Christ’s Glorious Throne Room (Psalm 110; LD 19)

The apostles' creed teaches that Christ is sitting on the right hand of God. We might think that this makes Christ distant from the Lord. We might think that Christ being distant has no advantage for us today. However we can be assured that as Christ is in heaven we will overcome. We might experience discouragement in our current existence, but we know that we will prevail because Christ has overcome.

#expositorypreaching #righthandofGod #christinheaven #christaspriest #christisenough

(Preached 12.4.2022)

Does Christ's Ascension Matter? (LD 18; Col. 2:8-15)

The Lord promises to walk with us and to be present with us until the end of the age. We would like this to mean that we have visible access to Christ. Our best scenario is that wego to his earthly residence, knock on his door, and personally bring our requests to him. However, this is not what Christ does. He goes to heaven, sits at the right hand of the father, and assures us that this is the best thing for us. Once again we are reminded that this is a problem with our perspective and not a problem with the Lord's provision. We need to see that Christ's ascension into heaven guarantees our place, he prays in the heavenly temple, he guarantees that our glorified flesh is fit for heaven, and he sends the Holy Spirit uniting us to him. These are just a few of the benefits of Christ's ascension that we consider in our sermon.

(Preached 11.27.2022)

#christascended #doctrinalpreaching #expositorypreaching #christisenough #christisrisen

Assurance during Christ Absence (2) (Titus 2:11-15)

We continue to consider that if Christ is in heaven away from us then where is our hope? We can think of the ascension as a doctrine that is not that encouraging or beneficial for us today. However Paul writes to Titus about the ascension of Christ implying that this doctrine is something that is significant. Why is this doctrine so important for us today as we journey through this age?

Assurance During Christ’s Absence (Romans 8:34)

We believe that Christ’s entrance into heaven is a good thing. However, how can it be better that Christ is gone rather than Christ is here with us? It would seem better if we could walk into heaven, open the throne room, and look upon Christ. So how can we be assured that Christ’s leaving us is a good thing in the Lord’s redemptive plan?

How Are We Benefited by Christ’s Resurrection? (John 17:3; LD 22)

We are invited to listen to the last prayer of Christ prior to going to the cross.  What sort of things matter to Christ in this prayer?  What does this prayer communicate about the benefits of Christ’s resurrection?  What information could we even glean about the resurrection if Christ has not even died at this point in His ministry?  So, how are we benefitted by Christ’s resurrection right now?

Why Serve One We Never See? (John 14; LD 18)

One would think that serving the king of this world would be very beneficial.  We would see the king, we would be able to bring people to the king, and we could ask the king for favors. So, why is it good that Christ is in heaven?  Why would we want Christ to be in heaven if we are called to serve Him?  What is the benefit of Christ being in heaven as we sojourn through this earth as His royal subjects?