Madison Reformed Church

Jesus miraculously feeds a great multitude for the second time in this Gospel. Why are both of these stories in Mark? They're there to press us toward a deeper understanding of who Christ is, to have our eyes opened to who he is, and to be satisfied in him. But finding satisfaction in Christ also mean rejecting some things that get in the way.

Scripture teaches us that we are born in sin because of Adam's fall and disobedience. But is it fair that we are punished because of Adam’s sin? Why does God punish sinners at all? Let’s look at three answers to that question: because we are sinners, because of his law, and because of his majesty.

The world and all humanity were good before sin came into the world. And it is only by seeing how wonderful and cherished the created world is that we can rightly see how very low we have fallen, and how desperately we need the same Spirit to recover it.  

When Jesus heals a man who can’t hear or speak properly, he reveals to us our own need.  In this passage from Mark 7, we learn that true healing comes from Jesus alone, the promised Messiah, who unstops our deaf ears and releases our mute tongues.  And we must learn to listen and speak as he commands.

God demands perfect love for Him and our neighbors, but our response is actually an inclination toward hating them both, and Christ alone is the remedy. In this sermon, we look at the Law of God—what it is, what it reveals, and what it requires. 

The blessings of the Kingdom are like bread being given to children at a feast. And these blessings are so wonderful that even the crumbs that fall off the table are worth eating. In Mark 7:24–30, we learn that people from everywhere are being invited to this table to feast as the children of God, even those who are far off and defiled, and we ought to approach the table to eat.

Many good morality stories warn us to be humble instead of prideful. But Scripture alone gives sufficient reason to be humble: the command to be humble and the promise to be exalted has already be embodied by the Savior Jesus, and because we are exalted through him, all the benefits of Christian humility come into clear focus. 

The Heidelberg Catechism is a summary of the main teachings of Christianity, put in Question & Answer format. In this sermon, we cover Scripture's teaching about our misery in sin, God's grace in the gospel, and our thankful response, otherwise known as  guilt, grace, and gratitude.

When God does a new thing, he gives us a new song to sing about it. He acts, and we praise. In this Christmas Day sermon on Psalm 96, we find ourselves caught up in the song that heaven and nature are singing, a new song about the wonderful work of salvation, accomplished by the Savior.

In this last sermon in our series on the 10 Commandments, we learn that coveting is when our desire goes wrong. Either we want something that God says is bad, or we want something more than we want God. Scripture shows us that this tenth commandment is deeply related to the first—Paul says "covetousness...is idolatry."

The full Festival of Lessons & Carols — 9 Scripture readings and carols telling the story of redemption. A 10-minute reflection on Luke 2:14 begins at 37:25.

There’s a mystery at the center of Scripture too. Many puzzle pieces are given throughout.  Paul explains here at the very end of Romans that God has revealed this mystery to be a powerful message—the gospel about Jesus Christ. And when we receive that message, we grow in faith and in obedience.

Sociologists have called this the “ information age.” With all this data and all the facts of history and the sciences at our fingertips, we have never been more confused about what the truth actually is. The ninth commandment—you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor—is grounded in God himself. To tell a lie is to go against God himself and his reality. But we are called to uphold Go...

Ever felt like throwing in the towel on your faith? The world that Zephaniah spoke to was a complicated. Our world is different, but still complicated. And the people of God then and now have faced temptation to give up. But Zephaniah had some good news: "The King is in your midst," and this King is our Lord Jesus Christ, who has come to save.

The 8th commandment—you shall not steal—speaks directly to our attitude about possessions: money and property. In this sermon,  we look at the marks of greedy stewardship on the one hand, grateful stewardship on the other, and how Christ makes the difference.

At the heart of Psalm 72 we are introduced to a King whose reign and rule are so wonderful that all nations, people, and even all kings of the earth bow before him to bring him gifts. This Psalm gives us a glimpse of what the Kingdom of God is like with our Lord on the throne—a Righteous, Universal, & Everlasting King.

Renewed by the Holy Spirit, we are called in the 7th Commandment to avoid adultery and all sexual sin. This can be true of us because of how the Lord has acted toward us and for us, specifically in terms of his commitment to his people  and especially through his purifying blood shed on the cross.

In Isaiah 63–64, a watchman was set upon the walls of Jerusalem, who prayed that the Lord would "rend the heavens and come down." This prayer was answered climactically in the first advent of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God who took on our flesh. In this sermon from the 1st Sunday in Advent 2022, we learn how to pray this same prayer with joy and repentance.

In this catechism sermon on the 6th commandment "you shall not murder," we learn that with Christ’s help, we are not only to keep ourselves from the root of murder (which is hatred), but we are also called to do the opposite of murder, which is to preserve and protect our neighbors. 

To know God is to thank him. He is not only the Almighty God, but kind and generous to his people. And this is supposed to lead us to constant gratitude. But if we're honest, we're not very thankful people. In this sermon from our Thanksgiving Eve service, we learn from Romans 1 the reasons why we are to give thanks to the Lord.

Jesus has no problem with tradition, unless tradition is treated as more important that God's Word. In this passage from Mark 7, Jesus demonstrates that no man-made traditions can deal with our greatest problem—defiled hearts.

Parents and children alike are sinners in need of the grace of God. In this sermon on the 5th commandment "Honor your father & mother," we explore the ways that God being our Father equips us to obey this command.

Nate Osner (Reformed University Fellowship, Purdue) teaches from Matthew 7 with the guidance of the Westminster Shorter Catechism to helps us understand what prayer is and what prayer is not .

Nate Osner (Reformed University Fellowship, Purdue) opens up a passage in Galatians where the Apostle Paul challenge us with this questions—will you belong to Ishmael in a slavery of your own righteousness or to Isaac and the promise that God's righteousness has been given to you?

In this story from Mark 6, Jesus walks on the water, and the disciples respond to him with hardened hearts. One of the most common temptations that we face as Christians is to harden our hearts to the Lord—to misunderstand who Jesus is and what he has done for us. Instead, we are called to recognize him as the Lord of glory and receive his benefits.