Michiana Covenant Presbyterian Church

What is a holy war? Islamic jihad has given us a modern perspective on this. And some purportedly "Christian" militias have added their own modern take. But there's a problem with all these folks, well, maybe more than just one problem! In Islamic Jihad, the faithful warriors fight for God. In the militia movement, the people are to fight to bring about a righteous nation. But that's not what holy...

[Sung Psalm: 90] The end of all things is at hand. We live in the last days. Jesus Christ was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but was made manifest in the last times for your sake. The resurrection of Jesus Christ demonstrated God's righteous judgment. All the wrath that we deserved was poured out upon Christ. He endured the pains of hell for us. And in his resurrection, God declared...

Deuteronomy 1 is all about the coming of Jesus. After all, Deuteronomy 1:38 says, "Jesus, the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it [the good land that I swore to give to your fathers - v35]." I know, your translation probably says "Joshua" – but Joshua is the same name as Jesus – and when the NT refers to "Joshua" it simply says...

[Sung Psalm: 80] There is no glory without suffering. There is no grace without weakness. As a Christian you will suffer. Today we come to the heart of Peter's epistle. Peter regularly moves back and forth between Christ and your situation, showing how your situation needs to be seen in the light of what Christ has done. In chapter 1, we saw that because of the resurrection of Christ, you need to...

Sermon outline: 1. Saved from Egypt (v. 5) 2. Straying Angels (v. 6) 3. Sodom and Gomorrah (v. 7)

[Sung Psalm: 29] We are looking today at Peter's discussion of "the days of Noah" – and if you want to understand what is so important about the "days of Noah," then you need to pay attention to what the rest of the scripture says about this. Often, our impulse is to go back to Genesis 6-9, and then try to make sense of what Peter is saying. But, of course, when Peter thinks about "the days of Noa...

Moses is about to die. But before he dies there are certain things that he wants Israel to remember. So Moses reminds them of what God has done for them. And what God has said to them. The book of Deuteronomy consists of three sermons which Moses gave to the children of Israel on the plains of Moab before his death, as they were about to enter the Promised Land. And right up front, in the first se...

Sermon outline: 1. Foxes (vv. 18–20) 2. Fathers (vv. 21–22) 3. Faith (vv. 23–27)

Sermon outline: 1. Certain Creepers 2. Condemnation Confirmed 3. Contend For our Common Salvation

[Sung Psalm: 73] We're covering much of the same ground as last time – but this time with a different focus. Last time we focused on Christian character – from verse 8 – how our thinking should be characterized by unity of mind – which requires humility of mind; how our feeling should be characterized by sympathy (feeling with) – which requires a tender heart; and how both our thinking and our fee...

[Sung Psalm: 34] Does Peter seem a little naive? "who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?" (v13) Remember this is the same Peter who watched Jesus die on the cross. "who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?" Peter remembers this very well! After all, his next line is: "but even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed." Suffering...

Josiah was the last – and best – of the good kings of Jerusalem. He was the best because he repented better than anyone else! He not only turned away from idols – he turned to the living God, and restored the worship of Jerusalem better than anyone before him. But by this time, it was too late. God's purpose in all of this story was to show us the need for Christ! We need a Son of David who will d...

Sermon outline: 1. The Authority of Jesus' Teaching (7:28–29) 2. The Authority of Jesus' Healing (8:1–4) 3. The Extent of Jesus' Healing (8:5–17) a. Unto the World b. Unto Salvation

Have you ever had those moments? You did your best -- really! (not just half-heartedly, but you whole-heartedly did your best!) – but it still wasn't good enough. That's Josiah. According to the Word of God, Josiah was the best king ever. He followed God and did what he was supposed to do better than anyone. Even better than David? Well, what does verse 25 say: "Before him there was no king like h...

[Sung Psalm: 128] Peter commands wives to "be subject to your own husbands." Submission is a difficult subject in our day. Plainly we live in a very different culture than the apostles did. But the point of what Peter is saying is the same in every time and place. What is submission? Peter enjoins submission three times in this section (2:13-3:6). Christians are to be subject to the emperor and ot...

We saw last time that Manasseh is best described as "an idolatrous Solomon on steroids." We saw last time that when Manasseh made Judah to sin God declared that it was time to pull the plug on the house of David. We've been seeing for the whole series that the message of the book of Kings is that Israel and Judah must die. Tonight we see very poignantly that there is nothing that can save Judah fr...

[Sung Psalm: 105] In 1 Peter 2 the apostle says that it is a gracious thing in the sight of God when we suffer unjustly in his service. A gracious thing?! How is it a gift of grace to suffer unjustly?! Remember the story of Joseph! In Genesis 39 we certainly hear about Joseph's unjust suffering. He does what is right – and is punished for it! And yet this is a gracious thing – because God will use...

One commentator describes Manasseh as "an idolatrous Solomon on steroids." (Leithart) The other way of saying it is, "the Ahab of the South." Think back to the Omri – and his dynasty (the third story in the book of Kings). Omri was a parody of David. Everything about Omri reminded us of David – he was the general of the previous king, and a few years after he took power he built a new capital city...

We have come to the final section of the book of Kings: the end of the house of David (at least as a ruling power). And the last chapter of Hezekiah's life is the first chapter in this final story. It is the beginning of the end. Because in those days, Hezekiah became sick...

[Sung Psalm: 67] In chapter 1, Peter showed us the eschatological hope of salvation – as God "has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance is that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." (1:...

Last time, we saw that Hezekiah was the best king in Jerusalem since David – "he trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him." His father, Ahaz, had renounced his Davidic sonship, acknowledging Tiglath-pileser – King of Assyria – as his father, but Hezekiah is a true son of David. After the deat...

[Sung Psalm: 34] At the end of chapter one, Peter said that you have been born again "not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God." "And this word is the good news that was preached to you." So we have the eschatological hope – that's where we're going! We have the Christological core – we are born again in Christ – joined to his life. And we have the ker...

Does this language ring any bells for anyone? "they stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is on the highway to the Washer's Field." Have you heard of this place? It is the place where, thirty years earlier, God had sent Isaiah the prophet to meet Hezekiah's father, Ahaz, "at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Washer's Field." It was here, thirty years earlier, t...

The overarching pattern of the book of Kings communicates clearly that the wages of sin is death. Israel is going to die. Judah is going to die. And there is nothing you can do to stop it! Reforming kings are great! But their sons do not follow in their paths – and so the relentless tide of destruction continues. Godly priests are wonderful! But all it takes is one weak link to break the chain of...

[Sung Psalm: 99] "You shall be holy, for I am holy." How do you react to this call? Do you say, "that's impossible!"? On one sense, that's the right reaction – for no one can be holy exactly the way God is. But that is NOT what Peter is saying. God is not saying "be holy exactly as I am holy". No, God says, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." Because I am holy, therefore you are to be holy. This s...