Sermons – Page 9 – Planter, Pastor, Preacher

The Magnificat

After the angel Gabriel appeared to the virgin Mary, telling her of God’s favor that she would conceive, bear a son, and name him Jesus, she traveled to visit her elderly relatives, Zechariah and Elizabeth, who Mary learned was also with child. Upon Mary’s arrival, Elizabeth’s son, John, six months in her womb jumped for joy, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, blessing the mother of her Lord. And in that moment, following Elizabeth’s exhortation and her son’s jubilation, Mary breaks out in song, a Spirit-filled, Scripture-saturated song of praise. Traditionally called the Magnificat,…

The Fullness of Time Had Come

As our confession makes clear, the incarnation of Christ is essential to the Christian faith, including his conception by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary. And yet, it is a doctrine that has been under attack all the way back to the early church heretics, all the way through to today.

The Perfect Purpose of God

Proverbs says, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD” (Prov. 16:33). And so, Zechariah’s lot is chosen by chance by God, sending him in sacred service into the sanctuary. Inside he burns incense; outside the people pray. And into this ordinary picture of Old Covenant worship, the extraordinary is introduced.

Eyewitness Testimony

Each of the four Gospels begins with its own perspective of Christ’s coming. Matthew’s Gospel opens with a genealogy of Jesus. Mark’s Gospel begins with the prophetic fulfillment of John the Baptist. John’s Gospel starts with a poetic description of the preincarnate Word. But Luke’s gospel begins with a personal note and the purpose for which he writes.

Judah’s Blessing

If such a description sounds unbelievable, it’s because it is unbelievable from our fallen human perspective. We only know life after Adam’s Fall into sin. We see only through the lens of how life is,…

In Return for Love

Jesus’ triumphal entry provides a picture of contrasts. As the crowd lined his path with palm branches, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” (John 12:13), the Pharisees were indignant. They were appalled that Jesus would even allow such praise (Matt. 21:16), demanding that Jesus rebuke them. Jesus’ response was, of course, priceless:

The Loving Discipline of our Father

The purpose of God’s discipline is not alienation but reconciliation, that our restless hearts may find contentment not in our circumstances but his presence. And in his presence, our hearts are kindled in grateful praise of the One who loves us most. And so, as we gather to worship the Lord in spirit and truth (John 4:24), as the children of God, we trust the loving discipline of our Father, because “the Lord disciplines the one he loves” (Heb. 12:6a).

Look to the Lord

In other words, if you’re concerned that there will be a day when the church will not be, don’t be. But if you’re concerned that there will be a day when a local church could degenerate into “synagogues of Satan,” do be. It’s happened before.

The Prosperity Conundrum

If you forget that we live in a world under God’s curse, amongst the fallen in sin, you can get discouraged in a hurry (Many of us do from time to time, don’t we?). Sometimes I wonder about Noah, whom Scripture says, “was a righteous man, blameless in his generation” who “walked with God” (Gen. 6:9): What did it feel like then for Noah to live surrounded by the wicked, where “every inclination of the thoughts of their minds was only evil all the time” (Gen. 6:5 NET). Was it discouraging for a man who walked with God to witness mass faithlessness?

Amidst Persecution

The seventh psalm is one of the imprecatory psalms, psalms that invoke God’s judgment upon his and our enemies. The seventh psalm is also a personal lament of David, who is being persecuted….