Theological term
Apostleship
10 sermons · All terms
The Introduction to First Timothy
What does it mean for a letter written to one man in one city to carry the authority of God himself? This introductory sermon on 1 Timothy 1:1–2 traces the post-prison ministry of the Apostle Paul, establishes the historical occasion of the letter, and unpacks the significance of Paul's self-description as 'an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Savior.' The greeting's three blessings — grace, mercy, and peace — are shown to be not mere formalities but the divinely appointed means by which Timothy could wage war against the false teaching overtaking Ephesus. The sermon closes with an appeal to sinners: the entire infrastructure of apostolic authority, qualified elders, and sound doctrine exists so that God might effectually call the lost through the foolishness of preaching.
The Authenticity of Paul's Gospel
Paul's vigorous autobiographical defense in Galatians 1:11–24 establishes that his gospel did not originate from any human source but came by direct revelation of Jesus Christ — a claim with profound implications for the doctrine of justification. The sermon works through three arguments for gospel authenticity: the nature of the gospel itself as something no man would invent, Paul's pre-conversion conduct as a violent persecutor of the church, and his post-conversion movements that deliberately bypassed human instruction. The application presses the congregation to hold with confidence to a gospel that rests on the triune God's sovereign grace alone, not on human tradition or legal observance, and to hope for the conversion of even the most hardened opponents of the truth.
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.
The Galatian Benediction
The opening three verses of Galatians are not mere epistolary formality but carry concentrated theological weight: Paul's identity as a divinely commissioned apostle, the significance of the audience designation, and the rich pastoral benediction of grace and peace. The sermon argues that Paul's apostolic authority is grounded in divine rather than human commissioning, that the absence of the customary commendatory address to the Galatian churches signals a subtle rebuke, and that the benediction of grace and peace is a Trinitarian gift addressing the precise spiritual need created by the Judaizing perversion of justification by faith alone. Hearers are called to seek growth in grace and peace through faithful attendance upon the means of grace, and those outside of Christ are pressed to believe on the one who lived, died, and rose to save sinners.
The Apostle and his Apostolic Task
Titus 1:1 opens with a two-word identification — 'Paul, a bondservant' — that is itself a monument to sovereign grace. This sermon works through Paul's self-designation as bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, tracing the apostolic commission through Acts 22 and Acts 26 to show that Paul's entire ministry was aimed at three ends: bringing the elect to saving faith, securing their public ownership of the gospel, and ensuring that gospel truth adorns itself in godly conduct. The application presses both the congregation and the unconverted: appreciate God's appointed means of grace in faithful preaching, grip tightly the acknowledged truth, and adorn the doctrine of Christ with lives worthy of the gospel.
The Appointment of the Twelve
Matthew 10:1–4 records the formal appointment of the Twelve as apostles — a commission distinct from their earlier call to discipleship. This exposition examines the authority Christ delegates to the Twelve, the striking ordinariness of the men he selects, and what their diversity, sinfulness, and ultimate faithfulness (or treachery) reveal about the sovereign grace of Christ. The sermon closes with an urgent call to sinners to hear the gospel these apostles were sent to proclaim, and to find in Christ the righteousness that answers condemnation.
Author, Recipients, Greetings
Paul's opening two verses of 1 Timothy are not a mere literary formality but a carefully constructed theological foundation for the letter's entire argument against false teaching. The apostle's self-identification establishes his divine commission by the commandment of both God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, marking a sharp contrast with the self-appointed teachers troubling the Ephesian church. Timothy is presented as Paul's legitimate representative — his "true son in the faith" — whose authority the congregation is bound to receive. The threefold greeting of grace, mercy, and peace names the indispensable resources that every minister, congregation, and unbeliever stands in need of, resources that flow from the Father and the Son and are grounded in justification by faith alone.
Apostle of the Mystery
Paul's description of his own apostleship in Ephesians 3:8–13 opens five interlocking themes: the humility and grace that characterize a true gospel minister, the Christological and Gentile-inclusive focus of Paul's calling, the divine objective of making God's manifold wisdom known through the church, the eternal and purposive nature of God's redemptive plan in Christ, and the pastoral application that theology rightly received produces comfort rather than despair. The sermon presses the unsearchable riches of Christ as the only treasure worth seeking, and closes with the exhortation that believers must not lose heart under trial because God works all things according to an eternal purpose accomplished in Christ Jesus.
Conflict in Antioch
Galatians 2:11–14 records the Apostle Paul's public confrontation of Peter at Antioch, where Peter's withdrawal from Gentile table fellowship — motivated by fear of Jewish persecution of the Jerusalem church — functionally communicated a faith-plus gospel to Gentile believers. The sermon expounds three elements of the passage: Paul's action toward Peter, the reason for that action, and the real issue at stake, namely the compromise of justification by faith alone. The central application is that no consideration — social harmony, fear of persecution, or the standing of the one in error — can justify softening the gospel of sovereign grace, and that every Christian, not only pastors, must be able to articulate and defend justification by faith alone.
An Overview of Galatians
Galatians 1:1–5 functions not merely as a conventional epistolary greeting but as a programmatic summary of the entire letter, establishing two interlocking themes: the divine origin of Paul's apostleship and the nature of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Against the Judaizing error that faith in Christ must be supplemented by works of the law, this passage declares that Christ gave Himself as a penal substitute for sin, delivering His people from this present evil age according to the sovereign will of the Father. Justification is by faith alone, not by any human contribution, and this gospel of free and sovereign grace issues necessarily in doxology. The sermon calls hearers to recognise that there are only two places to be — in Christ, delivered from this present evil age, or still in sin under the wrath of God — and to believe the gospel without addition or delay.