Edwards emphasized the imminent danger of living in sin and the urgency of seeking salvation. His exclamation, “There is nothing between you and hell but the air; ’tis only the power and mere pleasure of God that holds you up,” is a stark reminder of the precariousness of life without Christ. Edwards’s message was a... Continue Reading

When we are convicted of sin, called to repentance, and longing for righteousness and peace, prophets such as Zechariah point us to the Messiah whose servant leadership as Priest and King realizes these righteous aspirations and longings. “They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. They will call upon my name and... Continue Reading

The vision of the heavenly throne ends with all of creation and all of God’s redeemed worshiping the one seated upon the throne and the Lamb. When Daniel’s vision was sealed, when Ezekiel and Isaiah saw the throne, their visions were incomplete because they did not yet see the Lamb who was slain. For it... Continue Reading

It is a dangerous way of thinking to consider ourselves outside the need of the means of grace, outside the call to sanctification. Often we do not take advantage of worship, prayer meetings, the Sabbath Day, singing, etc… because we don’t think we need it. Brothers and sisters, if this catechism question teaches us anything... Continue Reading

When the Old Testament Israelites traveled with the tabernacle, and when they camped around it, they could rightly say, “God is with us.” But the tabernacle was a shadow, a type, of something greater—Someone greater. Jesus is the true and greater tabernacle who came to dwell among sinners. He is Immanuel, God with us.   The opening... Continue Reading

God was faithful to His Word and He will continue to be so forevermore. Thus, no matter how bleak things may look for a time, these realities stand true and indisputable: Christ came, Christ died, Christ rose, and Christ conquered. And He now reigns as the uncontested Lord of heaven and earth.    And I... Continue Reading

You don’t need “extraordinary revelation” to know that you are a child of God. Through the ordinary means of grace—listening to God’s voice and using his ordinances—true believers may “be certainly assured that they are in the state of grace, and may rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” Only Jesus’s blood shed... Continue Reading

The infinite became finite; the eternal and supratemporal entered time and became subject to it. The immutable became mutable. The invisible became visible. The Creator became created. The sustainer of all became dependent. The Almighty became weak. God became man.   Christianity displays a supernatural view of the cosmos. The origin of the universe was... Continue Reading

Every time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we think about the past, and we remember that there is a future for the people of God; that we are having a foretaste at the Lord’s Table of that ultimate fellowship we will have with Him in heaven.   The Lord’s Supper is a rich sacrament full... Continue Reading

While still in her womb, John helped his own mother prepare for the coming of the Lord. She then encouraged Mary in her preparation for the coming of the Lord, the One she was carrying at that time. After Elizabeth’s encouragement, Mary breaks out into song, the Magnificat, uttering words that have not only instructed and encouraged millions of... Continue Reading