Reformed & Expository Preaching

Called to Willingly Obey (Philippians 2:12-18; COD Head 3, 4 RE 6-9)

Introduction Human beings love simplicity. The instinct to “keep it simple” can be helpful, but when applied too rigidly to theology, it can flatten realities that Scripture itself presents with depth and tension. This is especially true when thinking about salvation, grace, and the human will. The Canons of Dort push us to look beneath the surface.  We are invited to ask not only what happens in salvation, but how and why it happens. Using Philippians 2:12–13 as a guide, we explore how grace works, how obedience functions, and how God works.  We work in God’s power.  We move forward by God’s grae. Consciously Obeying in My Absence The fundamental distinction between a Reformed understanding of salvation and an Arminian one is not whether grace exists or whether humans possess a will.  The reality is God created human beings with a will. The key difference lies in what grace does. In the Arminian framework, grace persuades the will.  The Arminian believes that grace enables, but does not interefere with the human will.  Our choice for Christ is left to the action of the human choice. In the Reformed view articulated by the Canons of Dort, grace does something far deeper: it renovates and regenerates the heart itself.  Man will never come to Christ with some assistence.  The fall radically impacts man.  Man is not given grace to enable him to turn to Christ.  Sure, God does restrain sin in this age for a time.  However, his restraint keeps man from being as evil as man can be. It does not give the grace to assist. When God regenerates man then man has new desires.  This is why Paul exhorts us the church to obey in his absence.  It is becasue the will has a new bent, new desires, and new affections. Without this internal renewal, no one would truly want Christ. The gospel message may be intellectually understood, but not embraced.  Regeneration transforms Christ from “someone we can talk about” into my Savior and Lord. Thus, the will still acts (obey in my absence), but it acts out of new affections given by God’s grace. Working out Our Salvation Philippians 2:12 is often misunderstood as teaching that salvation depends on human effort. Paul’s exhortation to “work out your salvation” does not contradict election or sovereign grace. Instead, it assumes them. Paul never apologizes for God’s eternal choosing (Ephesians 1), and he holds that truth seamlessly alongside the call to obedience. Paul writes Philippians under the shadow of possible death. He may never see the church again. His concern is not outward performance in his presence but sincere obedience before Christ.  He is our Savior and our Lord.  The call to obedience is not about earning salvation but about living consistently with who believers already are in Christ. This obedience is conscious, reflective, and active. It involves evaluating one’s life.  It challenges us to reject grumbling against God and distrust. We are challenged to respond to God’s providence with reverence rather than resentment. Obedience flows from assurance, not anxiety of wondering if we really have Christ. God’s people obey the call of the savior. This is not because a pastor is watching.  They obey because their Lord is alive and working in us by His Spirit.  We are joined to our savior. Work Because God is Working A critical error addressed by the Canons of Dort is the idea of “concurrent action.”  This means that God does His part and humans do theirs in parallel. Scripture does not describe salvation or sanctification this way. God’s work is not one force working alongside another.  We are not working in parallel with God.  Rather, God’s power is the source and power behind all genuine obedience.  We obey because God is at work in us. Philippians 2:13 makes this explicit: “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Our obedience is real.  However, our growth is the fruit of the life at work in us.   We act in Christ, by the Spirit, and through grace. This understanding guards against both hyper-Calvinism (passivity and doubt about election) and moralism (self-driven effort). Rather than asking endlessly, “Am I really elect?” Scripture directs believers to ask, “How do I honor Christ?” Desire for Christ itself is evidence of God’s work. Christian liberty functions within the boundaries of God’s law, not as a license to push boundaries.  Christ liberty is the freedom to work out our salvation before the Lord.  We are called to live wisely and joyfully as members of God’s family. Sanctification involves struggle and suffering.  We should see the dying to self giving way for us living to Christ. Conclusion At its heart, we are called to live confidently and actively in God’s grace. Grace does not merely invite; it transforms. God does not co-labor with us as equals; He works in us so that we can truly work out our salvation in this age. Obedience is not dreadful obligation but joyful response. Paul reminds us that the Christian life is neither self-salvation nor spiritual inertia. God finishes what He starts. In seasons of discouragement, believers rest in that promise. Our calling is to live for Christ, but more importantly in Christ. God regenerates. God sustains. God completes.  So let us live for him in joy, and not dread.

God's Family: Consecrated in Perfection (Matthew 3:13-17; Luke 3:21-22)

Introduction We conclude our series of God’s family.  We focus on Christ’s baptism as presented in Luke and Matthew. While critics often point to differences between the Gospel accounts as contradictions, Scripture itself treats multiple witnesses as a strength, not a weakness. Each evangelist emphasizes different aspects of the same event to reveal deeper theological meaning. Luke and Matthew are not competing narrators; they are complementary witnesses. Luke highlights humility, reversal, and inclusion, while Matthew emphasizes fulfillment, covenant faithfulness, and judgment. Together, they teach us not only who Christ is, but what it means to belong to God’s family.  Jesus is the great equalizer.  Luke’s Report of Christ’s Debut Luke carefully crafts a narrative in which social expectations are overturned. He introduces John the Baptist through the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth.  Remember that this is an elite, priestly family. The controversy is that they are barren.  This carries cultural shame.  Though Luke assures us they were righteous, their childlessness would have been interpreted by society as divine displeasure.  Their exalted place in their genealogy is taken away.  They are humbled.  However, the Lord exalts them in his timing.  John’s birth removes that reproach. His birth restores their honorable place.  There is a parallel story of Mary.  She is a peasant woman. We do not know her genealogy.  She is young and should be praising Elizabeth.   Astonishingly, when Mary visits Elizabeth, it is Elizabeth who humbles herself, recognizing Mary as the more significant figure.  The unborn John leaps in the womb, and Mary responds with the Magnificat.  Mary does not exalt herself, but celebrates that God lifts up the humble.  He also humbles the exalted. These stories form the backdrop for Christ’s baptism.  Luke summarizes Christ’s baptism, but he does so after John goes to prison.  This kingdom is established by the humble being exalted.  Christ will submit to death to be raised to life.  The baptism communciates Christ’s movement.  The heavens open and the Spirit descends like a dove.  We would expect judgment like in the flood or echoes in Isaiah.  Luke wants us to see that Christ secures the lowly to exalt them in the new family.  Matthew’s Report of Christ’s Debut Matthew introduces John the Baptist abruptly.  There is no backstory for John.  He appears, and he is preaching.  John arrives as a prophetic firebrand proclaiming judgment. His harshest words are aimed not at moral outcasts but at the religious elite. Matthew wants Israel to understand that covenant membership alone does not equal righteousness. Joseph’s role reinforces this theme. Matthew gives Joseph a voice to emphasize that Christ really is in David’s line (2 Sam. 7 [https://www.esv.org/2+Samuel+7/]).  Matthew shows that Jesus does not merely erase Adam’s sin.  Christ’s mission is to relieve and fulfill Israel’s story.  He is Israel’s messiah who cleanses his people and secures the nations.  This framework climaxes in Christ’s baptism. John recognizes the theological tension: the Messiah does not need cleansing.  John needs his cleansing from Christ. Yet Jesus insists that baptism is necessary “to fulfill all righteousness.”  Christ is submitting to judgment.  The first judgment with heaven opening.  He bears the judgment Israel deserved and consecrates Himself to cleanse His people. Matthew emphasizes that God’s promises move from prophetic assertion to historical fulfillment in Christ alone. What is Baptism? Luke and Matthew do not contradict one another; they emphasize different facets of the same redemptive reality. Luke highlights that the humble  are welcomed into God’s family.  The outsiders and the unworthy people need their exaltation in Christ.  Matthew highlights how redemption is accomplished through Christ reliving Israel’s history.  The elite bear testimony showing that Christ really is king.  Luke shows Christ forming a new international family where identity is grounded in grace, not status. Matthew shows Christ as the covenantal redeemer who submits to divine judgment so His people may live. Together, they proclaim that Christ is both the humble King and the righteous Judge, the one who humbles the proud and raises the lowly by first humbling Himself unto death. The family of God, therefore, is neither a refuge for self-righteous elites nor a consolation prize for the weak.  We must see ourselves as members of a redeemed community united under one Messiah who has borne judgment and secured peace. We are not a worthy people, but a people who have been made worthy.  Conclusion Both Luke and Matthew testify that true shalom is found only in Christ. This is not a shallow peace of tolerance or coexistence, but a restored communion with God. Christ does not merely endure us; He redeems us. He enters judgment, fulfills righteousness, and rises triumphant so that heaven’s verdict of death is overturned. Whether we are tempted to trust in our prestige or despair over our brokenness, the call is the same: find your identity in Christ alone. He is the great equalizer.  We note that the exalted must kneel, the humble are raised, and all who come find life in Him. As we move forward, we are reminded that our entire existence is situated in Christ. As the saying attributed to Luther puts it: Live as though Christ died yesterday, rose today, and is coming again tomorrow. This is not a life of terror, but of confidence. The Redeemer has overcome. Our consecration, our joy, and our power are found in Him alone. Let us live before his face as we walk in HIs power, seeking to conform to Him.

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.