Reformed Christian Studies

By Dr. Alan Cairns - Posted at Sermon Audio: Preached October 12, 2003 Direct Link:  Trust in God & Keep Your Powder Dry | SermonAudio Proverbs 21:31 KJV - The horse is prepared against the day of battle:  (scripture-images.com)

 By Pastor Benjamin Glaser - Posted at Thoughts From Parson Farms: How the 5th Commandment Reminds Us of a Basic Political Truth Good Morning, Fathers, Husbands, Presidents, Leaders of all stripes should be holy men, who seek the spiritual and physical well-being of their people and those to whom God in His wisdom has granted them oversight. Failure to be men of valor, of truth, and of righteousness is sin, not only personally in that all human beings regardless of position or title are to be holy, but it is a transgression with malice in that those given the charge of headship are to be examples in how they walk in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Our Larger Catechism queries for today detail for us myriads of ways that the kings of old and the politicians (as well as ministers and patriarchs) of today are failing to keep their covenantal responsibilities to God and man. Here are the Q/A’s: Q. 129: What is required of superiors towards their inferiors? A. It is required of superio

By William Boekestein - Posted at Place for Truth: The purpose of your life is to be holy as God is holy. God is “majestic in holiness” ( Ex. 15:11 ). His holiness—his complete lack of character flaws—is the theme of angelic praise ( Isa. 6:3 ). And God aims to manifest his holiness among his people ( Ez. 28:22 ). This will surely happen. Those whom God justified by a declaration of righteousness, he will one day glorify by perfecting in them actual righteousness ( Rom. 8:30 ). But believers must begin to reflect God’s perfection now. The entire Christian journey from justification and glorification is called sanctification. In this process God renews us after his image and enables us more and more to die to sin and live righteously. [i] “Holiness … is the purpose of our justification.” [ii] God delivers his people from the hand of the enemy that they “might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness” ( Luke 1:74–75 ). Hymn-writer Augustus Toplady gets to the point: “We ar

 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in his love, He will joy over thee with singing — Zephaniah 3:17 What a Word is this! Jehovah God in the center of His people in all the majesty of His power! This presence alone suffices to inspire us with peace and hope. Treasures of boundless might are stored in our Jehovah, and He dwells in His church; therefore may His people shout for joy. We not only have His presence, but He is engaged upon His choice work of salvation. "He will save." He is always saving: He takes His name of Jesus from it. Let us not fear any danger, for He is mighty to save. Nor is this all. He abides evermore the same, He saves, He finds rest in loving, He will not cease to love. His love gives Him joy. He even finds a theme for song in His beloved. This is exceedingly wonderful. When God wrought creation He did not sing but simply said, "It is very good"; but when He came to

Presented by Ligonier Ministries (YouTube) Description: Original sin has marred our nature. We are depraved. But how depraved are we? Are we simply less than perfect? What kind of improvements can we make within ourselves to change sin’s effect? In this message, Dr. Sproul looks at the distinctive doctrine of Reformed theology that is often misunderstood—“Total Depravity.” Direct Link:  Total Depravity (Part 1): What is Reformed Theology? with R.C. Sproul - YouTube

 By Dr. Alan Cairns - Posted at Sermon Audio : Preached October 5, 2003 Direct Link:  Maintaining the Cause of the Reformation | SermonAudio Image Source:  https://dailyverses.net/

By Pastor Benjamin Glaser - Posted at Thoughts From Parson Farms: Inferior's Love and Devotion to Superiors at Home, Church, and in the State Howdy! Our catechism questions for today are going to start at the bottom and work their way up. As we have noted before the language here may be somewhat uncomfortable for us. This is because we live in an egalitarian age and the WLC was written in a more biblical time. Part of the tenor of the fifth commandment is that there is hierarchy, and that it is good. Everyone can’t be the same, and if society (including the Church) is to be rightly ordered than it is important that all men and women understand and know their role. A well-oiled and fabricated machine will run forever if this cog and that cog stay where they are supposed to. The second a flywheel decides it would be a better fit as a cylinder then your steam engine is going to go kablooie. God has formed each human with dignity, respect, and purpose. Christians do not base their lov

 Posted at Reformation Scotland: It is likely that the word “superstition” conjures up the idea of some pagan ritual or elaborate ceremony in ancient religions such as Hinduism. A more trivial form of superstition which pervades society, but is not really taken seriously by Christians, is the concept of luck. For those who believe in the working of a divine providence, such practices as crossing our fingers, touching wood, or using some star sign to comfort us, however seriously used by others, are really just foolish or even childish superstitions. The Reformation brought the charge of superstition much closer to home. Not only were the practices of the Roman Catholic church removed as superstitious, but anything that didn’t come with divine authority from scripture was removed from the worship of the church. Indeed, religious ceremonies or practices of any kind were declared unlawful when devoid of a biblical mandate. This sweeping principle removed more than the obvious superstition

Believe on the LORD Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house — Acts 16:31 This gospel for a man with a sword at his throat is the gospel for me. This would suit me if I were dying, and it is all that I need while I am living. I look away from self, and sin, and all idea of personal merit, and I trust the LORD Jesus as the Savior whom God has given. I believe in Him, I rest on Him, I accept Him to be my all in all. LORD, I am saved, and I shall be saved to all eternity, for I believe in Jesus. Blessed be Thy name for this. May I daily prove by my life that I am saved from selfishness, and worldliness, and every form of evil. But those last words about my "house": LORD, I would not run away with half a promise when Thou dost give a whole one. I beseech Thee, save all my family. Save the nearest and dearest. Convert the children and the grandchildren, if I have any. Be gracious to my servants and all who dwell under my roof or work for me. Thou makest this promise to

Presented by Ligonier Ministries (YouTube) Description: Are we as Christians saved by works, or by faith alone? The key to understanding what part works and faith play in the drama of redemption is to understand the biblical structure and role of covenants. Without a proper understanding of covenants we fail to grasp the grandeur of Christ’s life and work. In this message, Dr. Sproul gives us the covenantal framework of redemption that finds full resolution in the work of Christ. Direct Link:  Covenant: What is Reformed Theology? with R.C. Sproul - YouTube

 By Albert N. Martin - Posted at Sermon Audio: Preached October 31, 1980 Description: A special message to stir us to a new appreciation for the blessings of our Protestant Reformation and that great work of the Holy Spirit in bringing the truth home with power to the common people. As true heirs of the Reformation, we ought to have fresh aspirations for and clear direction in continuing the great work of reformation in our own generation. Direct Link:  Our Reformation Heritage | SermonAudio Scripture Text: Psalm 44 (KJV) 1 We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old. 2 How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out. 3 For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them. 4 Thou art my

 By Pastor Benjamin Glaser - Posted at Thoughts From Parson Farms: Good Morning, We are taking only one question today because as we get into the meat of the fifth commandment we need to define terms primarily because things sound different to us than they may have to the writers of the Larger Catechism. That’s an us problem rather than a they problem. As I noted last week we live in a day-and-age where egalitarianism is the water in which we swim. Even for so-called complementarian churches we often speak of roles and responsibilities in a way that is almost always with a tone of apologizing for the way the Bible makes distinctions in regards to who is in charge and who is not. This often comes up when we talk about whether or not men alone are to be ordained and installed in the offices of minister, elder, and deacon or if we are to allow Galatians 3:28 be the controlling verse for all of Scripture when it comes to this subject. Without getting into the problems for how that idea dam

 By David Smith - Posted at Place for Truth: According to The Beatles, love is all you need. Of course, you won’t actually learn anything about love from their vapid lyrics, yet we need to learn about love, if we are to know God, and live glorifying him and blessing others. Unquestionably, 1Corinthians 13 is the text that readily comes to mind when we think of love. There, Paul speaks of the preeminence of love as the greatest human character trait or virtue; greater than faith or hope. It should go without saying that for Paul faith, hope and love are understood in accordance with all of God’s written revelation. It is faith and hope in God, and the love of him of which Paul speaks. Along the way, he delineates what love is. It is patient and kind, does not envy or boast, is not arrogant or rude, does not insist on its own, is not irritable or resentful, does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth, as well as bears, believes, hopes and endures all things. These affirmati

The LORD will be with you — 2 Chronicles 20:17 This was a great mercy for Jehoshaphat, for a great multitude had come out against him; and it will be a great mercy for me, for I have great need, and I have no might or wisdom. If the LORD be with me, it matters little who may desert me. If the LORD be with me, I shall conquer in the battle of life, and the greater my trials the more glorious will be my victory. How can I be sure that the LORD is with me? For certain He is with me if I am with Him. If I trust in His faithfulness, believe His words, and obey His commands, He is assuredly with me. If I am on Satan's side, God is against me and cannot be otherwise; but if I live to honor God, I may be sure that He will honor me. I am quite sure that God is with me if Jesus is my sole and only Savior. If I have placed my soul in the hands of God's only-begotten Son, then I may be sure that the Father will put forth all His power to preserve me, that His Son may not be dishonored. Oh,

Presented by Ligonier Ministries (YouTube) Description: The book of Romans says that we are altogether unrighteous, therefore the grave awaits us. So what can we do? Is there a way to righteousness? How can someone be declared righteous by God? In this message, Dr. Sproul teaches us the most glorious and Christ honoring way, as he affirms that salvation is by “Faith Alone.” Direct Link:  Faith Alone (Part 2): What is Reformed Theology? with R.C. Sproul - YouTube

 By Al Baker - Posted at Forget None Of His Benefits: Preach the word. . . do the work of an evangelist. -2 Timothy 4:2,5 Do you ever fall asleep at church as you listen to your pastor preach? If you watched the movie Saving Private Ryan , did you fall asleep at the opening scene as U.S. troops stormed the beach at Normandy? You probably answered “yes” to the first question and “no” to the second one. Why? Perhaps the preaching puts you to sleep because it does not grab your heart while the tension of the opening of Saving Private Ryan grips your heart with a deep impression of fear and amazement at their heroism. Wouldn’t you love to see your own congregation caught up in glorious worship of Christ as they hear your preacher proclaim His excellencies? We all know how the charismatic churches are able to evoke great emotion from their congregations through music. I am not saying that is all bad, but certainly it can easily lead to manipulation. How much more glorious if a genuine resp