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Invoking the Saints? The Gift of the Trinity in Prayer
The communion of saints is a wonderful truth we confess. Here on earth, the church militant races her pilgrim path up to Zion following after her exalted Head while the church triumphant is there with the King of Glory. When we lift our voices as a local corporate body of believers, our voices join those…
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The Variable of Physiological Maturity in Church Membership
The many and varied trials which life presents serve as refinement for our doctrine. In other words, God’s Word gives us a satisfactory and coherent account of our experience. In condescending to speak to us, God has not put all mystery and uncertainty to flight. There are many things which we do not know. Nonetheless,…
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The Divine Distinction between Families
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. Genesis 3:15 Our God makes a distinction between the offspring of Eve and those of the serpent. Observe this distinction has no expiration date. For example, it does…
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The Lord’s Prayer: The First Petition
When our Lord teaches his creatures to pray, the first petition he gives reflects a divine knowledge. He is God. He knows what is important. He sets the priority. When God hears prayer, what does he deem the most wise request? What is first and foremost in the divine mind when it comes to answering…
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The Sermon: A Kingly Discourse
As the King holds court on His throne of judgement (Psalm 9), He is pleased to proclaim through His heralds his wondrous new mercies every Lord’s Day. (Lamentations 3:22-23) By eternal royal decree, His enemies are pardoned (Isaiah 55:7), and the chains of their slavery are broken forever. (Psalm 107:14) Just arrived from the slums…
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The Sermon: A Divine Fatherly Discourse
Preaching is the chosen means of God to save our souls from the misery and penalty of our sins. (Romans 10:17) It is through “the folly of what we preach”, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:21, that God is shaming the wise of this world and drawing the elect to himself. The God of Israel…
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The Preface to the Lord’s Prayer: Pt III
Having treated the first two words of the prayer in the previous posts, we come to the clause, “which art in heaven.” The previous two words convey our personal relationship with God; the first word, “our”, teaches us that God is indeed our God and we are his people; the second word, “father”, teaches us…
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The Preface to the Lord’s Prayer: Pt II
When his disciples asked him “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1) our Lord responded with these words: “Our Father…” These words are filled with meaning. The previous post was dedicated to the word “our” in this response, which teaches us to pray “with and for others” as the Westminster Larger Catechism puts it. This…
