Reformed & Expository Preaching

God International Kingdom (Acts 1:1-9)

INTRODUCTION The book of Acts is the second volume of Luke's two-part work. Luke writes this second volume to the same audience as his first volume. His gospel records the historic work of Christ. It is the invitation for Theophilus and the world to see that Christ is the Messiah for the nations. His second volume, Acts, records the impact of Christ’s mission. Our struggle is that we might think Christ has left his church. However, Acts is communicating that Christ is very much present with his body until the end of the age. Luke communicates that the ascended Lord remains present with his church through the Holy Spirit, actively advancing his kingdom. THE BOOK'S SUMMARY Luke opens Acts by grounding it firmly in his Gospel. The same Christ who died and rose appeared to his disciples with many proofs, teaching them about the kingdom of God. The book of Luke ends with the disciples witnessing Christ being taken to heaven. Acts opens with the disciples gathered around Christ, receiving their marching orders, and then Christ being taken to heaven. Luke is picking up where he left off, and for good reason. Luke is building continuity between Christ's earthly mission and the ongoing mission of the church in the Holy Spirit. These two volumes are meant to be read together as one story. The first volume is the basis for the church, Christ’s completed work, and the second volume is the power given from on high. The second volume assures us that Christ really is with his church until the end of the age. WHY ENTER INTO GLORY? Christ instructs his disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father. What is this promise you might wonder? It is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This fulfills what John the Baptist announced: one is coming who will baptize with the Spirit. John's baptism identified people with the Messiah’s mission. The people are identified in a mission that is not complete. In order for Christ to complete his mission, he must live a perfect life, die on the cross, and be raised to life. The final event is Christ entering glory. The temptation is to think that Christ restores a physical kingdom. However, Christ must ascend into heaven. He must sit on the right hand of God while the church heralds his gospel message. The Holy Spirit baptism now confirms and seals God's people in a mission fully accomplished. The fire that is associated with judgment does not consume the Lord’s people, but cleanses them. So, when Christ enters glory, it is the declaration that the precedent is set for the prophet’s word to have partial fulfillment. When Christ returns, he brings the full physical fulfillment. WHY THE DISBELIEF? We would think that the disciples would cherish this promise. However, when the disciples ask whether Christ will now restore the kingdom to Israel, they reveal a common misunderstanding. They want the glory kingdom now. They want the full physical blessings of Christ’s kingdom. They understand the prophets to promise: the messiah, judgment, and then physical blessings. They fail to understand the depth of the fall. Sure, the heavens and earth will have continuity, but they are to be fully glorified without any remnant of sin. Christ cannot just put a Band-Aid on this world. Christ redirects them: the timing of final restoration belongs to the Father alone. Now is not the time for full glory. What the church is called to is witness and herald. The Gospel will be preached beginning in Jerusalem, to Judea (wider district), and Samaria (a mix of Jewish/Gentile heritage). The gospel will then go to the ends of the earth. This is the intention of the Abrahamic covenant coming to its full spiritual flowering: blessing going out to all nations through a Spirit-empowered, gospel-bearing community. The new covenant is not new in substance, but it shows the intention of the promise made to Abraham. The intention has been for the nations to receive the benefit of Christ’s work. However, the disciples did not expect the delay between the first coming of Christ and the second coming. They struggle with disbelief because they expected the full glory of Christ’s kingdom. CONCLUSION The church today lives between two great events: the ascension of Christ and his return. We are in the New Covenant. This is not new in the radically different sense. It is new in the sense that it is confirmed and qualitatively different. It means that the intention has always been for the nations to embrace the messiah. However, now we see the revelation of that intention. Right now, we live as Spirit-empowered people, united and rooted in Christ. As we journey together as a people set apart in Christ, we are bearing witness to his gospel and caring for one another as we go. Acts is not a record of a church left to fend for itself. It is the story of a church sent, empowered, and united to the living Christ. May we be a people who walk in Christ's power, a people who wait for our Savior, and a people confident that he has set a historic precedent that will never be overturned.

Called as Christ's Disciple (LD 8; Matthew 28:16-20)

Introduction Redemption has a purpose beyond just our personal salvation. Yes, that is part of it, but there is more. The Heidelberg Catechism makes clear that we are redeemed by a specific God who personally reveals himself. He is one God and three persons. He is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each of these persons shows their connection to creation and our redemption. His goal is not just to save, but to commune with his people. The driving question is: what does it mean to be set apart as disciples of the Trinitarian God, and why does that designation matter? The Father of All Creation The Father is the source of all life. This means that generally He gives life to all creation. He is the one who brought this world into existence through the word: Christ (Col. 1:15-20). This whole creation knows God. He sustains even those who reject him, which speaks to his patience and character. The Father specifically gives life to his people. More specifically, the Father is the one who elects and calls his people before the foundation of the world. The Father sent Christ on Christ’s successful mission. Thus, he is the father of his creation and the father of his redeemed people. The Son of Our Deliverance Christ is both the means of creation and the agent of redemption. We mentioned in the previous point that this whole world has its existence in Christ. Christ is the word. Christ is also the one who secures our life. His resurrection is the precedent for eternal life. He moves from asserting God's promises to fulfilling them with authority. "All authority has been given to me" is not a tyrant's boast; it is the declaration of a risen Redeemer who has accomplished the work he set out to do. The beauty of Christ’s farewell speech in Matthew is that Christ secured the authority for the church to exist, and Christ is with his church until the end of the age. The Holy Spirit of Our Sanctification He gives life to this creation. This means that all creatures, all creation, and humanity receive their life from him. (Psalm 104:29-30) The Spirit also gives life to God’s people. The Spirit indwells Christ’s people. You cannot have Christ without the Spirit. Christ is with His people, and Christ is with his church until the end of the age. So, when we have the Spirit, we have Christ dwelling with us individually and as the body of Christ. Conclusion Our redemption is carried out by the Trinitarian God. God does care for this creation, but how much more for his church. The Great Commission belongs to the church, not just to individuals, and it is carried out under Christ's authority while he remains present with his church. The call to make disciples begins with prayer and humility, trusting that it is the Father who calls normally through Gospel preaching, the Son who redeems, and the Spirit who gives life. Our identity is secure in Christ, and nothing will annul what he has decreed. Let us be empowered by our God, and let us walk in him.

Slow of Heart (Luke 24:25-27)

Introduction Christians often take the resurrection of Christ for granted. We do not do this because we necessarily doubt Christ, but because we have heard the story so many times that we fall into a trap where we think we already know this stuff. So, we are tempted to tune out. The problem is we can have such a superficial understanding that we miss the scope and necessity of Christ’s resurrection. Why Suffer These Things? The resurrection serves as God's vindication of Christ's innocence. The reality is if Christ stays in the grave then he really did fail. It would mean that he really did transgress the Lord’s holiness. Luke furnishes for us proof that Christ is innocent. There are three witnesses: Pilate, Herod, and the Centurion. Despite these multiple witnesses declaring Christ innocent earthly courts condemned him to death. The resurrection represents the heavenly courts overturning this verdict. This is what the prophets have predicted. Christ himself stated that he will suffer these things. The problem is not with God’s revelation, but his disciples’ ability to comphrehend. Why Enter into Glory? When Christ appeared to his disciples on the road to Emmaus, they were "slow of heart" to believe what the prophets had spoken. They couldn't reconcile their expectations of a triumphant Messiah with the reality of a suffering Savior who died. Christ wasn't attacking their intelligence but their spiritual obtuseness. Christ is not calling them stupid, but saying they lack dicernment. Their expectaiton is that the messiah comes, and brings glory. They forgot the whole part about suffering. Christ is making clear that in order for Easter to be Easter there has to be Good Friday: The Messiah’s death on the cross. Why the Disbelief? Despite their doubt and misunderstanding, Christ didn't abandon these disciples. One would expect that Christ would just be fed up. No, he listened to their ignorant claims about Christ’s mission. Christ does not cast them away, but instead, he dined with them. Remember the banquet themes in Luke’s gospel? Table fellowship communicates a social partnership. This meal symbolized Christ's continued communion with those who struggle to understand redemption. Christ’s dining is showing that even when we fail to grasp the full significance of his work, he still welcomes us into fellowship. Conclusion The resurrection of Christ is the cornerstone of Christianity. We can think that Easter is a nice story of victory. We can think that Easter is a great day that guarantees our resurrection. These things are true. What we need to realize is without Easter, our faith is futile and we remain dead in our sins. The beauty of the resurrection is it grounds in history a precedent. The Lord does not just assert, but he brings to pass what he sword to do. The resurrection validates the Lord’s word. Rather than casting us aside when we fail to understand, he invites us into fellowship, patiently instructing us, and assuring us that we really are united to him. Our hope is found not in our perfect understanding, but in the resurrected Christ who walks through hell in our place and emerges triumphant, guaranteeing our own resurrection and eternal life.

Good Friday: The Outside Witness (Luke 23:47)

Introduction The term "Good Friday" is a strange name for this day. There's nothing on the surface that looks good about it. Our Savior is mocked, beaten, and handed over to die by the very people he came to save. His closest friends are gone. The crowds have turned. And the ones putting him to death are convinced they're doing Rome a favor. In the midst of the miscarriage of justice, a Roman centurion watches Jesus die and glorifies God at the end of it. Not a grieving disciple. Not a repentant Pharisee. A career soldier. A man who has seen everything and trusts nothing he hasn't verified himself. That's the man who gets it. So, why would this man affirm Christ? Who is this man? We can think of a centurion as someone who is just a mindless killing machine. These men could read people. They can shift strategies on the fly. They could govern. They could lead men into war and through war. These were men who loved Rome and were willing to die for Rome. We need to see that this isn't just a soldier doing a job. These men are serious about carrying out their mission with their loyalty to Rome. He has turned down bribes, seen through lies, and keeps his cool while being called every name in the book. He reads people for a living. When he's handed this assignment to bring this man to death, he would likely have considered every contingency 3 steps ahead of any guerrilla army. An insurrectionist would know his place. A revolutionary, like Christ, who was accused, would be an example to all who had the bright idea to rebel against Rome. What has happened? But then something strange happens. The "insurrectionist" doesn't act like one. His followers don't fight. A dying criminal owns his own guilt and asks for mercy. The criminal rebukes another heckling criminal on the other side of Christ. Jesus himself prays for the people crucifying him. And Pilate has borne testimony three times that Christ is innocent. Herod has affirmed that Christ is innocent by sending Christ over to Pilate. This means that there is a threefold testimony from Pilate. Herod corroborates his innocence by sending him back. That means there is the testimony of two or three witnesses. Christ is never trying to save his life, badger the soldiers who lead him to death, or even encourage the people to rebel. This is not the normal scene of an execution. The centurion must already be noticing that something is different. Why the innocence? When Jesus dies, the centurion doesn't go home relieved that the job is done. This is not another day in the office. In fact, his reaction contrasts with those who follow Christ… from a distance. The ones who follow Christ from a distance go home beating their breasts. They are saddened. The reason is that their messiah is not to suffer and die. Their messiah brings in the glorious kingdom. He glorifies God. He calls Jesus innocent. He affirms that Christ is righteous. This is the third witness and the fourth explicit pronouncement that Jesus is righteous. The centurion understands the fourth servant song. This is the righteous sufferer. This man, who has no reason to say it, who gains nothing by saying it, says it anyway because it is true. He sees what the religious leaders fail to see. He sees what even Christ’s followers failed to see from a distance. The centurion comprehends that this is the lamb of God who was a servant absorbing the weight of the sinful fall. This man shows himself to be one of Christ’s true disciples by the Lord’s grace. Conclusion What does this man see? He sees the very thing that makes this Friday good. He sees the pain. He sees the injustice. However, he sees the bigger picture. The righteous servant had to suffer as the lamb of God. He might not comprehend the full message at this point, but he sees that this death was not accidental. He understands the cosmic proportions of Christ’s accomplishment. Let us never minimize the depth of our sin. Let us never minimize the significance of Christ’s suffering. May we never minimize the victory gained in Christ’s resurrection.

The Ultimate Goal: Complete Transformation into Christ's Likeness | Series Finale (Chapter 10)

In the final chapter of Devoted to God, we are called to consider the ultimate goal of the Christian life: full conformity to Jesus Christ. Sanctification is the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit, transforming believers to reflect Christ’s image. We do this both inwardly in heart (thinking in Christ like wisdom) and outwardly in life. This transformation is a lifelong process. While we grow in holiness now, its fullness will only be realized in glory. Through the Spirit, believers are progressively shaped. We are called to turn away from the world and turn to Christ become more like Christ in character, our priorities, and values. Ferguson highlights two key aspects of this transformation: imitation and participation. Imitation means following Christ’s example of humility, service, and faithfulness, especially in the life of the church. Participation means sharing in Christ’s life. We share both in His sufferings and in His resurrection power. The Christian life includes trials and weakness, yet these are the very means God uses to display Christ’s strength. Ultimately, he uses these seasons to produce lasting fruit. At the heart of sanctification is union with Christ. Believers are united to Him in His death and resurrection, experiencing both the struggle against sin and the assurance of ultimate victory. This leads to a life of continual repentance, renewed priorities, and growing dependence on Christ. The goal, then, is not merely to fight against sin, but to pursue Christ Himself. We are living in His strength, resting in His finished work, and trusting Him to bring us safely to glory. Because Christ has overcome, we can persevere with confidence, knowing He will sustain us to the end.