From the Pulpit

Sermon from June 15, 2025 service. Godsgrace Agu preaching.

Sermon from June 8, 2025 service. Brian Hartnett preaching.

Sermon from June 1, 2025 service. Mike Lyon preaching.

Sermon from May 25, 2025 service. Harold Peasley preaching.

Sermon from May 18, 2025 service. Cliff Donaldson preaching.

Sermon from May 11, 2025 service. Josiah Boyd preaching.

One of the main purposes of a midterm exam is to chart the progress of the students. After weeks of readings, lectures, and assignments, a teacher may want to gauge how well the class is retaining, processing, and synthesizing the material presented. Are they getting it? Are they putting the pieces together? Are they learning? In the sixth chapter of his Gospel account, Mark describes a couple of...

Excerpt from April 27th 2025 Sunday service.

Excerpt from 2025 Easter Sunday service.

Excerpt from 2025 Good Friday Service.

While the Old Testament promised that God would one day dwell again with his people, ruling them perfectly, justly, and eternally, Mark announces that that time has come. John the Baptist knew Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of this anticipation (1:7–8). His identity was affirmed by God at his baptism (1:11), confirmed by Satan in his temptations (1:13), and recognized by demons in his ministry (...

Though enduring unspeakable pain, Jesus did speak. From the cross he offered words of mercy for ignorant sinners (Luke 23:34), words of destiny to a dying criminal (Luke 23:43), and words of sympathy to his grieving mother (John 19:26–27). Following closely behind, came words of misery (Matt. 27:46), an agony so profound that its darkness defies human understanding. Then, with words of frailty (Jo...

In the incarnation, God the Son, having existed eternally as God and with God, added humanity to his divinity without diminishing or compromising either nature (John 1:1–3, 14). So, on the one hand, Jesus Christ is, was, and always will be truly God (e.g., John 20:28; Rom. 9:5; Tit. 2:13; Heb. 1:8). We can—and should —sing with full scriptural conviction, “Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see / Hail t...

“My, God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” There may be no sentence in all Scripture that is more difficult to explain than this one. It’s said that Martin Luther fasted and meditated for hours on this verse, and when he finally spoke, it was to declare, “God forsaken of God! Who can understand that ?” Indeed, to fully grasp our Lord’s meaning and experience in Matthew 27:46, we would have to fu...

It is a general truism that people die as they have lived. Those who come to the end of life with bitterness, regret, and harshness are often those who have lived lives characterized by those same qualities. Alternatively, those that approach their final years and months with faith, humility, and gratitude have likely exhibited those virtues in the decades prior. In the nineteenth chapter of John’...

As he neared the end of his life, Michelangelo, the famous Italian artist, wrote a reflective poem that opened with the following stanza: “The voyage of my life at last has reached, / across a stormy sea, in a fragile boat, / the common port all must pass through, to give / an accounting for every evil and pious deed.” With typical profundity and skill, Michelangelo captured the adventure of livin...

Step into the awe-inspiring presence of the Lord as we delve into Psalm 99, a passage that echoes the majesty and holiness of God, just like Isaiah before the throne room of God. The earth trembles, the heavens are declaring His glory, and we stand before a holy and majestic King who is exalted above all. What does it mean to encounter a God who is holy, a God who is just, and a God who is worthy...

The final words of someone’s life can be meaningful and powerful. For example, it was just before they died that Joshua called for courage, Deborah prayed for justice, Hannah sang with gratitude, and Stephen invited repentance. It was at the end of their respective ministries that Peter said “guard the church,” Paul said, “preach the word,” and John said, “Come Lord Jesus.” Final words like these...

Israel was hurting economically, sociologically, and spiritually. The questions they hurl at God throughout this book—questions to which he responds through the prophet, Malachi—are dripping with childishness, defensiveness, and rebelliousness (see 1:2, 6, 7; 2:14, 17; 3:7, 8). Blinded by sin and circumstances, the people had lost sight of the character and promises of “the Lord of hosts.” They sa...

As with most Old Testament prophets, Malachi was sent by God to confront, correct, and console his wayward people. When he arrived in post-exilic Judah, the remnant was doubting God’s love (1:1–5), dishonouring God’s name (1:6–2:9), profaning God’s promises (2:10–16), and wrestling with God’s justice (2:17–3:5). Israel had become frustrated with and fatigued by life, spiritually immature and coven...

The Bible is clear: the God of the universe constantly, perfectly, and impartially does what is right and good. He is just . It was to God’s justice that Abraham appealed when interceding for the godly in Sodom: “Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?” (Gen. 18:25). Moses sang of the Lord, “His work is perfect, for all his ways are just” (Deut. 32:4). The Psalms celebrate a God who “lov...

One of the many wonderful characteristics of God is his faithfulness. He is totally trustworthy, unwaveringly reliable, infallibly dependable, and completely incorruptible. So, it shouldn’t surprise that he expects his people to be faithful as he is faithful, to value fidelity as he values fidelity. Unfortunately, during the days of Malachi’s prophetic ministry, Israel had developed a pattern of u...

God’s people are a privileged people. Through faith in Christ, we receive perfect redemption and eternal salvation, forgiveness and access, belonging and cleansing, mercy and hope. It is beyond amazing! Yet, because these blessings are so permanent and secure, taking them for granted is an ever-present danger. We may forget our unworthiness in receiving them, the immense price paid to secure them,...

Whether one is in the practice of making resolutions or not, there is something about the New Year that encourages reassessment and recalibration. Seeing a new number on the calendar can prompt thoughtful and goal-inspiring questions, such as, “Where do I want to be in twelve months?”, “What changes should I make?”, or “In what ways must I grow?” Similarly, God’s people may find this introspective...

The theological introduction that the Apostle John provides to his account of the life, death, and resurrection of Messiah (John 1:1–18) is as deep as it is lofty, as commanding as it is inviting, and as mysterious as it is familiar. It draws readers close, not only with its infinitely-interesting Subject but with the reverent way it explains and extols him. Simply stated, this passage of Scriptur...