Cited in sermons
John Gerstner
33 sermons · All people cited
A Brief Survey of Covenant Theology, Part 1
What is a divine covenant, and why does 'covenant theology' accurately describe the Bible's own architecture? This lecture — the first in a three-part survey — defines divine covenants as relational arrangements sovereignly initiated by God for man's benefit, with ways and means established by God alone to obtain the designated blessings. Drawing on Nehemiah Cox, 2 Samuel 7, Exodus 19, and Hebrews 10, the speaker demonstrates that both Testaments are covenantally structured documents: the Old Testament is the covenantal record for old covenant Israel, and the New Testament is the covenantal record for the new covenant church, both centering on Christ in his sufferings and glory. The lecture concludes that covenant theology is not an alien grid imposed on Scripture but the organic, Christocentric shape of biblical revelation itself, best interpreted by allowing the New Testament to illuminate the Old.
The Two Claims
Matthew 7:21–23 presents one of the most sobering scenes in Scripture: a multitude of religious professors standing before Christ on the day of final judgment, presenting their prophesying, exorcisms, and miraculous works as credentials for entrance into the kingdom — only to hear the words, 'I never knew you.' This sermon argues that Jesus is not here calling his people to try harder or obey more, but is exposing and condemning works righteousness as the very lawlessness he will judge. The false professors' error is not a lack of religious activity but a failure to rest in Christ alone, whose perfect obedience is the sole ground of the sinner's acceptance before God. Assurance of salvation is found not in rigorous self-examination of one's works but in extra-spective faith resting on the free promises of God in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
The Apostle's Paternal Appeal to the Galatians
Galatians 4:12–20 presents the Apostle Paul's most personal and emotionally charged appeal in the letter — not a doctrinal argument but a pastoral one, grounded in shared history and genuine affection. The sermon expounds two movements in the passage: a reminder of the filial relationship Paul shared with the Galatians on his first visit among them, and a warning against the Judaizers whose zealous courtship of the Galatians serves not the glory of Christ but the aggrandisement of themselves. Throughout, the preacher presses the point that sound doctrine and warm pastoral affection are inseparable — contending for justification by faith alone must be done with the heart of a nursing mother and a grieving father, not merely the pen of a polemicist.