CTK Lord's Day Worship

The grass withers. The flower falls. But the Word of our God stands forever. This sermon on James 1:9–11 considers poverty, wealth, and the temptation to read God’s favor through earthly circumstances—and calls us to boast only in the Lord. Title: The Truth of the LORD Endureth Series: Wisdom for Pilgrims (The General Epistle of James) Main Passage: James 1:9–11 Preacher: Derrick Taylor Date: June...

What grieves us most? The First Commandment teaches us not only to reject false gods, but to be sorrowful when the true God is dishonored. This homily calls us to name our rival gods, repent, and rejoice that Christ has perfectly kept this command for His people. "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." —Exodus 20:3 Title: Rivers of Water Series: Law Homilies Preacher: Derrick Taylor Date: June...

James doesn’t command a feeling—he commands a reckoning: count it all joy when trials come, because God is refining faith into endurance. When you lack wisdom, ask God—who gives generously and without reproach—but ask in faith, not double-mindedness. The aim is maturity: “perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” Title: Her Perfect Work Series: Wisdom for Pilgrims (The General Epistle of James) Main P...

The 10th commandment exposes sin at the root: not just what we do, but what we want. Coveting is discontent that quietly accuses God’s providence—and the opposite of coveting isn’t poverty, but gratitude. Christ frees us by cleansing the heart and giving new desires. "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor...

James opens his letter with a simple greeting—but it’s a word for scattered saints in every age. This Lord’s Day we began a new series in James by looking at James 1:1: a servant of God, writing to the twelve tribes scattered abroad. If you feel displaced, pressured, or disoriented, take heart: disorientation is not abandonment. Christ is Lord of the exile, Lord of the roads His people walk, and H...

Beyond simply prohibiting lies, the 9th Commandment requires us to hold a charitable esteem of those around us. We explore how we fail to protect our neighbors' reputations through gossip and slander, how we judge without sufficient evidence, and where we've allowed hearsay to deceive us into believing lies about others. As fallen people, we are all prone to bearing false witness, especially in ou...

After the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus comes down the mountain as One greater than Moses—not merely delivering God’s Law, but fulfilling it with divine authority and mercy. When the leper comes, Christ does what the Law could never do: He touches the unclean and makes them clean, immediately and completely. This is the good news: Jesus is willing, Jesus is able, and in Him there is no condemnation....

The eighth commandment is more than “don’t steal”—it also calls us to open-handed generosity. God trains us to see our work and resources as a means to love our neighbor, giving freely according to our ability and others’ needs. May the Lord grant us repentance where we’ve clung too tightly, and grace to reflect Christ by cheerful giving. Title: Giving & Lending Freely Series: Law Homilies Pre...

Trinity Sunday invites us to pause and consider not only what God has done in redemption, but who God is: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—eternal love and communion, never solitary, never in need. In Christ, by the Spirit, we are not merely forgiven at a distance but brought in—adopted, welcomed, and taught to cry, “Abba, Father.” Title: The Necessity of the Trinity Main Passage: 2 Corinthians 13:14...

This week’s reading of the Seventh Commandment calls us to honor what God calls good—protecting marriage, refusing to normalize unfaithfulness, and pursuing holiness not only in actions but in heart and speech. Yet even here, the hope of the gospel stands firm: Christ is the faithful Bridegroom who pardons the guilty and strengthens the tempted. Title: Normalizing Faithfulness Series: Law Homilies...

Pentecost isn’t an isolated “Acts 2 moment”—it’s been in the Bible’s bloodstream all along. In Numbers 11, Moses is crushed under the burden of the people, and God answers by distributing the Spirit—not to exalt a structure, but to share the work and spread God’s presence. Even Eldad and Medad prophesy “in the camp,” reminding us the Spirit is not confined to official channels. Moses’ prayer becom...

“Thou shalt not kill” teaches more than avoiding murder—it calls us to love life as a gift from God. We are stewards of our bodies and neighbors, bound to preserve life, pursue purity, and refuse the fear of man. Yet where we have failed the Law, Christ has not: the Just has died for the unjust, and in Him we receive pardon and strength to walk in new obedience.⁠ ⁠ Title: Life as Gift Series: Law...

Purim is more than a Jewish holiday—it’s covenant memory: God overturning the lot, turning sorrow into joy, and teaching His people to remember His deliverance with thanksgiving, generosity, and care for the poor (Esther 9:20–10:3). And the book ends where all faithful deliverance points: with an exalted mediator who “speaks peace” to his people—foreshadowing the reign of Christ, enthroned and fai...

“Honor thy father and thy mother” reaches further than the home: it speaks to every place of authority God appoints. This Lord’s Day we considered the weight of leadership—how superiors can sin by neglecting their duties, using authority for themselves, provoking others unjustly, or modeling evil. The comfort is this: Jesus Christ is the perfectly faithful Superior, who leads with truth and gentle...

This sermon on Exodus 2 unfolds the story of Moses’ birth and early years as a vivid display of the providence of God, who quietly orders every detail—even a desperate mother’s plan, a baby’s basket on the Nile, and the compassion of a pagan princess—to accomplish his saving purposes. Rather than focusing on human heroism, the message presses us to see how the Lord is at work precisely when his pe...

Honoring the Lord’s Day is a gift and a freedom for the people of God, given for us. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. In this homily, we consider where we may have omitted the duties required in the fourth commandment, where we’ve been “careless, negligent, or unprofitable in the performing of them, or grown weary of them.” And in our confession, we look to Christ to strengthen us in faith to joy...

In Esther 9, what was decreed for the destruction of God's people became the occasion of their total deliverance. Not because of human strategy, but because God exalted His anointed and put the fear of His name before kings, rulers, and entire provinces. God's counter-decree answered the decree of death — and it always does. Christ is the greater Mordecai — who waxes greater and greater, whose kin...

This week’s Law Homily returns to the Third Commandment (Ex. 20:7) and presses the question: where are we tempted to be ashamed of God’s truth, grace, and ways? In a culture that rewards apology and compromise, the warning still stands—God “will not hold him guiltless” who takes His name in vain. That sin isn’t only loud blasphemy; it can be the quieter posture of explaining away Scripture, soften...

The signet ring of history is not on the finger of Caesar — it is on the hand of Jesus Christ." Esther 8 shows God's reversals are swift: the enemy overthrown, the righteous elevated, and the decree of deliverance sent to every province. Mordecai's exaltation from sackcloth to royal apparel foreshadows Christ's enthronement — already seated, already reigning, far above every power (Eph. 1:20–23),...

This homily explores the Second Commandment and what it means to worship God rightly. It examines both the restrictions and duties of biblical worship, revealing how acts of worship profoundly affect not only individuals but their children and grandchildren. Discover why God cares so deeply about how He is approached, why cultural religious practices and worldly substitutes cannot replace biblical...

The homily exhorts the congregation to approach the First Commandment (“You shall have no other gods before me”) as a positive call to center the whole heart on the living God—not merely avoiding idols. It describes the duties required as believing, trusting, hoping, delighting, and rejoicing in God, and warns that idolatry often shows up as inward loyalties like control, approval, comfort, reputa...

This sermon on Esther 7 illustrates how God delivers His people through often unseen yet purposeful providence, emphasizing that even when evil seems entrenched, God is actively working for a decisive reversal. It highlights five key moments: the king's question encourages bold prayer and action; Esther's plea showcases her solidarity with her people and contrasts fatalism with the belief that God...

This law homily frames the tenth commandment as targeting “the sin beneath the sin”: coveting is a restless, inward refusal to trust God’s wise providence, and it becomes the seedbed of many other sins—making it impossible to truly honor God and love neighbor. It illustrates coveting through Ahab (who, despite having a kingdom, becomes “heavy and displeased” over Naboth’s vineyard) and Haman (who...

What if the most powerful inheritance you could leave your children has nothing to do with money? In this message, we explore how to pass down a legacy of faith to the next generation—and the one after that. Whether you're a parent, grandparent, or preparing for parenthood, discover what Deuteronomy 6 reveals about faithful discipleship in the home, why consistency matters more than perfection, an...

Guarding Reputations The 9th Commandment calls us to love our neighbor by guarding their name: don’t slander, gossip, spread baseless accusations, or speak with certainty when you don’t have evidence. Ask the simple question: Would I want someone to speak about me the way I’m speaking about them? And take heart—Jesus Christ was condemned by false witnesses and bore our curse at the cross, so we ca...