Theological term
Justification by Faith
117 sermons · All terms
The Psalmist's Contemplation on the Revelation of God, Part 2
Psalm 19:7–11 presents four attributes of Scripture — perfect, sure, right, and pure — and traces the effects each produces in the souls of those the Spirit converts. The sermon argues that 'law' in this psalm comprehends the entirety of God's Word, including the gospel, and that the attributes ascribed to Scripture are inseparable from the perfections of its divine Author. Against a merely convicting or condemning view of the law, the preacher demonstrates that the same Word that exposes sin is the instrument through which the Holy Spirit effectually converts, enlightens, and rejoices the heart of the sinner. Hearers are pressed to receive the Word with joy rather than religious duty, and any who are yet dead in sin are called to cast themselves upon the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom a willing and rejoicing Savior stands ready to save.
The Gospel Foundation for Corporate Prayer
The apostle Paul grounds the church's corporate prayer in a three-part theological rationale drawn from 1 Timothy 2:3–7: the nature of God, the office of Christ, and the ministry of Paul. The phrase 'all men' in verses 1–4 refers not to every individual without exception but to all kinds of men without distinction — Jew and Gentile, slave and king — a reading demanded by Paul's own doctrine of reprobation in Romans 9 and confirmed by the scope of his apostolic commission to the Gentiles. Christ's mediatorship is shown to require both a divine and a human nature, and his ransom is definite in its design — paid for all kinds of men, not all men without exception — precluding both universalism and any notion of unmet desires in God. The sermon closes by pressing the congregation to show up for corporate prayer, to pray specifically for the salvation of those in civil authority, and to exhort all around them to flee to Christ.
The Third Commandment
The Third Commandment — 'You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain' (Deuteronomy 5:11) — carries far greater weight than mere avoidance of profanity, because the divine name is not an arbitrary label but a revelation of God's very being, perfections, works, and decree. The sermon examines three aspects: the theological significance of God's name, the breadth of the prohibition (spanning blasphemy, frivolous speech, euphemisms, unlawful oaths, magic and sorcery, misapplication of providence, and maintenance of false doctrine), and the positive duty to use God's name reverently in prayer, praise, theological discourse, and the keeping of solemn oaths. The closing application presses hearers toward an 'answerable conversation' — a profession of faith matched by a life that gives no occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme.
The Introduction to the Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments stand apart from all other Mosaic legislation as the moral law of God — written by God himself on two tablets of stone, binding on all humanity in every age, and distinct from the ceremonial and judicial laws that have either been fulfilled in Christ or expired with the Old Covenant commonwealth. This study works through the introduction to the Decalogue in Deuteronomy 5, establishes the threefold division of the law, and then traces the threefold use of the moral law: its civil function as a restraint on sin in society, its pedagogical function in driving sinners to Christ, and its normative function as the pattern for the believer's sanctification. Four classical principles for interpreting the commandments are introduced to guide the series ahead, drawn from the Westminster Larger Catechism and Reformed exegetical tradition.
The High Priestly Prayer, Part 7
John 17:20 records Christ's intercession extending beyond the apostles to all who would believe through their word — a prayer that excludes the world and encompasses the elect of every age. The verse yields five doctrinal implications: justification is by faith alone; the apostolic word is the ordained instrument of that faith; Christ assumes gospel advance and missions; sovereign election and predestination undergird the certainty that there will be believers; and the world possesses a solidarity in enmity against God that mirrors, and indicts, the disunity too common among God's people. Practically, the sermon calls the church to gospel-centred ministry, qualified and instructional preaching, the earnest pursuit of unity, and calls the unconverted to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ without delay.
The High Priestly Prayer, Part 6
John 17:17–19 records Christ's priestly petition that the Father sanctify the apostles by the truth — consecrating them, as the Old Testament priests were consecrated, for the specific mission of preaching and writing to which He was sending them. The instrument of that sanctification is the truth: the incarnate Word who is truth, the Spirit of truth, and the written Word breathed out by that Spirit. Christ's own sanctification in verse 19 is not a prayer for personal holiness but His self-consecration as the high priest who offers Himself as sacrifice, and that priestly self-offering is the very foundation on which the apostles — and all believers — are set apart. The practical summons is plain: growth in grace and conformity to Christ come through the ordinary means of God's truth, not through experience, emotion, or entertainment, and the church's fidelity to that pattern depends on elders who are devoted to teaching it.
The Priority in the Believer's Life
Jesus commands his disciples not to worry about life, body, or tomorrow in Matthew 6:25–34, grounding the prohibition in three realities: God's providential care demonstrated in birds and lilies, the contrast between Gentile obsession and the believer's knowledge of a knowing Father, and the governing priority of verse 33 — seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. The sermon argues that carnal anxiety is theologically inconsistent for the Reformed believer: one who confesses God's comprehensive sovereignty in salvation yet surrenders to worry about temporal provision has applied Calvinism selectively. The antidote is not mere positive thinking but the cultivation of contentment rooted in the imputed righteousness of Christ, which grants entrance into the very kingdom we are commanded to seek first.
The High Priestly Prayer, Part 3
Jesus intercedes for his apostles in John 17:6–11a, and this sermon examines who those men are, what qualifies them as objects of his high priestly prayer, and why he prays for them rather than for the world. The exposition grounds the disciples' identity in the Father's sovereign, electing gift of them to the Son within the eternal covenant of redemption, their reception of the words the Father gave to the Son, and their growing recognition that the Son is one in being with the Father. The preacher draws out the implication that faithful gospel ministry, like the ministry of Christ himself, must declare only what has been received from God, without accommodation to cultural pressure or the demand for entertainment.
The Unity of the Church
Philippians 2:1–4 grounds the church's unity in the Trinitarian realities of consolation in Christ, the comfort of the Father's love, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit — not in human sentiment. The passage moves through a commendation of unity (vv. 1–2) and a cultivation of unity (vv. 3–4), showing that selfish ambition and conceit are the precise enemies of the love and one-mindedness the apostle commands. The sermon concludes that humility, self-denial, and others-mindedness are not optional graces but the indispensable conditions for a church that advances the cause of Christ — and that none of these can be pursued apart from the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit.
The Incarnation and the Salvation of God
Simeon's encounter with the infant Jesus in Luke 2:25–35 reveals the incarnation as the decisive fulfillment of every Old Testament promise — from Genesis 3:15 through the servant songs of Isaiah — and forces every hearer to declare whose side they stand on. The sermon expounds two movements in the passage: Simeon's confession that the child he holds is the salvation God prepared for all peoples, and Simeon's prophecy that this same child will cause the fall and rising of many, pierce Mary's soul, and expose the hidden allegiance of every heart. The call is direct: look to Christ by faith as Simeon did, die in peace as Simeon could, and do not be numbered among those who fell because they rejected the consolation of Israel.
The Conduct of the Believer
Philippians 1:27–30 presents a twofold exhortation to the church: that believers conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel, and that they do so with courage in the face of adversaries. The sermon expounds the Greek word for citizenship as the governing concept of verse 27, grounding the call to worthy conduct in the reality of justification by faith — the life of sanctification flows necessarily from what God has graciously accomplished in the believer. Corporate unity in striving together for the faith of the gospel, and undaunted boldness before enemies, are shown to be not optional virtues but demonstrable proofs of sovereign grace at work in God's people.
Departure from Sinai
Numbers 10:11–36 records Israel's long-awaited departure from Sinai, the first movement of a covenant community organized around the visible presence of God. The passage is examined under three headings: the ordered departure of the tribes, Moses' invitation to Hobab as an exercise of providential wisdom, and the petitionary prayers at departure and rest that frame the entire march. The sermon draws out a sustained tension between the ideal covenant life depicted in the legislation of Exodus and Leviticus and the realistic failure narrated immediately in Numbers 11–12, pressing the parallel to New Covenant believers who are fickle yet sustained by a faithful God and the advocacy of Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul, Part 3 - His Ministerial Character
Paul's ministerial character and doctrinal legacy in Philippians 3:1–11 are examined through four defining characteristics: his zeal for the centrality of Christ crucified, his ardent defense of the truth, his strong opposition to error, and his earnest desire for the salvation of both Jew and Gentile. The juxtaposition between Paul's former confidence in fleshly privilege and his post-conversion boast solely in Christ exposes the bankruptcy of all self-righteousness before the alien righteousness received through faith. The sermon closes with a Spurgeon quotation calling every Christian — not only ministers — to have the cross as their philosophy, tradition, gospel, and glory.
The Believer's Race, Part 2
Hebrews 12:2 presents Jesus as the supreme object of faith for the believer running the Christian race. This sermon examines five dimensions of Christ to which the runner is directed: His person, His work as author and finisher of the faith, His mission under the covenant of redemption, His suffering and shame on the cross, and His exaltation to the right hand of God. The central pastoral application is that the believer neither enters nor sustains the race by personal effort, but by faith in Christ alone — and that the pattern of the cross preceding the crown should brace believers for mounting opposition to their identification with Jesus.
The Departure of Christ
John 14:28–31 presents Christ's departure not as cause for sorrow but as grounds for rejoicing, because it leads through the cross to his exaltation at the right hand of the Father. The sermon gives sustained attention to the clause 'my Father is greater than I,' defending Trinitarian orthodoxy against Arian misreading by deploying two hermeneutical guardrails: the consubstantiality of the divine persons (each having the whole divine essence undivided) and partitive exegesis (predicating statements of Christ according to whichever nature is in view). The Father is not greater than the Son in respect of the divine nature, but is greater with respect to the Son's assumed humanity and mediatorial office in the covenant of redemption. Believers are called to rejoice in Christ's departure, to stand in awe that the Spirit has been sent so they are not left as orphans, and to receive the peace Christ bequeaths as their stable foundation for mission.
The Gifts Given by Christ
John 14:25–27 presents two gifts Christ gives his disciples on the eve of his departure: the Holy Spirit and his peace. The sermon expounds the procession of the Spirit from the Father and the Son, the Spirit's specific work of teaching and bringing Scripture to remembrance in the apostles, and the distinction between Christ's objective, lasting peace and the transient peace the world offers. The practical weight falls on the call to displace carnal fear — which the sermon argues signals bad theology, lack of kingdom priority, and ultimately endangers the soul — with the peace that flows from knowing the triune God.
The Blessing of Communion with God, Part 2
What does Jesus mean when he promises that the Father and the Son will come and make their home with the one who loves him and keeps his word (John 14:23)? This sermon works through seven observations on that promise, showing that the indwelling of Christ necessarily entails the indwelling of the entire triune God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — because the divine persons are inseparable in their operations. The sermon traces the biblical pattern of God dwelling with his people from Eden through the tabernacle and temple to the new covenant, and concludes that union with Christ is union with the triune God, which is both the chief blessing of salvation and the ground of the believer's worship.
The Warning Against Adultery
Proverbs 6:20–35 presents a father's urgent warning against adultery, grounding it in the necessity and blessing of God's law as a constant guide and protector. The passage moves from the internal heart lust prohibited by the Tenth Commandment, through vivid analogies of fire and hot coals, to the devastating consequences adultery brings upon the adulterer, the violated party, and society. Solomon's contrast between the pitied thief who steals from hunger and the despised adulterer who steals from pure wickedness sharpens the moral weight of the Seventh Commandment. The sermon closes with three practical means of protection — remove, rejoice, remember — and with the gospel assurance that the blood of Christ cleanses even these sins upon repentance and faith.
The Contest at Carmel
Elijah's confrontation with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel exposes the absolute futility of idolatry and the exclusive sovereignty of Yahweh. Set against the backdrop of Ahab's state-sponsored Baalism and a three-year drought, the passage drives a direct challenge: total allegiance belongs to the living God alone, with no syncretistic middle ground. The sermon traces the contest from Elijah's gauntlet through the false prophets' frenzied failure to God's decisive, fire-bearing answer, arguing that the same God who consumed the sacrifice at Carmel receives sinners today through the atoning blood of Christ. The application is direct: those who still halt between two opinions are called to repent and look to Christ in faith, while believers are charged to hold fast to God Most High without divided allegiance.
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 Anointing at Bethany
John 12:1–11 presents the anointing at Bethany as a window into the worthiness of Christ on the eve of His passion. Mary's extravagant gift of costly spikenard — lavished on the feet of Jesus six days before the Passover — is set in deliberate contrast with the sanctimonious theft of Judas Iscariot and the misguided indignation of the disciples. Christ receives the anointing, defends Mary from her critics, and interprets the act as preparation for His burial, underscoring that the one going to the cross is altogether lovely and chief among ten thousand. The sermon calls believers to a devotion that spares no expense in worship while also commending practical service to the poor — not as competing priorities, but as the inseparable fruit of a life oriented toward Christ.
The Transition from Darkness to Light, Part 1
Ephesians 5:3–7 calls believers to a radical break from the sexual sins that characterised their former life in darkness. Working through the three prohibited actions (fornication, uncleanness, and covetousness) and three prohibited forms of speech (filthiness, foolish talking, and coarse jesting), the sermon demonstrates that these sins are not merely behavioural failures but expressions of idolatry—putting creaturely gratification above God. The consequences are grave: those who unrepentantly practice such things have no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ, a warning grounded in both general revelation and the consistent testimony of the apostolic letters. Believers are called to resist deception through the word of God, to replace vile speech with thanksgiving, and to ground their ethical obedience not in moral effort alone but in the imputed righteousness of Christ.
The Righteous Reign of the Son of God
Psalm 2 presents the righteous reign of the Son of God against the backdrop of universal human rebellion. The nations rage, the kings conspire, and the political class unites in mutiny against Yahweh and His anointed — yet God laughs from the heavens, installs His Son on Zion, and promises Him the nations as His inheritance. The decree announced in verses 7–9 is rooted in the covenant of redemption: the Father gives a great multitude to the Son, who accomplishes their salvation through substitutionary obedience, death, and resurrection, and is then exalted to universal messianic kingship. The psalm closes with an evangelistic summons: be wise, serve the Lord with fear, and kiss the Son — for blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.
The Promise of God's Presence
Exodus 33 confronts Israel with the consequences of the golden calf: God threatens to withhold His special presence, lest He consume a stiff-necked people in the wilderness. Moses responds not with passive acceptance but with escalating, bold intercession — arguing from grace received, from Israel's covenant identity, and finally from a desire to see God's glory itself. The sermon traces God's anthropomorphic self-disclosure, His accommodation of Moses' three petitions, and His self-proclamation as the God of sovereign grace and compassion. The controlling application is that it is the Giver, not the gift, that the people of God must desire above all things — and that access to His presence now comes through the mediation of Christ alone.
The Sixth Commandment
Exodus 20:13 — 'You shall not murder' — receives a full exposition covering the Hebrew term ratza, the threefold division of law, the three uses of the law, the internal dimensions of the commandment, the three biblically warranted exceptions to the prohibition against killing, and the theological foundation of all human life in the imago Dei. The sermon moves from careful lexical and exegetical analysis to a sustained application across abortion, capital punishment, just war, self-defense, and the protection of every stage of human life from womb to grave. Hearers are called to pray for civil government, preach the law as a tutor to the cross, and hold fast to a biblical anthropology in a culture that systematically devalues image-bearers of God.
2LCF Chapter 23 - Of Lawful Oaths and Vows
Second London Confession of Faith chapter 23 treats the doctrine of lawful oaths and vows, distinguishing Reformed Baptist practice from the Anabaptist rejection of oath-taking and from Roman Catholic monastical vows. The sermon argues that swearing by God's name is itself an act of religious worship — acknowledging his omniscience, omnipresence, and vindictive justice — and that Scripture warrants oaths in matters of weight and moment while condemning their careless everyday use. Matthew 5:33–37 is shown to address the abuse of casual, trivial oath-making rather than solemn oaths before lawful authority, as confirmed by Christ's own oath before the Sanhedrin, God's oath to Abraham, and Paul's repeated appeals to God as witness. The sermon closes by exposing popish monastical vows of celibacy, poverty, and obedience as superstitious devices of men that contradict Scripture's positive assessment of marriage, honest labor, and just remuneration.
The Command to Remember the Prisoners
Hebrews 13:3 commands believers to 'remember the prisoners as if chained with them' — not as a vague awareness, but as an active, continual concern that issues in prayer, correspondence, advocacy, and tangible aid. The sermon traces the biblical pattern of righteous suffering from Joseph and Jeremiah through the apostolic era, demonstrating that enmity against the people of God is not an anomaly but an expectation rooted in Genesis 3:15. The command is grounded in the solidarity of the one body: those who enjoy liberty share membership with those who suffer chains, and to forget the persecuted church is a failure of brotherly love. Believers are called to cultivate a global, intercessory prayer-life that refuses to confine concern to the local congregation, and to find in Christ's worth the courage to rejoice if they themselves are called to suffer.
The Stewardship of the Mystery of Christ
Ephesians 3:1–7 presents Paul simultaneously as prisoner and steward — his imprisonment for preaching Gentile inclusion in the covenant of grace is inseparable from the divine commission that caused it. The sermon traces the apostolic stewardship of the mystery of Christ: a truth partially disclosed in the Old Testament through types and promises, but fully unveiled in the New Testament through the Spirit's revelation to the apostles and prophets. The content of the mystery is that Gentiles are fellow heirs of the same body, not a parenthetical people of God, but full partakers of the covenant promise in Christ through the gospel — a reality that demolishes any two-peoples-of-God framework. The power enabling that ministry is God's alone, not the orator's persuasion, so that faith rests in divine power rather than human wisdom.
The Apostle's Prayer for the Ephesians, Part 1
Paul's prayer in Ephesians 1:15–18 opens a window into apostolic intercession and its theological priorities. The sermon expounds the occasion of Paul's prayer — rooted in the Ephesians' justifying faith and the love that necessarily flows from it — and the content of his first two petitions: that God would give the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, and that the saints would know the hope of God's effectual calling and the riches of the glory of their coming inheritance. Sovereign grace underlies both: the eyes of the Ephesians' understanding had already been enlightened by God at conversion, and Paul's prayer builds on that accomplished work toward ongoing sanctification. The sermon calls believers to reshape their prayer lives after the apostolic pattern, prioritizing growth in the knowledge of God above all other petitions.
The Bread of Life Discourse, Part 4
John 6:48–59 brings the Bread of Life discourse to its conclusion, with Christ pressing upon unbelieving hearers the absolute necessity of eating His flesh and drinking His blood — a sustained metaphor for saving faith in His atoning sacrifice. The sermon demonstrates that this language is not eucharistic or literal but is the equivalent of coming to, receiving, and believing on Christ as the one who gives His flesh for the life of the world. The exposition draws out five doctrines of grace embedded in the discourse — total depravity, unconditional election, particular redemption, irresistible grace, and the preservation of the saints — and closes by tracing the glory of Christ seen in the incarnation, His power to save, His divine origin, and His patient mercy in repeating the same call to faith before a rejecting audience.