Madison Reformed Church

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.

How can we turn away from the temptation to commit adultery—whether in our hearts or the actual act itself? Only by becoming pure through Jesus Christ. Our Wise King not only gives us his own purity, but empowers us daily to walk in that purity. Find out how in this sermon.

The wise father of Proverbs 4 teaches us that if you have a crooked heart, you'll have a crooked life. But a healed heart leads to a healed life. In this sermon, we are instructed to look away from any program of self-healing, and to look to Christ to heals our hearts when we listen and learn from him.

There is a path of darkness that fools continue down, and a path of light that the wise walk upon. The difference isn't whether we have gotten ourselves to get on the right path, but if we've turned away from our wickedness and trusted in Christ. It is his light that makes the pathway of the wise a well-lit path.

"Get wisdom!" That's one of the main commands of Proverbs 4:1–9, and it demonstrates that wisdom is worth whatever it takes to get it. In this passage—one of three short lessons from a father to his sons in chapter 4—we learn that the tried and true teaching of wisdom is that is comes from Jesus Christ and will benefit us at every stage of our lives.

It's tough to have bad neighbors. It's even harder to realize that you're  a bad neighbor. In this sermon from Proverbs 3:27–35, we learn to love our neighbors in a wise way. Last week's passage showed us how to live confidently. This week's passage teaches us to love confidently, and instructs us how to live with our neighbors, wicked people, and the Lord himself.

In a world of arrogance and anxiety, believers are called to confident living. Not confidence in ourselves, but in the Lord himself. In this passage from Proverbs, we learn how wisdom from Jesus gives us what we need to live this life with confidence in him.