Why the Sacraments? (Genesis 17; Romans 4:11)

Abraham receives the official Covenant of Grace in Genesis 15. The Lord is going to establish his covenant promise through this barren couple. This barren couple will have a son, the seed of the woman (Gen 3:15) will be sustained despite barrenness.

Abraham and Sarah have a crises of faith doubting that the Lord really can give them a son. Their crises and action is recorded in Genesis 16. Abraham and Sarah conspire to use a surrogate mother to establish the Lord's line. They are going to help God establish his covenant line.

In Genesis 17 the Lord gives a sign that symbolizes the promised heir will come through Abraham and Sarah's line. This barren couple will continue the lineage of the woman's seed despite their doubts. Abraham and Sarah both laugh at this prospect, but the Lord is faithful.

In terms of the sacraments we see the the precedent of the parents professing faith, and then the household receiving the sign. We also see how this sign pictures the gospel promise.

God's Orderly Church (1 Corinthians 14:33, 40; BC 32)

Reformed people are often accused of being drab, stoic, or rote. This week we look at 1 Corinthians 14 and consider why our worship is very structured. We consider the Apostle Paul exhorting the Corinthian Church to make sure that their worship is about the Lord and building up the body rather than about personal advancement. Why does Paul exhort them to do all things decently and in order? Why does Paul recall for us and the Corinthian church that God is a God of peace?

Heeding the Gospel Ministry (Hebrews 13:17)

The book of Hebrews teaches us that Christ truly is central and essential. The Old Testament models point to Christ and show the necessity of his work. Hebrews celebrates the truth that Christ is the greater priest who enters into the heavenly places once for all. How does this testify to the faith that we have? What is the ultimate comfort that we have in the Lord?

The Gift of the Gospel (Ephesians 4:11,12; BC Art. 30)

The Apostle Paul says, "11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints, for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ..." Does this mean that the saints do the ministry as the men gifted in interpreting the word teach them or does this mean that the men who bring the word do the ministry? What is the ministry that Paul has in view?

Mark of a False Church (Acts 4:1-22)

The true church desires to bend its neck under Christ's yoke. The true church desires to conform to Christ and build Christ's kingdom rather than its own kingdom. The false church desires to build a kingdom unto itself. The false church claims its own authority and might even claim to uphold the Bible. We know that there is no such thing as a perfect church in this age, but at what point is a false church a false church?

One or Two Baptisms? (Acts 19:1-7; BC 29)

We believe that Baptism is a sign of the covenant and not a sign or our faith. In Acts 19 it appears that the Apostle Paul sees baptism as a sign of faith and the Spirit. In fact, Paul mentions that there are two baptisms. Paul also seems to be saying that we can have faith without the Holy Spirit. What is Paul teaching?

No Salvation Outside the Church? (Ephesians 1; 5:10, BC 28)

Article 28 in the Belgic Confessions says two things that some people find troubling. First, it states that there is no salvation outside the church. What about the thief on the cross? What about deathbed confessions? What about children who die in infancy? Does this mean that the Reformed believed that the church tells the Lord who is in the kingdom and who is outside the kingdom?

The second thing that this article states is that people read that we are not to have fellowship with non Christians. Is the Belgic Confession really teaching that we cannot interact with non Christian people?

One Holy Catholic Church (1 Kings 19; BC 28)

The prophet Elijah is very discouraged. It is strange that he would be discouraged. He has won the battle of the gods and rain has been sent in the land. It would seem that these are good things, and why the discouragement? The rain is not good enough for Jezebel because the Baal prophets have been executed. She vows to kill Elijah. Elijah runs to the wilderness to die, and then to a cave at Horeb. The Lord is going to speak, but what is he going to say? How is the Lord going to sustain his servant through this event? How does the Lord give assurance that his church will be preserved until the end?

One Catholic Church (Psalm 89:36; BC 27)

It is strange for protestants to profess that we are "One Catholic Church" or that there is "One Holy Catholic Church." How can protestants deny being Roman Catholic, but still be a member of the one Catholic Church?

Our Sympathetic Priest (Heb. 4:14-16; 10:19, 23)

Human beings can cast God in our image rather than seeing humans are created in God's image. We fail to comprehend that God desires us to pursue him, and God himself is the priest enabling our pursuit. We can devise our own schemes to please God without hearing the Lord's means to enter into his presence. How do we know that our Lord is gracious in his call? How do we know that our God is a gracious priest who desires us to lay our burdens on him? How do we know that God is the one who has really redeemed His people?

Our One Advocate (I John 2:1; BC 26)

Christ has ascended into heaven. Scripture implies that heaven is above the sky. Heaven is far away, and so is our Lord. This is what we are tempted to think and we can be tempted to think that our Lord is too busy to keep track of us. Is this the case? Should we find others to pray on our behalf because our Lord is too busy? How do we know that Christ has done enough and continues to intercede for us?

Why Study the Old Testament? (2 Peter 3; BC 25)

Peter is the spokesmen for the apostles. In fact, we would expect Peter to silence critics by making an apostolic decree to silence any skepticism of the gospel. Peter does not do this at the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 and he does not do this when he writes his second letter to the church. How does Peter prove that Christ is coming again if he does not just make an apostolic decree? How does the Old Testament prove Peter's point?

Glorious Slaves (Romans 6)

The concept of slavery is appalling because it means that one human being is owned by another human being. So why would the Apostle Paul declare us to be slaves? We are either slaves of sin or slaves of Christ. How can it be glorious to be a slave of Christ Jesus if he owns us?

Living as a New Creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)

The Corinthian church appears to doubt Paul's apostolic credentials because he does not seem spiritual enough or like the guru they have come to expect. Paul encourages the church to shift and reorient their focus. Where is the church called to orient its focus? How does this shift in focus change our priorities? How does this shift in focus conform us to Christ?

Righteousness of Faith (2) (Philippians 3:1-11)

The apostle Paul is one who could be very confident in his fleshly works. Paul himself says that he was blameless by the standard of the law. Why would the Apostle Paul need Christ if he is blameless? Why is Paul's life as a pharisee important for us to know? What does it teach us about being set free in Christ?

Righteous by Faith? (Romans 4:6)

We might want to think that God had two plans for his people. There was a way to heaven for the Israelites and then there is a way to heaven for the Gentiles. However, this is not what the apostle Paul teaches. What does the apostle Paul teach regarding the way of salvation? How do we know that the Lord is consistent in his redemption?

The Power of Faith (Ephesians 1:15-23)

“First, we must understand that as long as Christ remains outside of us, and we are separated from him, all that he has suffered and done for the salvation of the human race remains useless and of no value for us.” - Calvin.

So, are we saved by our faith or by Christ? What is the power of faith?

Our Complete Priest (Hebrews 9:24-28)

One of the frustrating things about Christianity is that we do not have a tangible king. This means that we cannot simply knock on a door and see a king at work. We are a people who are to walk by faith with our eyes peering to the heavens as we sojourn on this earth. How can we be assured that our Lord is walking with us? How can we be assured that we really do have a priest who continues to minister on our behalf?

Our Merciful Priest (Hebrews 2:14-16)

If Christ merely pays our debt for today then we are still in trouble. This would mean that our sins are only covered until today. It is true that God is merciful if he does this, but God does more than merely take a few sins away. God takes all our sins away and restores us to a right relationship with him. In fact, we have a priest who is better than the priests in the Old Testament. How can we have a priest today who is better than the priests of the Old Testament? Those priests were tangible and could look us in the eye. So, why is Christ a greater and more merciful priest?

Our Stable Priest (Hebrews 7; BC 19)

Christ is both God and man.  This is not an easy doctrine for us to understand.  As human beings we want to bring God down so that Christ is maybe a little less God, but still greater than man.  Or maybe his humanity is not so human, but not quite divine.  So, why is it important for us to see Christ as being both God and man?  Why are these two natures so necessary for Christ to accomplish his mission?