Theological term
Means of Grace
434 sermons · All terms
Behold the Lamb of God
John 1:29 records John the Baptist's climactic announcement — 'Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world' — and this meditation, preached before the Lord's Table, draws out three aspects of that declaration: Christ's arrival as the fulfillment of centuries of typological promise, His identification as the Lamb provided by God Himself, and His mission to remove sin in its totality. The sermon traces the Lamb motif from Genesis 3 through the Passover, Isaiah 53, and into the book of Revelation, demonstrating that definite atonement is God's sovereign provision rather than any human design. Hearers are called to stop and genuinely behold Christ crucified — not merely affirm justification by faith alone as a doctrine, but find in it daily comfort, worship, and the ground of true gospel holiness.
Paul's First Missionary Journey
Acts 13 records Paul's sermon in Pisidian Antioch, the first extended exposition of the gospel in the New Testament missionary narrative, and provides the historical backdrop for understanding why Paul wrote the epistle to the Galatians. Paul's address in the synagogue moves from Israel's redemptive history through the Davidic promise to its fulfillment in Christ's death and resurrection, culminating in a declaration that justification comes by faith alone, apart from the law of Moses — the very claim the Judaizers would later attack. The sermon also establishes that the local church, not para-church organizations or individual initiative, is the God-ordained sending structure for gospel missions, and that divine sovereignty in election (Acts 13:48) underlies every evangelistic endeavor.
The Power of the Holy Spirit
Zechariah 4 presents the fifth of Zechariah's night visions — a golden lampstand fed by two olive trees — and interprets it for the post-exilic community laboring to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. The vision's central declaration, 'not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts,' establishes three governing lessons: the primacy of the Holy Spirit in all God's work, the efficacy of sovereign grace that levels every obstacle, and the certainty of God's plan even when beginnings appear small and unpromising. The sermon presses these lessons into the present tense: church growth, missionary endeavor, and faithful witness are not achieved by human resources or resoluteness but by utter dependence on the Spirit of the living God. Hearers are called to resist despising the day of small things and to trust the one who has promised, 'I will build my church.'
Simeon and God's Salvation
The account of Simeon in Luke 2:25–35 presents a model of genuine biblical piety — a man who was just toward men and devout toward God because he was first rightly related to God by grace through faith in the promised Messiah. The sermon traces three features of Simeon's life: his character (just and devout), his conduct (waiting and worshiping in anticipation of the consolation of Israel), and his fourfold confession when he holds the infant Christ (the truth of God's word, the glory of God's salvation, the comprehensive mission of Christ to Jew and Gentile, and a prophetic word of sorrow to Mary). Listeners are called to examine whether their own character, conduct, and confession mirror Simeon's — living now in watchful, holy expectation of Christ's return, knowing that the only preparation for death is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Salvation of an Ethiopian Eunuch
Acts 8:26–40 records the sovereign calling, gospel instruction, and baptism of an Ethiopian eunuch — a Gentile and a eunuch, doubly excluded from full participation in Israel's assembly, yet brought to Christ through the preaching of Philip from Isaiah 53. The sermon exposits three movements in the narrative: the Spirit's sovereign direction of Philip to the eunuch, the necessity of the proclaimed gospel for salvation, and the eunuch's believing response expressed in baptism. The occasion of eight baptisms frames the exposition as a demonstration that God saves sinners of every kind through the hearing of the gospel — the substitutionary death and resurrection of Christ — and that believer's baptism by immersion is the proper public confession of that saving faith.
I'm in Church Because...
What are the right reasons for a Christian to gather with the church? This sermon on 1 Timothy 3:15, ranging across Hebrews 10, Acts 20, Revelation 1, and 1 Corinthians 11, argues that the motives driving church attendance must be theological and divine rather than aesthetic or consumerist. Seven reasons are set forth: the perfect crosswork of Christ, the identity of the church as the house of the living God, the presence of the reigning Christ among his churches, the church as pillar and ground of the truth, the church as God's ordained place for the care of his sheep, the administration of the Lord's Supper, and the mutual building up of the saints. The sermon closes with a call to enter the assembly for high and holy reasons — as both a commanded duty and a joyful privilege before the triune God.
Questions to Live By
Matthew 22:34–40 records a lawyer's question to Jesus — which commandment is the greatest? — and Jesus answers by binding together love for God and love for neighbour as the sum of all the law and the prophets. The sermon traces the theme of questioning throughout the Gospels to show that Christ himself answers every fundamental question about who he is and what he requires. From that foundation, two implicit questions are drawn from the text and pressed upon hearers: who are you living for (vertical love toward God), and how are you living (horizontal love toward neighbour)? The conclusion calls those outside Christ to submit to him and those within to pursue him with wholehearted passion.
The Messiah
John 4:26 records Jesus declaring to the Samaritan woman, 'I am he' — the divine name of Exodus 3, applied to himself. This sermon surveys the 'I am' sayings of John's Gospel, beginning with the absolute uses (John 6:20; 8:58; 18:5-6) and then moving through the seven predicate 'I am' statements, in which Jesus identifies himself as the bread of life, the light of the world, the door, the good shepherd, the resurrection and the life, the way and the truth and the life, and the true vine. The covenant name Yahweh — eternal, independent, and gracious to his people — is the interpretive key to every claim. The sermon presses hearers to look from self to Christ in faith, and concludes as the congregation prepares to receive the Lord's Supper.
The Doctrine of Sanctification
Philippians 2:12–13 grounds the doctrine of sanctification in both divine sovereignty and human responsibility: God works in believers both to will and to do for his good pleasure, and on that basis Paul commands the church to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. This sermon expounds those two verses and then surveys the historic Reformed distinction between justification and sanctification, drawing at length from J.C. Ryle's Holiness to show how the two doctrines are alike in origin yet differ in nature, completeness, and progression. The practical thrust is that genuine justification necessarily produces sanctification — growth in conformity to Christ through the Spirit, the Word, and the means of grace — and an absence of any such growth calls one's justification into question.
The Need for Biblical Mindedness
Colossians 3:1–4 grounds every practical exhortation in the chapter — about marriage, work, and social relations — in a prior command: set your mind on things above. This sermon argues that Christianity is fundamentally a religion of knowledge, that the image of God in man is expressed chiefly through rational thought, and that biblical mindedness is the necessary foundation for worship, sanctification, and faithful witness. The command to seek heavenly things is rooted in three theological realities — the believer's past death with Christ, present hiddenness in Christ, and future appearing with Christ in glory — and is pursued not through legalism, mysticism, or asceticism, but through prayerful study of Scripture.
The World According to Haggai
Haggai 2:10–23 confronts a people whose neglect of God's house exposed a deeper failure: they had made comfort and self-interest primary while relegating God to an afterthought. The sermon traces two movements in the text — a promise of blessing conditioned on restored covenant faithfulness (vv. 10–19), and a messianic announcement centering on Zerubbabel as an ancestor of Christ (vv. 20–23). Defilement, unlike holiness, is contagious, and the unbuilt temple was not merely a construction failure but a declaration that God was an unwanted resident. The governing application, drawn from Matthew 6:33, is the imperative to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness in every domain of life — worship, work, evangelism, and devotion.
A House for the Lord
Haggai 1 confronts the people of God with misplaced priorities: sixteen years after returning from Babylonian exile, the foundation of the Lord's house lay exposed while the people paneled their own homes and filled their own comforts. The sermon situates the book within the history of the restoration period — from Cyrus's edict through the eventual completion of the second temple — and argues that the people's neglect of the temple was not merely architectural indifference but a rejection of God's presence among them. God's covenantal judgment fell in material scarcity and providential drought, precisely as Moses had warned in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. The chapter closes with genuine repentance, divine reassurance, and the Spirit-wrought enablement that always accompanies God's call to a great work — pressing the congregation to examine their priorities, investments, and worldview in light of Matthew 6:33.
The Church at Sardis
The letter to the church at Sardis (Revelation 3:1–6) exposes the most insidious form of ecclesiastical decline: a church that maintains outward profession and institutional form while possessing no inward spiritual life. Christ's self-description as the one who holds the seven spirits of God reveals that He comes not merely to condemn but to supply the very life the dead church lacks — the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit working through the preached Word. The sermon traces Christ's indictment, His call to watchfulness and repentance, His encouragement of the faithful remnant within Sardis, and His promise to overcomers, applying the warning that decay and decline — not rank heresy — is the characteristic besetting sin of Reformed churches.
The Prayer of Habakkuk
Habakkuk 3 moves from prophetic complaint to confident worship through prayer and the deliberate rehearsal of God's mighty acts in redemptive history. This expository treatment traces three movements in the chapter: the prophet's prayer (vv. 1–2), his contemplative collage of God's historical deeds (vv. 3–15), and his response of reverential awe and joyful devotion despite impending calamity (vv. 16–19). The sermon presses home that the justified by faith must live by steadfast trust in God — not because He supplies health, wealth, and prosperity, but because He is Lord, and in having Christ the believer has everything.