New Covenant OPC Sermon Podcast

In Isaiah 61:1-3, Isaiah returns to prophesying of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here he is described as a prophet who proclaims good news to the poor. Christ declares himself to be the fulfillment in Luke 4 where he reads this passage from Isaiah and declares it fulfilled in the hearing of the people.

In Philippians 2:19-30 Paul commends Timothy and Epaphroditus to the Philippians. By this commendation Paul teaches us that we ought to honor those who suffer and labor for the kingdom of God and emulate their faithfulness.

Zion was in darkness due to her sins, but now, as a result of the salvation worked through the Messiah, light arises over her. The coming of Christ leads to all nations coming and serving Zion, bringing their tribute, as she is gloriously transformed in the new creation. The gifts that are brought are fulfilled when the light of a star arises over Christ and the Magi bring their gifts of tribute t...

In Philippians 2:12-18, Paul continues to exhort the Philippian Church to godliness. How are we to understand these exhortations in light of the doctrine of justification by faith? First, there is no merit in works even though they are necessary. Second, the ability to do good works comes form God himself. Therefore, we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling knowing it is God who wo...

God looks and sees that there is no one righteous, no one to deliver His people, and so He Himself acts as deliverer, putting on the armor of God. He sends a Savior to Zion who banishes ungodliness from her by the Word and Spirit. Ultimately, the prophets see only the work of the Messiah as the true hope for the people of God in their sin.

In Philippians 2:5-11 contains one of the most glorious descriptions of the incarnation in the entire Bible. This doctrine, however, is also intensely practical. Christ, being fully God and yet emptying himself and submitting to death, is the greatest example of humility the world has ever seen or will ever see. Christ becomes the pattern for his people and their motivation for humility. Implicitl...

In Isaiah 59:1-15 Isaiah returns to the theme of the sins of God's people. Their sin causes a separation from God and is described as being in darkness. Sin and the judgment that follows is related to the darkness of non-creation. The light of salvation bursting through the darkness signals a new creation.

Augustine tells us that the first, second, and third principles of the Christian life are humility, humility, and humility. In Philippians 2:1-4 Paul exhorts the Church to humility on the basis of the benefits of the gospel. Biblical humility is considering others before ourselves and seeking to serve them and meet their needs.

Having discussed true fasting, Isaiah moves on to describe faithful Sabbath keeping. God has set apart one day in seven for the worship of His name. This is not a day for the pursuit of our own pleasure but a day consecrated to God. From the beginning of the world until the coming of Christ, this day was Saturday, but from his resurrection all the way to his return, the day is Sunday, the Lord&#39...

In Philippians 1:27-30 Paul transitions from speaking of his own sufferings to those of the Philippians. Their standing firm is a sign of their salvation. He also explains that suffering is actually a gift from God.

In Isaiah 58:1-12 Isaiah addresses the people's hypocrisy in fasting. They believed that their fasting was pleasing to Him, and yet God actually despised it. Fasting without love and compassion for others is not pleasing to God. Our worship is merely hypocrisy if it is done in hatred of our brothers and sisters.

In Philippians 1:19-26 Paul teaches us how we are to understand life and death by way of the example of his own life. Our life is meant to be used to glorify God. Our death is joy because it means fellowship with Christ.

Isaiah contrasts the house of the prostitute with the house that is faithful to Him. Those who trust in God will inherit the mountain of God and dwell with Him forever. They come to this inheritance being led by God Himself on the highway prepared for this very purpose.

In Philippians 1:12-18 Paul begins to explain his own circumstances. Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians from prison, and in this passage Paul explains how his suffering has led to the advancement of the gospel. His suffering is an example of the way in which we are to suffer in this life.

Having described the wickedness of Israel's leaders, Isaiah moves on to describe the sins of the people. The people of God have been faithless in their idolatry, which the prophets everywhere take to be adultery against God. To be faithful to God, we must worship Him according to His Word.

In Philippians 1:9-11 Paul prays that the Philippians would grow in love, knowledge, and discernment in view of the return of Christ. Paul's prayer is a reminder that we must all live with the return of Christ in view.

Isaiah says that the faithful outsider will be included in the kingdom of God (56:1-8), but the faithless insider will be excluded. Here the focus is on the leadership of the people of God. Poor leadership causes great harm to the church.

In Philippians 1:1-8 Paul shows his great affection for the Philippians. This love was built on the foundation of God's work in the lives of the Philippians and their subsequent partnership in the gospel with him. All Christians ought to be united together in the same love for each other.

The gospel often comes to those who are overlooked in society. Isaiah, prophesying of the days of Christ, speaks of the inclusion of the eunuch and the foreigner in the kingdom of God. This is fulfilled pointedly with the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8.

In Zechariah 6:9-15 the prophet prophesies of a glorious King, called "the Branch" who will reign as a glorious priest-king. He will build the house of the Lord as promised to David. This refers to none other than Jesus Christ who has built the true house for God in the incarnation and by building up the church with living stones, and who will build the new heavens and the new earth as t...

In Psalm 89 the Psalmist rejoices in the glory of the Davidic Covenant, but also laments its apparent failure in exile. What are we to do when outwardly God's promises do not appear to be coming to fruition? We are to walk by faith, not by sight, believing that God will bring everything to pass that He has promised. We see that God was faithful even when His people were faithless in that the b...

In Daniel 7:1-14 Daniel is given a terrifying vision of the rise of various beastly kingdoms. These kingdoms refer tot he kingdoms of the world which are always against the people of God. The Son of Man, however, has received a kingdom that eclipses all of them.

Psalm 72 contains a long prayer for the King, but not just any king: The climactic Son of David, the Messiah. This King will reign in righteousness and have an everlasting kingdom that is glorious beyond comprehension. Christ is this King who has come, and we are called upon to pray that His Kingdom would come.

Psalm 45 describes the Messiah as a great, victorious King given a beautiful bride. The Messiah is called "God" being anointed by God, the Father for kingship. The bride, therefore, is the people of God who are called to leave everything for the love of the bridegroom.

Ezekiel 37:15-28 predicts that the Son of David, called David in the text, will bring about the fulfillment of all of God's promises. This King will heal the division between the people o fGod, turn them back from their backslidings, bring them back to the Promised Land, so that God can dwell with his people. All of this is fulfilled in Christ in whom all the promises of God are "yes&quot...