The Gift of God’s Word
God has given us His Word, the Bible, to feed us, guide us, point us to Christ, and show us how to live in a manner that is pleasing to Him and for our good.
Matthew 4:4; 2 Timothy 3:14-17
What is the Lord’s Supper?
This teaching covers question 78 of our catechism. The Lord’s Supper is the sacramental meal Christ commanded all believers to eat, in which the death of Christ for our salvation is represented in the breaking of the bread and the pouring out of the cup, and through which the believer spiritually feeds upon Christ, giving thanks to God as the elements are received in faith.
Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:16
What Is Water Baptism?
Water baptism is the sign and seal of our union with Christ and the cleansing He provides for sin, a means of grace to provide strength in our struggle against sin, and the medium through which we testify of our faith in Christ and membership in the church.
Colossians 2:9-15; Romans 6:3-7
Moral Decay In the Last Days
We live in the last days, which are terrible times marked by moral decay and deception, but the Gospel and Spirit provide power to deliver us from the dominance of sin and error.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
The Two Ways
There are two ways, one of life and one of death, and there is a great difference between the two ways.
Psalm 1
The Beautiful Community – Humble Servanthood
If the Church is to be a beautiful community of unity and diversity, we must walk in humility, being willing to sacrifice our own rights in order to serve our brothers and sisters.
Philippians2:1-11
Empowered By the Spirit
We are to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit, Who empowers us for the mission of God in the earth today.
Acts 1:8
My Only Comfort – Part 3
Question 98: Knowing all of these things, what is your only comfort in life and death?
Knowing all of these things, what is your only comfort in life and death? That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Savior Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, that all things must work together for my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, from this day forth, to live unto him.
Romans 8:12–17
Guarding the Heart
The key to godly character and a life blessed by God is carefully guarding our hearts because the state of the heart determines actions and character.
Proverbs 4:20-27
Lust
Lust is a disordered love that excessively craves my own sexual pleasure, desiring it more than true intimacy with God or others.
1 Thessalonians 4:3-8
Gluttony
Gluttony is a disordered love that excessively craves food and drink, attempting to fill spiritual hunger with material fare.
John 6:26-29
Greed
Greed is a disordered love that excessively craves created goods and possessions, desiring them more than the Creator Himself.
Hebrews 13:5-6
Sloth
Sloth is a disordered love that that does not desire God, His works, or the vocations He has given me, but finds them boring, refusing the effort to love and serve God and others.
Proverbs 26:13-15
Wrath
Wrath is a disordered love that desires justice to be enacted in my time, manner, and degree rather than in God’s.
James 1:19-20
Envy
Envy is a disordered love that is dissatisfied with the lack or perceived insufficient measure of gifts and vocations given by God, and which resents another person for the presence or greater measure of those same gifts.
Proverbs 14:30
Pride
Pride is a disordered love that seeks to exalt myself above God and His will for my life, refusing to accept my God-given limitations.
Proverbs 16:18
The Seven Root Vices
In our struggle against sin, it is important that we learn to cut the root vices that feed sin, and to practice habits that encourage virtues that feed godly character.
Proverbs 5:21-23
Christian Moral Formation
Christian moral formation is the lifelong process of putting off sins, putting on Christlike virtues and being renewed so our thoughts and desires are like Christ.
Ephesians 4:20-24
The Power of God in the Obedience of Christians
Our life of humble obedience to God is not a historical accident but a foreordained and sure plan for sanctification that is patterned after Jesus Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Philippians 2:12–18
A Holy Sexuality
A Christian must be holy in their sexual conduct, avoiding all sexual activity other than a man and woman within marriage.
1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
Sardis: The Dead Church
The church must be alive and alert, not living off past faith and deeds, but nurturing a vital, continuing walk with Jesus and opposition to Satan.
Revelation 3:1-6
There’s Something About (the Virgin) Mary
Was Mary a virgin after Jesus’ birth? What is the biblical view of sex?
Matthew 1:18-25
Authentic Regeneration and Its Effects
Christians have been regenerated, given a new nature, so that they can not embrace a Satanic life of lawlessness and sin.
1 John 3:4-10
An Authentic Eschatology
An authentic eschatology does not promote speculation about signs, but rather an eager hope for the completion of our salvation that is fueled by purifying ourselves from the practice of sin now.
1 John 2:28-3:3
Authentic Faith In A World Of Illusion
We must resist this fallen world, remembering that authentic, eternal life and joy Is found in God, not in this fading evil order of illusion that is passing away.
1 John 2:15-17