Worship Elements: Communion: Core Warning (1 Corinthians 10:14-22; 11:17-34)

Paul, the apostle, gives a very stern warning to the church communicating a warning to Corinth that some people have died in the congregation because they have not appropriately approached the sacrament.  This is a passage that can make someone approach the supper with great caution.  In fact, someone might not want to come to the supper at all considering that there are people who have died in the past.  Why would we come to the Lord’s table when there is such a stern and fixed warning in Scripture? 

Salt and Light (Matthew 5:13-16)

Jesus tells his disciples that they are the salt of the earth and they are to be the light on the hill.  This sounds like Jesus is giving us very strong directives, but what does it mean to be salt and light?  What do these commands imply about our Christian life?  What does it look like for us to live out this ethic? 

Certain Assurance (Matthew 5:1-12)

Jesus takes his stand on the mountain to teach the crowds and his disciples.  This should be a sermon that is full of good news.  This is expected to be a sermon where Christ promises absolute victory.  However, Christ talks about mourning, oppression, and persecution.  How can Christ’s message truly offer us hope?  Has the kingdom failed in some way? 

Worship Elements: Communion: Passover (Ex. 12)

The Lord’s people have been enslaved for 400 years and doubt whether or not the Lord is really with them.  The Lord promises that his people will not remain in slavey.   So, what how is the Lord going to deliver His people from this time of slavery?  What is Israel going to do in light of this deliverance that the Lord promises? How does this deliverance pave the way for the Lord’s Supper? 

Worship Elements: Communion: Sacrifices (Leviticus 7)

Moses lays out the expectations for the sacrificial system with Israel. Moses communicates essential points of this sacrificial system from Leviticus 7.  This chapter teaches us that there are feasts anyone can eat, other feasts only the priests, and then there are offerings that are not eaten at all by the priests.  Why does the Lord have some meals with his people?  Why does the Lord have some meals with the priests?  What does any of this have to do with the Lord’s Supper?

Jesus' Public Ministry (Matthew 4:12-25)

Jesus announces that the kingdom of heaven is present.  This is great to hear, but what do we do with John the Baptist being arrested?  What do we do with Christ retreating to Galilee?  The issue then: how can Christ say that the kingdom is present when the context of this chapter seems to contradict His message? 

Worship Elements: Pleasing to the Lord (Colossians 3:18-4:1)

The apostle Paul exhorts fathers, wives, and bondservants to live out their lives before the Lord’s face.  The Lord does not only exhort adults to life a life pleasing to the Lord, but Paul also exhorts children.  Why would Paul exhort children to obey their parents for that pleases the Lord?  Could there be implications in this exhortation for baptism?  

Jesus’ Tempations (Matthew 4:1-11)

We believe that Jesus is Immanuel or God with us.  He is enters history to save his people from their sins.  So, if Christ’s mission is to save his people from their sins then why is he wasting his time in the wilderness?  Why would Christ spend this time being tempted rather than just go to the cross? How can these temptations be so essential for Christ’s mission?  How can these temptations be essential for Christ’s mission to save his people from their sins? 

John’s Baptismal Concession (Matthew 3:13-17)

Ministers do not like to be wrong, and we really do not like the find out that we missed the point of a text.  We could say this is pride, but the honest truth is we want to handle God’s word competently.   I wonder how John the Baptist felt when Christ came to him for baptism.  It must have been strange to see the one who delivers his people from their sins to be identified with sinners.  Why does Jesus need to be baptized? Does this contradict John’s message regarding the fire baptism that is coming? 

Worship Elements: You and Your Children (Acts 2:39)

Peter takes his stand in the midst of the skeptics in Jerusalem.  Peter makes the point that the Lord was sent to the cross by these wicked men who listen to Peter’s sermon.   What does baptism have to do with Christ’s mission and the reception of the Holy Spirit?  Does Baptism have any correlation to the Old Testament?  Why does Peter say that the promise is for you and your children?

Worship Elements: Baptized in Christ (Romans 6)

The apostle Paul exhorts us to walk in the Spirit as people who have moved from death to life in Christ.  He also exhorts us to walk in light of our baptism moving us from death to life in Christ.  Is Paul teaching that as one receives baptism that one necessarily receives the Holy Spirit?  Why would Paul use such strong language regarding baptism? 

John's Fire Sermon (Matt. 3:1-12)

John calls the current leaders of Israel a brood of vipers.  This is not very flattering.  In fact, such speech would most likely put you at odds with the current leadership.  Why would John use such language?  What can we learn from such a harsh sermon? 

Circumcision and Baptism (Col. 2:11,12)

One can see the force of the argument that circumcision is a fleshly covenant which is tied to the flesh while Baptism is a sign that communicates spiritual renewal and spiritual washing.  It is conceivable to think that maybe Paul is making a historic progression meaning that we move from circumcision, fleshly covenant, to baptism, a true spiritual realization, after Christ’s coming. So, why would people baptize infants if the Lord has changed the significance of the covenantal sign?

Herod the Horrible (Matthew 2:13-22)

Herod, the king of the jews, is someone who should see that Christ’s entrance into history validates the jewish kingship.    However, Herod does not react in joy, but he acts in a horrific way to the news of Christ.  Herod demonstrates the horror of human depravity. How can the Lord triumph over this tyrannical man?  Is this man able to usurp the Lord’s power? 

Worship Elements: Sacraments Uncircumcision (Leviticus 26:41)

So often people think of the sacrament of circumcision as a physical sign while baptism is a sign of Spiritual renewal.  So, these signs might point to Christ, but they have radically different intentions.  When we survey scripture we find that this is not necessarily a true distinction with circumcision being physical while baptism is spiritual.  In fact, Moses teaches that one being uncircumcised is stating that one is not walking in power of the Lord.  So, can we really say that circumcision is not a spiritual sign? 

The King of kings (Matthew 2:1-12)

Strange star gazers from the east come to worship Christ.  These are men that we would expect to be hostile to the mission of Christ, and do everything possible to destroy Christ.  We would expect that Herod who is the king of the jews embrace the Messiah for the Messiah is God with us.  How can strangers expected to be opposed to the Messiah’s mission show the power of the Messiah’s mission? 

Worship Elements: Sacraments General (Romans 4:11)

The Apostle Paul speaks Abraham first having faith and then receiving he sign. This would seem that the sacraments are a sign of our faith rather than a sign of the covenant.  This has profound implications because this would mean that first we would profess our faith and then receive the sacrament.  So, why would we as reformed people baptize infants if this contradicts the Apostle Paul? Why would infants potentially receive the sign if they have not first professed faith like Abraham did? 

Our Jesus Emmanuel (Matthew 1:18-25)

Joseph is to be the father of Jesus.  He is to find his significance in Christ’s advent.  How does Joseph finding his significance in a baby demonstrate the beauty of this kingdom?  How does Joseph finding his significance in Christ demonstrate our call to humility? 

The Genesis of Jesus (Matthew 1:1-17)

This is a strange title because we believe that Jesus Christ was not created, but is from all eternity.  So, are we unorthodox in this statement about the Genesis of Jesus?  Is Matthew unorthodox when he talks about this genealogy being the beginning of Christ?  Or does Matthew intend something different?

Worship Elements: Preaching: Word or Gospel? (2 Timothy 4:1-5)

We have been considering at the language of the Belgic Confession that identifies the preaching of the Gospel as a mark of the true church.  If the reformers claim that a mark of the church the the preaching of the gospel then why does Paul exhort Timothy to preach the word?  Does our confession need to be rewritten?  Does Paul understand the preaching of the word to be the preaching of the Gospel?