Topic
Sanctification
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The Fifth Commandment
The Fifth Commandment, 'Honor your father and your mother' (Deuteronomy 5:16), is the first commandment of the second table of the law and governs not merely the parent-child relationship but all relationships between superiors and inferiors in family, church, and civil society. The command to 'honor' (Hebrew: to treat as weighty and burdensome) carries covenantal significance for Israel and is extended by Paul to Gentile believers in Ephesians 6, demonstrating that the moral law transcends any particular covenantal administration. The sanction attached to its violation — from the rod and reproof of Proverbs to the death penalty of Deuteronomy 21 — underscores the gravity God assigns to lawful authority. Pedagogically, the commandment exposes the universal failure of all people to render perfect obedience and drives sinners to Christ, who alone fulfilled this word by continuing in subjection to Joseph and Mary throughout his earthly life.
The Covenant between David and Jonathan
The covenant between David and Jonathan in 1 Samuel 20 is examined as both a historical narrative of loyalty under mortal pressure and a typological pointer to the new covenant secured by Christ. The chapter is organized around three movements: David's urgent meeting with Jonathan, Saul's explosive response at the new moon feast, and the final covert signal and farewell. Four features of the Davidic-Jonathanite covenant — help in trouble, uncommon commitment, costly commitment, and peace in the midst of confusion — are shown to find their fullest expression in the Lord Jesus, whose blood, righteousness, and resurrection constitute the only ground of covenant peace. The sermon calls hearers to covenantal faithfulness in marriage and family, to kill pride after the pattern of Saul's ruin, and to enter the new covenant through faith in Christ alone.
1 Samuel 23
First Samuel 23 traces David's flight from Saul through a series of dramatic reversals — the rescue of Keilah, Jonathan's covenant encouragement in the wilderness, and the treachery of the Ziphites — all held together by the governing theme that God did not deliver David into Saul's hand. The chapter exposes the stark contrast between Saul, who has no access to God's word and sinks deeper into self-deception and tyranny, and David, who inquires of Yahweh through priest and prophet and receives both divine direction and covenantal friendship. The providence of God is the chapter's spine: from the fortuitous arrival of Abiathar's ephod, to Jonathan's timely encouragement, to a Philistine invasion that halts Saul's encirclement at the last moment. Hearers are called to recognize the privilege of access to Scripture, to be Jonathans who encourage others with the promises of God, and to rest in the providence of the God who orchestrates all things for the preservation of his people.
Free Grace Baptist Church - August 23, 2015 PM
First John 3:1 commands believers to behold — with faith-filled astonishment — the love the Father has bestowed in making sinners his children. This sermon expounds three constituent elements of that marveling: the divine love that is infinite, eternal, and sovereign; the divine grace by which adoption, faith, and all salvific benefits are gifted freely and not earned; and the divine fatherhood into which the redeemed are brought as full members of God's household. The call to behold is not merely doxological but carries a practical intent: to arouse steadfast obedience, right doctrine, and cheerful conformity to God's law in those who have been saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
Free Grace Baptist Church - August 23, 2015 AM
What does it mean that God has made guilty sinners his children? Expounding 1 John 3:1, this sermon unfolds the apostolic command 'Behold' as a summons to arrested, faith-filled wonder at the love, grace, and fatherhood of God displayed toward those who were once children of wrath. The love of God is shown to be uninfluenced, eternal, sovereign, immutable, and demonstrated supremely at Calvary — not the cause of God's love, but its supreme expression. Christians are called to resist the drift of a distracted mind and to re-fix their gaze daily upon the incomprehensible reality that, by the sovereign grace of effectual calling and adoption, such sinners are named children of God.
The Call to Marvel, Part 1
The imperative 'Behold' in 1 John 3:1 is not a casual glance but a commanded, faith-filled, astonished gaze upon the love of God the Father displayed in adopting guilty sinners as His children. This sermon opens the first of three headings in the verse — the call to marvel, the content of marveling, and the intent behind it — treating in full the call itself and beginning the content (divine love, divine grace, divine fatherhood). The love that is to be beheld is uninfluenced, eternal, sovereign, infinite, immutable, and gracious — attributes rooted not merely in what God does but in what God is, since God does not merely have love but is love. Believers are pressed to behold this love daily, grounding their ongoing pursuit of holiness in the astonishing truth that those who were children of wrath and children of the devil have been sovereignly adopted into the household of God through the perfect work of Christ.
The Call to Marvel, Part 2
What does it mean that God has 'bestowed' on sinners the right to be called children of God? Expounding the first half of 1 John 3:1, this sermon works through the content and intent of the apostle John's call to marvel — tracing divine love, divine grace, and divine fatherhood as the three constituent elements of the Christian's astonishment. The sermon presses the doctrines of adoption and sovereign grace against any scheme of salvation that credits the creature, and closes by showing that the same behold which exhilarates also obligates: children of God are to pursue practical godliness, avail themselves of the ordained means of grace, and walk in cheerful conformity to the law of their Father.
The Fourth Commandment
The Fourth Commandment, as confessed in the 1689 London Baptist Confession chapter 22, binds all men in all ages to set apart one day in seven for the worship of God. This exposition of Deuteronomy 5:12–15 traces the Sabbath from its creation ordinance grounding in Genesis 2, through its Sinaitic rationale of creation and redemption, into its prophetic anticipation in Isaiah 56 and 58, and finally to its New Covenant fulfillment on the first day of the week as the Lord's Day. The sermon argues that the Sabbath's moral principle — one day in seven devoted to God — is permanent and continuous across the covenants, while the positive element (the particular day) shifts from Saturday to Sunday in light of Christ's resurrection. Hearers are called to receive the Sabbath not as a legalistic burden but as God's gift, and to guard equally against Pharisaic rigidity and antinomian dismissal.
1 Samuel 21:1-15
David's flight from Saul in 1 Samuel 21 traces a fugitive's desperate stops at Nob, Gath, the cave of Adullam, and Moab — each one a theater of divine providence operating through human weakness, foreign enemies, and ancient familial arrangements stretching back to Ruth. The narrative neither excuses David's deception nor leaves him without bread; God sustains his anointed man not because of David's faithfulness but because of Yahweh's grace, planned long beforehand. Christ, the greater David, stands behind every detail: he is the captain of the distressed, the indebted, and the discontented, and his people are called to see their own trials as the very means by which God conforms them to the image of his Son.
The Rise of David and Resentment by Saul
First Samuel 18 traces the rise of David alongside the deepening spiritual declension of Saul, and the passage teaches that David's success rested not on political skill but on the presence of Yahweh. Jonathan's voluntary surrender of his royal robes illustrates the kingdom-first posture that God honours, while Saul's envy, rage, and murderous scheming expose the destructive trajectory of unchecked pride. The chapter is read typologically: David's growing favour with all Israel and Saul's malice toward him anticipate the popular esteem and Pharisaic hatred directed at David's greater Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Hearers are called to examine whether they stand with the godly David or with the resentful Saul, to kill pride at its root, and to seek first the kingdom of God.
Be Imitators of God
Ephesians 5:1–21 confronts believers with a single pressing question: what is truly honorable and acceptable in the sight of God rather than in the sight of men? Working through three consecutive imperatives — walk in love, walk in light, and walk in wisdom — the sermon grounds each in the indicative of redemption: because the Father has predestined, adopted, and redeemed a people through Christ's perfect and acceptable sacrifice, they must imitate God as dear children. The practical implications range from the mortification of sexual sin and covetousness to the filling of the Spirit expressed in mutual speech, psalmody, thanksgiving, and submission, all of which flow from what Christ alone accomplished as the only sweet-smelling offering acceptable to the Father.
The Believer's Gratitude toward God
Colossians 1:12–14 presents thankfulness not as a general Christian virtue but as an identifying mark of the believer — the fourth of four participles Paul uses to describe a walk fully pleasing to God. This sermon works through the structure of Paul's prayer in Colossians 1:9–14 before expositing the two great grounds of the believer's gratitude: the inheritance of the saints in the light, and the threefold deliverance from the power of darkness — comprising rescue from spiritual darkness, transfer into the kingdom of the Son of His love, and redemption from bondage through the blood of Christ. The Lord's Supper serves as the sermon's occasion, pressing the congregation to come to the table not as a religious routine but as those who genuinely reckon with what forgiveness, deliverance, and a heavenly inheritance cost the Son of God.
1 Samuel 20
1 Samuel 20 narrates the covenant bond between David and Jonathan at the moment Saul's murderous hostility becomes unmistakable, and this study treats that covenant as the chapter's controlling theme. The covenant of hesed — loyal, steadfast, committed love — provides David recourse in danger, proves a vehicle for uncommon faithfulness (fulfilled in 2 Samuel 9 with Mephibosheth), demands costly commitment (Jonathan surrendering his royal rights under the threat of his father's spear), and affords peace in the midst of confusion. The central application is that the church of Christ, and Christian marriage in particular, ought to display the same covenant fidelity Jonathan and David embodied: a kingdom-first selflessness that subordinates personal ambition to the advancement of God's purposes.
The Victory of David over Goliath, Part 1
1 Samuel 17:1–37 presents the backstory of David's confrontation with Goliath, and this exposition insists that the Valley of Elah is not a mirror for personal struggle but a display of the singular glory of Yahweh over his enemies. Three movements structure the passage: the formidable threat the Philistines pose to Judah, the quiet providential orchestration by which God positions his servant David, and the theological confidence that drives David's determination where Israel only cowers. The sermon closes by drawing the typological line from David's unconventional victory to the greater Son of David, who achieves total victory through the blood of his cross, calling unbelievers to trust in Christ alone.
Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment Thereof (2LCF 6.1-5)
What is sin, where did it come from, and what has it done to us? This confession study works through 1689 London Baptist Confession chapter 6, paragraphs 1–5, examining the origin of sin in the covenantal breach of Adam, the universal solidarity of mankind in that guilt and corruption, and the abiding effects of sin in both the unregenerate and the regenerate. The remedy is shown to be twofold: justification to deal with the guilt of sin and sanctification to deal with its remaining corruption, both secured by Christ as the second Adam who fulfilled what the first Adam failed to keep.
The Third Commandment
The Third Commandment—'You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain' (Deuteronomy 5:11)—encompasses far more than profane speech: it governs every use of God's titles, attributes, and works, whether in word, oath, prayer, or conduct. The sermon works through the richness of the divine name (Yahweh, Elohim, El Shaddai, and the Triune persons) before examining the prohibition's reach across blasphemy, unlawful oaths, magic and manipulation, misapplication of providence, and misinterpretation of Scripture. The positive demand of the commandment calls believers to reverent use of God's name in worship, to integrity in oaths and vows, and to a holy profession of faith whose conduct matches its confession. The law's pedagogical use is pressed upon the hearer: all stand guilty before this commandment and are thereby driven to Christ, who alone kept it perfectly and bore the penalty for those who did not.
Exodus 25-40
Exodus 25–40 reaches its climax in a single governing truth: Yahweh dwells with His people. Working through the three-part structure of these chapters — the command for the tabernacle (chs. 25–31), the challenge to it in the golden calf incident (chs. 32–34), and the construction and filling of the tabernacle (chs. 35–40) — the sermon traces how a holy God specifies the precise terms by which sinful people may approach Him, exposes Israel's adulterous rebellion on their covenantal 'wedding night,' and then demonstrates God's staggering grace in renewing the covenant through the imperfect mediator Moses. The tabernacle's deepest meaning points forward to Christ, who tabernacled among us (John 1:14), mediates a better covenant (Hebrews 8), and through His Spirit indwells believers as His temple (1 Corinthians 6) — calling the congregation to prepare their hearts and worship God only as He has prescribed.
The Conversion of Matthew
What does genuine conversion look like? Expounding Matthew 9:9–13, this sermon traces the call of Matthew the tax collector — one of the most notorious sinners in first-century Jewish society — to show that Christ's power to forgive is precisely suited to the wretched. The three movements of the passage — the call to discipleship, the feast at Matthew's house, and Jesus' confrontation with the Pharisees — together establish that Christ came not for the self-righteous but for sinners, and that His summons produces immediate, costly, and joyful obedience. Five marks of genuine discipleship are drawn out: saving faith, repentance as a consequence (not a condition) of grace, kingdom priority, beholding Christ as altogether lovely, and serious pursuit of sanctification — set alongside an honest account of remaining corruption and the struggles that attend the Christian life.
The Spirit's Application of Redemption
The Holy Spirit's work in applying redemption to sinners is the focus of this exposition of Ephesians 1:13–14, the concluding verses of Paul's great doxology on the blessings of God the Father and God the Son. The Spirit functions both as a seal — impressing upon the heart of the believer the assurance that he is a child of God — and as a guarantee or down payment of the full inheritance yet to be received in glory. Drawing from the 1689 London Baptist Confession's chapter on assurance and the writings of J.C. Ryle, the sermon calls believers struggling with weak faith to rest in the objective work of the triune God, and exhorts them to pursue holiness through the means of grace as the proper fruit of that assurance.
Of the Law of God (2LCF 19.1-2,5-6)
The moral law of God — summarized in the Ten Commandments, written on the heart of man at creation, and codified at Sinai — remains perpetually binding on all persons, regenerate and unregenerate alike. This study of 2LCF Chapter 19, paragraphs 1, 2, 5, and 6 traces the law from its origin in the covenant of works with Adam through its threefold use (civil, pedagogical, and normative) for believers under the covenant of grace. Christ did not abolish the law but fulfilled it, thereby confirming rather than dissolving its authority. The session closes with a call to avoid antinomianism, to obey the law from proper gospel motives, and to delight in it as the revealed will of God.
"The Instruction on Riches and Rewards" - July 12, 2015 AM
Matthew 19:23–30 presents Christ's instruction on the spiritual dangers of wealth, the impossibility of self-salvation, and the gracious recompense awaiting those who follow him. Working through three movements — the commentary on riches, the question of salvation, and the instruction concerning rewards — the sermon argues that riches (and by extension every besetting sin) render men spiritually helpless apart from sovereign, effectual grace. The sermon closes with both a gospel call to the unconverted and a sober exhortation to believers: no one who follows Christ will ever be a loser for it, because eternal life and the hundredfold recompense of the messianic community are the portion of all who believe.
The Son's Accomplishment of Redemption
Ephesians 1:7–12 sets forth the Son's accomplishment of redemption within the eternal Covenant of Redemption, in which the Father plans, the Son accomplishes, and the Spirit applies salvation. Working through four movements in the text — redemption by the Son's blood, the revelation of the mystery of God's will, the cosmic reconciliation of all things in Christ, and the reward of an eternal inheritance — the sermon shows that sinners enslaved to sin have been purchased at a cosmic price paid only by the eternal God-Man. The sermon closes by calling believers to meditate on and proclaim this redemption, and by urging unbelievers to believe on Christ before they die in their bondage.
Exodus 19-24
Exodus 19–24 presents the Old Covenant in concentrated form: a holy God descends on Sinai in storm theophany, sets forth the conditions of the Mosaic covenant, and binds Israel in blood to stipulations they prove incapable of fulfilling. The study moves through three units — the holiness of God (chs. 19–20), the Book of the Covenant with its judicial laws for a theocratic nation (chs. 21–23), and the ratification of the covenant in blood and covenant meal (ch. 24). Because the Old Covenant is conditional and Israel is faithless, the study drives toward Christ as the true Israel who fulfilled the covenant of works and the Mosaic stipulations alike, securing for his people the better covenant foreshadowed at Sinai.
Of Justification (2LCF 11.1-6)
The doctrine of justification — that sinners are legally declared righteous before God on the basis of Christ's work alone — is examined through 1689 London Baptist Confession chapter 11, paragraphs 1, 2, and 5. The sermon distinguishes the essence, grounds, and method of justification, exposing the errors of Rome's infusion theology, Arminian faith-as-righteousness, and Baxterian neonomian imputation, while showing that faith is the instrument, not the ground, of justification. The inseparable yet distinct relationship between justification (a single forensic event) and sanctification (a progressive inward work) is explored against both legalism and antinomianism. Hearers are called to theological precision, assured confidence in their unlosable standing before God, and consistent holy living as fruit of that standing.
The Rich Young Ruler
What must a man do to inherit eternal life? This exposition of Matthew 19:16–22 examines the encounter between Christ and the rich young ruler, showing that the young man's question is at once legitimate — every soul must reckon with eternity — and illegitimate, because it proceeds from the assumption that salvation is earned by human merit. Christ answers him on the terms of the covenant of works, pressing the second table of the Decalogue and then the tenth commandment in particular, not to prescribe a new way of salvation by poverty, but to expose the man's covetousness and unmask the bankruptcy of his self-righteousness. The sermon calls hearers to abandon proud self-righteousness, reckon honestly with the spirituality of God's law, and flee by faith to the one who alone kept it perfectly.
The Second Commandment
The second commandment (Deuteronomy 5:8–10) distinguishes the object of worship, addressed by the first commandment, from the manner of worship — forbidding both the making and the worship of images as representations of God, including images of the Lord Jesus Christ. The sermon works through three considerations: the positive demand for regulated worship according to the regulative principle, the twofold prohibition against idol-making and idol-worship, and the reasons grounded in the jealousy of God and the covenant curse and blessing. The great need of the hour is not merely moral reform but the proclamation of the gospel so that sinners are turned from their idols to worship the living God in the way He has prescribed.
1 Samuel 18
1 Samuel 18 traces two trajectories simultaneously: the providential rise of David and the accelerating spiritual declension of Saul. The chapter is not primarily a political narrative but a spiritual one — the Lord's presence with David explains his success, his military favour, and the love of all Israel, while the Lord's departure from Saul explains his fear, his envy, and his murderous scheming. The sermon presses three lessons from the text: the danger of spiritual declension through neglect of God's ordained means, the sovereignty of God who turns Saul's every scheme to David's advantage, and the parallel threats to God's kingdom from both external enemies and internal corruption.
The Instruction on Celibacy and Children
Matthew 19:10–15 presents two closely linked teachings: Christ's instruction on celibacy and His reception of little children. Against Rome's doctrine of clerical celibacy and any Protestant tendency to exalt singleness above marriage, the sermon argues that celibacy is a sovereign gift of God given to some, not a spiritual superior state to be mandated or celebrated above the married estate. The blessing of the children exposes the disciples' failure to understand that Christ receives the weak and dependent, and the passage calls fathers to the concrete duty of bringing their children to Christ through prayer, Scripture, and faithful church attendance.
Exodus 6:1-13
Exodus 6:1–13 presents God's sevenfold 'I will' promise to Israel as the thesis of the entire book: Yahweh, the covenant Lord who revealed himself to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, will deliver his enslaved people not because of any merit in them but because he remembers his covenant. This study surveys Exodus 1–18 under three heads — the divine promise to Abraham, the divine destruction of Pharaoh, and the divine provision for Israel — showing that grace precedes law throughout. The typological pattern of Israel's redemption finds its fulfillment in Christ, the true firstborn and greater Mediator, who brings his people out of bondage to sin into the slavery of righteousness.
The Instruction on Divorce, Part 2
Sexual immorality and willful desertion are the two lawful grounds for divorce recognized in Scripture, and this exposition of 1 Corinthians 7:10–16 establishes both the prohibition against divorce and the Pauline exception. Paul's instruction divides into two sections: the command to believing spouses not to separate, and the rule governing mixed marriages in which one partner is converted after the wedding. The sermon argues that when an unbeliever departs and dissolves the marriage, the believing spouse is released from bondage and may remarry, grounding that conclusion in the absence of a prohibition in verse 15, the consistent biblical assumption that lawful divorce permits remarriage, and the analogy with Matthew 19:9. Throughout, the original intent of marriage as a lifelong, one-flesh covenant is upheld as the governing norm, with the exceptions confirming rather than undermining that norm.