Sermons on Sanctification
1 Samuel 6:1-7:2
Many believe they are serving God and that many roads lead to heaven, however, the Scriptures teach that obedience is required for God to be pleased with a person’s service. If a person believe he is serving God but not obeying His Word, this person’s service is sinful In 1 Samuel 6:1-7:2 various people come into contact with the ark of God as it returns from exile. The Philistines send the ark away not understanding what is pleasing to God. …
Hebrews 12:14-17
In Hebrews 12:14-17 the author exhorts the church to pursue peace and holiness. Pursuing these things ought to be done in the context of the church as a whole, with every member seeking to encourage others.
John 20:19-23
In John 20:19-23 Christ breathes the Spirit on His disciples. John describes this action in ways similar to Genesis 2:7 where God breathed the breath of life into Adam’s nostrils. Christ, the author of the new creation, who became a life-giving Spirit through His resurrection, sovereignly brings dead sinners to life through the giving of the Spirit. Thus, anyone in Christ is a new creation.
Matthew 9:14-17
In Matthew 9:14-17 Christ shows that the entire Christian life must center on him. John’s disciples wondered why Christ’s disciples did not fast like they and the Pharisees did. Rather than conforming to the traditions of the Pharisees, Christ shows that all fasting must conform to the reality of his coming. This affects every area of life. Christ has not come to be the patch on the old garment of your living. Rather, he has come to be the entirely…
Deuteronomy 28:1-14
Covenants include blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. In Deuteronomy 28:1-14 Moses lays out the blessings for obeying God. All of these blessings point to the greater realities of the blessings of the new heavens and the new earth, and though obedience in no way contributes to one’s merit before God, it is necessary to obtain the blessing. All those redeemed by Christ live a life of obedience.
Deuteronomy 27:11-26
In Deuteronomy 27:11-26, Moses finishes his instructions for the covenant ceremony to be performed on the other side of the Jordan. The focus of this passage is on the blessings for obedience and the curses for disobedience. In particular the curses for disobedience are emphasized, curses that we, even in this new covenant era, need to take to heart. If you make a practice of sin, you will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Song of Songs 6:4-13
In the Song of Songs 6:4-13 we see the beloved’s persevering and transforming love for the Shulamite. She describes herself as “dark but lovely” at the beginning of the book, pleading for others to look away from her. Here she is blessed by the most royal of all women, having been thoroughly transformed by the love of her beloved. Such is the transforming love of God in the gospel. Such is also the love that husbands must reflect as they…
Deuteronomy 23:1-18
Deuteronomy 23:1-18 shows that anyone who comes into the presence of God must be holy. These laws restricting access to God and regulating holiness and purity remained in place until the coming of Christ who has so thoroughly cleansed his people that they now have perfect access into his presence.
Matthew 7:24-29
In Matthew 7:24-29, Jesus describes two kinds of people, the wise person and the foolish person. Both hear the Word of God, but only one is wise. What is the difference? The wise person not only hears the Word of God, but also puts it into practice. Hearing the Word does not make one a Christian. The true Christian is a “doer” of the Word, not a hearer only. Only the doers of the Word will be saved on the…
Matthew 7:1-6
“Judge not, lest you be judged.” This verse from Matthew 7 is probably the most misquoted and applied verse in the Bible. Typically it is used to denounce Christians for pointing out sin in the world. This, however, is required in the gospel. What does the verse mean? Fundamentally it means that one ought not to judge with a measure that one is not willing to see applied to oneself. Ultimately this measure is to be the Word of God,…