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The Hearing before the Sanhedrin, Part 1
The trial of Jesus before the Sanhedrin (Matthew 26:57–64) was no honest hearing but a predetermined execution by the highest religious court in Israel, assembled in violation of their own law and Scripture. This sermon examines the setting of the hearing, the fraudulent witness testimony regarding the temple, and the high priest's sworn examination of Jesus — in which Christ openly affirms that He is the Messiah, the Son of God, and Daniel's Son of Man. The temple charge against Jesus is shown to be a deliberate misquotation and misinterpretation of John 2:19, where Christ spoke not of the physical structure but of His own death and resurrection. The Sanhedrin's wickedness is set in sharp contrast to the resolve of Christ, who endures this sham trial in silence and then under oath, fulfilling Isaiah 53 and Daniel 7, in order to accomplish the salvation of His people.
The Utility of Confessions and Introduction to the Second London Baptist Confession
Confessions of faith are not competitors to Scripture but are faithful summaries of biblical doctrine, and the church has historically depended on them for good reason. This address introduces the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689, tracing its historical origins among the Particular Baptists of the 17th century and its relationship to the Westminster Confession and the Savoy Declaration. Five interlocking uses of a confession are then examined: defining church doctrine, defending it against error, discriminating between members and officers on doctrinal grounds, disciplining departures from orthodoxy, and distinguishing confessed doctrine from matters of Christian liberty. The goal is not confessional enslavement but confessional clarity — guardrails that protect the church and free her members to worship and grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ.
The Great Commission
The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18–20) constitutes Christ's formal mandate to his church for this age: going, making disciples, baptizing believers, and teaching them to observe all that he commanded. The authority behind the commission is Christ's present, universal lordship — not a future investiture but a reigning reality — and the assurance sustaining it is his promised presence to the end of the age. Baptism is treated as believers' baptism by immersion, an initiatory ordinance that publicly identifies the disciple with the triune God and symbolises union with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection. The sermon calls the church to be comprehensively about this single focused mission — preaching the gospel for justification, then grounding the justified in sanctification through the teaching ministry of the local church.
Exodus 9
Exodus 9 records the fifth, sixth, and seventh plagues against Egypt — the death of livestock, the plague of boils, and the devastating hailstorm — each demonstrating that the Lord alone is the living and true God over all forces of nature. The plagues are not natural phenomena but direct sovereign acts of God, exposed as such by their precise timing, their discriminating effect on Egypt but not Israel, and the collapse of Egypt's magicians before their own affliction. God's hardening of Pharaoh's heart is treated not as injustice but as a righteous judicial act against a persistently rebellious sinner, a point Paul draws on in Romans 9 by quoting Exodus 9:16. The distinction between those Egyptians in verse 20 who feared the word of the Lord and those in verse 21 who did not becomes a pointed call to heed the gospel: Christ is the believer's Goshen, the place of safe refuge under the new covenant.
David's Rise and Saul's Resentment
1 Samuel 18 traces the beginning of David's rise to prominence and Saul's corresponding descent into envious rage. The chapter presents a sustained contrast between Jonathan's covenant faithfulness — his willing deferral to David as the Lord's anointed — and Saul's increasingly vicious antagonism, from murderous spear-throwing to cynical manipulation of marriage negotiations. The sermon draws out the theological spine of the narrative: the presence of Yahweh with David is both the cause of his success and the source of Saul's terror, a pattern that points forward to the New Covenant reality that those united to Christ by faith enjoy the peace, protection, and communion of God. Listeners are called to watch against both external and internal threats to the kingdom, and to pursue the God-fearing faithfulness modelled in David rather than the self-securing apostasy of Saul.
The Meeting with James in Jerusalem
Acts 21:17–40 narrates Paul's final recorded visit to Jerusalem, where he meets with James and the elders before being seized by a mob in the temple. The sermon works through four aspects of the meeting — reception, report, response, and recommendation — to demonstrate that James and Paul were in full theological harmony, both preaching justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. The arrest that follows illustrates both the rage of unbelieving Israel and the sovereign providence of God, who uses Roman civil authority to preserve his apostle. Hearers are urged to imitate Paul's spirit of conciliation on secondary matters, insist on the gospel above all else, and trust the God who receives sinners.
The Third Missionary Journey, Part 8
Acts 21:1–16 concludes Paul's third missionary journey with his determined journey to Jerusalem in the face of repeated prophetic warnings and the tearful pleas of fellow believers. The passage grounds Paul's resolve not in stoic courage but in his consuming vision of the gospel: men and women under God's wrath and curse, and Christ alone as the remedy. The sermon draws out Paul's love for the gathered people of God, his complementarian ecclesiology (defending male leadership in church office from 1 Timothy 2 and the cessation of revelatory gifts), and his example of a missionary strategy that planted self-governing, elder-led churches across the Roman Empire.
Exodus 3
Exodus 3 records the theophany at the burning bush, God's commission of Moses, the revelation of the divine name 'I AM WHO I AM,' and the detailed instructions for the approach to Pharaoh. This study examines how God's self-disclosure as Yahweh — the eternally self-existent one — grounds Moses's authority and the certainty of Israel's deliverance from Egypt. The divine name is not merely biographical information but a theological foundation: God's faithfulness to the covenant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the warrant for every promise he makes to his people.
The Victory of David Over Goliath, Part 2
David's victory over Goliath in 1 Samuel 17 is fundamentally a theological event, not a heroic self-help narrative. The sermon works through David's preparation, his declaration of faith in the name of the Lord of hosts, the decisive defeat of Goliath, and the rout of the Philistines, arguing that the emphasis falls squarely on who Yahweh is rather than on what David achieves. The fatal headshot dealt to Goliath is then traced through the biblical-theological thread of Genesis 3:15, illustrated in Judges 4 and 9, and shown to culminate in Christ's crushing of the serpent's head through His own suffering, death, and resurrection — the definitive victory to which David's victory is typological.
The Believer's Gratitude Toward God
Psalm 103 grounds thanksgiving not in vague sentiment but in the specific mercies of a covenant-keeping God toward those He has redeemed. Working through David's threefold structure — the reminder to bless God, the reasons for blessing God, and the reflection on God's kingdom — the sermon traces the chief benefit of divine grace as the forgiveness of sins accomplished in Christ, before moving outward to temporal providences, divine mercy measured against human frailty, and the universal summons of all creation to praise. The sermon draws on Deuteronomy's warnings against forgetting God's benefits and Paul's account of the worthy walk in Colossians 1 to show that detailed, specific thanksgiving is a mark of those who have received grace. The congregation is called to speak to their own souls, directing them away from self-absorption and toward the God whose mercy extends from everlasting to everlasting.
The Victory of David Over Goliath, Part 1
1 Samuel 17:1–37 is not a psychological self-help story about facing personal obstacles; it is a narrative of the glory of God. Goliath defies the armies of the living God, and David — a type of Christ — meets that defiance not with natural courage but with faith grounded in the proven faithfulness of Yahweh. The sermon traces the contrast between Israel's faithless paralysis and David's God-centred confidence, showing that apostasy produces cowardice while faith in the living God produces boldness. The practical summons is to walk by faith rather than by sight, to serve faithfully in ordinary providential callings, and to draw confidence for present trials from remembered past mercies.
Live Stream - Baptisms: Jordana Van Oort, Will and Tara De Rover, Fran Guliker
Acts 2:14-42 provides the apostolic pattern for the church's proclamation of the gospel and the administration of baptism. Peter's Pentecost sermon is examined as a model: the gospel centers on the life, death, resurrection, and exaltation of Jesus Christ; the law exposes guilty sinners who cannot fix themselves; and repentance and faith — not baptism itself — are the grounds of salvation. Four believers are baptized as a public sign of their union with Christ in his death and resurrection, their remission of sins, and their commitment to walk in newness of life, with the congregation reminded that sovereign grace, not race or ritual, determines who is called.
The Lord's Arrest in the Garden
Matthew 26:50–56 records the arrest of Jesus in Gethsemane, and this exposition works through four movements in the passage: Peter's misguided sword-stroke, Christ's rebuke concerning the nature of the messianic kingdom, his rhetorical indictment of the mob's hypocrisy, and the disciples' desertion. The sermon shows that Christ's surrender was entirely voluntary, governed by the covenant of redemption and the fulfillment of prophetic Scripture, not by any inability to resist. Hearers are warned against mistaking external proximity to Christ for saving grace, called to zeal tempered by theological knowledge, and directed to the Lord's Supper as an occasion to 'kiss the Son' in faith rather than in the betrayal of a Judas.
The Gospel and Jerusalem Sinners
Peter's Pentecost sermon in Acts 2:22–42 presents the gospel as an objective message focused on the life, death, resurrection, and exaltation of Jesus Christ — not a feeling or a personal response. This exposition works through Peter's call to repentance and baptism, the nature of imputed righteousness received by faith alone, and the sovereign scope of God's grace that reaches even the murderers of Christ. The sermon closes with the practice of the early church — steadfast continuance in apostolic doctrine, fellowship, the Lord's Supper, and prayer — as the pattern for all who are genuinely saved by grace.
The Anointing of David
God's rejection of Saul and anointing of David in 1 Samuel 16 sets the stage for one of the richest typological passages in the Old Testament. The sermon traces two movements — God's sovereign selection of David at Bethlehem and David's providential entry into Saul's court — to establish that God judges by the heart rather than outward appearance, that the reception of the Spirit precedes conflict rather than eliminating it, and that David's entire narrative points forward to his greater Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Listeners are called to resist the health-and-wealth error that trials signal divine disfavor, to tend the inner man before God in private, and to rest in the one through whom the righteousness David celebrated by faith is actually accomplished and imputed.
The Third Missionary Journey, Part 7
Acts 20:32–38 concludes Paul's farewell address to the Ephesian elders at Miletus, functioning as a pastoral charge that moves from doctrinal grounding to ethical example to affectionate departure. The sermon treats three movements: Paul's commendation of the elders to God and the Word of His grace as the only sufficient resource for long-term ministry, Paul's example of non-covetousness and manual labor as a rebuke against ministerial greed, and the tearful parting as a model of godly gratitude for the instruments of grace. A sustained excursus defends the biblical warrant for paying pastors from 1 Corinthians 9, 1 Timothy 5, and 2 Timothy 2, establishing that Paul's voluntary self-support was the exercise of a right, not the abolition of one. The sermon closes with a call to pray for faithful ministers and to value the means God ordains for the salvation of sinners.
Sunday School - Biblical view of self-defense, part 2
Matthew 5:38–42 is frequently misread as a blanket prohibition against self-defense, capital punishment, and just war — three instances of justifiable homicide that Scripture plainly upholds. This exposition argues that Jesus is not contradicting the lex talionis (the law of retribution found in Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy) but is correcting the Pharisaic misapplication of a civil-judicial principle to everyday interpersonal conduct. The passage addresses four specific situations — insult, litigation, conscription, and benevolence — and calls believers to a disposition of forbearance in personal relations, while leaving entirely untouched the legitimacy of lawful self-defense, just war, and capital punishment as administered by the civil magistrate.
The Third Missionary Journey, Part 6
Acts 20:28–31 records the Apostle Paul's pastoral charge to the Ephesian elders at Miletus — a charge that functions as the first pastors' conference in the new covenant era. The passage demands that elders take heed to themselves and to all the flock, that they shepherd the blood-bought church of God, and that they remain vigilant against both external persecution and internal doctrinal corruption. The theological weight of the phrase 'the church of God which He purchased with His own blood' opens into a precise treatment of the communication of idioms, establishing that the divine and human natures of the one person of Christ are the ground on which Scripture can speak of God's own blood. Ministers are called to feed the flock with the whole counsel of God, warned that savage wolves and ambitious false teachers will arise, and exhorted to watch and warn with the same tear-stained fidelity that marked Paul's three years in Ephesus.
The Rejection of Saul by the Lord, Part 2
The rejection of Saul in 1 Samuel 15:24–35 exposes the anatomy of false repentance, the character of a reprobate, and the nature of a God who does not change. The sermon works through Saul's admission of guilt, Samuel's execution of Agag, and the theological tension between God's expressed regret and his immutability, resolving that tension through the doctrines of divine impassibility and anthropopathism. The justice of God in dispatching the wicked is shown to be a cause for righteous rejoicing, not moral discomfort, as texts from Judges 4–5 and Proverbs 11 confirm. Saul's downward trajectory — blame-shifting, false piety, delusion, fake repentance, and apostasy — is held up as a warning that great privilege does not equal saving grace, while Christ's imputed righteousness is offered as the only ground of true standing before God.
The Rejection of Saul by the Lord
1 Samuel 15 recounts the Lord's rejection of Saul as king over Israel following his disobedience in the matter of the Amalekites. The passage raises searching questions about the nature of obedience, the seriousness of presumption before God, and the character of true repentance. This exposition examines what Saul's failure and the Lord's verdict reveal about the covenant demands placed on Israel's king and, by extension, on all who stand before a holy God.
The Third Missionary Journey, Part 5
Acts 20:17–27 records the Apostle Paul's address to the Ephesian elders at Miletus — the only extended speech in Acts directed specifically to Christian leaders. The sermon examines Paul's review of his own apostolic ministry as a model for pastoral faithfulness, tracing his humility and tears, his unflinching proclamation of repentance toward God and faith in Christ, and his resolve to press toward Jerusalem despite the Spirit's testimony of chains and tribulations ahead. Paul's declaration of innocence in verse 27 — grounded in his refusal to shun the whole counsel of God — is pressed as the standard against which every gospel minister will stand accountable before God.
Sunday School - Sept 6 - Self-Defense, Part 1/2
What does Scripture teach about the right of individuals to use lethal force in self-defense? Working through Exodus 22:2–3, a range of Old Testament illustrations, and the teaching of Jesus in the Gospels, this study argues that defensive homicide is not murder and is consistent with the whole counsel of God's law. The session also draws on Francis Turretin's four conditions for lawful self-defense and the Westminster Larger Catechism's treatment of the sixth commandment, situating the biblical case within the broader Reformed and historic Christian tradition. The study closes by distinguishing private revenge — which Scripture forbids — from necessary defense of life, family, and property, which Scripture assumes and authorizes.
The Lord's Betrayal in the Garden
Matthew 26:47–50, read alongside John 18:1–11, presents the betrayal of the Son of God in Gethsemane as the arrival of the cup of divine wrath — the hour for which he came. The sermon traces three aspects of the betrayal: its significance as the fulfillment of prophecy and the onset of Messianic suffering, the diabolical plan coordinated by Judas and the religious leaders, and the execution of that plan through a hypocritical kiss. The exposition then turns to John 18 to show that even as Christ surrendered, he revealed his divine identity by the words 'I Am,' causing the armed mob to draw back and fall to the ground — a display of the glory that will be fully manifested at his return. The central application is twofold: believers are called to stand in awe of the active obedience and voluntary self-surrender of Christ whose righteousness is imputed to them, and unbelievers are warned that the only preparation for facing that glory is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Third Missionary Journey, Part 4
Acts 20:1–16 narrates Paul's closing movements on his third missionary journey — through Macedonia and Greece, into Troas where Eutychus falls to his death and is raised, and then south toward Jerusalem. The passage is used to argue that the early church's pattern of worship is not merely descriptive but carries prescriptive force: the Lord's Day (the first day of the week), corporate assembly, the Lord's Supper, and the preaching of God's Word are the God-ordained elements of Christian worship, regulated by Scripture alone. Cessationist and confessional commitments frame the reading throughout, and the sermon closes with a direct call to sinners to trust in Christ's imputed righteousness and atoning blood as the only ground of salvation.
The Whole Armor of God
Ephesians 6:10–20 calls the people of God to don the whole armor of God — not as an invitation to physical combat, but as a summons to faithful spiritual warfare against the devil and his hosts. The sermon works through three movements: the commands to be strong in the Lord and to put on the armor, the reasons rooted in the nature of the spiritual enemy, and a pastoral survey of each piece of armor from the belt of truth to the sword of the Spirit and prayer. The controlling emphasis falls on standing — not heroics, but covenantal steadfastness in union with Christ, who is already exalted far above all principalities and powers.
The Problem Worse than Paralysis
The healing of the paralytic in Matthew 9:1–8 exposes a problem far deeper than physical disability: the guilt of sin before a holy God. Jesus pronounces forgiveness before He commands the man to rise, revealing that the greater miracle is not restored limbs but a cleansed soul — and that the Son of Man possesses divine authority on earth to forgive sins. The physical healing serves as demonstrable evidence of the greater, invisible reality: that Christ accomplished what His name declared He would do, saving His people from their sins. The right response to such power is not mere wonder but the fear-and-joy that drives genuine worship and sustains the believer's cheer through every temporal affliction.
Excerpt: One insurrectionist saved, so that no sinner might despair
The dying thief on the cross confessed Christ as Lord not amid miracles and abundance but amid gore, agony, and apparent defeat — which is why Calvin called it the most remarkable example of faith since the creation of the world. This sermon examines the thief's faith in its two inseparable dimensions: seeing Jesus as the Lord who possesses a kingdom even from the cross, and casting himself upon the mercy of Christ rather than resting on any work, righteousness, church attendance, or catechetical knowledge. Justification is by faith alone in the suffering Savior, and the gospel is good news precisely because God demands nothing from the sinner but that he look and live.
Excerpt: If I come to Jesus, will He save me?
The gospel offer is genuinely free: Jesus stands ready and willing to save every sinner who comes to Him, without preparation, merit, or prior self-reformation. Drawing on John 6:37 and the parable of the prodigal son, this excerpt refutes the lie that Christ might refuse or be unwilling to receive a sinner who comes to Him. The dying thief on the cross is the paradigm case — he brought nothing but himself, and grace was sufficient.
The Salvation of Zacchaeus
Luke 19:1–10 presents the salvation of Zacchaeus as a concrete demonstration of sovereign, irresistible grace applied to an utterly unworthy sinner. The sermon traces two movements: first, the description of Zacchaeus as a chief tax collector — condemned before God, rich through corruption, possessing nothing to commend him to divine favor — and second, the mission of Christ, who sovereignly summons Zacchaeus from the tree and brings salvation to his house. The crowd's complaint that Christ eats with sinners is shown to be, unwittingly, the very proclamation of the gospel, while Christ's own declaration — 'the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost' — is set forth as the irreducible statement of His redemptive purpose. Hearers are exhorted to find their hope not in moral accomplishment but in the seeking and saving God who invades the lives of sinners they have given up on.
The Believer's Response to Trials
James 1:2–8 commands believers to count trials 'all joy' — a disposition that runs counter to every natural instinct. This exposition works through the passage in two movements: the believer's response to trials (vv. 2–4), which establishes the identification, expectation, disposition, and divine purpose of affliction; and the believer's request during trials (vv. 5–8), which calls for the pursuit of wisdom and the exercise of faith. The central burden is that God's redemptive purpose in suffering — conformity to the image of Christ — supplies both the ground for joy and the reason to seek wisdom rather than mere deliverance.