O, what commitment we should have against sin! If we are under grace, then we are sin’s sworn enemies. The law was always opposed to sin, but it could not make us to be opposed to sin too. By our sinful flesh, the law was weakened from being able to do that (cf. Romans 8:3). But now God has brought us out from under the law and put us under the banner and power of grace instead. And grace has done it. Grace has made us enemies of sin. 

Against what sins, specifically, do you most need to commit yourself as an enemy? Against what sins, specifically, do you most need to battle with confidence? What, specifically, about your current condition can give you both this commitment and this confidence? 

Sample prayer: Lord, we thank You for bringing us out of ourselves and into Christ. Forgive us for when we serve sin, as if it were still our master. Forgive us for when we attempt to resist sin in our own strength, as if we were our own power. Grant, by Your Spirit, that we would resist sin in Your strength, in Jesus Christ, in Whose Name we ask it, AMEN! 

Suggested songs: ARP32AB“What Blessedness” or TPH466“My Faith Looks Up to Thee”

How to Finish Our Race with Joy [Family Worship lesson in Acts 20:22–25]

How does God enable ministers to do minister the Word faithfully? Acts 20:22–25 looks forward to the morning sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these four verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that God enables ministers to minister the Word faithfully by compelling them by His Spirit to serve the Lord with our life, because our race for the gospel of grace ends soon. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)

2023.06.06 Hopewell @Home ▫ Acts 20:22–25

Read Acts 20:22–25

Questions from the Scripture text: Where does Paul now go (Acts 20:22)? How bound? What doesn’t he know? Who testifies where (Acts 20:23)? What does He say awaits Paul? What don’t any of these things do (Acts 20:24)? What doesn’t the apostle count dear? What does he wish to finish? How? What has He called a race? From Whom did he receive this ministry? To do what? Of what does he testify? And what does he know about them (Acts 20:25)? What has he done among them?

How does God enable ministers to do minister the Word faithfully? Acts 20:22–25 looks forward to the morning sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these four verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that God enables ministers to minister the Word faithfully by compelling them by His Spirit to serve the Lord with our life, because our race for the gospel of grace ends soon. 

The apostle had opened by reminding the Ephesian elders of his ministry among them as a model. He will return to this in Acts 20:26, but first he sets them an example of the minister’s proper commitment to the ministry.

The minister (like all Christians) is bound by the Spirit, Acts 20:22. Paul is going to end up in physical chains, but that doesn’t faze him at all, because as far as he is concerned, he’s already in chains. He is bound by the Spirit. He doesn’t have any say in whether or not to go to Jerusalem. Similarly, the believer is a bondslave of Christ. Obedience to God’s commands is not optional. Fulfilling our calling in our role in the church or in the family is not optional. 

The Lord doesn’t tell us everything that we’d like to know. The apostle did not know what would happen in Jerusalem (Acts 20:24b), and we do not know what will be the outcome of our service or obedience. But He does tell us what we must do. The Scriptures are sufficient for all of faith and practice.

The minister (and all Christians) must be prepared to suffer, Acts 20:23-24a At that time, each congregation had those with revelatory gifts, just for the ordering and content of public worship (Acts 20:23a, cf. 1 Corinthians 14:26–40). At every stop, those who spoke by the Spirit announced to Paul that chains and afflictions awaited him (Acts 20:24b). 

But this didn’t move him (Acts 20:24a). Why? Because he had received his ministry from Jesus. Jesus would preserve him for that ministry until his job is done. And, if he dies, his job is done. There is a race to finish, and rather than stress over the suffering, he is going to willingly and gladly do the work the Lord Jesus has given him to do.

The minister (and all Christians) must be prepared to die, Acts 20:25. What Paul tells these Ephesian elders would one day be true of each of them with their congregation. It may be true of any of us every time we see our congregation or our family. We should always minister or interact as we will wish we had if we should never see one another’s faces again in this world.

What are your duties in the church? What are your duties in the home? What suffering have you endured for them? What suffering might you have to endure? Why would it be worth it? In what manner should you be serving until the Lord takes you from this world? What might you do differently if You knew that You were about to stand before Christ and answer for how you are interacting with your family and your congregation of His church?

Sample prayer:  Lord, thank You for taking us to be Your bondslaves. We look forward with joy to being with You forever in glory. And we ask that by Your Spirit, we would be able to serve You with joy until we have finished our race in this world. Grant unto us always to live as we will wish we had done that moment when we come to answer for it in glory, we ask through Christ, AMEN!

Suggested songs: ARP23B “The Lord’s My Shepherd” or TPH231 “Whate’er My God Ordains Is Right”

Weaponizing Our Whole Self in Service of Our True King [Midweek Sermon in Romans 6:12–13]

Christians must give their whole self, for this whole life, entirely to God for righteousness.

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

God Shows the Glory of His Grace in Covenant Patience [Family Worship lesson in Exodus 34:8–28]

What does the Lord do for His people in His forgiveness? Exodus 34:8–28 looks forward to the evening sermon on the coming Lord’s Day. In these twenty-one verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that in His forgiveness, the Lord restores His people as if they had never sinned. (click here to DOWNLOAD mp3/pdf files of this lesson)