March 2014

“36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. (Rom 11:36 NKJ)” For of Him: The preposition which is translated “of” or “from” indicates source or origin. The object of the preposition is the source or the origin of whatever the writer is talking about. What is the prepositional phrase describing or modifying? The antecedent is “all things.” So the author, Paul, is telling us that “all things” originate with God. In what sense is that true? Jesus tells us that not a sparrow falls apart from the Father. Isaiah 46:10 tells us that GodRead More →

“9 Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying,`My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’ (Isa 46:9-10 NKJ)” God is worthy of our praise because God is powerful. Isaiah constantly contrasts the very real power of God with the fake power of the idols that the people worshiped. They had eyes but they could not see and they had ears but they could not hear. God, byRead More →

“We walk by faith, not by sight.” – 2 Corinthians 5:7 Economists describe the cost of any choice we make as “opportunity cost”, or the loss of an opportunity to do something different with whatever time or resources we committed to a particular choice. If I spend a dollar on a candy bar, the cost of the candy bar is whatever else I could have spent the dollar on. If I spend an hour watching television, even if it is free there is still a cost- namely, whatever else I could have spent the hour on. Coming to worship always incurs a cost- the costRead More →

We in the Reformed Church believe that one of the key ways that God converts people to the truth of Jesus Christ is through the preaching of the word. That can happen in different environments, both public and private. In James 1:18 we read, “Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.” (Jam 1:18 NKJ) Every sermon that is preached ought to be preached with a mind toward those who do not believe. There ought to be in any sermon a call to repent of sin and trust inRead More →

The Lord’s Supper is a symbol and sacrament of the believer’s union and participation in Christ and in His death. In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul says, “The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?” The word “communion” there indicates a communal participation, that we as a fellowship, as a body, receive from Christ the blessings and benefits of His life, death and resurrection. This is what it means to eat His flesh and drink His blood- that by faith, we are strengthened and blessed by the life of Christ, worked in us spiritually. When we understand this concept,Read More →