Reformed & Expository Preaching

This is the last reading for our Good Friday and Easter series. We are going to be looking at John 20. This is the record of Christ being raised from the dead where the heavenly courts confirm Pilate’s words, “Behold Your King!” If Christ remains in the grave then we have no Easter message. If Christ is never raised it means that God as not overcome death. One cou...

Christ’s strong statements about the law and prophets are a response to the Pharisees’ letter of the law application of Moses.  They are asking the question: what is my legal right?  It is true that God sets boundaries in his law.  However, the deeper question we are invited to ask is, “What pleases my Lord?”  This radically changes one’s orientatio...

A rich man confronts his manager for squandering wealth.  This manager is like the youngest son in the previous parable.  He squanders the wealth.  It appears that there is no plan.  The rich man fires him from his position, but not immediately. The manager, realizing his limited options, knows that he is not able to do manual labor, and he is too p...

Normally we think of the parable of the prodigal son highlighting the contrast between a repentant sinner and a self-righteous individual. The younger son squanders his inheritance, leading to a life of hardship and desperation. Ultimately, he realizes his mistake, repents, and returns home, seeking forgiveness and a place as a servant.

Christ’s association with tax collectors and sinners, considered unclean by the Pharisees, posed a problem as it contradicted their understanding of holiness. They show their hand by being grumblers.  This recalls for us tragic times in Israel’s history when Israel lost sight of God’s purpose...

The means of grace, the preaching of the Gospel, and the sacraments are means that God uses to nourish Christians.  They are not the source of life, but the means to being nourished by life. Sacraments communicate the visible gospel.  While the sacraments are important, they should not be elevated above Christ or the preaching of the Gospel.  They are gi...

Normally we think of God being a God of love.  John, the beloved apostle repeats that God is love two times in his first letter. Christ does not communicate that God is love, but that we are called to hate our family and our own lives.  This seems to contradict Moses's calling us to honor our parents.  There are certainly other places we can appeal to Mo...

Banquets are normally attended by people who are worthy to attend the banquet.  If there is a prestigious banquet, it is for those who share prestige.  The seating arrangements typically reflect the social significance of the guests.  This is true for Rome, and this is true even in our day.  In many cases, these gatherings can also be transactional,...

Christ’s blessing is not based on personal righteousness, faith’s worthiness, or even outward covenant membership.  Only receive Christ’s blessings through faith and the Spirit. The catechism clarifies that faith is the instrument by which we receive Christ’s blessings, secured by his righteousness, not our own. We only receive this by faith.  This assurance ...

The city of man will always try and triumph over the city of God.  This is seen in the interaction between Christ and Herod.   The Pharisees warn Jesus that Herod wants to kill him, but their motives are uncertain.  They might be a faction that legitimately cares, or they might be with the r...

Many times as Christians we can be influenced by Greek thought.  We can fall into a mindset that the body is merely a temporary shell for the soul. However, Scripture teaches that God redeems his people as whole people.  He redeems us body and soul. The apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15, makes it clear that we are not merely escaping fleshly tombs in our resu...

Jesus reminds us that we often ask the wrong questions, which leads us away from the truth. Instead of asking, “Have I done enough?” we should be asking if we are truly striving to enter through the narrow door on Christ’s terms. Many assume they are in good standing with God, much like thinking they are a luxury car with minor flaws. However, the reality is far worse—...

Jesus continually overturns people’s expectations.  Christ does not fail to disappoint when we continue in Luke 13 when He heals a woman on the Sabbath. This woman had been suffering for 18 years—bent over, unable to stand up straight.  Christ heals this woman, but the leaders are outraged.  Why such a reaction? Because their rigid view of the S...

Peter knows the weight of suffering.  When Satan requested permission from Christ to sift Peter he caved.  He denied his savior three times.  One would think that such a record would disqualify Peter to talk about suffering.  However, Peter encourages us to rejoice in suffering, feel bl...

So often we reduce Job down to a book about suffering, but we miss the deeper theodicy. Theodicy is dealing with the issue of a just God and suffering in this world. Job is a book about God showing he will triumph over Satan, and addressing the issue of theodicy.  The seed of the woman will be crushed.  Job, the main actor in this historic story, is ...

The return of Christ is not just a concept, but it’s a reality that orients and grounds how we live today. Many of us, when we think about His return, are either tempted to ignore it as something  so future that we doubt Christ is coming at all.  On the other hand we might fear the looming judgment. But Scripture tells us that Christ’s return is both a soberi...