Sermons – Covenant Grace Baptist Church

It is hard not to get angry at the way the world is going today.  As Christians we know what the truth is; we know what right and wrong are; we know how people are to live their lives as married couples, parents, in holiness and truth.  We know that God is to be acknowledged and worshipped.  We know what the laws of the Land ought to be when it comes to things like homosexual marriage, euthanasia, abortion, etc.  But what are we seeing?  The Christianity that used to shape our society is now marginalized, no worse than that it is blamed for all sorts of problems and perceived problems in the past, it is aggressively rejected.  In fact anyone who associates with it becomes part of the problem and public enemy number one.  More than that we are seeing big government; big education; big pharma; big business; big tech; big social media; big main stream media; big Hollywood; big sports all leaning in a leftist direction.  We are seeing the influence of critical theory, transgender ideology, soft forms of communism and many other insidious ideas take over the voices that are heard in the public square and worse than that are now after our children.  It is very hard not to get angry in a world like ours. Source

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, CBT, is a modern method used in psychology to treat things like anxiety and depression. As with any school of psychology, there is a lot of truth in it. Anytime, anyone studies God's world, they will inevitably see true things about it. It is true because God made it to be so; all truth is God's truth. Yet also with the various schools of psychology, because they are not working within the framework of the Biblical worldview they will get many things wrong. In fact any truth embedded in a false worldview becomes an untruth. CBT explores the relationship between what we think, how we feel, and how we act. It understands the fact that thinking right can make us feel good and act constructively; and how good behavioral patterns can impact good feeling and thinking. These three aspects are interrelated. From a pastoral point of view I have seen some of the value in these things, but when presented in a godless worldview, when we are merely reducing these truths to techniques that are not done in the context of glorifying God, or in light of the reality of our sinfulness or our fallen world, and with no dependence upon the Spirit, it can become a deceptive counterfeit that draws people from God not to Him. because from a theological perspective self-improvement is a contradiction in terms, we can only be improved by God. What is so wonderful about the psalms is that an exploration of the mind and emotions and actions of a human being are put on display. They predate our schools of psychology and anticipate the various techniques that people come up with today, but in the right worldview. And instead of a cold and abstract technique of pushing buttons to get right... Read More Source

I can remember those times as a young Christians when I was confronted with cults like theSeventh Day Adventists; and the International Church of Christ, how unsettled I felt whenall that I thought to be true was being challenged. The teachings of these groups made itfeel like the salvation that I was thought I had was not real. Did I have the 666 of the bookof Revelation because I did not keep a Saturday Sabbath; did I need to get rebaptized withtheir baptism so that I could be truly saved? I did not yet have a full understanding of howGod saves us by grace alone; through faith alone; in Christ alone. I did not have the joy ofmy salvation that comes from the assurance of my salvation. At times I would believe thepromise that if I believe I have eternal life but there was so much I did not know and sowould flounder. I was wide open to be intimidated and manipulated through guilt and mydesire to be saved. I would read their books, listen to hours of their teaching, and would bewilling to do all sorts of things just to get the salvation I longed for. I have since learnedthat the greatest defense against false teachings and false gospels is the joy of my salvationthat comes from a proper grasp of the gospel of grace. The joy of salvation is our greatestdefense against temptation; against trials; and false gospels Source

500 slaughtered for their faith in Nigeria ( www.persecution.org/slaughter/ , accessed June 10, 2010). On the 21 st of January 2010, “A crowd of at least 1000 people burned down two Protestant churches last night in Sibuhuan (district of Padang Lawas, North Sumatra). The blaze was the culmination of tension between the faithful and the local Islamic community, tired of seeing ” too many faithful and too many prayers ” in a place not registered as a church.” ( www.asianews.it/news- en/North-Sumatra,-two-Protestant-churches-burnt , accessed June 10, 2010). On the 9 th of January 2010, ‘The Australian', reported that 3 Malaysian Churches were attacked with petrol bombs. ( www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/malaysia- churches-burnt/story , accessed June 10, 2010). On and on we could go giving stats about the Church being persecuted, added to that we could give a long list of anti- Christian legislation that has been gaining ground in the area of prayer in schools, abortion, censorship, homosexuality, and many other topics. For example, on the 18 February 2022 the NZ government passed the Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Act 2022. We could speak of the growth of Islam as the fastest growing religion in the world at the moment according to birth rates, and the cults. The increase in sin in society for example, for the first time in NZ history more babies were born to unmarried parents than married in 2022; the weakness of the Church where only 9% of the NZ population go to Church. By all appearances Christianity is losing its influence, under attack, and on a seeming retreat. What is our response to all this? Source

Soldiers returning home from the battlefront can be a time of conflicting emotions. There is the joy of having loved ones back, but there are also a number of other issues. Is a soldier returning under a cloud like so many American soldiers after Biden basically pulled out the American forces from Afghanistan, 73% felt betrayed by their country; and 67% felt humiliated. 1 If they return home early before their tour is up is it because of injury or have they disgraced themselves. Many soldiers have risked their lives and those back home are unaware of their sacrifice and they can feel disconnected and unappreciated; not to mention the PTSD that many soldiers experience. Homecoming can be difficult. Epaphroditus is a returning soldier who has risked his life on the front line. He has represented those who sent him and is now coming home early. He has been injured in the line of duty and rumours of his death were rampant. Paul, the field general is sending Epaphroditus home and the verses before us give an outline of his service record and the reason for the home assignment. 2:25-30, ‘I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need, 26 for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. 27 Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. 28 I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. 29 So receive him in the Lord with all... Read More Source

We are continuing on with our study of anthropology from the 1689, and today I want to direct your attention to what it says about us being made in the image of God. ‘After God had made all other creatures, he created man, male and female, with reasonable and immortal souls, rendering them fit unto that life to God for which they were created; being made after the image of God, in knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness.' I am passing over the immortality of the soul for now to direct our attention to the info on the image of God. Let's begin with an exercise. Let us answer this question, in what way are we made in the image of God? I have written three umbrella categories on the whiteboard, Constitutional (what we are); functional (what we do); relational (who we relate to). I will ask you to call out any number of characteristics that you think make up the image of God and you will see that they will likely be able to be put in one of these categories. Source

The church is saved by the service of a sacrificial Savior; and the church flourishes and grows by the service of sacrificial saints. When we love one another in the way we have been loved by Christ; when we serve one another in the way in which we have been served the church will be healthy and effective. This is the basic principle that Paul has been pushing throughout this book. Selfishness has gotten hold of the Philippians church and is causing damage, self-preservation in the face of persecutions; and self-interest towards the saints. Paul has called the Philippians to walk worthy of the gospel that has saved them, and this means dying to self and living the crucified life in the same manner our Savior did. In particular Paul has been dealing with the matter of selfless humble service and using Christ as the ultimate example. But Paul also multiplies the examples of selfless service using himself as an object lesson, and now in the verses we want to consider Timothy, v19- 24; and Epaphroditus, v25-30. V19-24, ‘I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. 20 For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. 21 For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know Timothy's proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel. 23 I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me, 24 and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also.' Source

‘2. After God had made all other creatures, he created man, male and female, with reasonable and immortal souls, rendering them fit unto that life to God for which they were created; being made after the image of God, in knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness; having the law of God written in their hearts, and power to fulfil it, and yet under a possibility of transgressing, being left to the liberty of their own will, which was subject to change. 3. Besides the law written in their hearts, they received a command not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which whilst they kept, they were happy in their communion with God, and had dominion over the creatures. Source

Stop your grumbling and arguing with God and each other; be children of God who shine as lights in this dark world; and lean into suffering service for others with joy. These are the exhortations that Paul gives to the Philippian church in 2:14-18, ‘Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. 17 Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. 18 Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.' Today we come to that part where Paul is talking about suffering, v16-18, but notice that Paul talks about his own suffering. The Philippian church is suffering persecution, we see this clearly in 1:29-30. They are discouraged because their favourite apostle is in prison, the gospel seems to have ground to a halt, and they themselves are in the thick of it with persecutions, false teachers and divisions. Life is hard and like so many of us, when life is hard we are not able to be joyful, hopeful, full of faith and trust in God. One of the things Paul does throughout this letter is put a Christian perspective on suffering. Source

In practically all the older systematic theology textbooks on anthropology there is little to no discussion on the differences between male and female. Even our own confession only gives a passing glance at it, ‘After God had made all other creatures, he created man, male and female.' The rest of the paragraph emphasizes mankind in God's image and in covenant with Him. What the confession takes for granted without explanation we must take the opportunity to stop and expand on. Historically we would have spoken about the sexes, male and female; today we talk about gender, what's the difference? Here is one attempt at definitions: ‘Sexuality refers to God's anthropological design and pattern for the procreative relationship between male and female and to the experience of erotic desire within that design. Gender refers to biological differences in male and female embodiment and the different cultural ways in which the creational distinctions between male and female are manifested. The creational narrative of Genesis 1–2 provides the Christian with the foundational truths behind these distinctions: God created humanity, male and female, in his image for one another. To deny any part of this teaching is to subject God's purposeful design to the desires of humanity. While much of modern culture desires to deny these distinctions and to untether gender from sexuality, the New Testament reaffirms the Old Testament's teaching on this topic and brings the male-female distinction to its culmination in the Christ-Church relationship.' 1 Sex tends to describe our biological realities, gender the expression of them. And we are seeing an untethering of gender from sex, so that gender is now being defined without reference to biological sex. Gender is seen as a social construct placed upon an incidental biological reality. We have seen a radical shift in how sex and... Read More Source

If I had to say to you, go work out your salvation in the 3 following ways; what three things would you put on your list? Depending on the situation there may be different things that would come to mind. If you lived in the Ukraine right now taking care of those who have been affected by the war would be near the top of the list. Today we get to listen in on Paul telling a Church that is struggling with persecution from without and divisions from within what they should emphasize as they work out their salvation. Phil. 2:14-18, ‘Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. 17 Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. 18 Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.' Paul reminds the church of their purpose as lights in this world and calls them to act appropriately. He addresses three major areas. These will be our three points, in v14 he addresses their speech; in v15-16 he talks about their witness; and in v17-18 he talks about their suffering. Today we will be dealing with verse 14-16. Source

Several years ago now I was on a panel of pastors for a Q&A, one of the questions that was asked was what is the next major area of doctrinal controversy that will arise? The history of the church has seen disputes in the area of the inerrancy of Scripture, the doctrine of Creation, the doctrine of justification, the doctrine of the Trinity. My answer was that the next major area for controversy was the doctrine of anthropology. With challenges in the area of theistic evolution denying the biblical Adam; egalitarianism denying male headship; homosexuality denying God's view of marriage; abortion denying human beings made in the image of God; transgenderism denying God creating a binary reproductive pair of male and female; the purpose of marriage being to bear children being challenged by people opting to sterilize themselves to preserve the environment; the basic goodness of humanity and a denial of our inheriting of original sin from Adam. And there is more, I do not see myself as a prophet but I nailed that one, we are in a crisis of anthropology today. This is the next topic we turn to in our confession Source

The issue that confronts us as we go into this next section is the matter of our doing. We can have heads full of orthodoxy, where we can know all the technical terms and the careful scholastic balancing acts as we hold certain biblical truths. But knowing and doing are two different things. There are many who thrive on collecting information, of comparing views, of developing an encyclopedic library of books, but whose lives are all learning and no living. Depending on your personality type and gifting you may not err on the side of orthodoxy but orthopathy, the Greek word ‘pathos' referring to emotion. While the music is playing the tears are flowing; while the preacher is waxing lyrical your heart is soaring; while someone shares a sad story you are able to commiserate, and as soon as it is done you pull out your phone get distracted and all that emotion amounts to nothing. Being emotional can be mistaken for action. What we want is orthodoxy, orthopathy, and orthopraxy, a right practice. Where head, and heart and hands are all engaged. Source

We come now to the exciting section of the 1689 that deals with the external works of God. We have been studying theology proper as we have looked at the attributes of God, as well as the Trinity. We have looked back into eternity past as it were into the mind of God as He made His plan for all things the centerpiece of which is saving a people for Himself in Christ. Forgive the language but we step outside of God and into time to witness what the Bible says about the creation of all things. The teaching of the confession follows a literal reading of Genesis 1 and 2. As with the doctrine of God's Decree the focal point of the doctrine of Creation is the creation of mankind and their place in God's world. ‘In the beginning it pleased God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for the manifestation of the glory of his eternal power, wisdom, and goodness, to create or make the world, and all things therein, whether visible or invisible, in the space of six days, and all very good. Source

In Christianity we have become accustomed to the surprising and paradoxical ways of God. It is more blessed to give than to receive, how happy are those who mourn, those who are poor will gain a rich inheritance, the meek not the mighty will one day rule the earth; satisfaction comes in desiring holiness not in satisfying sinful desires. In the portion before us we are confronted with another one of the paradoxical ways of God, those who humble themselves will be exalted. We come to consider this matter as Paul is writing to the Philippians about the humiliation and exaltation of Christ, v9-11, ‘Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.' Paul is dealing with a unity problem in the Philippian church; this is a problem that requires humility to solve. Paul has no better cure than to take us to Christ that in beholding the glory of His humility we will be changed from one degree of glory to another, becoming more like Him towards one another. Perhaps like me you have felt a bit disoriented as you have worked through this text. On the one hand we are dealing with the mundane and every day problem of people not getting along; and then we shift gears to gaze upon the infinite glory of God in a multitude of mysteries. We move from people grumbling and complaining and building up resentment; only be blinded by the most selfless act beyond our ability to comprehend. We move from our petty grasping for... Read More Source

Controversy surrounds the doctrine of election so the confession ends with a very pastoral note. Deeply aware of how this doctrine is able to stir up difficulties we have a rare pastoral addendum added. This paragraph is found in the WCF; Savoy and 1689 showing that this advice is held to be important by all those who hold to the Reformed understanding of these matters. ‘The doctrine of the high mystery of predestination is to be handled with special prudence and care, that men attending the will of God revealed in his Word, and yielding obedience thereunto, may, from the certainty of their effectual vocation, be assured of their eternal election; so shall this doctrine afford matter of praise, reverence, and admiration of God, and of humility, diligence, and abundant consolation to all that sincerely obey the gospel.' This paragraph lays out how we ought to handle the doctrine and the benefits we can derive from it. These will be our two headings Source

It is hard to know how to approach the portion of scripture that we now have before us. In just a few verses we have the central mysteries of our faith densely put. One theologian reflecting on this passage spoke well when he called it a ‘singularity.' 1 Do you know what a singularity is? Here is one definition: ‘A singularity refers to a place in the universe where our laws of physics simply break down.' 2 I do not subscribe to the big bang theory as an alternative to Creation, but that alpha point where all of the universe was squeezed into an infinitesimally small point from which the universe supposedly exploded and expanded into its present form, that little speck that deified all the laws of gravity, that is thought of as a singularity. Something that shouldn't exist but does exist and breaks the categories of everything we know, that sums up well what we are looking at as we look at Phil. 2:6-8, ‘who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.' We are confronted here with two impossible things, God becoming man, and God becoming sin (2 Cor. 5:21). Source

One of the great concerns that people have whenever we talk about God's planning the end from the beginning, especially as it relates to salvation, is the problem of how God saves us. If you say that God elects us unto salvation, a number of practical questions usually arise, so am I born saved? Am I saved no matter what? Do I even have to hear the gospel to be saved if God simply elects me? Won't this encourage people to neglect holiness because I am saved by God's unconditional election and nothing else? Paragraph 6 of the chapter on God's Decree takes up this matter and puts forward the biblical teaching on how God implements His decree to save. You will remember that semi-colons introduce new ideas, so here we see two major ideas being put forward. Firstly, we see that God not only appoints the end but the means to the end, ‘As God hath appointed the elect unto glory, so he hath, by the eternal and most free purpose of his will, foreordained all the means thereunto;' Secondly, we see that salvation is not only something determined in eternity but worked out in history in various steps, ‘wherefore they who are elected, being fallen in Adam, are redeemed by Christ, are effectually called unto faith in Christ, by his Spirit working in due season, are justified, adopted, sanctified, and kept by his power through faith unto salvation; neither are any other redeemed by Christ, or effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and saved, but the elect only.' Because God elects us to salvation does not mean that God saves us apart from the implementation of means; nor the implementation of important steps in our salvation. These will be our two points Source

The last 20 years or so has seen a real rise in what is called Christ-Centered Preaching. In addition to an emphasis on expository preaching, the goal in Christ-Centered Preaching is to ensure that Christ as the heart of the gospel is found in every sermon. The goal is of course to preach Christ as the Savior of sinners so that unbelievers will be saved. But there is also a deep conviction that Christians need to get back to Christ and the gospel for motivation and instruction in the Christian life. This is not just a clever strategy that modern preachers have come up with but the shape of preaching utilized in the Bible. For example when Paul wants the Corinthian church to excel in the grace of giving he points them to the example of Christ, 2 Cor. 8:9, ‘For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.' Or when Paul wants to encourage husbands to love their wives he talks about how Christ loved the church, Eph. 5:25, ‘Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.' Or when Paul calls the Ephesians to walk in love towards one another, 5:1-2, ‘Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.' Not only does what God did for us in Christ dying on the cross for our sins save us, it also instructs us. We have in Christ the greatest example of love, of service, of holiness; and for our purposes today as we look at Phil. 2:5-8, of humble... Read More Source

One of the Solas of the Reformation is Sola Gratia, by grace alone. As we come to chapter 5 of the chapter on God's Decree, we come to consider the positive position on how God decrees to save His elect. We have considered the general characteristics of God's plan, that it is eternal, unconditional, immutable, universal and impeccable. We shut the door on any notion of middle knowledge where God looks down the corridors of time and orders His will around some hypothetical willing on our part. We noted the difficult doctrine of double predestination in angels and men and looked at the asymmetry in salvation and passing over. Then last week we had to shut another door on the Socinian and Open Theist view of God. Finally now in paragraph 5 we come to a positive explanation of how God decrees salvation for His elect. As already stated the thread that we will see woven throughout this paragraph is that we are saved by grace alone. Not only in the way God comes to us in time and works by His power to draw and keep us; but also in how He originally chose us as His elect. Works are denied a determining place in our salvation either in time or in eternity; in the application of redemption or in the planning of salvation. We are saved by grace alone. As we go through this paragraph we will look at it in two parts, the first part of the paragraph considers the positive part of how God elects to save us; the last part of the paragraph looks at how God did not elect us to salvation. Source

I am sure you will agree with this statement: as human beings we struggle to be in unity. This moment in particular is marked by tribalism. Once upon a time people would have a sense of solidarity because they came from the same town or country or language group; now there are so many different tribes, where even families and churches are now divided against themselves. Our sinfulness is on full display. And now add to that instant communication; 24 hour global news; inflammatory reporting by the media; the ready rage that is now weaponized to respond to any issue; anonymous trolling; a default state of judgmentalism; we have given ourselves permission to be triggered; paint ourselves as victims of prejudice and microaggressions; etc. We struggle and are struggling deeply with unity Source

What are the temptations that the church faces when it undergoes persecution? We could probably predict that we would be faced with the temptation to water down what we stand for. There have been many who when put under pressure have given up their commitment to the supremacy of Christ, to the exclusivity of the gospel. In this situation we can become vulnerable to false teachers who offer us a nicer set of teachings that would help us fit in better. Even today we are facing constant social pressure to be nice and accepting and to take the strong truths we believe, and the high view of holiness we hold to and make it more PC, more inclusive, more loving, etc. We could probably predict that some of us would be really discouraged and even begin to question God and start doubting His reality or whether He is good for allowing such bad things to happen to His people. But there would also be some of the surprising temptations that we would not expect to face like turning on one another. Persecution like we see in the early church can either unite us, or it can turn us against each other. We can begin to blame each other for what is happening, we can strongly disagree with each other about how to proceed, in instances of an authority vacuum strong personalities begin to clash for prominence. As people begin to be put under pressure and suffer losses they can either support and help each other or start reacting and taking it out on each other. Under this pressure some will give up and walk away; some will compromise; some will become judgmental; some will try and stir up a political response, some will begin to criticize the leaders and gather... Read More Source

We come now to the most controversial part of the chapter where paragraph 3 takes us into the territory of double predestination. ‘By the decree of God, for the manifestation of his glory, some men and angels are predestinated, or foreordained to eternal life through Jesus Christ, to the praise of his glorious grace; others being left to act in their sin to their just condemnation, to the praise of his glorious justice.' This is the next necessary step in working out the doctrine of God's plan of all things. We have seen who God is; and in light of who God is His decree must have certain characteristics being eternal, unconditional, immutable, universal and impeccable. Because of this we had to deny certain things last week. We had to show that God could not have done things in a certain way closing the door on middle knowledge. God does not look down the corridors of time to a situation that He has not willed and react to what we would do. Having stated things generally the 1689 is now ready to apply this biblical teaching of God to how God planned salvation, and this brings us face to face with the dreaded doctrine of double predestination. Source

You have heard that there are three types of people, optimists, pessimists and realists. Paul, because of the truths of the gospel and his priorities blows these categories out of the water. Because of God's work in the gospel we are now more than conquerors through Christ; God is able to work good from bad; we are now able to rejoice in our sufferings; death which is supposed to be the greatest defeat is turned into Christ into our greatest victory, and much more. Paul, we have seen is full of rejoicing. We have seen his gospel- centered rejoicing as we have seen him rejoicing in prison because people are hearing the gospel; because Christians are emboldened to preach; and despite some doing it from bad motives, the word of Christ is getting out there. Paul's impervious joy continues in our section, v18b, ‘Yes, and I will rejoice.' Paul turns his attention from helping the Philippians see how God is using his imprisonment for His glory to Paul's perspective on his future and his views on life and death. A fear of the future; a fear of missing out on life; a fear of death, these fears often grip us but because of the gospel and Paul's priorities we are going to see how gospel equips us to face these fears with joy. Source

In a philosophy of history you are answering the question, how did things come to be the way they are, what are the driving powers that make things as they are? There are various answers to this question. Firstly, there is the atheistic and naturalistic view that sees nature as the source of all things. That creation sprung into being itself, and through various forces plus chance all that is exists. Evolution is a major cog in this system giving an explanation for how things are what they are. In this view there is no plan just evolution. There is a baptized version of this called Deism which sees God as the great watchmaker who makes creation, winds it up, and throws it out to fend for itself and never gets involved. Secondly, there are various God and human models; a mix of human will and God's will. These synergistic models would include Pelagianism; Arminianism and Molinism. These views all have the idea that God looks into the future to truly free acts of creatures and those actions influence how God wills history to come to pass. Then there is the third view and the view of the 1689 and we believe the Bible. This view teaches that God's decree, His plan for all things is dependent on nothing outside of Himself, that it is free from outside influences. Source

Your priorities will determine what gives you joy and what makes you sad. Many of our joys lie in in those things God made to be important to us like family and work. But sin is an opportunist that is always looking to distort things, and this is often revealed in our joys and our sadness. Because we love things inordinately, in other words we love the wrong things or in the wrong way or to the wrong extent, we have our joy and sadness in the wrong things. Because we put our treasure in the wrong place we can become terribly depressed when our dreams are crushed. Too often we find ourselves incapable of coping with life's difficulties because of what we look to for our ultimate satisfaction, and we are crushed when it is taken away. This is one of the reasons why I have been looking forward to preaching on Philippians. Here is Paul a man in prison who has suffered more than any of us will on our lifetimes, yet he is joyful. 2 Cor. 11:23-28, ‘with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is... Read More Source

Your prayer life is a measurement of your spiritual life. Not whether you pray, for all believers pray, but how well you pray. One commentator puts it this way, ‘The measure of a person's spiritual maturity is not how well he or she conforms externally to the command to pray. The issue is how internally constrained that person is to pray by a strong love for God and others. The truest longings of the heart will come out in prayer. A selfish and superficial heart, focused primarily on personal problems, struggles, and interests, will produce selfish and superficial prayers. A heart focused on the glory of the Lord and His people will produce prayers focused on God's glory and others' needs. A strong sense of duty cannot compensate for a cold heart or produce fervent prayer.' 1 Whenever I come to any of the prayers of Paul I am tremendously challenged. Here is a man who has Christ's own affections for the church, and pours out intercessions and thanksgiving for the church. His is a heart gripped with a fervent concern for the church and this shows in his prayers. As Christians we need regular instruction in the school of prayer. Source

We come now to our final look at the seven deadly sins from proverbs, and we have left lust for last. Traditionally lust was the obvious deadly sin and things like greed and envy and sloth had to be spelt out. But as culture and its idols change lust is no longer a taboo subject, nor seen as a deadly sin. Since the sexual revolution of the mid twentieth century we have seen the steady eroding of the biblical definition of lust as a sin. Virginity is no longer a gift you give to your spouse on your wedding night but an embarrassing indicator of a lack of desirability or personal progress. Marriage is no longer seen as the God-given way to nurture love but a foible of those ‘traditional' types who are struggling to adapt to our new world. Where once upon a time the laws of the land reflected at least some sort of agreement with biblical norms in that divorce was not easy and homosexual relationships carried consequences. The situation is now reversed. Incest laws are being dropped around the world, so called same sex marriages are being acknowledged, and even recently sanctioned to be blessed by the Church of England. What was once frowned upon adult entertainment, shows involving transvestites, are now forms of education where public readings for primary age children by transvestites are common fare. Children who were once protected from sexualized material are now inundated by once trusted family friendly entertainment companies like Disney. What was once hidden is now public, what was once shameful is now celebrated, what was once forbidden is now forced upon our children. Source

Background: The eleven disciples probably felt a lot like Frodo did inRivendell as Jesus was giving them the great commission. They arelittle peoplewith simple backgrounds and no formal education. Andworse yet they are painfully aware that theyall just abandoned Christin his time of need at the crucifixion. Some of them, like Peter,haddenied knowingJesusall together. Butin our passage,Jesusgathersthen togetherand sends them onan epicmission. Source

Background: The pivotal issue for the book of Mark is the author's demand that the reader figure out an answer to the question: “who is this?” The central question of the whole book is given in chapter 4, describing the experience of Jesus disciples. Jesus Calms the Storm: • Jesus suggests that the group head to the other side of the lake on their fishing boats • While they are on the way, Jesus d ecides to take a nap in the back of the boat in the stern. • Then a huge storm comes, water starks entering the boat, and disciples are afraid. So the disciples become very perturbed. . . in fact, they are terrified. • I am guessing after some deliberation; th ey decide to wake Jesus. They wake Jesus and immediately he speaks to the storm, and it calms down. • And in the resolution of this story — after the storm has abated and the problem is over — the disciples are filled with wonder, awe and fear. And they whisper to each other: “who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (Mark 4:41). Source

Our next deadly sin is the sin of anger or wrath. Evolutionary science tells us that our anger is something that was once beastly that has become something beautiful. That we had a fight of flight reflex that was used to defend ourselves; or a hunting instinct to hunt and overcome our prey for survival; or a territorial aggression that preserved our pack, and now as ‘evolved apes' we have to reign it in and make it useful to the community. This is exactly backwards. The bible teaches that our anger was once something beautiful that has become beastly. We are made in the image of God, God is said to have righteous anger. The NT does have two different words for God's wrath, one scholar describes them this way, ‘God's anger ( thumos ) is his vehement fury or boiling rage. His wrath ( orge ) is his settled indignation or his settled anger. In other words, in God's anger the emphasis falls on the emotional, boiling intensity of it. And in God's wrath the emphasis falls on the controlled, settled, considered direction and focus of its application. But we dare not draw a hard line between them.' 1 It is a wrath that is revealed against all unrighteousness and ungodliness, Rom. 1:18. It is because of God's character as righteous and His role as judge that He is righteously angry, Ps. 7:11, ‘God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day.' God is only angry against that which is sin, evil, unjust and wrong, against that which is contrary to His holy will. God is not volatile, He is slow to anger, Nahum 1:3, ‘The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty.... Read More Source

Some of the most stirring things have been written by saints who have been in prison for Christ. Scottish Puritan Samuel Rutherford who was imprisoned for his stand against the divine right of kings wrote once, ‘I am well. My prison is a palace to me, and Christ's banqueting-house. My Lord Jesus is as kind as they call Him. Oh, that all Scotland knew my case, and had part of my feast! I charge you, in the name of God, I charge you to believe. Fear not the sons of men, the worms shall eat them. To pray and believe now, when Christ seemeth to give you a nay-say, is more than it was before. Die believing, die with Christ's promise in your hand.' 1 The spiritual classic Pilgrim's Progress written by John Bunyan was written while he was in prison. Paul was another author who wrote from prison and out of the sweet comforts that Christ gave him we have some very famous verses that have sustained us through many difficulties. 1:20-21, ‘as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.' 1:29, ‘For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake.' 2:12-13, ‘Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good... Read More Source

Last week we began our look at the deadly sin of Greed. We spent most of our time looking at definitions for greed, the problems it creates and warnings against it. Greed we saw is not only a rich person's sin but a heart problem we all have where we psychopathically and self-destructively idolize the gifts at the expense of worshipping the Giver. A problem where we look for the satisfaction we can only find in God from those things that are intended to direct us to Him. Today we want to look at an action plan in tackling greed and our text to help us with this is Paul's teaching in 1 Tim. 6:6-10; 17-19 Source

‘Thank God that I am not a gentile, a woman, or a slave.' This was a common prayer that was once prayed in the synagogue and I believe that it is even being revived today. 1 Luke who is showing how the gospel is the gospel not just for the Jews, but a gospel that goes from Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria and even to the ends of the earth; shows us in the church in Philippi how God is building a people from all people and places. Jesus is the King of the Universe and not just Israel; the Saviour of all peoples and not just the Jews, this is graphically illustrated throughout the book of Acts and especially in the birth of the church in Philippi. In Acts 16:11-40 we have the gospel impacting the lives of a woman; a slave; and a gentile jailer. As we begin our series on Paul's letter to the Philippians we will familiarize ourselves with how the church was born. Source

One of the audiobooks I listened to last year was the book Affluenza How overconsumption is killing us and how to fight back. Here is how one reviewer summarizes the problem being addressed in this book, ‘When was the last time you bought something? Probably today, or at least in the last couple of days. But here's a better question: when was the last time you bought something you didn't really need? Let's face it, most of us buy non-essential items fairly regularly. In fact, the average American spends about $18,000 a year on nonessentials. Ouch. Why do we spend so much on stuff that doesn't really matter? Probably because we have a false notion that it will make us happier. But in truth, our addiction to consumption is ruining our relationships and sending us into debt. And it's ruining our planet.' 1 The book has strengths and weaknesses. It is good in that it is correctly highlighting our over consumption. It is weak in that its highest goals are to improve our relationships, get better control over ourselves, and have a cleaner planet. No doubt these are good goals but they do not get at the heart of what we are wanting to touch on—Greed as a deadly sin. In typical fashion it outlines personal techniques not conversion to bring about personal change, and promotes left wing political solutions and systemic changes as the hope for the future not Christ building His kingdom. Today we want to look at what the Bible says about greed. Our two headings are the sin of greed, and the cure for greed Source

We live in the age of deconstruction, where long understood concepts and ideas are being redefined and overturned. Marriage, justice, a man, a woman, truth, beauty, goodness, these were all once understood. Two of the great truths that have fallen on hard times are the truths of sin and forgiveness. In a world of no absolutes and personalized truth there can be no one definition for sin. Sin which was once an act against God has been trivialized and misappropriated to speak of acts against nature, self, and other things that are not God. With sin redefined human beings being seen as sinful is an alien concept. We live in a world where we are basically good, and with a sense of entitlement that God ought to be doing more good by us, seeing all the bad things that happen to us through a victim mentality. Forgiveness is no longer the most important thing that we need from a holy God but something that everyone owes to themselves. Self-acceptance has replaced acceptance with God. Something as central as the gospel, the truth of a holy but loving God saving sinners through the substitutionary work of Jesus on our behalf is no longer simple or uncontested. So this morning I would like us to go back to the Word of God to bring clarity at a time of uncertainty. Source

1 in every 5 NZ adults has a hazardous drinking pattern. ‘Note: ‘Hazardous drinking' refers to an established alcohol drinking pattern that carries a risk of harming the drinker's physical or mental health or having harmful social effects on the drinker or others. It is determined by using the World Health Organization's AUDIT checklist – a score of 8 or more indicates hazardous drinking.' 1 1 in 3 between the ages of 18-24 drinking in a dangerous way. 1 in 3 men and 1 in 5 women in this age range will binge drink once a week. This is a deeply worrying set of statistics, 20% of our nation abuse alcohol. 1 in 10 between the ages of 15- 17 likewise drink hazardously. Last week we spoke about the sin of gluttony, sins related to excessive eating. And we saw how the sin of drunkenness was often hitched to it. Drunkenness is not technically one of the seven sins, but to my mind it qualifies as a gateway sin, a sin that leads to many other sins. Christianity differs from the other major religions in that alcohol is not seen as sinful in itself. Islam forbids the drinking of alcohol. Some sects in Hinduism forbid it. Likewise the official teaching of Buddhism denounces ingesting intoxicating substances. Christianity how ever does not see alcohol as something sinful in itself. So I will in two parts go through the blessings of drinking and the sins of drunkenness. Source

I will not be with you at New Year so I would like to preach to you today, my New Year Sermon. We are looking at Psalm 67, what is otherwise known as the missionary psalm. This is a psalm written at harvest time, written during a time of blessing, a psalm that reflects on God's goodness and the purpose of God's goodness. We come to the end of 2022 and look forward to 2023. There have been many difficulties that have been experienced of late, some have experience sickness, or injury, or loss. But the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end, they are new every morning. As we sit here today we need to remember that we are a blessed people. Not only has God given us His best in His Son He has also with Him freely given us all things. We ought to look back over this year with great gratitude for the Lord's goodness to us. Today I would like us to explore why we are blessed, to what end do we receive the blessing of God, how should our hearts respond to these blessings, what should we want to gain by these blessings? This psalm will help us to do this under two headings, looking at v1-3 we will see that we are to seek God's glory; and the second half of the psalm points us to seeking the joy of the nations. Source

The deadly sin we want to consider today is the sin of gluttony. This comes from the Latin word which means to swallow or gulp down. The idea of there being 7 deadly sins is not an inspired one, and it is at this point that I would contend that gluttony is probably not a valid candidate for even the traditional definition of a deadly sin that of being a gateway sin, a cardinal sin, and therefore one of the deadly sins that leads to other sins. It is true that the first sin in the bible was a sin related to food, but it was not the sin of gluttony but the desire to be like God that lay at the heart of it. In my research of the roots and development of this sin it seems clear to me that there was an outside influence of asceticism that informs the choice of gluttony. The early church was not always able to disentangle itself from some of the baggage of Greek philosophy and other bad thinking. This was especially true as it related to matters of the body. Greek philosophy usually saw a human being as a mind/soul trapped in a body, the body was not good though fallen it was all bad; it was the job of the mind using the will to rule the body and not vice versa. Beastliness and therefore to be sub-human was to be driven by these natural drives and not by the pursuit of virtue and the intellectual leading of the mind. Giving into desire in general was weakness, this led to all sorts of caricatures like women being weak because they are the more emotional sex, and men being strong because they are the more intellectually detached. This bled into Christianity... Read More Source

Legalism, one of our best dressed but most dangerous sins. It is one of the two paths to hell, one is antinomianism/law breaking; the other is legalism. Our relationship with law is a very uneasy one. As human beings we are born in Adam, we are born into a covenant of works. Adam was put under probation and under law, by obeying the law of God He could have won for Himself and the human race the right of access to the tree of life and God's Sabbath Rest. Instead He condemned instead of saving us, and we were cast out of the garden and into sin. As human beings we all still have the law of God written on our hearts, this means we know what the right thing is to do; but because of Adam's failure there is this this drive in all of us to work for our salvation woven into the desire to pursue the good. The law of God which represents God's righteousness is on the one hand the proper path that defines the good and we know we ought to pursue it, this unfortunately is undermined by our sinful hearts who seek to throw off God's authority and live by our own authority; and yet on the other hand law becomes a terrible yolk that we afflict ourselves and others with. The law is something like nuclear fusion, something that we can use for great good and great evil. Legalism is our misuse of this law. Legalism is especially a pet sin for the religious. Legalism is able to dress up and look like false religion. It always wins when the contest is between sin and a man-made set of rules seeking to honor God and find salvation. It is the wrong way of... Read More Source

When I say the word witness what comes to mind?  Maybe at first it is the Jehovah's Witnesses.  Or maybe you think of evangelism and witnessing.  Perhaps you think of the Great Commission and recognize the call to be witnesses to all nations.  I am sure that some of you even think of the legal aspect of being a witness, as bearing testimony to historical realities.  Some with a little Greek might even know that the Greek word for ‘witness' is martureo from which we get our English word martyr.  Today as we continue looking at Jesus Great Commission in Luke's gospel we want to note two aspects, firstly we want to go to the OT and look at the biblical background to this concept of what a witness is for.  We will see how this will give us focus as we go about being witnesses.  Secondly, we want to recognize that the Spirit has been given to empower our witness.  So our two points are God's purposes for witnesses; and God's empowering of witnesses Source

The bible often surprises us when it addresses our sin.  We often dress it down, underestimate it, and make out that it is a failing of the weak.  The Bible exposes each one of us to be a sinner, and of a dark and perverse kind.  Take envy, when we think of envy we think it is a manageable and small sin, something that you would find among the immature on the playground or in the nursery where we think of children fighting over a toy.  But when the Bible talks about envy it reveals that we all have a heart problem that is fatal unless attended to.  The same Hebrew word meant positively qana can mean to be zealous; but meant negatively means to be jealous/envious.  This reminds us of the nature of sin, it highjacks something good in us, a large capacity of heart given to us by God to pursue Him and His will, and sin comes in and turns it into something self-serving and destructive.   Source

Each of the four gospels end with the great commission, and it is reissued again in Acts.  5 times in all we have Christ appearing to His disciples and telling them what to do now that He has died and been raised from the dead.  What is expected of us now that Jesus has risen from the dead?  This is the question that is answered by our portion today in Luke 24:44-49.  Our purpose, our identity, our mission it is all summed up in this one idea of being witnesses.  A witness is a legal witness who bears testimony to certain facts.  A witness is someone who speaks, someone who tells the truth, someone who bears testimony about certain historical realities, someone who talks about what they have experienced.  In v48 Jesus calls the disciples ‘witnesses of these things' namely the life, death, burial and resurrection of Christ and what it means for the world.  In Acts 1:8 Jesus calls them ‘my witnesses.'  The original apostles were the original witnesses but because their witness is written down and it is the churches job to be witnesses for Christ to all nations, to the ends of the earth, we as the church pick up the mantle and take the apostolic message forward in each generation.  Because we too are witnesses we need to listen closely to the words that Jesus spoke to His disciples after He resurrected. Source

What is envy?  Envy is a sin of the heart.  It is strongly associated with the sin of coveting and the tenth commandment, that is illicit longing; as well as jealousy, longing to have what is another's.  Historically it has been seen as responsible for the depression that comes from others having and not you; as well as the resentment we have towards other because they have and we do not.  Envy has been a strong contender for the title, Mother of all sins.  Because of 1 Timothy 6:10 which translated literally says that the love of money, a form of coveting, is the root of all evil, not all kinds of evils, many have argued that envy could be the mother of all sins.  I will not take you on a side path to show you how interesting and profitable this discussion is, all you need to know is that Pride took the honor of the title.  Envy has not only been seen as a mother-sin but also a fruit of lovelessness.  Dante Alighieri the medieval Poet who authored The Divine Comedy looks at all 7 of the Capital sins as a form of disordered love.  Lust; Gluttony, and Greed are disordered loves to the gifts of sexual intimacy; food and wealth.  Wrath; Envy, and Pride are the opposite of loving our neighbor in seeking their harm.  And Sloth is the lack of love towards others evident in inertia. Source

We live in a world that is fixated on the here and now.  We live in what Charles Taylor called an Immanent Frame, a view of existence that is cut off from any sense of transcendence.  This is all there is.  Because there is no certainty of hope there is an intense desperation that infects life in the West.  If this is all there is, then this will deeply impact how you live.  If this is the only life you have, why work at a marriage that is hard?  If this is all there is why die a lingering death, just end your own life quickly with assisted suicide.  If this is the only world we have then we had better go about some very strict measures trying to salvage it, and limiting how many people populate it.  If this is the only life you have to make your choices then don't let anything restrict them.  If this is the only life you have to express yourself and fulfil your desires then don't let anyone deny you.  Living well in an immanent frame is not measured by your conforming yourself to God's will and image, not it is measured by whether you have mastered self-help techniques to make your life more self-fulfilling.  The orientation of all of life is around this life not the next.  Have you noticed how everything has become political?  Now that God is out of the picture government has moved in to take His place.  Because we no longer serve God's will and human beings are now the center of the universe, to preserve freedom for people to live before God with a liberty of conscience is no longer the priority.  Governments now feel themselves justified in being heavy handed as they force our own good... Read More Source

OUTLINE Union Communion INTRODUCTION Today we want to conclude our look at the doctrine of the Trinity. There are many aspects of the doctrine we have not explored. This is indeed one of the deepest doctrines we could ever hope to encounter as we are dealing with the triune nature of God. There are complexities here which can occupy the Christian for eternity. But we want to look at the practical value of this doctrine before we leave it. The doctrine of the Trinity is not just a mystery to occupy the intellectually curious, not it is the very heart of our faith and worship. Many people who don't like history or technical discussions may feel put off thinking about the Trinity, but we must think on the Trinity and how God being one God in Three modes of subsistence impacts on our lives. The Savoy Declaration and the 1689 have a phrase that the WCF does not have at the end of paragraph 3, ‘which doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation of all our communion with God, and comfortable dependence on him.' One of the key framers of the Savoy was John Owen, a Congregationalist and probably the best theologian among the Puritans. He is likely the author of this addition. He wrote a book called ‘Of Communion With God, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, Each Person Distinctly in Love, Grace and Consolation, or The Saints Fellowship with the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, Unfolded.' This book is considered one of the great classics of Christian devotion. If anyone is interested in reading it I have a free pdf of an up to date English translation I can email to you. In this book Owen explores how the Christian is saved by and worships God as Father,... Read More Source

OUTLINE The name of the Son The Begotten-ness of the Son The descriptions of the Son INTRODUCTION As we are coming to grips with the confessions teaching on the Trinity, we have had to go back in time to the councils of Nicea and Constantinople. We have had to learn about Arius and Athanasius, the Cappadocian Fathers and the Pneumatomachians. We have had to learn some big words like homoousios meaning same substance. The 1689 which is the longest statement on the Trinity in the 17th century has packed all the good stuff from these early creeds into one paragraph. Last week was an overload of words and concepts as we tried to take in a large period of time and the various twists and turns in conversation as the Church articulated its biblical understanding of the Trinity against its attackers. I promised you only one more technical message so that I do not burden you so today I am going to take a look at the doctrine of the eternal generation of the Son. There is a wonderful statement in the middle of paragraph 3 which remains unchanged through the WCF, the Savoy, and the 1689, ‘the Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son.' These relations of the persons of the Trinity we have learnt are called modes of subsistence, or eternal relations of origin. The key thing to note is that coeternality of the Son and Spirit, the coequality of the Son and Spirit, rest on the relations of begottenness or procession/spiration. Because the Son is consubstantial by virtue of eternal generation; because the Spirit is consubstantial by virtue of eternal procession, they are therefore fully God as three persons in... Read More Source

OUTLINE The loss of hope The return of hope The response of hope INTRODUCTION I have been thinking a lot about hope lately. In part because of the three funerals that we have recently had, and the wonderful way in which the hope of resurrection, of our loved ones being the presence of God, and a promised end to pain make our present sufferings more tolerable. But also because I get to see into a lot of people's lives, and every one of us has a pool of tears, and my job is to point each one of us to the hope that God provides us in Christ to keep our faith in Him strong, to give us endurance through our trials, even joy in our sorrows, magnifying the glory of who God is and the gracious superabundance of all that He has accomplished for us in Christ. When hope fails, strength fails, when hope is strong, we can endure. Prov. 13:12 says, ‘Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.' As we come to our portion in Luke we are coming across one of the biggest losses and restorations of hope in the bible, the death and resurrection of Christ. This is the most detailed narrative in Luke's gospel, the pace slows right down; and Luke with a master story teller's skill develops the drama and tension of these events until the big reveal and twist in the end. Luke really wants you to pay attention here, and rightly so. We are observing one of the biggest existential crises a person can face, in the minds of these two disciples they are undergoing a massive challenge to faith as the promises of God appear to fail. What they thought was going to... Read More Source