Madison Reformed Church

In this two stories that take place on Sabbath, Jesus cuts right to the chase about the meaning of the Sabbath. It’s about refreshment and restoration, and he, the Lord of the Sabbath, is the source of these blessings.

In the next controversy in Jesus' ministry, he is asked why he and his disciples don't fast. He  shows us that Christian feasting and fasting all center around him. Because he is near to us, we are a feasting people. But in another sense, he is also far away from us. And because of this, Christians are also a fasting people. 

Jesus came to call sinners, and he demonstrates this by making tax collectors and sinners into his disciples. In this passage from the Gospel of Mark, we see two kinds of sinners—the all-out rebellious, and the self-righteous. Which one are you, and will you recognize your need for a Savior?

The story of Mark 2:1–12 is the first of four stories in which Jesus’ ministry stirs up controversy, all because of his claims to authority. Here he demonstrates his authority to forgive sins by healing a crippled man, an action that leads some to praise God and others to disbelieve.

"Two weeks to stop to spread" was how we were introduced to the lockdowns of Covid19. In this passage, we meet a man whose experience of isolation far outweighs our own. This leper was cast away from society and from God himself. But Jesus enters his life and changes all of that. We  what we learn from Christ is that he opens the pathway into the presence of God. Getting cleaned up is a...

** This audio will be up temporarily**  Having grown steadily the last six months and reached some healthy milestones as a church plant, it seems like a good time to return to our overall mission as a church. Tonight’s meeting seeks to approach that mission with concrete goals and means to achieving them, focusing both on our congregation and on those outside our congregation. The idea tonight is...

In two jaw-dropping events, Jesus steps forward as the faithful Israelite. Like Israel before him, he has passed through the waters and faced temptation in the wilderness. And on this first Sabbath of his recorded public ministry, Jesus begins his holy conquest. In this sermon we learn how his work on our behalf ought to change how we speak and act.

Jesus calls us to follow him on the way of the cross, and when we respond to this powerful call, he promises to extend his call to others through us. In this passage, in which Jesus calls his first disciples, we learn to respond as they did and to become fishers of men.

Jesus' public ministry begins, and at the center of his preaching ministry is "the gospel of God" and the "kingdom of God." In this passage, we learn that this heavenly kingdom has already begun, and we hear his summons to a life of repentance and faith as we wait for his kingdom to be fully realized.

“He ascended into  heaven.” That’s one of the core beliefs of the Christian faith. But what’s it mean? Another way to say it, according to Hebrews 9, is that  Christ ascended into the heavenly sanctuary as a high priest and offered his own blood on the altar. In the Ascension Day sermon, we learn how this priestly work of Christ has cleansed us and all our works.

We're all looking for someone's approval. At the end of the day, that desire stems from our need for God's approval. In this wonderful passage from Mark's Gospel, we learn that our approval before God comes from Jesus, his beloved and well-pleasing Son—an approval that empowers us to withstand even the dark temptations of this world.

Ever feel like life's a wilderness with no way through? In this first passage from the oldest Gospel, John the Baptizer arrives on the scene. He proclaims that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and our way through the wilderness. This one "who is mightier than I" will baptize his people in the Holy Spirit and forgive their sins.

When Christ returns, he'll raise us up and give us bodies of body. This heavenly reality is wonderful,  but we tend to be earthly-minded and forget. In this passage from Philippians, we learn how to wait eagerly for Christ to come again.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ has many benefits for believers, and in this passage from Romans 4, we're taught that "he was raised for our justification." The relationship between his resurrection and our justification, and what use this is to us, are detailed in this Lord's Day sermon.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is for us, by the Spirit, the power of new birth. The Apostle Peter helps us see that this the only hope that will get us through the difficulties of life, as our faith is proved and our praise is lifted to Christ.

At our Good Friday service, we listened to the Passion narrative in John 18–19. In this sermon, we learn especially from the details of John's Gospel what the cross says to us today. This most recognizable of symbols tells us who  we are and who  Jesus  is. He is our savior, who delivers us from both our self-righteousness and our rebellion. (Note: John 18 was read earlier in the service, pri...

In the Bible, “gladness” is a feeling that is usually expressed with loud singing and joyful dancing. And that’s because “gladness” is response to what God has done for his people. In this sermon, we learn that Christ's kingship is our greatest motivation for joy and gladness. In other words, through the Spirit, our King Jesus mades us glad.

Lady Wisdom & Woman Folly have both sent invitations for you to come to their feasts. One feast leads to life, the other to death. But, in our sin and foolishness, we actually struggle to make the right choice. In this final passage from the prologue of the book of Proverbs, we learn that only fear the Lord will guide us to the right feast.

Lady Wisdom tells us that the Wisdom that God naturally possesses becomes our own by faith. This wisdom has been revealed in a beautiful and orderly world, and primarily in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, whose eternal generation is spoken of in this mysterious passage.

It can be a struggle to know how to relate to our governing authorities. According to Lady Wisdom's speech Proverbs 8, there is a common wisdom available to all earthly rulers, if they're willing to listen. And this wonderful fact helps us not to treat our politicians as Saviors, but to pray for them, thank God for any wisdom they have, and look to Christ for salvation and the kingdom to...

Proverbs speaks to many different kinds of people, but in this passage the naïve and the hard-hearted (called "the simple" and "the fool"). Lady Wisdom appears once again to give a speech, and what we find in her words is a pattern fulfilled in our Lord Jesus Christ, who has become to us "wisdom from God" (1 Cor. 1:30). All who listen to his words will come to share i...

The chilling story found in Proverbs 7 depicts a young man taken in by the temptation to commit adultery. Believing all kinds of lies, he "does not know that it will cost him his life." In this sermon we learn that deliverance from the sin of adultery, and its terrible consequences, is found in Jesus Christ—who keep the covenant for us and writes his Word on our hearts.

When a person commits adultery, he puts himself on a path that will lead to a day of vengeance. The wronged spouse will eventually make him pay. But Scripture teaches us that Christ has saved us from the ultimate Day of Vengeance. With this in mind, Prov. 6:20–35 shows us how to cling to Christ to avoid the terrible sin of adultery and to be saved from vengeance—in this life and the next.

The Lord Jesus has secured for us a blessed end and calls us to live out that blessedness even now. This perspective gives us wisdom when we're tempted toward foolish behavior. It helps us to see how foolish behavior ends — in ruin. In this sermon, we encounter three foolish figures (the Naive; the Lazy; & the Wicked) whose lives teach us how to avoid foolishness and live out the blessedn...

On the occasion of a baptism in our congregation, we took the opportunity to look into the wonderful gospel promises of baptism, promises made to believers and their children.