Madison Reformed Church

Gen. 1:1–5  Mic. 5:1–4  John 1:1–13  Heb. 1:1–14  There’s hardly a more important question than, Who is Jesus Christ? There are a lot of answers that have been tried out over the centuries. Our confession answers that question like this: “So then, [Christ] is the true eternal God, the Almighty, whom we invoke , worship , and serve .” In this message, we learn that Scripture describes Jesus as the...

Num. 16:25–32  Ezek. 13:1–11  Mark 12:18–27  1 Tim. 6:20–21  Scripture paints a challenging picture for our age. It shows that while the Church is a community of people who welcome others into it, it also has boundary lines. One of the boundary lines is the doctrine of the Trinity. In this message, we learn what Scripture says about those who teach false doctrine and highlight a few of the promine...

How do we grow in holiness? Is it through self-punishment and trying harder? Scripture says that the flesh can't accomplish this. It is only through the Spirit. Although Christ has wiped away our debts before God, we still owe an everlasting debt of gratitude to the Spirit. Why? He gives us Himself. And through Him, we put our sins to death. 

The Joseph story is interrupted by Genesis 38 and his older brother Judah's exploits. From Judah will come our Lord Jesus Christ. But first, he ruins his legacy and only begins a transformation when confronted by the righteousness of another. To use the language of the book of Romans—where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more. In this message, we learn that Christ redeems ruined lives an...

Gen. 1:26–31  Isa. 63:7–14  Matt. 3:13–17  2 Cor. 13:11–14  In this message, we learn how the Bible testifies about the Triune God and that our experience of Him agrees with that testimony. 

Christ lifted up His hands and "blessed them" and they, in response, "were blessing God." This back and forth pattern of blessing is what Christ has left behind for us at His ascension into heaven. In this message for our Ascension Day service, we remember this great work of God in Christ, and learn how best to respond.

Deut. 4:32–40  Isa. 42:5–9  John 10:22–30  Heb. 9:11–14  Many have wondered if the doctrine of the Trinity is really all the useful or practical. The moment you begin to go just a little deeper with it, you feel like you’re drowning. But the truth is that because we’re Christians, we also have to get used the feeling of being out of our depth. God is God, and He has revealed Himself. In this messa...

The jealousy of Joseph's brothers is a powerful picture of jealousy in the life of the Church. And in Joseph's story, we have one of the most extended and amazing pre-figurings of Jesus Christ in the whole Old Testament. Through Joseph, Genesis 37 highlights the humiliation of Jesus Christ, who alone can bring jealous sinners to their knees in repentance.

Deut. 12:32–13:5  Ps. 119:169–176  Mark 7:1–13  2 Tim. 3:14–4:5 People ask the question, “What is God’s will?” all the time. Here’s what our Confession delivers to us: “We believe that the Holy Scripture contains the will of God completely…” In this message, we learn that Scripture is enough to show us God’s will for salvation, for worshiping Him, and for spotting imposters.

"These are the generations of Esau." Why does  Esau of all people get a genealogy to himself? In this message, we learn through Esau's kingdom, Edom, the vital spiritual lesson that no earthly kingdom or king will survive the ups and downs of life in this world or, in the end, the judgment of Christ the King. Since Christ’s Kingdom is the only eternal Kingdom, won for us by His sacr...

Deut. 31:24–29  Ps. 147:12–20  Matt. 11:7–15  Rom. 3:1–4  But through Christian history, there have been questions raised about whether or not other books and writings belong in the canon of Scripture. The Belgic confession speaks of making a distinction between the “holy books” (Scripture) and the “apocryphal books.” in this message, we learn what the Apocryphal books are and why we do not receiv...

Christians aren't just cleansed at the beginning of their walk with Christ, but need renewal throughout it. In this section from Jacob's life, we learn that God renews His gracious covenant with us every time we gather for worship, giving us his cleansing and protecting grace.

Deut. 6:10–19  2 Kgs. 22:1–13  Matt. 4:1–11  Eph. 2:17–22  God is revealed in Creation and in Scripture, but what is Scripture and why do we take it to be authoritative? In this message, we begin to answer that question with the help of Belgic Confession article 5, which shows us how God's Word alone is the final authority for faith and practice.

God has included passages like Genesis 34 in His Word because the Bible records real history, and because the hope of the gospel reaches down into the most wretched parts of human life. The story of Dinah's defiling and the aftermath  paints a picture of the outrageous things that people are driven to do when they do not have self-control. But to these problems, the gospel has an answer. Jesu...

In this message from 1 Corinthians, pastoral intern Matt Walkenhorst ( Ascension Reformed Church ) explains how the gospel frees us from the place where sin so often starts—focus on the self—so that we might become imitators of God in serving others.

Exodus 19:1–10  Jeremiah 23:23–24  John 14:1–7  Romans 8:31–35 Matt Walkenhorst (pastoral intern from Ascension Reformed Church ) opens up the doctrine of Christ's ascension into heaven.

"He is not here. He has risen, like He said. Come, see the place where He lay." This message of the angel on the day of Christ's resurrection gives hope to those who believe. In this Easter message, we learn of the dawning of the new creation, the hope of the empty tomb, and the greeting of Jesus that brings us to worship.

Deut. 18:15–20  Ps. 19:1–14  John 5:36–47  Rom. 1:18–23  We have learned about the attributes of God. Now we ask, " How has God communicated to us?" The answer is revelation, which comes in two forms or "books." The book of creation and the book of God's Holy Word. In this message, we learn how these two “books” are distinct, and how they work together.

Exodus 10:21–11:10 & Matthew 27:24–66 The Word of the Cross is a Word that tells us that Jesus Christ descended into the darkness for us. In this Good Friday message, we rest in Christ again, by whose sacrifice, we are forgiven.

Exod. 33:19; 34:1–9  Ps. 119:65–72  Mark 10:17–22  1 John 4:13–21 Lord, "you are good and do good” (Ps. 119:67). In this final message on the attributes of God, we focus our hearts on the goodness of God and its various expressions—grace, mercy, love, patience, and faithfulness—in order to know this God and worship Him with greater joy.

When Jesus came to Jerusalem for the Passover holiday in His so-called “Triumphal Entry,” He was coming to a city marked by years and years of expectations building up. What was it going to be like when the King finally returned to the city of God? What would this King be like? Jesus’ arrival confronted them and it confronts us: When our king comes to us, will we accept Him as He is, or will our e...

Christians sometimes feel like they're having travel delay. We know that the Lord has a plan for our lives and a destination we’re aimed at. But it seems like we’re never going to get there — to the home God has promised. In Genesis 28 & 33, we see Jacob being sent away and then returning to Canaan. And his journey teaches us that through the grace of Christ, we are not only forgiven for...

Gen. 18:16–26  Zeph. 3:1–5  Luke 18:1–8  Rom. 3:21–26  We have meter inside of us that measures whether or not we’ve been treated fairly. Scripture teaches us that true justice is in God. We turn to that attribute of God today in our series in the attributes of God. And we’re going to see what that justice is, how we see it, and how we relate to it, since it’s one of God’s characteristics what hum...

It's been 20 years since Jacob was in Canaan. Now, as he returns, he comes to his biggest challenge yet—a wrestling match with God Himself. In this we have illustrated what Christ has done for us by His suffering and His cross. He has gone into combat, been wounded for the sake of His people, and been risen up in ultimate blessing. In this message we learn that believers sometimes wrestle wit...

Deut. 4:1–8  Isa. 28:23–29  Mark 7:31–37  1 Cor. 18–25  When we say that God and man share any attribute—like wisdom—we recognize that God’s wisdom is divine wisdom. Ours is created wisdom, given to us by the Creator. Once that’s clear, then it becomes exciting for us to learn how we are like God. We are called to have open eyes to the characteristics we share with Him and, by His grace, become mo...