Christ Church

Resurrection Hope (King’s Cross)

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INTRODUCTION

Far too many people in the church are not truly converted to God. They are religious or maybe conservative, but they do not know Christ and the power of His resurrection. They know about Christ, and perhaps they know about the Bible and catechism answers. But they do not know Christ, and this is obvious because sin still has power over them. They are still dead in their sins, even while they may think they are serving God. This is what Saul/Paul thought until the Risen Jesus met him and gave him a new life. 

The Text: “My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews; which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers…” (Acts 26:4-23)

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

When Paul testified before King Agrippa, he gave his testimony as growing up as a strict Pharisaical Jew, and now standing trial for the hope of the promise God made to the Jews (Acts 26:4-7). That hope and promise to the Jews was the resurrection of the dead (Acts 26:8). Paul had thought he was serving God by persecuting those who followed Jesus, putting them in prison, and pursuing them in great anger (Acts 26:9-11). But it was while in that pursuit even to Damascus, that a bright light shone out of heaven, knocking him and his companions to the ground, and the Risen Jesus confronted that persecution and commanded Paul to become a minister and witness of Him (Acts 26:12-16). 

In particular, Paul was commanded to preach to the Gentiles that they might have their eyes opened, turning from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, that they might have their sins forgive and become holy through faith in Jesus (Acts 26:17-18). Paul explained that he was obedient to the vision of Christ and that he had been arrested by the Jews for no other reason than the hope of the Jews that the Messiah should suffer and be the first to rise from the dead and bring light to all (Acts 26:19-23).

COVENANTAL CONVERSIONS

The Bible describes two basic patterns of conversion to Christ: the stark conversions of complete pagans and the quieter, subtler conversions of covenant members. An example of the first would be Paul on the road to Damascus. An example of the second would be Timothy who learned the Scriptures and appears to have known the Lord from childhood (2 Tim. 3:14-15). Samuel would be another example of a young covenant conversion (1 Sam. 3). The first scenario need not be overly dramatic, but the transition tends to be radical: darkness then light. In the second scenario, you have a bunch of covenantal light (going to church, learning to pray, confession of sin, etc.), but the question is still: is that light in you? God often gives that light early on as parents teach and explain the gospel, such that many covenant kids grow up not remembering when they were first converted. 

The striking thing here is that Paul grew up in the Jewish covenant but did not know the Lord until the road to Damascus. Paul was converted as a covenant member the way the pagan Gentiles would need to be converted: turning from darkness to light. And the thing to note is that all of that covenant light turned out to be a kind of darkness for Paul because it was the very thing that made Paul trust in himself instead of Christ (Phil. 3:4-9). 

CHRIST IN YOU

While we see God saving individuals in both ways in Scripture and life, we must insist that it is the same salvation and therefore the same conversion. When the sun rises on a perfectly clear day, if you’re watching closely, you can pretty much pinpoint the moment of sunrise. Or if you are in the shadow of great mountains, it’s harder to tell the exact moment, but as Pastor Wilson says, you don’t need to know the exact moment the sun rose to know that it is risen. But we absolutely must insist that to be a true Christian, the sun must be risen.  

Christ is risen from the dead, so the fundamental question is: Is Christ risen in you? When Christ lives in you, you come alive. And it really is a stark difference. It’s the difference between night and day, the difference between death and life. And it’s the difference between trusting yourself and your own goodness, and fully surrendering to Jesus Christ and trusting in Him alone. Christ is risen. Are you risen? 

And if you immediately think, well, yes, of course: I go to church, I read my Bible, and I’m generally a good person – you need to know that Paul had all of that too and he didn’t know Christ. This is why Paul says he has come to consider all of his own righteousness as dung: “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection” (Phil. 3:8-10). 

APPLICATIONS

In Galatians, it says the difference between light and darkness is the difference between the fruit of the Spirit versus the works of the flesh (Gal. 5:17-18). The works of the flesh are manifest: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, hatred, wrath, envy, drunkenness, and the like (Gal. 5:19-21). But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22). Which are you? 

And the thing to note is that the fruit of the Spirit is not you doing better. The fruit of the Spirit is not you. The fruit of the Spirit is Christ in you: “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). 

So this is the message: Christ was crucified so you might die because everyone is born dead in sin, and Christ was raised first according to the hope of the Jews so that all men might be turned from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, for the forgiveness of their sins and to walk in holiness by faith in Him. Christ is risen: are you? 

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True Authority (King’s Cross)

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INTRODUCTION

Our modern world pits authority against friendship, falsely insisting that friendship can only exist be- tween complete equals. But in that case, a complete equal has nothing to offer, nothing to contribute. True friendship exists in relations of inequality and hierarchy, where different parties have different skills and responsibilities.

Ultimately, this heresy of egalitarianism seethes with pride that hates the authority and friendship of God over sinful creatures – that we are completely dependent on Him, that He has made us and not we ourselves, and that true blessing only exists in bowing before Him. But that is what we celebrate on Palm Sunday and every Sunday. God made us, and God saves sinners. He has true authority, and He is good and therefore He defines what is good.

The Text: “And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, saying unto them, Go into the village over against you…” (Mt. 21:1-16)

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Jesus exercises His lordship by directing two disciples to a donkey in a village (Mt. 21:1-3). This was a fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah that Israel’s Messiah-King would come riding on a donkey with its foal (Mt. 21:4-6, cf. Zech. 9:9). The disciples laid their clothes on the beasts, and Jesus rode the donkey into Jerusalem while crowds spread their garments on the path, along with branches from the trees, shouting “Hosanna [“Save please!’] to the Son of David!” and blessing Him as the King of Israel (Mt. 21:7-9, cf. Psalm 118:25-26).

Most of the city noticed the procession and learned the name Jesus of Nazareth (Mt. 21:10-11). In- stead of going to some political building or royal palace, Jesus went into the temple, and drove out the money changers who had filled the court where the gentiles could pray (Mt. 21:12-13). While the chief priests and scribes were no doubt displeased with the whole event, they were particularly upset with the kids shouting his praises, as He healed the blind and the lame in the temple, but Jesus de- fended them (Mt. 21:14-16).

TRUE LORDSHIP

Clearly Jesus acts the part of a true Jewish King as He comes into Jerusalem. He commandeered the donkey and foal, and openly embraced the prophecy of Zechariah. But unlike many with this kind of authority, He immediately used it to disrupt a particular kind of corruption and reestablish prayer. Hisfirst act as King is to restore worship.This is how true lordship serves – not as the Gentiles who merely sit on their lofty thrones and issue political decrees (Mk. 10:42). Jesus of Nazareth claims His rightful authority and walks into “His” house and clears out the bandits and robbers. This is clearly a claim to deity, and the thing He is most concerned to use His power for is making room for the pagan nations to pray to the true God. And then He heals the sick and defends the children shouting His praises. The restoration of true worship is the center of true Reformation.

BLOOD OF THE COVENANT

But true worship drives true Reformation into every sphere. In Zechariah, the prophecy says that when the King comes riding in on a donkey, He will come to bring peace to Israel, and His dominion will include all the nations: from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth (Zech. 9:10). And then it says, “As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water” (Zech. 9:11) – these are likely the prisoners from the Jewish exile, scattered among the nations, but it indicates how all sinners may be set free from God’s judgment.

It says God will free the prisoners “by the blood of thy covenant.”The phrase “blood of thy covenant” echoes the covenant God made at Sinai (cf. Ex. 24:8). When God made that covenant, He had given Israel the Passover Feast and delivered His people out of Egypt through the blood of a lamb and through the Red Sea. By fulfilling this prophecy, Jesus is in effect saying that He is coming to perform a new Exodus and establish a new covenant. He is coming to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover, but this time, He will designate His own blood as the “new covenant in His blood” (Mt. 26:28). This time He will be the Passover lamb, to bring peace to the world and set free all the prisoners. The center of this peace is personal salvation, but this is a peace for all the nations.

APPLICATIONS

True authority serves others by rightly ordering priorities so others flourish, first before God and second in all of life. Jesus’ first act as king is making room for pagans to pray, healing the sick, and defending the kids shouting praises. Jesus restores good order for the healing and joy of the world. When Jesus restores men, they serve their families by dealing with sin quickly, restoring fellowship and providing for the health and education of their people. When Jesus restores parents, they serve their children by dealing with sin quickly and restoring fellowship. Companies provide honest goods and services, and employers provide work. Civil servants protect life and property without partiality. And all Christians are called by God to make room for the pagans to come in and pray with us. They are all invited. Until worship is restored, there will continue to be fighting in our lands.

True authority is true friendship. Our sins are the weapons we use to try to fight God and one another. Our sins are our personal prisons. Often the sins of religious types are like the tables and seats of the moneychangers in the temple. We call our harshness being strict. We call our laziness being laidback. We call our critical spirit being discerning, and we call our cowardice being kind. We call our idols necessary for living in our world. We ask God to save us and we’re often only thinking about one kind of enemy (e.g. political, familial, etc.), but Jesus is the true friend of sinners who comes into our pomp- ous habits and knocks over the tables in our temples. Remember, they had verses for selling doves and changing money (Dt. 14:24-26). But sometimes our sins are misplaced/disordered virtues. He came to truly save us, and only He really knows what we need. But He is our true Lord and friend.

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Reformed Politics (What is Reformed Anyway #6) (King’s Cross)

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INTRODUCTION

One of the marks of the Reformed faith was a great political reformation. This is why it is sometimes called the “Magisterial Reformation.” The Pope and Roman church had slowly claimed political power, but the Reformers insisted that Scripture clearly taught that all power was given to Jesus Christ and therefore, directly and delegated to magistrates, pastors, and parents for particular tasks by Him. 

The Text: “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, ‘All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world’” (Mt. 28:18-20).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

This text at the end of Matthew’s gospel is called the Great Commission because it was the final charge that Jesus gave the disciples before ascending into heaven. There is an indicative statement of fact which drives the command, followed by a final promise. The indicative statement is “all authority/power is given” to Jesus in heaven and on earth (Mt. 28:18). The same word for “power/authority” is used in Romans 13:1-2 to refer to political rulers and magistrates and again in Titus 3:1. His disciples are to “therefore” go (Mt. 28:19). The disciples of Christ are to go and disciple the “nations” because Christ has been given all authority in heaven and earth. Some point out that “nations” (ethne) can simply refer to Gentiles/non-Jews and therefore dispute the political ramifications of this Great Commission, but it certainly also refers to specific nations (e.g. Acts 2:5, 10:35, 13:19, 17:26). When the apostles were persecuted by the Jewish authorities, they quoted Psalm 2 which describes the nations and their kings gathered against the Lord and His Christ, and they refer to Herod, Pontius Pilate, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel (Acts 4:25-27). The disciples were commanded to go and disciple those nations by two means: baptizing in the triune name and teaching everything Jesus has commanded (Mt. 28:20). 

THE REGULATIVE PRINCIPLE OF POWER & LIMITED GOVERNMENT

Since all authority has been given to Jesus Christ, all earthly authority is delegated authority from Jesus Christ. This is why wherever Christians are urged to submit to and obey earthly authorities, it is always “in the Lord” or “as to Christ” (Eph. 5:22, 6:1, 6:6-9, 1 Pet. 2:13, Heb. 13:17). No earthly authority is absolute (e.g. Acts 5:29, Dan. 3, 6). This means that all righteous government is limited by God’s Word, which is the foundational argument for Lex Rex. Since the primary task God has given to the civil magistrate is a ministry of violence: the sword of justice to punish evildoers (Rom. 13:4), it is especially important that civil government be limited. Political rulers who reject the limits of God’s Word are arrogant and act like beasts and monsters (Dan. 4, 7). This is what happens when civil governments begin meddling for example in markets, healthcare, and education. A righteous ruler really is like rain coming down upon mown grass and delivers the poor and needy, but he does this by establishing equal weights and measures and punishing true criminals (Ps. 72). 

COVENANT THEOLOGY & CIVIL GOVERNMENT

The Reformers noticed that in addition to the great Covenants of Grace, there were also political covenants in Scripture: Abraham made a “covenant” with Abimelech (Gen. 21:27), Isaac did the same (Gen. 26:28), and Jacob made a covenant with Laban (Gen. 31:44). Later, Jonathan and David made a covenant (1 Sam. 20:16, 23:18), as did Ben-Hadad and King Ahab (1 Kgs. 20:34). Therefore, the Reformers reasoned that nations exist as covenant entities before God, established on particular constitutions or customs between rulers and people. It was on this basis that Christians generally teach submission and honor to civil authorities, and at the same time, as may occasionally happen in a marriage covenant, certain high-handed abuses may warrant the people dissolving the covenant and forming a new one. The rudimentary elements of this system of government were worked out in the feudal arrangements of the Middle Ages, with increasing formality, as seen in the signing of the Magna Charta in 1215 and the Scottish Declaration of Arbroath in 1320, claiming independence from England. The Scottish Presbyterians under John Knox worked this covenant theology out in the 16th ad 17th centuries to the point of being called “covenanters.” It was many of these Scots-Irish who colonized America, and took issue with King George breaking his covenant-charters with the colonies, resulting in the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the Constitution of 1789.  

CONCLUSIONS

America was founded as a distinctly Protestant Christian Republic. When the War for Independence broke out, King George referred to it as the “presbyterian revolt.” A republic is a representative form of government with constitutional checks and balances. This goes back to the nation of Israel which chose rulers over 1000s, 100s, 50s, and 10s (Ex. 18:21), as well as Greece and Rome which attempted various forms of “mixed government,” seeking to balance the tendency to veer between anarchy and tyranny. 

Our mission remains the same as when Jesus Christ ascended into Heaven: disciple all of the nations, teaching them to obey everything Jesus commanded. While we have fallen a long way from the broad Protestant consensus of early America, and we might wish for a more explicit acknowledgment of the Lordship of Jesus in our land, our Constitution is not “godless” as many claim, since it does acknowledge Sunday as the Christian Sabbath and the birth of Jesus Christ, the “Lord” of these United States and all nations.

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Reformational Family (What is “Reformed” Anyway? #5) (King’s Cross)

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INTRODUCTION

We live in a world that says you can be anything you want, anything at all – the more bizarre and perverse the better, just don’t be an ordinary, faithful man who marries an ordinary faithful woman, and have a pile of happy, ordinary kids and love and serve the Lord together. Anything but that. And the mischievous Tom Sawyer inside you should grin and say, “Well, now I’m going to normal even harder.”

A significant part of the Protestant Reformation was a recovering of the Bible’s teaching concerning the goodness and power of marriage, children, and family. Celibacy had come to be seen as the “higher calling,” and the duties and responsibilities of family as therefore lower and menial. The devil has always sought to lure people away from the glory of marriage and family precisely because when God’s blessing is upon it, it is such potent goodness. 

The Text: “And the Lord God said, It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him…” (Gen. 2:18-25)

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

In a striking contrast to all the “good” that God has made/seen before, God says it is “not good” for man to be alone (Gen. 2:18). This is not merely a statement about bachelors, it is also a statement about the goodness of family and community. The process of naming the animals was educational: Adam was naming their attributes and learning about how God made the world, concluding in part that other creatures had mates, which he lacked (Gen. 2:19-20). So God put Adam in a coma, removed a rib, and constructed the woman from the rib and brought her to Adam (Gen. 2:21-22). Using a Hebrew superlative, Adam spoke the first recorded poem, calling her the best version of his flesh and bones (Gen. 2:23). He also names the woman “eeshah” which is related to the word for “fire,” suggesting glory, and he simultaneously renames himself “eesh,” a glorified-man. For this reason, a man leaves his father and mother and becomes one flesh with his wife, and this union has no shame (Gen. 2:24-25). 

NUCLEAR MARRIAGE

It is perilously easy to take some ordinary things for granted. But one of the ways God tries to get our attention is through death penalties. Modern Christians are sometimes tempted to be embarrassed of the death penalties in Scripture for rebellious sons, adultery, or homosexuality, but even Jesus cited the death penalty for a certain high-handed dishonor of parents (Mk. 7). If you met the CEO of a nuclear power plant, and he told you they just “wing it,” you would be understandably concerned. If your neighbors announced one day that they bought some uranium and plutonium off the internet and they were going to be doing some experiments in their basement, you would be very concerned. And it should not give you any pause, when they ask why you care so much about what consenting adults do in the privacy of their own home. 

We are living in the nuclear fallout of the sexual revolution. Skyrocketing crime, mass incarceration, substance abuse, suicide, sexual abuse, and 65 million dead babies and counting is our Chernobyl. It is not whether there will be death penalties. The only question is who will be executed. We have not actually repudiated capital punishment; we have simply reassigned it to the most innocent. While the death penalty is only mandatory for murder, other crimes do approach that harm to the image of God and therefore allow for death as a possible maximum sentence. And many of those crimes center on the destruction of marriage and family because that is where people are being made: immortal souls, images of God, that will live forever. 

REFORMED MARRIAGE

A reformed view of marriage understands the gift of marriage to be a great “good,” not an accommodation to human sin or weakness (Gen. 1-2). Sin certainly adds many difficulties, but marriage, sexual intimacy, and the fruitfulness of children were gifts given before the Fall. A reformed view of marriage also affirms the creational good of the original structure of marriage: the woman was made from the man and for the man, and she is therefore, the glory of man (1 Cor. 11:1-12). Closely related is the sacrificial leadership of the husband and the respectful submission of the wife to her own husband (cf. Eph. 5:22-25). All of this is bound by a covenant, enacted by public vows and sealed with sexual union, recognized by God and blessed by Him (Gen. 1:28, Mal. 2:14). This is why a man must love his wife as his own body. God really does make the two into one covenant body, and therefore what a husband/father does impacts everything. The covenant is a multiplier for good or evil. While each member certainly is responsible before God individually, the head is also responsible for the whole body. 

APPLICATIONS

One of the “doctrines of devils” is “forbidding to marry” (1 Tim. 4:3). And sometimes this happens through a kind of hardening that simply rejects the natural use of men/women (Rom. 1:26-27). Therefore, beware of celibacy movements. Nevertheless, encourage singles in chastity and faithfulness even as they bear this hardship. Related, generally aim for earlier marriage, but don’t overshoot. Just because early 20s is good, doesn’t mean that 17 is better. It is not buying into worldly feminism to want your sons and daughters actually prepared for marriage. 

To the married: do not deprive one another sexually (1 Cor. 7:3). There are relatively few warnings about Satan’s attacks, but regular intimacy is one way to guard against them (1 Cor. 7:5). The marriage bed is honorable and undefiled (Heb. 13:4). The Song of Songs is in the Bible.

Children are reinforcements (Ps. 127). Welcome and celebrate children. But a man with five kids and a wife who has had three miscarriages in a row is not necessarily becoming worldly to decide (humanly speaking) to be done having kids. But this is a private decision. So mind your own business, and husbands love your wives as you consider your resources (Lk. 14:31).

Every covenant brings with it blessings and curses. The central thing that God blesses is faith, but this faith is alive and it obeys. And therefore the instructions to family members are not arbitrary. Husbands love and lead like Christ. Wives respect and obey in the Lord. Parents teach and discipline. Children obey. The stakes are very high, but the blessings are very rich. 

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Reformed Worship (What is “Reformed” Anyway? #4) (King’s Cross)

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INTRODUCTION

The 16th Century Reformation was a reformation of worship. Worship is at the center of human life, and therefore, we believe it is the most important thing we do as Christians. How we think about worship and offer our worship flows into all of life. 

In the beginning, God placed Adam in the Garden Sanctuary where Adam had direct communion with God, and from that Garden a river flowed out to the four corners of the world. In Ezekiel’s vision, a river flows out from under the altar growing deeper until it reaches the sea, bringing healing to the nations. What we do in worship impacts us and the whole world. 

The Text: “For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words…” (Heb. 12:18-29). 

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Having warned about bitterness, fornication, and rejecting God’s blessing (Heb. 12:15-17), Hebrews says that Christians have not come to the earthly Mount Sinai that thundered and burned with fire (Heb. 12:18-21), but rather, we have come to Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, where all the saints and angels are, to Jesus the mediator of the New Covenant (Heb. 12:22-24). This New Covenant worship is more sobering since Christ speaks directly from heaven and shakes heaven and earth until only God’s Kingdom which cannot be shaken remains (Heb. 12:25-27, cf. Rev. 21:2). Therefore, we must have His grace to worship acceptably with reverence and fear, since He is a consuming fire (Heb. 12:28-29).  

ACCORDING TO GOD’S WORD

The uniform testimony of Scripture is that God is a jealous God, and He is particularly jealous for His worship. Where He meets with His people is holy ground (Ex. 3:5), and the fierce holiness of Sinai was only a faint glimmer of His heavenly glory (Ex. 19, Heb. 12:18-21). When Nadab and Abihu offered strange fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded, fire devoured them (Lev. 10:1-2). When David was bringing the Ark of God back to Jerusalem and the ox cart stumbled and Uzzah put out his hand to support it, God struck him dead (2 Sam. 6:6-7). These were various innovations that God had not commanded, but God’s fierce anger also burned against Israel when they went through the motions of what God had commanded, while harboring sin in their lives (Is. 2:10-20). When Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit, they died (Acts 5), and when the Corinthians were getting drunk and breaking into factions at the Lord’s Supper, some of them became sick and died (1 Cor. 11). And when Israel turned to blatant idolatries, sacrificing their own children to Baals, God says these evils were not commanded, not even contemplated (Jer. 19:5). 

At the same time, David rightly introduced singing and musical instruments into the worship of God (1 Chron. 6, 25-26), and Israel established the feasts of Purim and Hannukah, with God’s apparent blessing (cf. Esther 9, John 10:22). Putting these things together, the Reformers taught that worship must be according to God’s Word. Our central duty is to come before Him to do those things which He has explicitly commanded or which may be clearly inferred from His Word, and yet in that place of deep humility, we are to offer ourselves fully to Him and in that offering will be unique treasures that are pleasing to Him (Rev. 21:24-26).

COVENANT RENEWAL WORSHIP

The Reformers drew from covenant theology as they reformed worship. The fact that baptism and the Lord’s Supper are covenant ceremonies commanded by Christ helped explain Christian worship as “covenantal.” We are called to worship in Jesus’ name, as those who bear God’s covenantal name in our baptism, and Jesus said that we must celebrate the Lord’s Supper as a “memorial” of His death, the new covenant in His blood (1 Cor. 11). The language of memorial is covenantal: the rainbow was a memorial of God’s covenant promise to never flood the earth again (Gen. 9). The Feast of Passover was a memorial of God’s salvation from Egypt (Ex. 12). And the sacrifices and other feasts were constant memorials reminding God and His people of the covenant (e.g. Lev. 2, Num. 10). 

It has been pointed out that the covenant renewal at Sinai was a lot like a wedding, with Moses playing the part of the minister giving the vows, with the whole thing sealed with a feast (Ex. 19-24). In fact, the broad structure of that covenant ceremony are reflected in our worship: A Call to worship (Ex. 19:1-9), Confession/cleansing (Ex. 19:10-25), Word declared and explained (Ex. 20-23), followed by a feast, and a blessing (Ex. 24). Others have pointed out that when the three major sacrifices are offered together, they are always offered in the order of Sin Offering, Ascension Offering, and Peace Offering which also corresponds to our order of worship (Confession, Consecration, Communion). “Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice” (Ps. 50:5), and we offer our bodies and praises as living sacrifices (Rom. 12:1, Heb. 13:15). And we renew our covenant on the weekly anniversary of our Lord’s resurrection (Ex. 20:8, Rev. 1:10). 

APPLICATIONS

Family Worship: In the Old Covenant, God had commanded a morning and evening sacrifice, and this is what the New Testament is alluding to with “pray without ceasing” (Num. 28, 1 Thess. 5:17). While there is a greater freedom in the New Covenant, we should generally be aiming for daily Bible reading, prayer, and singing in our homes. And this is a great way to practice for Sunday morning worship. 

BIBLICAL FAITH & GLORY

The Church is the bride of Christ, and we are therefore required to be subject to Christ in everything, particularly in our renewal of His covenant (Eph. 5:24). While some Reformed folks draw a very narrow circle around what is acceptable, they are more faithful than those who simply want to make it up as they go along, whether with rock concerts or circus shows or medieval pageantry. We want to grow up into true Christian glory (2 Cor. 3:18), as we worship in Spirit and in Truth (Jn. 4:24), and at the center of that is a humble, evangelical faith. 

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