sermons | study
These are sermons preached during our Sunday worship services. (Recordings were not always successful, so there are gaps in the postings.)
Mike Steele's suggestion that I preach on the theme of gentleness led me to this text, about which J. C. Ryle comments "There are few passages in the four Gospels more important than this. There are few which contain in so short a compass, so many precious truths."
John Calvin writes in his preface to his commentary on the Book of Psalms “I have been accustomed to call this book, I think not inappropriately, ‘An Anatomy of all the Parts of the Soul;’ for there is not an emotion of which any one can be conscious that is not here represented as in a mirror.” Throughout this month, we have been considering the Psalms as “An Anatomy of the Soul of Jesus Christ,” for time and again we have been impressed with the extent to which they not only prophesy historical facts concerning Jesus, but also reveal our Lord and Savior’s mind and heart.
The "gloria in excelsis Deo" of Christmas may be seen as a response to the call of Psalm 148 to praise the LORD in the highest. This beautiful psalm reminds us of both our calling and the salvation that is ours in Jesus Christ.
The New Testament authors refer to the Psalms as prophetic in revealing Jesus as the Messiah. It is therefore not surprising that Psalm 119, which extols the beauty and truth of God's Word, is also a revelation of the Word made flesh.
This short psalm is packed with theological significance. Jesus himself announces its partial fulfillment during his earthly ministry, and the book of Hebrews points to its final and ultimate fulfillment at the end of time. Psalm 8 also has important application to our own lives today.
In considering the revelation of Jesus as the Messiah in the Psalms, certainly Psalm 22 is would be on the short list of psalms to be included. A simple sermon can but introduce what this remarkable psalm has to show to us of the Savior whose birth we celebrate at Christmas.
The Apostles and other preachers of the early Church made extensive use of Psalm 110 in their preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It develops further the imagery of kingship we saw in Psalm two, and reveals that the Messiah is a priest as well.
Psalm 2 is a powerful expression of praise that provides us with wonderful teaching that is centered on the Messiah, or Anointed One, our Lord Jesus Christ. At the same time, this psalm reveals the nature of human sin and our need for repentance, as well as the promise of blessing to those who take refuge in Christ.
It is appropriate to close a sermon series on the Reformation solas with an emphasis on praise, for the Reformed teaching of soli Deo gloria–to God alone be the glory–embraces the essence of the revival of the Church in the Reformation. May God grant that we experience revival and reformation as well!
This sermon focuses on the Reformation theme of solus Christus, or Christ alone. This teaching is beautifully presented in the offering of praise with which Paul begins the body of his letter to the church in Ephesus.
The teaching known as sola gratia is one of the key doctrines brought into special focus by the Reformation.
This dramatic narrative occasions Jesus' affirmation of an important truth regarding human sin, and at the same time shows his endorsement of the doctrine that comes to be known in the Reformation as sola Scriptura.
Despite what could be characterized as a dark realism in Ecclesiastes, a major theme of the book is joy. The Preacher exposes many dead ends in the human search for joy, but he also clearly sets forth the true path to lasting joy.
This passage is a pivotal text for the book of Ecclesiastes, and it shifts our attention to matters that are at the heart of what it means to be God's people. Here the Preacher begins to specifically apply his teaching to our lives.
Ecclesiastes appears to begin a new section with this passage, although the overall theme remains the same: the brevity and seeming futility of human life, contrasting with the sovereignty of God and his purposes.
This passage opens the second main section of the book of Ecclesiastes. It introduces important key concepts related to the theme of the sovereignty of God and its application to biblical living.
Many students of Scripture see the book of Ecclesiastes falling naturally into four sections: 1:1-2:26; 3:1-5:20; 6:1-8:15; and 8:16-12:14. This first section has been a relentless destroying of all claims that lasting joy can be found in the pursuit of what this earthly life can offer us. In these final verses of this section, Ecclesiastes will challenge the value of human wisdom itself and confront us with the terrible reality that undoes every earthly hope. Remarkably, however, the Preacher will end this section with an unexpected message of grace.
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I went out there in search of experience / To taste and to touch and to feel as much / As a man can before he repents / I went out searching, looking for one good man / A spirit who would not bend or break / Who could sit at his father's right hand - Johnny Cash, with U2
Pastor Gordon Hugenberger says of Ecclesiastes: “It’s not that the conclusions don’t harmonize with what is taught everywhere else in the Bible. It’s rather that we’re just not used to this much honesty. We much prefer religious platitudes, the kind of feel-good aphorisms that you can stick on your refrigerator and get inspired for the day. But Ecclesiastes won’t have it–his is high octane Christianity, soul searching insights, and convicting observations.” (His excellent sermons on Ecclesiastes can be found on the Park Street Church web site, parkstreet.org.)
The identity of the main speaker in the opening of Ecclesiastes is not explicitly stated, but there are clear clues given to us that invite us to identify him with a specific historical figure. An overview of his life will be a helpful background to our study of the book.
