Madison Reformed Church

Gen. 1:1–5 Mic. 5:1–4 John 1:1–13 Heb. 1:1–14 There's hardly a more important question than, Who is Jesus Christ? There are a lot of answers that have been tried out over the centuries. Our confession answers that question like this: “So then, [Christ] is the true eternal God, the Almighty, whom we invoke, worship, and serve.” In this message, we learn that Scripture describes Jesus as the Creator, and that this means our prayers and praise must treat Him as true God.

Pastoral intern Ben Phelps begins a series in the book of Ruth. The story begins during a time of judgment and suffering, and from this we learn that we can be patient in adversity because God is provides, and often in unexpected ways. Audio begins after the reading of the passage.

Num. 16:25–32 Ezek. 13:1–11 Mark 12:18–27 1 Tim. 6:20–21 Scripture paints a challenging picture for our age. It shows that while the Church is a community of people who welcome others into it, it also has boundary lines. One of the boundary lines is the doctrine of the Trinity. In this message, we learn what Scripture says about those who teach false doctrine and highlight a few of the prominent groups and people in Church history who have taught a false doctrine of the Trinity in particular.

How do we grow in holiness? Is it through self-punishment and trying harder? Scripture says that the flesh can't accomplish this. It is only through the Spirit. Although Christ has wiped away our debts before God, we still owe an everlasting debt of gratitude to the Spirit. Why? He gives us Himself. And through Him, we put our sins to death. 

Gen. 1:26–31 Isa. 63:7–14 Matt. 3:13–17 2 Cor. 13:11–14 In this message, we learn how the Bible testifies about the Triune God and that our experience of Him agrees with that testimony. 

The Joseph story is interrupted by Genesis 38 and his older brother Judah's exploits. From Judah will come our Lord Jesus Christ. But first, he ruins his legacy and only begins a transformation when confronted by the righteousness of another. To use the language of the book of Romans—where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more. In this message, we learn that Christ redeems ruined lives and legacies.

Christ lifted up His hands and "blessed them" and they, in response, "were blessing God." This back and forth pattern of blessing is what Christ has left behind for us at His ascension into heaven. In this message for our Ascension Day service, we remember this great work of God in Christ, and learn how best to respond.

Deut. 4:32–40 Isa. 42:5–9 John 10:22–30 Heb. 9:11–14 Many have wondered if the doctrine of the Trinity is really all the useful or practical. The moment you begin to go just a little deeper with it, you feel like you're drowning. But the truth is that because we're Christians, we also have to get used the feeling of being out of our depth. God is God, and He has revealed Himself. In this message, we focus especially on the the distinctness of each Person of the Blessed Trinity.

The jealousy of Joseph's brothers is a powerful picture of jealousy in the life of the Church. And in Joseph's story, we have one of the most extended and amazing pre-figurings of Jesus Christ in the whole Old Testament. Through Joseph, Genesis 37 highlights the humiliation of Jesus Christ, who alone can bring jealous sinners to their knees in repentance.

Deut. 12:32–13:5 Ps. 119:169–176 Mark 7:1–13 2 Tim. 3:14–4:5People ask the question, “What is God's will?” all the time. Here's what our Confession delivers to us: “We believe that the Holy Scripture contains the will of God completely…” In this message, we learn that Scripture is enough to show us God's will for salvation, for worshiping Him, and for spotting imposters.

"These are the generations of Esau." Why does Esau of all people get a genealogy to himself? In this message, we learn through Esau's kingdom, Edom, the vital spiritual lesson that no earthly kingdom or king will survive the ups and downs of life in this world or, in the end, the judgment of Christ the King. Since Christ's Kingdom is the only eternal Kingdom, won for us by His sacrifice, our duty is walk by faith not by sight. 

Deut. 31:24–29 Ps. 147:12–20 Matt. 11:7–15 Rom. 3:1–4 But through Christian history, there have been questions raised about whether or not other books and writings belong in the canon of Scripture. The Belgic confession speaks of making a distinction between the “holy books” (Scripture) and the “apocryphal books.” in this message, we learn what the Apocryphal books are and why we do not receive them as Scripture. And the hope is that the Apocrypha will be put in its rightful place—not to be treated with Scriptural authority, but also not to be treated as something to avoid.

Christians aren't just cleansed at the beginning of their walk with Christ, but need renewal throughout it. In this section from Jacob's life, we learn that God renews His gracious covenant with us every time we gather for worship, giving us his cleansing and protecting grace.

Deut. 6:10–19 2 Kgs. 22:1–13 Matt. 4:1–11 Eph. 2:17–22 God is revealed in Creation and in Scripture, but what is Scripture and why do we take it to be authoritative? In this message, we begin to answer that question with the help of Belgic Confession article 5, which shows us how God's Word alone is the final authority for faith and practice.

God has included passages like Genesis 34 in His Word because the Bible records real history, and because the hope of the gospel reaches down into the most wretched parts of human life. The story of Dinah's defiling and the aftermath  paints a picture of the outrageous things that people are driven to do when they do not have self-control. But to these problems, the gospel has an answer. Jesus Christ promises to protect the oppressed, and punish the oppressor.

Exodus 19:1–10 Jeremiah 23:23–24 John 14:1–7 Romans 8:31–35Matt Walkenhorst (pastoral intern from Ascension Reformed Church) opens up the doctrine of Christ's ascension into heaven.

In this message from 1 Corinthians, pastoral intern Matt Walkenhorst (Ascension Reformed Church) explains how the gospel frees us from the place where sin so often starts—focus on the self—so that we might become imitators of God in serving others.

"He is not here. He has risen, like He said. Come, see the place where He lay." This message of the angel on the day of Christ's resurrection gives hope to those who believe. In this Easter message, we learn of the dawning of the new creation, the hope of the empty tomb, and the greeting of Jesus that brings us to worship.

Deut. 18:15–20 Ps. 19:1–14 John 5:36–47 Rom. 1:18–23 We have learned about the attributes of God. Now we ask, "How has God communicated to us?" The answer is revelation, which comes in two forms or "books." The book of creation and the book of God's Holy Word. In this message, we learn how these two “books” are distinct, and how they work together.

Exodus 10:21–11:10 & Matthew 27:24–66The Word of the Cross is a Word that tells us that Jesus Christ descended into the darkness for us. In this Good Friday message, we rest in Christ again, by whose sacrifice, we are forgiven.

Exod. 33:19; 34:1–9 Ps. 119:65–72 Mark 10:17–22 1 John 4:13–21Lord, "you are good and do good” (Ps. 119:67). In this final message on the attributes of God, we focus our hearts on the goodness of God and its various expressions—grace, mercy, love, patience, and faithfulness—in order to know this God and worship Him with greater joy.

When Jesus came to Jerusalem for the Passover holiday in His so-called “Triumphal Entry,” He was coming to a city marked by years and years of expectations building up. What was it going to be like when the King finally returned to the city of God? What would this King be like? Jesus' arrival confronted them and it confronts us: When our king comes to us, will we accept Him as He is, or will our expectations lead us in some other direction? Because Jesus is the King that we actually need and not the king of our imaginations, our response must be a full turn towards Him only as He's been revealed in the Word.

Christians sometimes feel like they're having travel delay. We know that the Lord has a plan for our lives and a destination we're aimed at. But it seems like we're never going to get there — to the home God has promised. In Genesis 28 & 33, we see Jacob being sent away and then returning to Canaan. And his journey teaches us that through the grace of Christ, we are not only forgiven for trying to make this world our home, but we're taught to lift our hearts to heaven until the Lord brings us there.

Gen. 18:16–26 Zeph. 3:1–5 Luke 18:1–8 Rom. 3:21–26 We have meter inside of us that measures whether or not we've been treated fairly. Scripture teaches us that true justice is in God. We turn to that attribute of God today in our series in the attributes of God. And we're going to see what that justice is, how we see it, and how we relate to it, since it's one of God's characteristics what human beings share in our own way.

It's been 20 years since Jacob was in Canaan. Now, as he returns, he comes to his biggest challenge yet—a wrestling match with God Himself. In this we have illustrated what Christ has done for us by His suffering and His cross. He has gone into combat, been wounded for the sake of His people, and been risen up in ultimate blessing. In this message we learn that believers sometimes wrestle with God, but that we have the assurance that though He wounds us, it is in order to bless us reconcile us to Himself and to others.

Deut. 4:1–8 Isa. 28:23–29 Mark 7:31–37 1 Cor. 18–25 When we say that God and man share any attribute—like wisdom—we recognize that God's wisdom is divine wisdom. Ours is created wisdom, given to us by the Creator. Once that's clear, then it becomes exciting for us to learn how we are like God. We are called to have open eyes to the characteristics we share with Him and, by His grace, become more like Him. In this message, we focus on the attribute of wisdom.

What do we do when we face paralyzing fear? In Jacob's time of fear, he prayed. That's the mark of spiritual transformation. Jacob came to Laban's territory prayerless, but now he departs in holy prayer. This passage shows us what it looks like to lean on Christ in times of fear, and through prayer to carve out a different path by honestly remembering how good the Lord has already been to us, and expressing what we need from Him in the moment.

Gen. 49:22–26 Job 37:14–24 Mark 4:35­–41 Rev. 15:1–8In this message on the attributes of God, our reflections are on the Almighty God. This is one that the  Church has really emphasized in our creeds and liturgies. It's the only attribute of God that appears in all three of the ancient creeds we use: the Apostles' and Nicene both begin, “I believe in God the Father Almighty.” The Athanasian Creed says, “…the Father is almighty, the Son is almighty, the Holy Spirit is almighty..." And so many of our prayers begin with "Almighty God..." Why? We explore from Job 37.

*This audio begins midway through the Scripture reading.* Almost sounding like it was written specifically about Genesis 30–31, Psalm 85:1 says, “Lord, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.” In the end, the true restoration we're all looking for is in the future: one day when Christ descends, and gives to us what was taken, restores what we were cheated out of, and blesses us even though we're sinful. This story is a preview of a such a deliverance, and it teaches us do what is in our power to do while also holding on tight to the Lord and waiting for his salvation.

Gen. 14:17–24 2 Chron. 6:12–21 Matt. 11:25–27 Acts 7:44–50 Confessing that God is infinite means acknowledging that He is not and cannot be contained. In this message, we explore how the Bible reveals this attribute of God, and how both believers and unbelievers respond.

At the beginning of creation, God told humankind to be fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth and subdue it. But in redemption, God has taken that command and turned it into a blessing: “God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples” (Gen. 28:3). The birth of Jacob's children is that blessing. These sons become the twelve tribes of Israel. And their births are an OT picture of the church. And this passage teaches us that even though the Church faces great deception, Christ will bless and multiply His people.

Exod. 3:1–15 Mal. 3:5–7 John 5:25–29 Jas. 1:16–18 The attribute of immutability or unchangeability teaches us that God does not and cannot change. In this message, we ask and answer three questions: [1] What does it mean for God to be unchangeable? [2] Doesn't the Bible show that God does change? [3] What the use of believing & confessing this doctrine?

The Christian life is a journey. The way of the Lord is set before. Real spiritual enemies are on every side. And you are called to come and know Christ, and to mature in Him. Jacob gives us a glimpse of this journey. When he comes back in later chapters, he's a new man. Still stumbling, but transformed by the presence of God. By the Holy Spirit, Jesus gives us the presence of God. And with that presence, we are to mature in our Christian journey­—still stumbling, but transformed.

Exod. 33:17–23Judg. 13:15–25 John 1:14–18 1 Tim. 6:13–16It is easy to make religious and theological things sound ridiculous. It's easy for atheists and doubters to speak about "the invisible man in the sky." In this message, we come to the doctrine of God's invisibility, one of God's attributes especially targeted. What are we saying with the doctrine, what challenge does it pose for us as visible beings, and how does God help us? 

Every Christian wrestles serious uncertainties about the future. In the Jacob and Esau story, Scripture has a warning and an encouragement. The warning is to those who mimic [1] Isaac and Esau. They rebel altogether against God's plans because their spiritually nearsighted. The warning is also to those who mimic [2] Rebekah and Jacob, who do plan ahead, but with deception. But the encouragement is that Christ's dominion as King enables us to rest in His plans with integrity.

Christians—like the patriarch of Genesis—are sojourners, and a sojourner's top priority is to find water. This reminds of Jesus' powerful message to the woman at the well in John 4:13–14, “…whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Genesis 26 gives us a reassuring picture of how God provides life for His people wherever we are in our Christian journey, and presses us to seek out this life in Christ.

Deut. 29:22–29 Job. 11:7–12 Matt. 16:13–20 Rom. 11:33–36The attribute of God called incomprehensibility is that we cannot know God as He is, but only as He reveals Himself to us. In this message, we learn this doctrine from Scripture, the ways that God reveals Himself, and the reasons why God has revealed Himself—that we would obey, believe in, and enjoy Him forever.

We discover in Genesis 25 that every good gift comes from God. Even unbelievers enjoy the blessings of life, family, and legacy. And those things come from the Lord. But this passage is emphatic that the blessing of salvation also and especially comes from the Lord. As we look back at Abraham's life and ahead to the those who come after him, we see clearly the overwhelming, sovereign grace of God toward undeserving sinners.

Deut. 33:26–29 Ps. 102:12–28 John 17:1–5 2 Pet. 3:8–10 In this message, we focus the attribute of eternity. This is true of God alone, and so is an incommunicable attribute. As we'll learn, this grand difference between us and God is actually the source of help for us who live in time.

At 67 verses, Genesis 24 is the longest chapter in Genesis. But it's important because it signals a kind of changing of the guard from Abraham to Isaac. It's the love story between the chosen son and his faithful bride, Rebekah. In this story, we have laid before us a beautiful type and shadow of God's pursuit of His Church—the Bride for His only Son, whom He loves. In this message, we learn that God's determination to gather a people for Himself demands that we trust His leading prayerfully.

Gen. 22:15­–18  Dan. 4:34–37  John 4:23–26  Heb. 6:13–20  Sometimes we wish that He had just published a glossary with all His attributes listed out with simple definitions. But God is not a textbook. He is the personal God, with whom we enjoy a living relationship through His Son. And so to talk about God in a biblical, worshipful way, we have to step back from dime-store theology and pause long enough to contemplate Him. In this message, we camp out on the profound teaching that all that is in God is God.

With the death of his wife Sarah, Abraham realizes for certain that the fulfillment of the Promise Land is still in the future. This is a passage about waiting for God to provide a homeland, a final resting place not in death, but in eternal life. And so it leads us by the hand to our Savior Jesus Christ, whose death and resurrection are the proof that God can be trusted, and that our waiting is not in vain.

Exod. 8:8–15 Isa. 40:18–26 Luke 6:32–36 1 Pet. 1:13–21  The doctrine of God is the foundation of all theology. In a very important sense, it is theology. That word “theology” puts two Greek words together and simply means the study or concept of God. In this message, we begin a grand dive into the doctrine of God by learn what the goal of theology is, then two basic categories of God's attributes and how those help us know God.

Back in the story of the sacrifice of Isaac, and zooming in on God's oath, we learn about the outcome of the spiritual war that has been going on since the serpent arrived in the Garden. God tells Abraham that his descendants will triumph against their enemies. God has staked the glory of His own reputation on overcoming the sin, hell, and the devil. And since He's tied His own name to this project of salvation, our participation in it should be marked by confidence.

Deut. 30:11­­–14 Joel 2:30–32 Luke 12:8–12 Rom. 10:11–14 Among the many pressing needs among Christians in the west is a better understanding of the main teachings of the Bible. Even we Reformed Christians, who love our doctrine and often like to talk about it, prove not to know it well enough to speak simply and clearly about it to others. Beginning this series in the Belgic Confession, we focus on the opening words: “We all believe in our hearts and confess with mouths…”

One of the essential components of the Christian life is cross-bearing. Jesus says to all who claim to follow Him that it requires self-denial and taking up their cross. In the passage today, Abraham takes the wood of the burnt offering and (v. 6) lays it upon his son Isaac as he carries it up the hill to be sacrificed. It would be hard to find a clearer preview in the OT of our Lord Jesus carrying His cross. And by this preview of the cross of Jesus, we are shown how to bear our own crosses in the tests that God subjects us to.

We've come to a very ordinary section of Abraham's life. He interacts with a local king, makes a deal, and life goes on. Passages like this can seem a little random to us. But it's exactly because it tells such an ordinary story that it also shows us that God cares about our ordinary lives. As we come back to the magnificent first book of the Bible, we remind ourselves of the grand story that God is telling through it, and we learn that because God has claimed us as His own, we are called to claim even the mundane things of our life for God's glory 

Deut. 9:1–5 1 Chron. 29:10–13 Mark 11:20–25 Phil. 4:14–20 In this final message on the Lord's Prayer, we first build our confidence in Scripture by learning how to handle a difference between some copies of Matthew 6:13, then we build our confidence in the Lord Himself by learning how to conclude our prayers with praise and firm faith.

"Resolved: that in the coming year, we would thirst for God more deeply and conquer by His power." On this final Lord's Day of 2024, we look at Revelation 21, where John reveals to us the new things that God promises to do for those who thirst and conquer. What do those things mean, and how do we do them?  We answer that by uncovering the identity of the "seated on," the "sons" and "the sinners" of this passage.

The homily from Luke 2 during our annual Festival of Lessons & Carols at MRC. A joyful time celebrating the birth of the Savior of the World.

The full service of our annual Festival of Lessons & Carols at MRC on Christmas Eve 2024. The audio begins midway through the first carol, "Once in Royal David's City." Homily at minute 42.Song list:1.  “Once in Royal David's City”2.  “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus”3.  “Savior of the Nations”4.  “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence”5.  “Of the Father's Love Begotten”6.  “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing”7.  “What Child Is This”8.  “All Praise to You, Eternal Lord”9.  “O Come, All Ye Faithful”