Reformed & Expository Preaching

What is a Spiritual Person? (COD Heads 3,4; 1 Cor. 2:14-16)

Introduction In this exposition of 1 Corinthians 2, Paul’s contrast between the natural (fleshly) person and the spiritual person is carefully unpacked in light of the Canons of Dort. [https://threeforms.org/canons-of-dort/#corruption_errors] The goal is to correct common misunderstandings.  We might want to be very moralistic where we impose our will on someone else because we are more Spiritual. We might want to make a distinction in the church.  Some are Spiritual Christians, and some are carnal Christians.  We all want to be Spiritual Christians. The Spiritual Christian has the mind of Christ.  So, how can we be Spiritual with the mind of Christ? Folly’s Judgement Paul teaches that the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit.  Man does not have a problem of neutrality.  Man has a deep moral problem.  Man is sinful to the core and does not embrace or even see the Lord’s wisdom.  Natural man will judge the Gospel and Scripture as folly. Scripture, from Genesis 3 onward, teaches that humanity is not merely sick but dead in sin.  Fallen man is in rebellion against God.  This is by man’s choice. It is the fall into sin that condemns humanity.  It is not that man needs to make better choices. Thus, the gospel appears “stupid” or “foolish” to the natural person.  This is not because a natural person fails to read the words.  The natural person can lay out the Gospel clearly.  However, the natural person will never know the Christ of Scripture.  We need the Lord to regenerate our hearts to respond in faith. Why Not Be Judged? When Paul says the spiritual person “is not judged,” we might think that we are above the law. We might think that we have immunity from the Lord’s judgment. This is not the case. The same word translated “judged” also means discerned or evaluated. Paul is reminding us that we are called to discern what is right before the Lord. As we correctly discern, then we are not judged by man. We are submitting ourselves to the Lord’s judgment. As the Lord works in us by the Spirit, he convicts us of our sin. The spiritual person can rightly evaluate life in light of Christ, while the natural person lacks the capacity to discern/judge/learn spiritual truth. They can read the Scripture, they can summarize the Gospel, but they will never live in light of it. We are simply saying that the regenerate, spiritual person has a new bent of the will. It is by the Spirit’s work that the Spiritual person sees the wisdom and joy of life in Christ. So, the Spiritual person really desires and begins to conform to the Lord’s will. How to Gain Christ’s Mind? To have the mind of Christ is not to possess some sort of secret knowledge. It is to hear the gospel, and now see that message as the message of life. This is where the Christian begins to ask, “How do I please my savior?” Rather than, “How does everything please me?” Paul is intentionally undermining Corinthian elitism. The Corinthians equated maturity with spiritual gifts. They prided themselves on having the greatest teachers. The Apostle Paul defines maturity by embracing the cross, the resurrection, and the absolute necessity of Christ’s saving work. Paul praises the spiritual Christian or the mature Christian who sees that they need to submit to their Lord and redeemer. The mind of Christ is shaped by doing the Father’s will. It is doing the Father’s will with joy. It is seeking to discern where we need to die to self. It is seeking to live unto the Lord. This is the essence of a true Christian ethic. A good workflow from faith. Good work is done by the Lord’s standard or law. A good work is done for the Lord’s glory and not man’s approval (Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 91). Those who glory in Christ’s humiliation and redemption are the spiritually mature. The reason: the spiritually mature know they need a savior. The spiritually mature want to live for their savior even if that life looks rather ordinary. The spiritually mature will know they need Christ and will not fully arrive at perfection until glory. The spiritually mature see their continual need for their savior. Conclusion Human depravity is deeper than just a few bad decisions. Our condemnation before God is more than just failing to respond in faith, and we need to be more informed to make better decisions. We need more than the persuasion or assistance of Grace. We need the Lord’s radical intervention to regenerate our hearts. Only the Lord can give us that new heart by his recreative power. Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 2 dismantles every attempt to redefine spirituality apart from the gospel. Humanity’s problem is not lack of information but spiritual death. Grace does not merely assist; it regenerates. The spiritual person is not superior, autonomous, or elite. The mature spiritual Christian rests in Christ. The mature spiritual Christians realize the grace that is overwhelmed by the Spirit, giving us a new heart in regeneration. The spiritually mature discern the things of Christ and seek to live for him. Let us be a people who want to live for Christ’s glory as he is at work in us.

God’s Family: Simple and Lowly People (Luke 2:1-20)

Introduction Luke’s Gospel invites us to hear a story that turns the world upside down. Kings reign, empires boast of peace, and yet heaven quietly enters history through a peasant couple in a crowded town. What Luke gives us is not a story of political triumph or cultural success, but divine irony. The true King arrives when the world’s rulers appear to have everything under control. As we follow Luke’s narration, we encounter three surprising groups. First, there are insiders who should have recognized their King. Second, there are outsiders who had no right to believe but did. And last, the compromised witnesses bear witness to the unlikely events. Luke wants us to feel the tension: that the kingdom of God breaks into the world where no one expects it, and through people no one would choose. Evil Insiders? Luke sets Christ’s birth in a world where Christ is supposed to bring world peace.  The problem: Caesar has beaten the Lord to this goal.  It seems that Caesar is calling the shots.  He calls a world census, and Joseph follows the call. We can think about how it is that God is establishing his king, and it is Rome’s king that is driving and calling the shots?  Luke chooses to let that question linger for a moment. One would expect that Joseph, a descendant of David, would simply have a room.  The story has been understood that Joseph is a poor planner.  However, Bailey points out [https://pres-outlook.org/2006/12/the-manger-and-the-inn-a-middle-eastern-view-of-the-birth-story-of-jesus/] that it is not the case. I think Bailey brings out a lot of helpful history regarding Christ’s birth, but we need to note at least two major things: Joseph is in the line of David, but he is tied to peasants.  He does not stay in a wealthy man’s house. (Luke wants us to know this detail) The world is not embracing this child.  This would include Jerusalem, which has failed to welcome Christ. The point is that the people who should embrace the Messiah and welcome the messiah as king are failing to do so.  His being laid in a manger will be echoed when Christ dies.  He is wrapped and laid in a tomb. The insiders in the city of David should roll out the red carpet and secure a palace for Christ.  However, the city is ruled by Rome’s ruler. Has the Lord entered history too late? Strange Outsiders We would expect that Christ’s birth would be announced to priests or diplomats. At least, that is how Matthew introduces Christ’s significance. Christ received a proper greeting that recalls Solomon with the Queen of Sheba. The nations are coming to bring gifts to Christ. Luke makes it very clear that Christ is the peasant king for the simple people. There are shepherds in the field. These would be social and religious outsiders with a reputation for uncleanness. This is not only because the Levites see them as uncouth, but even Rome would not allow them to testify in court. They lacked the credibility and integrity to be believed. However, these men that we would consider outsiders receive the testimony of Christ from Angelic messengers. They see heaven’s glory, and they are moved to find the child. They are moved to report these things. It is ironic that the first witnesses have no credibility to be credible witnesses. Has the Lord failed in his mission? A city that rejects, and now there are witnesses bearing witness who cannot credibly testify in court. Conclusion Luke’s birth narrative reminds us that God’s story does not depend on human recognition, status, or credibility. The insiders failed to welcome Christ, but the outsiders who had nothing to offer became the honored guests of heaven’s announcement. The pattern is clear: Christ comes to the unworthy to make them worthy. The manger and the cross both testify that God’s grace is not earned but given.  Christ is the King who understood the problem of the fall.  He is the priest-king who understood the loss of the fall.  He is the priest-king-prophet who speaks and acts to overcome.  He is the action and word of God.  He is God who has taken on the flesh.  He is God who has come as the servant to be raised as the victorious priest-king.  He is the definitive word from heaven.  Let us bow before him, live in him, and find our lives in him.

Passive and Mindless Muppets ? (COD Head 3,4; Acts 13:48)

INTRODUCTION There are two fundamental ways of reasoning about God and Scripture. There are magisterial and ministerial. Magisterial reasoning approaches theology from above the text, attempting to make doctrines like divine sovereignty and human will fit together through human logic. It concludes that if man truly has free will, then God must limit His sovereignty to allow freedom of choice. Ministerial reasoning, however, submits beneath the text, accepting Scripture’s truths even when they form paradoxes the human mind cannot fully reconcile. The Canons of Dordt seek to use ministerial reasoning and submit our theology to the text. Humanity was created holy but fell into sin at the first temptation, revealing how even perfect free will chose rebellion over obedience. Since the fall, human nature is unable to restore itself. Sanctification, progressively conforming to Christ by the Spirit’s work, is not achieved by moral reform or self-help but by the transforming power of the gospel. PAUL REQUESTED TO PREACH Paul is invited to speak in the synagogue. Paul’s life illustrates the paradox of divine sovereignty and human choice: his dramatic conversion shows God’s direct intervention. One would expect Paul to say that his experience is the norm. When we see Paul preach he does not boast of his experience, but the cross of Christ. Paul normally recites Israel’s covenant history, exalting God’s faithfulness throughout history. Paul makes very explicit that God fulfills his promises in Christ Jesus. In parcticular, that God manifests his wisdom through Christ’s cross. Paul gives the assurance that the cross is overturned in the resurrection. Christ has been vindicated! Paul sees the message of the Gospel as the means that God uses to call his people. He does not see his radical calling as the normal way that God calls people. The Lord normally works through the means of the Gospel to regenerate and renovate man’s core. PAUL’S ACCEPTANCE AND PREACHING Paul does accept this invitation. He preaches the gospel. Paul preaches the gospel faithfully. He follows his normal pattern of recalling God’s significant works throughout covenant history. These are events that the audience already knows. Paul shows that it is Christ who is the ultimate manifestation of God’s faithfulness. Christ secures his people, confirms God’s promsies, and Christ is the Messiah. He is the Lord and Savior. He shows that both Jews and God-fearing Gentiles are invited to hear and respond. Paul accepts the invitation to preach because he knows that faith comes through the Gospel call. The Canons of Dort state explicitly that the gospel call is genuine and serious: those who hear are truly invited to faith in Christ. At the same time, only the Spirit can renew the human will, awakening new desires and bending it toward repentance and obedience. Paul simply retells the redemptive story. They would know this history. Paul believes that as one holds out Christ that he is sincerely calling all the hearers to embrace Christ. (COD Head 3/4 Art. 8 [https://threeforms.org/canons-of-dort/#corruption]). Paul does not see a contradiction of God using a means to call his people to faith. THE COMPLEX OUTCOME The sermon turns to the heart of the theological paradox: “As many as were appointed to eternal life believed.” Some hear and believe. This is in contrast to the others' rejection. However, the sincere call of the Gospel remains unchanged. Here we see both divine sovereignty and human response in perfect harmony. Some try to use “Appointed” in a broader sense. The reality is that this is a particular appointment. The reason that some in the synagogue respond in faith while others do not is that some are appointed to eternal life. Some are not appointed to eternal life. God works through the genuine preaching of the gospel, bringing life to the dead. This means when we believe the Gospel, we have the Spirit. We also need to be careful in who we think is worthy to receive the Gospel. We have no idea who God has chosen. He chose Peter and Paul both to be apostles. Scripture gives us enough insight into them that we can see they are pretty different as people. However, they both faithfully serve the Lord. The Complex Result (Acts 13:48 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts%2013%3A48&version=ESV]) CONCLUSION Believers are reassured that they are not puppets but renewed people whose wills have been transformed by grace. The gospel’s call is both real and effective: all who hear are sincerely invited, and those whom God has appointed will ultimately come to faith. This truth humbles and comforts the church.  We are called to pray for the lost to come to faith.  We are called to send out preachers to proclaim the gracious call. Ultimately, we are called to gratitude for God’s grace that will not fail. We respond, then, not with speculative pride, but with worship and trust in a sovereign Savior who uses the simple, powerful means of the gospel to bring dead hearts to life.

God's Family: Stranger Danger (Matthew 2:1-12)

Introduction There are two kinds of people in God’s kingdom.  Some are in the covenant line, and others are outside the covenant line.   Matthew captures this by showing us that there are insiders (God’s covenant people) and outsiders (those who are not directly tied to Abraham by their family line).  Matthew addresses the issue of whether or not the outsiders can be part of the family or if those who are inside the family can be outcasts.  What determines this classification? Outside God’s Family Matthew begins with the Magi. These men would be pagan Gentiles from the East. They would be astrologers who would advise kings. These are not men that we would see as sympathetic to the Israelites. However, they follow a start that they see in the distance. They come to the holy city, and they encounter Herod the king. One wonders if they will allow this jealous man to discover Christ and execute him. Well, they protect Christ and seek to worship him. The start that they follow is the fulfillment of Numbers 24:17. The great prophet Balaam was going to control the living God. Ironically, he could only speak the Lord’s word. He prophesied the star that would rise from Jacob. This star is promised to be victorious. The star testifies to the fulfillment of God’s prophecy through the prophet for hire, Balaam. The men who were supposed to hate God came to worship God. Inside God’s Family Ironically, Jerusalem should rejoice the most.  This is the city that literally means, “Vision of Peace.”  They should want to commune with God.  The vision of peace is communion with the living God. If the messiah has arrived, Jerusalem should celebrate. We read that Herod and all Jerusalem were troubled. How can this city be troubled by the “Prince of Peace” Arriving in the city of peace?  The problem is that they love their earthly kingdom and have lost sight of the heavenly one. The problem is that the insiders lost sight of what it means to be insiders.  The wise men/magi/magicians/advisoers leave.  They see the star and they are exceedingly joyful rather than troubled.  One has to continually align with the Lord’s priorities as one walks by faith in the Spirit. It does not matter if one has the covenant lineage. It is taking hold of the substance of faith, Jesus Christ, that determines one’s identity. In the Family The city of Jerusalem is troubled, but the pagans from the east have exceeding joy when they see the star above Christ’s dwelling. They journey to the home. The men who are used to the finest banquets enjoy peasant hospitality. The gifts that they offer call to our attention that the Old Testament promise is realized. Psalm 72, Isaiah, and we think of the Queen of Sheba giving Solomon gifts. This shows that they are pledging homage and honoring Christ as king. The picture here is hilarious. These are very prestitious men who gather together to worship Christ the King. They do this despite the earthly appearance. These men are not threatened by the king or the peasant surroundings. They look beyond what they see with their eyes and see with the eyes of faith that the shalom/peace of heaven does not function on fallen worldly terms. The insiders will see Christ despite our worldly expectations. The Spirit will enlighten us to see who the Lord is. We will respond in faith as we walk in the power of the Spirit. Conclusion Christ came into the world to make strangers into sons and daughters. Those who, like the Magi, lay aside their pride. They bow before Him to worship him despite his humble presentation. They empty themselves of their worldly significance. As a result, they find themselves as members of the household of God. it is only in Christ that one finds their true identity in Christ.

For Whom Does Christ Pray? (John 17:4, 9, 20-21; COD 2)

Introduction We spend another week considering the doctrine of Limited Atonement. We examine this doctrine using John 17 and the Canons of Dort. Christ’s pristly work and his compassion is evident as he goes to the cross. Our problem is that we can have a “scarcity mindset” regarding Christ’s work. We might think that limited atonement teaches that there is just enough of Christ’s work to go around. The reality is that this doctrine teaches that Christ’s work is guaranteed to be applied to Christ’s people. Christ does not potentially secure some people, but he certainly secures his people. Christ Accomplishes the Work the Father Gave Him Jesus declares in John 17:4, “I have accomplished the work that You gave Me to do.” This means that Christ is conscious he has an assignment. He has met the requirements for his day’s work. Christ has done his work. His people are not part of a co operative arrangment. Christ did the work that the Father gave him to do. The Canons of Dort rejects the idea that Christ’s death was “without a fixed plan.” Jesus is acting as a servant completing the father’s assignment. If the plan was to save everyone then Christ’s work is sufficient. We will address that potential in a moment. The important thint to note here is that the Father assigned work. Christ consciously accomplished that work. Christ expects his wages. This simply means that Christ has obeyed in the place of his people. He is going to the cross to bear the penalty of sin (Cover/Atone) for the sin. Now, he expects that the father will raise him from the dead. Therefore, Christ’s atonement is not theoretical. It is deliberate, polished, and there are metrics he is espected to meet. Christ knows the expectation and he met the expectation. Therefore, the Father owes him a resurrection. Christ has earned his vindication. (cf. Romans 1:3,4; Romans 4:24-25; 1 Timothy 3:16) Christ Secures His People Now we address the question, “Who are Christ’s People?” The second section centers on John 17:2, 6, and 9, showing Christ consciously interceding for a specific group. This group is identified as, “those whom You have given Me.” This group is still in the world, lives in the world, but is not the world. He possesses full authority over all flesh, but his application is only to the people that the Father has given him. Eternal life, in Jesus’ definition, means knowing God. This means that His people truly experience the blessings of the Spirit as they rightly know God. This is only by the Spirit’s work. (John 3) The Canons of Dordt stands against the Arminian claim that grace universally restores human neutrality by a universal assisting or prevenient grace. The Canons uses the strong language that this revives the Pelagian heresy. The log is: if prevenient grace makes us capable of saving ourselves through faith, then Christ’s death becomes unnecessary. The canons is working out the consistent implication of prevenient grace. The Reformed view maintains that faith does not save; Christ saves. Faith is the God-given instrument by which believers take hold of Christ’s accomplished work. Consequently, Christ’s prayer for “those You have given Me” assures us that the Lord’s people will necessarily receive his blessings. This is not Universal In verses like John 17:20–24, Christ extends His prayer beyond the disciples to include “those who will believe through their word.” When people ask, “Well why do missions?” The reason: God uses a means to accomplish his goal. So, simply here Christ is laying out the general call of the gospel will go forth. When we properly understand that God calls his people normally through the gospel and sees to it that the call will be effective in His Spirit then we have every reason to engage in missions. We know that the work will have an end. This is later in the Canons of Dordt. Christ is very specific about who receives his work. His intent is not to save humanity in general, but to redeem the people who are one with Him and the Father. His work is going to be applied to the people who will dwell with God forever. We might wonder if we are part of Christ’s people. When we consider Judas and Peter we see a stark contrast. Judas,(the “son of perdition” (v. 12) betrays Christ. He takes his life out of remorse rather than turning to Christ. (This is a very specific case of suicide, and not a universal commentary). Peter turns to Christ in remorse. The reprobate never sees Christ as a solution. Peter sees Christ as the only solution. Judas is not having a momentary crises, but it is a whole mindset that fails to see Christ’s mission. So, when we doubt if Christ loves us then we should believe Christ. One who does not have Christ does not care about Christ. If we struggle in our assurance it testifies that we are God’s child, and so believe! Walk in Christ becasue he is your redeemer. Christ’s high priestly intercession continues today. We have the snippet of Christ praying for the protection of his people. We should never minimize prayer. If our Lord does it as the first order to protect his people then we should be following our savior’s lead. Conclusion We need to realize that limited atonement is not cold exclusivism but comforting assurance. It teaches believers that salvation depends wholly on Christ, not our pedigree, or our performing for God’s attention. Faith is how we take hold of Christ. Faith does not save. Faith in Christ saves. It is Christ who saves and faith is the means whereby we take hold of Christ and his his distinc benefits. Christ’s prayer in John 17 shows His compassionate heart: He wants His people with Him in glory. Christ longs for full fellowship, Christ continues to intercede on our behalf. Thus, the doctrine calls Christians to humility, prayer, and gratitude. We are humbled not in our choice for God, but in God’s choice of us through Christ. Because the Redeemer has accomplished His mission and continues to intercede, our salvation stands secure. His faithfulness, not ours, sustains us. That is our peace. Let us walk in faith discerning how to live as living sacrifices unto him.