Theological term
Divine Condescension
3 sermons · All terms
The Binding of Isaac
Genesis 22, the binding of Isaac, presents Abraham's supreme test of faith as both a window into faithful perseverance under affliction and a richly typological passage pointing forward to the atoning work of Christ. The sermon traces three movements: the presentation of the test, the obedience of Abraham, and God's approval and confirmed promises. Central to the exposition is the typological reading — Abraham as a figure of the Father, Isaac as the only beloved son who bears the wood, and the ram caught in the thicket as a type of the substitutionary Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The application calls believers to cultivate persevering faith through the ordinary means of grace, trusting that God furnishes sufficient grace for whatever trial he appoints.
The Angelic Word & Song
What did the angels announce to the shepherds on the night of Christ's birth, and why does it matter for sinners today? Expounding Luke 2:10–14, this sermon traces the angelic word and the angelic song under two headings, showing that the announcement is one of greatest significance, greatest joy, universal scope, and divine salvation — a Savior who is Christ the Lord, born in fulfillment of Old Testament promise (2 Samuel 7, Isaiah 9:6, Micah 5:2) and condescending from infinite glory to a feed trough. The sermon calls hearers to hasten their gaze upon this Christ, to hitch the joy of their lives to the triune God and His gospel alone, and to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for everlasting life.
The Vision of the Unrivaled Majesty, Part 1
Isaiah 6:1–7 presents a vision of the pre-incarnate Son of God seated on a throne, high and lifted up, attended by seraphim whose sixfold wings signal both the unapproachable holiness of God and the modesty proper to creatures before their Creator. The sermon works through three headings — the vision of the unrivaled majesty, the appropriate response of the son of Amoz, and (deferred to the evening service) the blessed atonement from the altar — arguing that God's holiness is not merely ethical sinlessness but the awful ontological contrast between the divine being and all created existence. The congregation is exhorted to come before God in worship with the sobriety and reverence that such a vision demands, and the unconverted are called to flee to Christ before that same glory becomes the ground of their condemnation.