Madison Reformed Church

What do we do when we face paralyzing fear? In Jacob’s time of fear, he prayed. That’s the mark of spiritual transformation. Jacob came to Laban's territory prayerless, but now he departs in holy prayer. This passage shows us what it looks like to lean on Christ in times of fear, and through prayer to carve out a different path by honestly remembering how good the Lord has already been to us,...

Gen. 49:22–26  Job 37:14–24  Mark 4:35­–41  Rev. 15:1–8 In this message on the attributes of God, our reflections are on the Almighty God. This is one that the  Church has really emphasized in our creeds and liturgies. It’s the only attribute of God that appears in all three of the ancient creeds we use: the Apostles’ and Nicene both begin, “I believe in God the Father Almighty .” The Athanasian C...

*This audio begins midway through the Scripture reading.*   Almost sounding like it was written specifically about Genesis 30–31, Psalm 85:1 says, “Lord, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.” In the end, the true restoration we’re all looking for is in the future: one day when Christ descends, and gives to us what was taken, restores what we were cheated out of, and...

Gen. 14:17–24  2 Chron. 6:12–21  Matt. 11:25–27  Acts 7:44–50  Confessing that God is infinite means acknowledging that He is not and cannot be contained. In this message, we explore how the Bible reveals this attribute of God, and how both believers and unbelievers respond.

At the beginning of creation, God told humankind to be fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth and subdue it. But in redemption, God has taken that command and turned it into a blessing: “God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you , that you may become a company of peoples ” (Gen. 28:3). The birth of Jacob’s children is that blessing. These sons become the twelve tribes of Isra...

Exod. 3:1–15  Mal. 3:5–7  John 5:25–29  Jas. 1:16–18  The attribute of immutability or unchangeability teaches us that God does not and cannot change. In this message, we ask and answer three questions: [1] What does it mean for God to be unchangeable? [2] Doesn't the Bible show that God does change? [3] What the use of believing & confessing this doctrine?

The Christian life is a journey. The way of the Lord is set before. Real spiritual enemies are on every side. And you are called to come and know Christ, and to mature in Him. Jacob gives us a glimpse of this journey. When he comes back in later chapters, he’s a new man. Still stumbling, but transformed by the presence of God. By the Holy Spirit, Jesus gives us the presence of God. And with that p...

Exod. 33:17–23 Judg. 13:15–25  John 1:14–18  1 Tim. 6:13–16 It is easy to make religious and theological things sound ridiculous. It’s easy for atheists and doubters to speak about "the invisible man in the sky." In this message, we come to the doctrine of God’s invisibility, one of God's attributes especially targeted. What are we saying with the doctrine, what challenge does it po...

Every Christian wrestles serious uncertainties about the future. In the Jacob and Esau story, Scripture has a warning and an encouragement. The warning is to those who mimic [1] Isaac and Esau. They rebel altogether against God’s plans because their spiritually nearsighted. The warning is also to those who mimic [2] Rebekah and Jacob, who do plan ahead, but with deception. But the encouragement is...

Christians—like the patriarch of Genesis—are sojourners, and a sojourner’s top priority is to find water. This reminds of Jesus' powerful message to the woman at the well in John 4:13–14, “…whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Genesis 26 gives us a reassuri...

Deut. 29:22–29  Job. 11:7–12  Matt. 16:13–20  Rom. 11:33–36 The attribute of God called incomprehensibility is that we cannot know God as He is, but only as He reveals Himself to us. In this message, we learn this doctrine from Scripture, the ways that God reveals Himself, and the reasons why God has revealed Himself—that we would obey, believe in, and enjoy Him forever.

We discover in Genesis 25 that every good gift comes from God. Even unbelievers enjoy the blessings of life, family, and legacy. And those things come from the Lord. But this passage is emphatic that the blessing of salvation also and especially comes from the Lord. As we look back at Abraham’s life and ahead to the those who come after him, we see clearly the overwhelming, sovereign grace of God...

At 67 verses, Genesis 24 is the longest chapter in Genesis. But it's important because it signals a kind of changing of the guard from Abraham to Isaac. It's the love story between the chosen son and his faithful bride, Rebekah. In this story, we have laid before us a beautiful type and shadow of God’s pursuit of His Church—the Bride for His only Son, whom He loves. In this message, we l...

Deut. 33:26–29  Ps. 102:12–28  John 17:1–5  2 Pet. 3:8–10  In this message, we focus the attribute of eternity. This is true of God alone, and so is an incommunicable attribute. As we’ll learn, this grand difference between us and God is actually the source of help for us who live in time.

Gen. 22:15­–18  Dan. 4:34–37  John 4:23–26  Heb. 6:13–20   Sometimes we wish that He had just published a glossary with all His attributes listed out with simple definitions. But God is not a textbook. He is the personal God, with whom we enjoy a living relationship through His Son. And so to talk about God in a biblical, worshipful way, we have to step back from dime-store theology and pause long...

With the death of his wife Sarah, Abraham realizes for certain that the fulfillment of the Promise Land is still in the future. This is a passage about waiting for God to provide a homeland, a final resting place not in death, but in eternal life. And so it leads us by the hand to our Savior Jesus Christ, whose death and resurrection are the proof that God can be trusted, and that our waiting is n...

Exod. 8:8–15 Isa. 40:18–26 Luke 6:32–36 1 Pet. 1:13–21  The doctrine of God is the foundation of all theology. In a very important sense, it is theology. That word “theology” puts two Greek words together and simply means the study or concept of God . In this message, we begin a grand dive into the doctrine of God by learn what the goal of theology is, then two basic categories of God’s attributes...

Back in the story of the sacrifice of Isaac, and zooming in on God's oath, we learn about the outcome of the spiritual war that has been going on since the serpent arrived in the Garden. God tells Abraham that his descendants will triumph against their enemies. God has staked the glory of His own reputation on overcoming the sin, hell, and the devil. And since He’s tied His own name to this p...

Deut. 30:11­­–14 Joel 2:30–32 Luke 12:8–12 Rom. 10:11–14 Among the many pressing needs among Christians in the west is a better understanding of the main teachings of the Bible. Even we Reformed Christians, who love our doctrine and often like to talk about it, prove not to know it well enough to speak simply and clearly about it to others. Beginning this series in the Belgic Confession, we focus...

One of the essential components of the Christian life is cross-bearing. Jesus says to all who claim to follow Him that it requires self-denial and taking up their cross. In the passage today, Abraham takes the wood of the burnt offering and (v. 6) lays it upon his son Isaac as he carries it up the hill to be sacrificed. It would be hard to find a clearer preview in the OT of our Lord Jesus carryin...

We’ve come to a very ordinary section of Abraham’s life. He interacts with a local king, makes a deal, and life goes on. Passages like this can seem a little random to us. But it’s exactly because it tells such an ordinary story that it also shows us that God cares about our ordinary lives. As we come back to the magnificent first book of the Bible, we remind ourselves of the grand story that God...

Deut. 9:1–5 1 Chron. 29:10–13 Mark 11:20–25 Phil. 4:14–20 In this final message on the Lord's Prayer, we first build our confidence in Scripture by learning how to handle a difference between some copies of Matthew 6:13, then we build our confidence in the Lord Himself by learning how to conclude our prayers with praise and firm faith.

"Resolved: that in the coming year, we would thirst for God more deeply and conquer by His power." On this final Lord’s Day of 2024, we look at Revelation 21, where John reveals to us the new things that God promises to do for those who thirst and conquer. What do those things mean, and how do we do them?  We answer that by uncovering the identity of the "seated on," the "...

The full service of our annual  Festival of Lessons & Carols at MRC on Christmas Eve 2024. The audio begins midway through the first carol, "Once in Royal David's City." Homily at minute 42. Song list: 1.  “Once in Royal David’s City” 2.  “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” 3.  “Savior of the Nations” 4.  “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” 5.  “Of the Father’s Love Begotten” 6.  “...

The homily from Luke 2 during our annual  Festival of Lessons & Carols  at MRC. A joyful time celebrating the birth of the Savior of the World.