Topic
Anthropology
562 sermons · All topics
The Priority in the Believer's Life - Matthew 6:25-34
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 War Against the Midianites
Numbers 31 records God's command to execute vengeance upon the Midianites for their role in seducing Israel into idolatry and apostasy at Baal-peor — a crime instigated by Balaam that caused 24,000 Israelites to perish under divine judgment. The study argues that the severity of Moses' orders upon return from battle is not arbitrary cruelty but the just execution of God's judicial wrath against specific criminal offenders. Three passages from Deuteronomy (chapters 13, 20, and 21) are examined to demonstrate that Israel's normal wartime ethic was governed by humane principles that distinguished her from surrounding nations, underscoring that the Midianite war was a unique act of covenantal vengeance rather than a general template for holy war. The session closes by grounding these difficult texts in the consistency of God's justice, goodness, and faithfulness in bringing his people to the land of promise.
The Believer's Response to Trials
James 1:2–8 addresses the Christian's response to trials — not with grief or complaint, but with counted joy grounded in a clear theological understanding of God's purpose in suffering. The sermon works through two movements: the believer's response to trials in verses 2–4 (identifying, expecting, and rightly receiving them) and the believer's request during trials in verses 5–8 (seeking wisdom from a generous God and coming in faith without double-mindedness). The central application is that Christians must lay up this theology before trials arrive, so that when affliction comes, they are equipped to respond with settledness, faith, and prayer rather than anger or despair.
The Joy of the Gospel
Ephesians 2:1–10 presents the whole arc of redemption in miniature: total depravity, sovereign grace, and the new life of sanctification. This sermon works through that arc by contrasting the bad news of verses 1–3 — that every human being is spiritually dead, enslaved to fleshly desires, complicit with satanic powers, and deserving of divine wrath — with the good news of verses 4–10, where God's rich mercy, unearned grace, and sovereign bestowal of faith rescue sinners who had nothing to offer Him. The central application is that the regenerate life is marked not by boasting but by the Spirit's fruit, and that the gathered church is itself a foretaste of the eternal communion for which God has prepared His people in Christ.
2LCF Chapter 32 - Of the Last Judgement
2 London Baptist Confession of Faith Chapter 32 examines the doctrine of the Last Judgment under three heads: the concept of the Day of Judgment (its divine appointment, its agent in Christ, and its comprehensive scope over angels and all humanity), the goal of that day (the manifestation of God's mercy in the eternal salvation of the elect and his justice in the eternal damnation of the reprobate), and its practical relevance (deterring sin, consoling the afflicted people of God, and keeping believers watchful). The session concludes with a survey of the three millennial positions and four interpretive approaches to the book of Revelation, explaining why the Confession deliberately avoids resolving those disputes in order to function as a broad consensus document. The consistent ethical burden throughout is that contemplation of the coming judgment should shape present conduct: purifying the elect, driving evangelism, and giving the suffering saints confidence that divine justice will prevail.
2LCF Chapter 31 - The State of Man After Death, and of the Resurrection of the Dead
What happens to the individual when he dies, and what will the resurrection of the dead look like at the last day? Working through 2LCF Chapter 31, this study examines the intermediate state — the period between death and resurrection — establishing from Scripture that souls neither sleep nor enter any third place such as purgatory or limbo, but go immediately either to be with Christ in paradise or to hell in torment. The session then treats the final resurrection of both the just and the unjust, argues for the simplicity of biblical eschatology against dispensational complexity, and closes with the anti-gnostic insistence that the redemption of the body is the believer's final and glorious hope.
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 Sixth Commandment
The Sixth Commandment — 'You shall not murder' (Exodus 20:13) — addresses far more than the physical act of killing; it presupposes the dignity of every human being as an image-bearer of God and condemns unrighteous hatred of the heart. This sermon expounds the Hebrew word for murder, distinguishing it from lawful killing in capital punishment, just war, and self-defense, before pressing the command's indictment of abortion and euthanasia as violations of the sanctity of life. Jesus's teaching in Matthew 5 extends the commandment's reach to unwarranted anger and character assassination, and the three uses of the law — civil, pedagogical, and normative — frame both the church's public witness and the believer's ongoing sanctification. The sermon closes by insisting that the most faithful response to a death culture is to preach both the law and the cross of Christ.
The Meeting Between Balak and Balaam
Numbers 22 introduces the Balaam narrative by establishing why a pagan seer is summoned to curse Israel and what unfolds before he ever arrives at Balak's court. The chapter exposes Balaam as a prophet for hire whose heart is drawn by greed even as he formally complies with Yahweh's directives — a tension the narrator signals subtly but the New Testament resolves with unmistakable condemnation. God's sovereignty over Balaam is dramatized in the donkey episode: the seer who cannot see is outperformed by the beast he threatens to kill, and the angel of the Lord stands as adversary to any who would curse the covenant people. The chapter's governing message is that no king's treasury and no hired soothsayer can neutralize a nation over whom the living God fights.
Ask FGBC #33: What about head coverings in church for women?
This brief question-and-answer exchange addresses whether women are required to wear head coverings in corporate worship, with particular reference to 1 Corinthians 11 and 1 Timothy 2. The speaker argues that Paul's concern in the passage is male headship in the gathered church — a man preaching, prophesying, and leading in the public assembly — and that the head covering or hair functions as an illustration of that principle rather than a binding liturgical mandate. Head coverings are neither forbidden nor elevated to marks of a holier walk with God; the analogy drawn is to voluntary circumcision, which carries no religious commendation before God.
The Future Prospect of the Apostle, Part 2
Philippians 1:21–26 presents Paul's conviction and anticipation as an apostle facing imprisonment and the real prospect of execution. The sermon works through Paul's declaration 'for to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain,' showing that his union with Christ in life and his glory with Christ in death make it impossible for any earthly power to harm or stop him. The intermediate state — the soul's immediate presence with Christ at death — is set against the benefit of continued gospel ministry, and Paul's others-minded anticipation of release grounds his confidence that the Philippians' progress in faith and joy will abound. The sermon closes by pressing the question whether each hearer can say with honest self-examination that Christ is their all in life and death.
Ask FGBC #31: What is the difference between saving and common grace?
Common grace and saving grace are distinct but related aspects of God's goodness. Common grace is God's non-redemptive kindness extended to all mankind and creation — including the restraint of sin, fruitful seasons, and the capacity for civic good among unbelievers — while saving grace is God's particular redemptive work in the hearts of sinners through the preaching of the gospel. Understanding this distinction shapes how Christians relate to the world, how they pray for unbelievers, and how they understand the church's mission without compromising it.
Ask FGBC #30: What does a holy walk look like in a Christian?
What does a holy walk look like for the Christian? This Q&A response argues that holiness is neither mystical nor monastic but is concretely shaped by three coordinates: conformity to Christ, regulation by the law of God, and the practice of ordinary good works in every sphere of life. The discussion draws on Romans 8, Romans 12–13, 1 Peter 1–2, and Galatians 5 to show that holy living begins with the renewal of the mind and expresses itself in the dignity of daily work, household relationships, and engagement with the world as pilgrims and sojourners.
Ask FGBC #26: How to witness to homosexual neighbours?
A pastoral question-and-answer exchange addresses how believers should relate to homosexual neighbours — including neighbours pursuing same-sex IVF — without either withdrawing from the world or condoning sin. Drawing on 1 Corinthians 5 and Romans 1, the speakers argue that homosexuality is one sin among many, that the root problem is man's estrangement from God, and that genuine friendship and neighbourly kindness are the proper soil in which gospel witness grows. Practical boundaries are discussed alongside the call to be ready to give a reasoned defence of what Scripture says.
The Rebellion of Korah & Company
Numbers 16:1–40 records a combined ecclesiastical and political mutiny against God's ordained leaders: Korah, a Kohathite Levite, challenges Aaron's exclusive priesthood, while Dathan and Abiram challenge Moses' civil authority. The rebellion is not merely an internal dispute but an act of treason against the living God, who appointed both men to their offices. God vindicates Moses and Aaron by a catastrophic judgment — the earth swallows the ringleaders and fire consumes the 250 who offered incense — and the bronze censers are hammered into an altar covering as a perpetual memorial against unauthorized priestly intrusion. The passage warns that malcontents misrepresent truth, recruit the influential, and ultimately reap divine judgment when they resist God's ordained authority structures.
Ask FGBC #23: Can you forgive someone who has not apologized or asked for forgiveness
Can a Christian forgive someone who has never apologized or asked for forgiveness? Drawing on Mark 11:25 and the pattern of divine deliverance in Judges 13, the answer is yes — there is biblical warrant for unilateral forgiveness, and the alternative is bitterness, which is both spiritually harmful and sinful. An important distinction is pressed between interpersonal forgiveness, which Christians are called to extend regardless of the offender's response, and civic justice, which makes its own legitimate demands: forgiving a criminal does not suspend the civil magistrate's obligation to punish crime.
The Intercession of Moses for the People, Judgement by God, and Folly of Israel
Numbers 14 records the aftermath of Israel's refusal to enter Canaan, and this exposition works through three movements in verses 11–45: Moses' intercession before a holy God, God's measured judgment upon the faithless generation, and Israel's final act of presumptuous folly. Moses' prayer is examined as a model of bold, Scripture-grounded intercession — appealing to God's reputation among the nations, His covenant character revealed in Exodus 34, and the precedent of His patient mercy. The chapter ultimately teaches that faithless cowardice is the fruit of rejecting the living God, that covenant-breaking brings assured judgment, and that faith in God's promises is the only ground of genuine courage.
The rebellion in the wilderness
Numbers 14:1–12 records the congregation of Israel responding to the faithless report of the ten spies with weeping, complaint against Moses and Aaron, blasphemy against God, and a proposal to appoint a new leader and return to Egypt. The passage exposes the idolatry underlying Israel's rebellion — not merely a preference for Egyptian food, but a wholesale rejection of Yahweh in favor of the gods they had left behind. God's response in verses 11–12, spoken in what theologians call the 'manner of men,' underscores the gravity of Israel's sin, the holiness of God's judgment, and sets the stage for Moses' remarkable intercession on behalf of a people who had just sought to stone him.
Ask FGBC #13: Is there a difference between our temptations and what Jesus faced?
The question at hand is whether the temptations Jesus faced were different in kind from those faced by fallen human beings. The discussion distinguishes between the sinless nature Christ assumed — not fallen, yet genuinely human — and the far harsher conditions under which he was tempted compared to Adam in paradise. Drawing on the Adam-Christ typology found in Luke 3–4 and Matthew, the speakers explore why the Son of God's obedience in a fallen, hostile world makes his conquest of temptation more weighty than Adam's failure in paradise.
2LCF Chapter 25 - Of Marriage
Marriage as a divine institution is examined through the four paragraphs of 2LCF Chapter 25, with Matthew 19:5–6 as the anchor text where Christ grounds marriage in the creation of male and female. The sermon argues that marriage is not a social construct or ecclesiastical sacrament but a creation ordinance ordained by God before the fall, designed for the union of one man and one woman in monogamous covenant. A threefold providential purpose is unfolded — companionship, the inhabitation of creation, and a hedge against sexual immorality — and the regulative bounds of marriage regarding consanguinity, affinity, and Christian marital duty are applied against both contemporary sexual confusion and Roman Catholic sacerdotalism.
The Reconnaissance of the Land
Numbers 13 records the reconnaissance of Canaan, in which twelve tribal leaders are sent to survey the land God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Ten of the spies return with a report grounded not in the word of the living God but in an appeal to fear, functioning as anti-prophets who slander the land and paralyze the congregation — while Caleb calls the people to immediate, faith-driven obedience. The chapter exposes the difference between faithless fear and faithful courage as the decisive interpretive divide among those who witnessed the same evidence and held the same promise. The narrative calls believers to ground their courage not in the absence of obstacles but in the sovereign faithfulness of God, who has promised, guided, and proven himself in redemptive history.
2LCF Chapter 24 - Of the Civil Magistrate
What does the Bible teach about civil government, and how should Christians relate to governing authorities? Working through 2 London Baptist Confession of Faith Chapter 24, this study expounds the divine origin and limited purpose of civil magistracy, the lawfulness of Christian participation in government, and the qualified obedience owed to rulers who govern within God-ordained bounds. The particular Baptists are shown to occupy a distinct position between the Anabaptist rejection of civil authority and the Erastian tendencies of their Presbyterian contemporaries, grounding Christian submission not in the authority of the magistrate but in the sovereign ordination of God over all nations.
The World's Opposition to Believers
Christ warns his disciples that the world's hatred toward them is an inevitable consequence of their union with him — not a sign of failure, but of faithfulness. Working through John 15:18–21, this exposition examines the world's opposition to believers (vv. 18–19) and the believer's likeness to Christ as the ground of that opposition (vv. 20–21). The sermon argues that sovereign election, not personal virtue, is what separates the believer from the world, and that solidarity with a hated Savior should produce not despondency but the kind of rejoicing seen in Acts 5 when the apostles counted themselves worthy to suffer shame for his name.
Ask FGBC #11: What will our days in Heaven look like?
A question about the nature of heavenly existence — whether eternity will feel like endless sameness — draws out a sustained reflection on the creator-creature distinction, the infinity of God, and the progressive unfolding of divine glory to finite creatures. Drawing from Ephesians 2:7's reference to 'the ages to come,' the discussion argues that eternity for creatures will be temporal and successive, not static, because God is inexhaustible and finite creatures can never comprehend the infinite. The corporate dimension of heavenly worship, including Christ's own role in leading his people in the praise of God, is offered as a counterweight to individualistic or tedium-haunted conceptions of the eternal state.
The Believer's Commitment to the Lord
Proverbs 3:5–6 issues three demands upon the believer: an entire commitment of wholehearted trust in the Lord, an exclusive commitment that repudiates reliance on one's own darkened understanding, and an exhaustive commitment that acknowledges God in every circumstance and station of life. The sermon traces the doctrine of total depravity as the necessary background for the prohibition against self-reliance, exposing three characteristic expressions of that self-reliance — autonomy, rejection of godly parental counsel, and reception of ungodly influences — before concluding with the promise that God will direct the paths of those who acknowledge Him. The practical summons is to employ the ordinary means of grace — Scripture, prayer, corporate worship, and family instruction — as the concrete shape of a life committed to trusting the sovereign God.
Bible Study - Saul and the witch at Endor
King Saul's consultation with the witch at Endor (1 Samuel 28) illustrates the catastrophic spiritual consequences of persistent disobedience to God's revealed word. Having been cut off from God through compounding acts of rebellion — beginning in 1 Samuel 13 and 15 — Saul finds himself without prophetic word, priestly access, or divine dream, and turns in desperation to a source God had expressly condemned. The narrative is set in deliberate contrast with David, who, though not sinless, maintained communion with God through repentance and reliance on the means of grace. The lesson closes with a call to seek God earnestly through Scripture and prayer rather than turning to any substitute, however desperate the circumstances.
2LCF Chapter 20 - Of the Gospel, and of the Extent of the Grace Thereof
The gospel was not discovered by human reason but revealed by divine initiative — beginning with the protoevangelium of Genesis 3:15 and unfolding through progressive special revelation. This session works through Chapter 20 of the Second London Confession of Faith (1689 LBCF), examining the promise of the gospel, the insufficiency of general revelation for salvation, the sovereign freedom of God in spreading the gospel, and the absolute necessity of the Holy Spirit's effectual work upon sinners dead in trespasses. The doctrinal stakes are practical: a right understanding of general and special revelation is the indispensable foundation for evangelical and missionary enterprise.
2LCF 19 - Of the Law of God
Jonah 4 exposes the prophet's petty anger at the mercy of God shown to Nineveh, and uses that anger as a foil to magnify the character of Yahweh as the one whose very essence is goodness, grace, and lovingkindness. The sermon traces two movements: the prophet's unrighteous anger in verses 1–4, and the Lord's patient, sovereign mercy in verses 5–11, culminating in God's unanswered question — 'Should I not pity Nineveh?' — which the book leaves open as a rebuke to every reader who would rather see enemies judged than saved. The application pressed upon hearers is that unrighteous anger at God's sovereignty, whether over personal circumstances or the salvation of enemies, is nothing less than setting oneself in the judgment seat of God; the remedy is submission to the sovereign God who is pleased to save the undeserving through the proclamation of the gospel, supremely in Jesus Christ.
Psalm 13
Psalm 13 gives voice to the experience of God's apparent absence — the prolonged, disorienting silence when His face seems hidden and the enemy seems to be winning. This expository treatment of David's lament psalm traces two movements: the fourfold 'how long' of questions arising from the Lord's seeming absence (vv. 1–4), and the sudden turn to trust in His mercy and salvation (vv. 5–6). The sermon argues that faith is not a feeling but a tenacious clinging to the promises of a covenant-keeping God, and calls believers to keep praying, keep coming to the house of the Lord, and direct their attention away from their plight and toward God's unchanging goodness — even when, especially when, they must cry out 'how long.'
Ask FGBC #16: What is Free Will?
Free will is affirmed in Reformed Baptist theology, but the crucial question is not whether man has a will, but what that will is capable of choosing given man's location on the continuum of creation, fall, grace, and glory. The 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith (chapters 3 and 9) teaches that God endows man with a will free from coercion, yet after the fall that will is bound toward sin and incapable of inclining toward what is spiritually good. Regeneration liberates the will, and so evangelism does not appeal to free will but to God's free grace, trusting him to open deaf ears and hardened hearts.