Sermons from Christ Covenant Church

Most impressive (and encouraging) about the Trinity is their full & perfect unity in their planning and working. What seems like a limitation (Jesus can do nothing but what His Father desires) is a great strength in their union and for all who love God.

Friends are willing, even eager, to share what is going on beneath the surface, even to let us in on deep, relational matters. Here, Jesus begins to tell us about His unique, one of a kind relationship with His Father, because He loves us and wants us to behold our God.

If God had not called us out of the world, we would have become like Sodom and Gomorrah. But just as Abraham intercedes on their behalf - not for God to ignore their sin, but for God to not destroy the righteous alongside the wicked - Christ will intercede for us so long as the Church remains on Earth. Receive the Holy Spirit that destroys the Sodom in your heart now before the time of judgment comes!

Jesus intentionally healed the paralytic on the Sabbath Day … to tear down idolatrous abuse of that good day, to prioritize this poor man’s day of salvation, and to remind us that Jesus is the God who is always working so we can rest.

Much of Scripture comes to us through the theme of promise and deliverance, with the Old Testament characterized by the former and the New the latter. The resurrection of our Lord Jesus from the dead matches that grand theme.

When Jesus healed the paralytic who had found no help or mercy by the pool of Bethesda, He was calling the man to look away from self, systems, stuff, and society … to find wholeness in Christ alone.

When God tells Abraham that his wife Sarah would bear him a son at 99 years old, his first response is to laugh - not because he is in disbelief, but because he is overjoyed that God can overcome all worldly obstacles and that He is faithful to fulfill His promises.

God once again appears to Abram (now Abraham) to reaffirm His covenant with him and establish a sign and seal of this covenant: the sacrament of circumcision. What is the significance circumcision had, and how does it relate to the sacrament of baptism today?

Psalm 49 takes the form of a riddle that asks, “What can save us from death?” Some may try to find security in their wealth, but no man can ever hope to repay what he owes God. Instead, God will pay the cost Himself for those who hear His voice.

Jesus’ ability to heal was not bound by a formula or protocol. So when He demonstrates His ability to heal an official’s son by speaking it, though his son was miles away, He reveals how He timely provides for our needs as well.

“Please stay, to tell us more about Jesus!” This is what all evangelists long to hear. Is this always our sign to stay around, and why did Jesus say no?!

As we close out this bold interview & divine appointment involving the woman of Sychar & our Master, what can we learn about evangelitic witness, from Him, from her, and from the relatively silent & absent disciples?

The woman of Sychar was highly distracted by things of this world, but Jesus continued to present Himself as the living water to quench her real thirst, then make her a fountain of that life for others.

“Taking matters into our own hands” usually leads to folly, and such was the case for Abram and Sarai, who believed they were ill-equipped to bear children as God promised them. But if we choose to wait on God instead as Hagar did, He will bless us.

Why is it that Jesus had to go through Samaria? Why didn’t the infamous impurity of that place & those people keep Jesus away? What more can we see about Jesus from this famous interaction?

Jesus publicly praised John the Baptist, hinting as great teachers do that we should strive to be like this “model.” Do you know, specifically, what Jesus found admirable about His cousin?

Even though Abram has already seen God’s great power at work, he is still afraid that God will not be able to fulfill His promise to give him an heir. He is anxious about misery, sin, and death. But the Word of God comes to him proclaiming, “Fear not,” and reassures him of His promises. We can be just as sure that the Word of God has come to conquer misery, sin, and death for us.

The Sermon on the Mount served as the beginning of Jesus bringing the ideals of God’s Kingdom down to reality. And one of the most sorely-misunderstood aspects of God’s Law at the time was the subject of divorce. Today we ought to heed Christ’s warnings and strive to be faithful, as He will always be faithful to us. Our guest preacher today is Evan Robinson, a minister-in-training currently studying at Birmingham Theological Seminary and church planter in Topeka, Kansas through the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA).

We should not penalize ourselves due to our “familiarity” with this most famous verse. Rather, we should look more intently into this big verse about a big God, big world, big love, & big faith requiring our big response.

Paul in Romans 4 describes Abram as one who “walked in the footsteps of faith.” This included obedience to God, but also times of disobedience; times where his faith was tested through temptation and persecution; and times where he questioned his faith, followed by God confirming His covenant with him.

There is an element of offense in the gospel, seen even in one “picture” God gave us of it, the uplifting of the bronze serpent by Moses in the wilderness. But those who are born from above are glad to look up, and to look away from themselves.

Here we see a recorded conversation between two rabbis (teachers): Nicodemus and Jesus. One rabbi came in with flattery which disguised his ignorance about the most important spiritual truths. The other Rabbi shows us how critical it is for all teachers & students to know the regeneration precedes faith if one is to be saved at all & born from above.

Man’s attempt to reverse the curse of sin and recreate paradise failed, but God did not leave man hopeless. Thus God chose Abram - a nomad with no heir who practiced idolatry in Babylon - and promised to bless the nations through him. God would indeed reverse the curse of sin for all nations through Abram’s descendant, Jesus Christ.

This first temple-cleansing by Jesus teaches us much about the rights of the Son, the purpose of the Passover & temple & sacrificial system, ways we reveal our impurity, and the consuming zeal Jesus has for this house & body.

Humanity longs to return to the paradise God banished us from, so we often attempt to build our own paradise on Earth. But so long as sin exists, any paradise we build cannot last - such was the case of Noah after the Flood and of the founding of Babylon. Only the paradise God is building will last forever, and we see Him beginning to build it even in the immediate aftermath of the Flood.

Given the prominence of the several versions of The Great Commission along with the heavy Biblical emphasis on sowing & reaping (spiritually understood), Christians & our churches must push against the world’s resistance and our own excuses so we are investing well in the practical sharing of Christ with many, especially those who are not walking with Him today.

The Flood was an outpouring of God’s wrath on the corrupted world, yet it was also a display of His grace. Noah and his family deserved to die like everyone else, yet God showed grace to preserve them from His wrath through the Flood, and preserve them from His wrath after the Flood by establishing His covenant with Noah and his descendants.

John selected seven of what must have been thousands of Jesus’ signs, to highlight His manifold care & compassion, His power over all that could hinder us, and His obvious divinity.

As man began to increase on earth after the Fall, there arose a distinction between those who identified themselves with the world and were corrupted, and those who found favor with God and were defined by their calling upon Him. We must therefore be heralds of righteousness in this sinful world just as Noah was.

Jesus began to glorify Himself & His Father through signs, at a wedding. This teaches us much about Jesus, human life, priorities, and the wondrous grace of God.

John the Baptist proved to be a faithful and truthful “witness” about Jesus by proclaiming and portraying that Jesus is God the Son, the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. This witness would cost John much, but he was willing to fulfill the assignment. What does your life “witness” or testify most clearly? Ask those who love you most.

What happened to Paradise? Because of Man’s sin, the whole Creation has fallen into sin. But what fell by sin God restores through grace. In Genesis 3, we see the beginning of both.

John brings clarity now, that this Word who is God & with God is Jesus Christ. Already the beloved disciple is teaching us that Jesus is God and truly man, God with us, the fullest expression of God’s glory, & the perfect meeting place for grace & truth.

At the outset of the grand gospel drama, we are introduced to five characters: John the author, John the washer, the world which is largely lost & dark, God’s own people who are in this world, and the Light / Life who is either worshiped or rejected.

The Word of God is the door that transforms us into the image of God by faith. This is the attitude and approach we must have as we examine Scripture, particularly as we prepare to study the narrative God lays out in the book of Genesis.

John chose to open his Gospel with the same two words that open Genesis (in Greek), and he thrice highlighted Jesus as “the Logos,” a startling claim among Greeks. John also displayed Jesus as eternal, personal, relational, and the sustaining Power under all things.

In line with John’s own statement of purpose for his Gospel, we will rejoice to see Jesus as THE Christ (Messiah), THE Son of God (God the Son), that by believing in Jesus as THE Provision for all we need, we will enjoy real life in His name. Enjoy the journey!

The condition of sinners is not merely a spiritual sickness, as that would imply we could heal ourselves of this condition. Rather, sinners find themselves dead in their sins - a condition that requires divine intervention to be healed from. And God, because of His great mercy, has provided that divine intervention for us in the person of Jesus Christ so that we might live and have our identity in Him. Our guest preacher today is Dr. Eliah Massey, a Pakistani missionary and founder of the Urdu Center for Reformed Theology.

The Psalms describe the Church’s shared experience across the old and new covenants, and nowhere is this more evident than in Psalm 118. The same words that Israel sung as they remembered their deliverance from slavery in Egypt, we can sing as we remember our deliverance from slavery to sin. Our guest preacher today is Stan Copeland, a retired pastor in the RPCNA from Quinter, Kansas.

This lone psalm/prayer of Moses is also a wilderness song, with sad realities of an Ecclesiastes-type life. Can there be comfort, purpose, and hope out there in the wild places?

This “refugee Psalm” cries out to God with a healthy desperation we’d be wise to emulate. May God give US the life & breath to cry up to Him, that His face may shine on us again, and we will be saved.

In Christ, God is with us, before us, and before us in life’s trials & temptations. Our guest preacher this week is Benjamin Campbell, a minister currently licensed in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and is a candidate in our search for an associate pastor/pastoral intern.

The seven “enthronement psalms,” and all psalms really, emphasize God’s sovereign glory and universal kingship. Details matter: What kind of royal is God and how does that impact His people & realm?

This psalm comes across as if written by one going through great duress, which is what betrayal does to us. Is there help and are there solutions for those experiencing this world’s injustice?

The fourth of the classic, early 1900s “fundamentals of the Christian faith” is that Jesus’ resurrection from the dead was literal, physical, and real. Is that true? Is it important? Does it matter, practically?

Even if/since it is the Spirit’s mode of operation to be subtle, shining His light on Father, Son, or truth … our Savior dedicates a good portion of this supper to teaching us about the great Teacher He would send, the Spirit of truth. There are so many benefits that come to recipients of this Gift.

This royal psalm leaves us lamenting that such a zealous, righteous king does not exist “in the real world.” Or does He? King Jesus is THE perfect King, and He empowers humble stewards to work out justice and mercy in their domains.

The Epistle of Joy, Philippians, does not fail to provide us with “receipts,” evidences & reasons for our joy in the Lord. These pertain to His provision & care as our Shepherd and Father, along with countless graces we have in Christ, now and to the ages of the ages.

Paul’s contentment in the generous provision of God works together with his commendation of a faithful congregation remembering him practically. This prompts us to consider how our worship, witness, and joy may increase through charity.

God gave Noah and his family a new covenant when they stepped off the ark very similar to the one He gave to Adam and Eve. This covenant displays God’s mercy in promising to never flood the earth again, but also reflects the fact that the flood did not wash away man’s sinfulness. So how do we obey God’s command to be fruitful and multiply in a fallen world? Our guest preacher this week is Jonathan Haney, who currently serves as the pastor of the Clarinda Reformed Presbyterian Church in Clarinda, Iowa.