It is our resolve at Covenant URC to truly hold the Three Forms of Unity as reflecting the Word of God and promote these in our congregation. May the Lord keep us faithful to this task. As the Belgic Confession mentions the marks of the true church are: the pure preaching of the gospel, the right us…
Covenant United Reformed Church - CURC Fresno/Clovis, Ca
If you would like to receive catechism podcasts please subscribe to the new feed titled, “Catechism Sermons 2008-2009.” The old series is finished as we covered Lord’s Day 52 last week. Thanks again for subscribing to our podcast, and we would love to see you worshipping with us this Sunday. The post Catechism Sermon Update | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
The high priest of Israel could enter the holy place once a year. The drama that is involved in this cannot be under esteemed. The ultimate question was whether the priest was holy enough. If he was not holy enough his life would abruptly end. How can we have it better? How does closing our […] The post Why Do We Close in "Amen?" (Hebrews 10:19-25; LD 52) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
Sorry for the delay in the podccast, but things are up and running again. Please enjoy this sermon as Rev. Lindemulder lays out the implications of forgiveness as we are secured in the kingdom. The post The Lord's Generous Forgiveness (Matthew 18:21-35; LD 51) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
What is going to happen tomorrow? You might be looking at your calendar and thinking about your schedule. However, do we know if we will have a car accident? Do we know if we will over sleep? Do we know if we will get a promotion? Do we really know how tomorrow will unfold? No, […] The post Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread (Luke 12:22-34; LD 50) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
Many of us can easily recite the Lord’s prayer, but many times we fail to pause to consider what we are requesting. When we make the request, “your will be done.” Do we really think of this in terms of the cross? Christ states in Luke 14 that anyone who follows Him must bear his […] The post Your Will Be Done (Luke 14:25-33; LD 49) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
“For I consider the sufferings at this present time are not worthy comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” This is a strange pep talk for the church to receive from the apostle Paul. This also sounds strange considering that the kingdom comes with Christ entering history. How can we speak […] The post Has the Kingdom Come or Is it Coming? (Romans 8:18-25 LD 48) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
The Merriam Webster dictionary defines Hallow as, “to make holy or set apart for holy use.” When we pray the Lord’s prayer we start by Hallowing the name of God. How can we make holy the name of God? Does this mean that God is dependant upon us for His holiness? If you are interested […] The post What Does it Mean to Hallow the Name of God? (Luke 1:46-56; LD 47) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. What does this statement in Romans 8:1 have to tell us about the rich privilege of coming before the Lord’s throne to pray to Him? How do we know that we are able to call upon the living God as our Father? What does […] The post Why do we Pray "Our Father in Heaven?" (Romans 8:12-17; LD 46) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
We have seen from the law of the Lord that there is a different application of the law for Israel than there is for the church. Remember that for Israel they were called to conform so that they could become. The application on the church is that we are called to conform because of who […] The post Why Should We Pray? (Psalm 50:14, 15, Matthew 7:7-11) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
We know that man will not attain perfection in this life. We have also seen that the application of the law in the administration of Moses is different than the application we have today in Christ. So why would we continue to press forward seeking to conform to Christ? How do we proceed without having […] The post So Why Keep the Law? (Deut. 7:25; I Tim. 3:16, LD 44) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
We know that even under the laws of the land it is wrong to slander a fellow citizen. If someone is slandered it is possible to take a person to court over the offense. What does God say about slander? How is slander treated under the administration of Moses and how it is treated now […] The post What about Slander? (Deut. 19:15-21; I Peter 4:1-11, LD 43) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
The command against stealing obviously means that we are not to take things that do not belong to us. However, as we have been going through the law of the Lord we realize that there is more implied in these commandments than merely the obvious statement not to steal. So what are the deeper implications […] The post What about Stealing? (Deut. 25:13-16; Eph. 4:28, LD 42) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
When you ask the average person on the street about adultery the person will mostly likely tend to think of it only in the context of marriage. Is there more to this? What does Moses say about adultery? What does Christ say about adultery? What does it mean to commit adultery now that we are […] The post What about Adultery? (Lev. 18, Eph. 5:1-14, LD 41) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
We know that murder is a horrible sin. However, is this merely taking the life of a person or is there more to this command? How is this understood under Moses? How do we understand this command now that we are outside the Mosaic arrangement? What does social class have to do with murder? If […] The post What is Murder? (Ex. 21, Lev. 19, Jam. 2, LD 40) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
The apostle Paul exhorts the church in Christ and Moses actually prescribes a situation when a son is to be executed by the congregation. How did the home get this way? Did God create the world this way? How did sin impact the home? How does Christ play into the picture of the home being […] The post What is The New Family? (Gen. 3:16; Deut. 21:18-21; Col. 3:18-4:1; LD 39) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
The Lord says to Moses everyone who profanes the Sabbath must be put to death. The apostle John enters the presence of the glorified Lord on the Lord’s day and he is told not to be afraid. Not to be afraid? People were killed for this very thing. Why can John see the glorified Lord […] The post What About the Sabbath? (Ex. 31:12-29, Rev. 1:9-20; LD 38) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
In Lord’s Day 36 we established that we can make oaths, but they must not be made hastily. However, why must we make these oaths in the name of the Lord? Why is it so significant that the Lord makes an oath to Abraham regarding redemption? Does this oath that God made to Abraham mean […] The post What is Blasphemy? (2) (Gen. 22:1-19; Heb. 6:13-20; LD 37) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
Committing blasphemy under the Mosaic time was pretty obvious. As we examine Leviticus 24 we see a concrete case where blasphemy is committed, and Moses is to stone the offender. What does it mean to commit blasphemy under the covenant of grace as it is confirmed in Christ? Are there deeper implications now that we […] The post What is Blasphemy? (Lev. 24:10-17; Col. 3:17; LD 36) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
Moses holds for to Israel the wisdom of God. He declares the wisdom of God is the law. However we can see in the New Testament that Christ is the wisdom of God. How can these two things to be reconciled? There is another tension that we perceive. If Israel did not properly worship God […] The post What is False Worship? (Deut. 4:1-30; I Peter 1:13-23; LD 35) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
There is the temptation to think that our current situation is inferior to that of the Old Testament. How do we know that our situation is superior? How can we speak of the things commanded by God at one time are now idolatrous? Does this mean that God changes? Why is the sacrifice really better, […] The post What is Idolatry? (Deut. 18:9-14; Heb. 10:36; LD 34) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
We are those who are secured by the work of Christ. His merits come to us by His grace. So how do we know if the works we do are to His glory? The apostle Paul knows of the works that the saints do for Christ in Colossae, but the apostle points out that at […] The post When are Good Works Not Good Works? (Col. 2:16-23; LD 33) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
When the Lord made his covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15 the Lord promised Abraham to have a great number of descendants. It would seem that when Israel entered into the Promised Land that this promise was fully realized. However, Hosea tells us that Israel is not the people of God, but there will be […] The post Who are My People? (Hosea 1:1-11, Romans 8:12-17, 9:22-26; LD 33) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
Peter opens his letter telling us that the church is the new Israel in exile. Why would Peter say such a thing? Exile testifies to Israel failing and not attaining the ideal that the Lord held out for them. How can Peter confer encouragement to the church as he quotes from Exodus 19:6 which promises […] The post You Are A Chosen People (Exodus 19:6, 1 Peter 2:9; LD 32) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
The Lord says to Peter, “Upon this Rock I will build my church.” Does this mean that there will be an apostolic succession between the two comings of Christ? Why is it significant that Matthew 16:13-20 is echoed in Matthew 18:15-20? Why is it significant that the Lord gives Peter the keys to the kingdom? […] The post Kingdom Keys (Matt. 16:13-20, 18:15-20; LD 31) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
The Corinthian church is fractured, divided, and continues to fall into sin. The apostle Paul warns that some of died and fallen ill in the congregation. In this context the apostle Paul is concerned about how the Corinthian church comes together for the sacrament of communion. What does it mean to eat and drink in […] The post Judge so Not to Be Judged (I Cor. 11:27-34; LD 30) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
If children are members of the covenant community by baptism, does this mean that children can partake of the Lord’s Supper? If children partook of the Passover meal with their families does this mean that children partake of the sacrament of communion today? The apostle Paul tells us that we are to examine ourselves. What […] The post One Body One People (I Cor. 11:17-34; I Cor. 10:1-22; LD 28) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
In Genesis 17:7 The Lord says to Abraham that he makes an everlasting covenant with Abraham. Why is it so significant that the Lord says this very statement in verse 7 of Genesis 17? Does this mean that this covenant goes beyond the land promise that was made to Israel? Is this the same thing […] The post Applying the Ordeal Sign (Gen. 17:7; Acts 2:29-41; LD 27) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
The apostle Paul tells us that we are those who have been baptized into Christ and circumcised in Christ. This is the only place where the apostle Paul puts these two signs together. So, is the Apostle Paul merely showing a formal similarity with these signs, or is there is a greater correlation between baptism […] The post Circumcised without Hands (Col. 2:11-12; LD 26) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
There is no doubt that we are secured by the merits of Christ. We have learned that as we take hold of Christ by Faith we have his blessings. So what is the significance of the sacraments that we have this day? Are they mere empty signs that are given to us for our sentimental […] The post Sacramental Signs (Genesis 17:1-14; Rom. 4:1-12 LD 25) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
We heard in Lord’s day 23 that the Lord is the one who secures our eternal identity by the work of Christ. Remember that Christ prays in John 17 that Christ states He has completed the work that the Father has given Him to do. Second, He prays that the saints secured by Him endure […] The post Abide in Me (John 15:1-17; LD 24) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
Thank you for downloading our Podcast published on May 13th, 2007. Lord’s day 23 of the Heidelberg asks the question, “What good is it to know these things?” This is a very important question as the catechism just laid out a commentary on the Apostle’s creed. One way to answer this question is to consider […] The post Glorify Me (John 17; LD 23) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
Thank you for downloading our podcast published on May 6th, 2007. Lord’s day 22 of the Heidelberg Catechism continues with the commentary on the Apostles Creed. We encounter the question of, “What is the comfort of the resurrection of the body?” This is an interesting question considering that the resurrection is at the end point […] The post Shedding our Tent for A House (2 Cor. 5:1-10; LD 22) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
Thank you for downloading our Podcast published on April 29th, 2007. Lord’s day 21 of the Heidelberg Catechism continues with the Apostles Creed. We have the assurance of the work of Christ securing our redemption. We have heard, from question and answer 21, that as we have faith in Christ we are those who have […] The post Heavenly Saints Sealed for Glory (Eph. 1:11-14; LD 21) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
Lord’s day 20 of the Heidelberg Catechism continues with the Apostles Creed. The catechism looks at the third person of the trinity, who is the Holy Spirit. We know that the Spirit is eternal God, and at the same time has work in history. We seek to establish this by looking at Isaiah 61 and […] The post The Spirit of the Lord Has Come Upon Me (Isa. 60:1; Luke 4:19,20; LD 20) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
Lord’s day 19 of the Heidelberg Catechism continues with the Apostles Creed, and what it says about the ascension of Christ. The Catechism lays out that Christ is ascended at the right hand of God. This ascension does two things for us: First, we receive the heavenly graces, and second He defends us from all […] The post What's Good about the Ascension? (Psalm 110; Ephesians 1:15-23; LD 19) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
Lord’s day 18 of the Heidelberg Catechism lays out the significance of Christ’s ascension into heaven. This ascnension of Christ into heaven is the crowing of his work in history. However, as we consider that, does it mean that we serve an ivory tower God? Does it mean that our Lord is not a Good […] The post Ascended into Heaven (Luke 24:36-53; LD 18) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
Lord’s day 17 of the Heidelberg Catechism lays out the significance of Christ’s resurrection from the dead. Normally, we think of this resurrection being something that has to do with the end point in history. Rarely do we think of Christ’s resurrection as a vindication for Christ. When we say this we mean that the […] The post Vindicated by the Spirit (I Tim. 3:16; LD 17) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
Lord’s day 16 of the Heidelberg Catechism tells us that Christ descended into Hell. Does this mean that the second person of the trinity ceased to exist for three days? This statement that is added later is added for a reason, but what does it mean? Please stay tuned as we hear, “He Descended into […] The post He Descended into Hell (Heb. 4:14-5:10; LD 16) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
Lord’s day 15 of the Heidelberg Catechism tells us that Christ suffered all of the days of his life, but especially at the end of his life. What is the point of this suffering and what does this suffering do for us as the people of God? Are we really on a better side in […] The post The Perfect Offering (Hebrews 9:12,14; LD 15) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
Lord’s day 14 of the Heidelberg Catechism addresses the issue of Jesus being the Son of God, but also son of David. How is this done without Christ compromising his being as God, but still doing the very work that the Father has given Him to do? Please stay tuned as we listen to, “Son […] The post Son of David and Son of God (Matthew 1; LD 14) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
Lord’s day 13 of the Heidelberg Catechism tackles the issue of our sonship in Christ. As we seek to establish this from scripture we look at the gospel of John as we hear in chapter 1 that we have the right to become children, but at the same time there is only one Son. How […] The post Our sonship in His Sonship (John 1:1-18, 3:16, 17; LD 13) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
Thank you for downloading our Podcast published on February 25, 2007. Lord’s day 12 of the Heidelberg Catechism defines what the title “Christ” means. This names has implications for the second person of the trinity, and our identity as we are called Christians. This is established as we appeal to Peter quoting from Moses. Peter […] The post Why are You Called A Christian? (I Peter 2:1-12; LD 12) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
Lord’s day 11 of the Heidelberg makes very clear that the only way we have redemption is in Christ. This is not in addition to Christ or that we have faith in fath. When we look at Galatians 5 we notice that our call is to walk by the Spirit that grounds us in Christ […] The post Christ Alone (Galatians 4:21-5:26; LD 11) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
Lord’s day 10 of the Heidelberg further defines the sovereign providence of God. As we appeal to Matthew 10 we listen to Jesus sending out the disciples to preach the message of the kingdom. There is the assurance that this message will not be received well, but the disciples are to go from village to […] The post Sovereign Comfort (Matt. 10:26-33; LD 10) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
Thank you for downloading our Podcast published on February 4, 2007. Lord’s day 9 of the Heidelberg Catechism answers the question: What do we mean by maker of heaven and earth? We will look at this question as we go through the speech of the Lord to Job. This is a speech that puts us […] The post God Proves His Sovereign Hand (Job 38-40:5) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
Thank you for downloading our Podcast published on January 28, 2007. Lord’s day 8 of the Heidelberg Catechism answers the question: What God do we worship? As we look at Deuteronomy 6:4 and Matthew 3:14-17 we notice that God is one, but that God is three. Does this mean that there is a contradiction or […] The post The Triune God (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 3:13-17) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
Thank you for downloading our Podcast published on January 21, 2007. Lord’s day 7 of the Heidelberg Catechism answers the question: “How do we know if the mediator is our Mediator?” or to say it another way, “How do we know if Christ is our Christ?” The answer to this question is that if you […] The post A Realization of Things Not Seen (Heb. 11:1-16) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
Thank you for downloading our Podcast published on January 14, 2007. There are some who claim that Christ did not have to come in the flesh of humanity. Is this really the case or is there something significantly covenantal with Christ taking on the flesh and entering History as the God Man? Please stay tuned […] The post A Wholly Rigtheous Mediator | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
This message is titled “What the Historia Means to Me: The Two Trees (sermon 3)” Rev. Lindemulder traces the probation tree and the tree of life throughout creation to help us see the significance of covenant history taking priority for our understanding of the text. As we are grounded in Christ we understand our identity […] The post What Historia Means to Me (Misc. Texts LD 5) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.
We look at Heidelberg Catechism Lord’s day 4. This message is titled “What the Historia Means to Me?” Rev. Lindemulder opens 1 Corinthians 15:45 establishing that our identity is grounded in Christ. This means that we cannot jump to the application of our identity without first considering the historical setting and placement of our identity […] The post What Historia Means to Me (I Corinthians 15:45 LD 4) | 2006-2007 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.