Reformed & Expository Preaching

Introduction

God shows his grace in capturing an unlikely prisoner. Saul assumed that Christ was a failure. Saul’s goal is to do everything in his power to destroy Jesus. Saul sees Jesus as the failed liar who ended up on a cross.

Saul ...

How does the gospel advance? It advances not only as people come to faith, but as the church grows together as the body of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul reminds us that we have been joined together by one Spirit, called to serve rather than compete, and to find our worth not in our gifts or accomplishments but in Christ alone. Through the preaching of the gospel an...

Introduction

We can easily fall into the mindset that if something is working, then we must have figured out the system. We look at the growth of the church in Acts, the conversions in Samaria, and the gospel going forward it seems like we figured it out. We want to look at the history and then figure out t...

Introduction

If salvation is by grace and our good works do not earn our redemption, what motivates us to live faithfully for Christ? Scripture speaks openly about rewards, crowns, and even Christ repaying his people for what they have done.At first glance, this can seem to conflict with the Protestant con...

Introduction

We would expect that Stephen’s death would halt the gospel’s advancement. One of Christ's faithful servants had been murdered, and the gospel agitators grow in boldness. The church is being persecuted. Yet what looked like defeat was actually another step in t...

Introduction

There can be a disconnect in the Christian life. We can become so focused on doctrine that we forget that we are called to live out the gospel. Or we can become so focused on living the Christian life that we lose sight of the doctrine that gives us the strength and assur...

Introduction

Stephen's trial draws to a conclusion. We are confronted with the hardship of living in a sin-cursed world. Stephen is doing everything right. He is faithful to the Lord. He speaks the truth. He boldly proclaims Christ. The apostles' faithfulness has been rewarded with thousands of converts. On...

Introduction

The Heidelberg Catechism reminds us that Christ's care for His people extends beyond this life. If God only shepherded us through our earthly journey, death would continue to threaten us. But Christ's resurrection changes everything. Because he lives, his people have the sure hope that he will ...

Introduction

Stephen stands falsely accused. He has been set up by false witnesses who claim that he has blasphemed Moses, the Temple, and God. These charges are serious and warrant death under Moses.

Stephen is invited to give a defense by th...

Introduction

Last week we considered God's promise to Abram that the Lord is our shield.  Lord’s Day 21 expands that promise from individuals to the community. It expands to his holy assembly.  While our culture prizes independence, Scripture reminds us that Christianity is never simply "my ...

Introduction

It is easy to think that if we are faithful, God will always reward us with visible success. That was the assumption of Job's friends, and to some extent Job himself. Job does wrestle with God’s will, and lays out that the wicked man can prosper and the righteous man can suffer.  Jus...

Introduction

Abraham struggled to trust God's promises even after receiving a vision and an explicit word from God. The Lord assured Abraham that he is Abraham’s shield (Genesis 15:1).  The Lord will protect him and defend him. Peter also doubted the path to glory through the suffering of the cro...

Introduction

The book of Acts gives us honest "metrics" of the church. Luke records remarkable growth for the early church. There are thousands of converts. However, he never presents an idealized picture of the church. Alongside gospel success come persecution and real problems. In Acts 6, the congregati...

Introduction

We confess that Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, but we might ask, “What difference does that make today?”After all, we cannot see him. We still live in a world filled with evil, persecution, and injustice. At times, we might think that Christ has left us as orphans...

Introduction: Beware the Pious Ones

Introduction: Beware the Pious Ones

My dad used to warn me, "Be careful of the pious ones." That puzzled me for years. Piety should be about loving God, pursuing God. So why would anyone warn you to be caref...

ntroduction

If we're honest, the ascension is something that we might want God to rethink. In our human understanding, we would love to have a visible priest on earth. Imagine if Christ stayed on earth like the disciples wanted? Imagine if we could walk through a set of giant doors, stand before him, and ...

Introduction

If there's one passage that makes American Christians squirm a little, it's this one. "Held everything in common"? "No needy person among them?” Sell the house, sell the land, drop it at the apostles' feet? Our first instinct is to wonder if private property itself is the problem. It ce...

Introduction

The Heidelberg Catechism spends some time reminding us that Christ really did suffer.  His suffering is not some sort of unnecessary drama. It testifies to our sin, and it atones for our sin.  His suffering makes satisfaction for our sin. But suffering and death alone aren't the whole...