Theological term
Repentance and Faith
7 sermons · All terms
The Peace and Safety of God
Psalm 4 presents the petition, exhortation, and contemplation of David — and, through him, of Christ as the godly man set apart by the Father. The sermon works through each movement of the psalm in sequence: the psalmist's earnest appeal grounded in God's past faithfulness, the rebuke and call to repentance issued to the sons of men, and the declaration that true good — the light of God's countenance, gladness of heart, and the peace and safety of dwelling under his care — belongs to those who trust in the Lord. The congregation is urged to come to Christ in earnest, arguing-prayer, to meditate on his person and work, and to rest in the imputed righteousness he alone provides.
Baptism and testimony: Janelle Neels
A brief baptismal testimony in which the speaker recounts her conversion in September 2018, tracing God's providential drawing of her through faithful Christian friends, the preaching of the gospel, and a decisive moment of repentance and faith. She describes the assurance that followed — sin forgiven, fear of death removed, adoption into God's family — and anchors her ongoing Christian life in Galatians 2:20.
God the Righteous Judge
Psalm 94 presents God as the righteous judge who hears the cry of His oppressed people, sees the wickedness of their persecutors, and will not ultimately abandon His inheritance. This expository treatment works through the chiastic structure of the psalm, showing how the cry for justice (vv. 1–3) is answered by justice administered (vv. 20–23), and how the folly of those who deny God's omniscience mirrors the divinely-given wisdom of His people. The sermon draws out the covenant comfort of God's chesed — His steadfast faithfulness to those He has chosen — as the ground of peace in the midst of affliction, and closes with a direct call to repentance for any who remain outside of Christ.
The Promise of the Coming King
Isaiah 9:6–7 presents the promised Messianic King in language that exceeds any earthly monarch — a child born yet mighty God, a son given yet everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace who secures shalom through conquest. This exposition sets the passage in its historical context of Assyrian devastation and prophetic hope, then works through the fourfold identification of the King and the fourfold character of His kingdom. The central application is that this King presently reigns at the right hand of the Father, and entrance into His eternal, covenantal, just, and secure kingdom is by grace through faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Royal Wedding
Psalm 45 presents a royal wedding between the divine-human Messiah and his church, and the sons of Korah compose it as a song of love that the New Testament apostles and the entirety of the Old Testament prophetic witness sustain. The sermon works through the psalm's four sections — the psalmist's intention, the perfections and person of King Messiah, the instruction to the bride, and the closing declaration — demonstrating that a divine Messiah was not a novelty invented by John or Paul but was anticipated in the Hebrew Scriptures. Christ is celebrated as fairer than the sons of men, committed to truth and righteousness, triumphant over his enemies, fully God and fully man in the hypostatic union, and the one who clothes his bride in imputed righteousness received through faith alone. The appropriate response of the church is repentance, exclusive allegiance, worship, and gladness before her great King.
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.
The Theology of the Cross
The transfiguration of Christ in Luke 9:28–36 cannot be understood apart from Peter's confession, Jesus' prediction of his passion, and his teaching on the conditions of discipleship — all delivered eight days before. Moses and Elijah appear in glory not to discuss heaven's wonders but to speak of Christ's exodus, his death in Jerusalem, establishing that the entire Old Testament economy converges on the cross. The Father's voice from the cloud corrects Peter's impulse to prolong the mountaintop experience and commands the disciples to hear his Son — the appointed prophet, priest, and king. Against every theology of glory that bypasses the cross through mystical experience or spiritual ecstasy, this text calls believers to find their deepest and most lasting fascination in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.