New Covenant OPC Sermon Podcast

Psalm 2 predicts the coming of Christ as the one who will rule over all the nations. Though the nations oppose His rule, He will rule over them with a rod of iron. Therefore, God laughs at the attempts of His enemies to oppose Him. Christians, therefore, ought to take comfort knowing that Christ will always conquer all of His enemies.

In 1 Samuel 18:17-30 Saul attempts to persecute David subtly through his daughters. Like Laban with Jacob, he refuses to honor his promise to give David his daughter in marriage. Ultimately, however, God uses these subtle attempts to persecute David to exalt him further. We learn that God is always able to overturn persecution and to use it to advance His kingdom.

In Matthew 17:1-8 Christ brings Peter, James, and John up the mountain and is transfigured before them. Christ gives a foretaste of His glory and the majestic voice is borne from heaven testifying of His greatness. What are we to do in response to this? Listen to Him.

In 1 Samuel 18:1-16, there are two very different responses to David. On the one hand Jonathan's soul is knit to David's in love. On the other, Saul greatly opposes him. Though Jonathan and Saul are from the same family and have so much in common, there is a more fundamental reality that divides them. Jonathan is part of the seed of the woman and naturally loves those who fear God. Saul, o...

In Matthew 16:24-28 Christ calls on His disciples to pick up their crosses and follow Him. This may appear to be a foolish thing to do as it leads to death. Christ, however, shows that it is in fact the only wise thing to do because "Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Christ's sake will find it."

1 Samuel 17:1-58 tells the well-known story of David and Goliath. David's defeat of Goliath is meant to be a type of Christ. David's defeat of Goliath indicates that Christ is the giant-defeating, dragon-slaying King whose victory means victory for all of God's people over the devil.

In Matthew 16:24-28, after shockingly predicting His own death, Christ calls upon His disciples to pick up their own crosses and follow Him to that death. The call to follow Christ is a call to a life of self-sacrifice.

1 Samuel 17:1-58 tells the well-known story of David and Goliath. It is important to remember that David's life is meant to be understood as a prophecy of Christ. David is a type of Christ, and therefore, his victory over Goliath is meant to be understood as a prophecy of how Christ will defeat the devil. What we understand about Christ from this text is that He is the true King after God'...

In Matthew 16:17-20 Christ responds to Peter's confession by telling him that He will build the Church on Peter and that He will give to Peter (and the Apostles by extension) the keys of the Kingdom. The "keys of the Kingdom" are the symbol of Church power. The Church is often overlooked today, but it is crucial for the Christian life.

1 Samuel 17:1-58 tells the well-known story of David and Goliath. David's courageous faith is an example to us in today's world. In the face of great opposition, David trusts in God and enters the battle with Goliath with the confidence that God is with him. Today, as the church is opposed more and more, there is a great need for such courageous faith.

In Matthew 16:13-17 Peter makes the climactic confession of the first half of Matthew’s Gospel: You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. As Christ, Jesus is the anointed Prophet, Priest, and King, the promised Savior spoken of by the Prophets. As the Son of God, He is the second person of the Trinity existing forever with the Father and of the same substance as Him. All those who make this c...

In 1 Samuel 16:14-23 Saul receives an evil spirit, which torments him. This spirit comes upon him after the Holy Spirit leaves him. The result is that Saul’s servants suggest bringing David into the royal court to play for Saul. God thus shows His inscrutable providence in using evil spirits and the seemingly random wills of men to accomplish His purposes.

In 2 Corinthians 9:1-15 Paul gives instructions for giving. The purpose of this portion of Paul’s letter is to exhort the Corinthians to be faithful in giving, but also to consider the spiritual benefit of giving. In light of the blessings that accrue to the giver, Christians ought to give out of love, not compulsion.

In 1 Samuel 16:1-13 we are introduced to David, the man after God’s own heart.  Unlike Saul, the King like all the other nations, David is the smallest in his family.  There is nothing outward back by which it would be obvious that he should be king.  This, however, is not a criteria for kingship for God, for man looks on the outward appearance but God looks on the heart.  This anointing of David...

In Haggai 1:1-15 Haggai exhorts the people to get to work in building the house of God.  They were living in paneled houses while the house of God lay in ruins.  His call was a call for the people of God to prioritize the Kingdom of God above themselves.

In 1 Samuel 15:11 we learn that God regretted making Saul king; however, in verse 29 we read that God is not a man that He should have any regrets.  How are we to understand these two statements?  It is from passages like this that we see that God is not like us.  His nature is not like ours.  Though God may be said to “repent” or “regret”, this is merely creaturely language being applied to an in...

In Matthew 16:5-12 Christ warns the disciples of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.  It is strange that the Pharisees and Sadducees have joined together in their opposition to Christ given the number of things they themselves disagreed on.  We see that though the ungodly are often opposed to each other, they will always be more opposed to the Church.  Furthermore, we learn that false teach...

In 1 Samuel 15:1-35 Samuel commands Saul to destroy the Amalekites.  Saul destroys them, mostly. When confronted by Samuel he argues that his disobedience was really done to serve the Lord, since the things not destroyed were to be offered to God.  Samuel then gives one of the great fundamental principles of service to God: Obedience is better than sacrifice. Attempting to do things for God that H...

In Matthew 16:1-4 the Saduccees and Pharisees ask for a sign.  This is a strange request in light of the many miracles Christ had done to this point.  Their goal, like many skeptics today who make similar demands for proofs, is to hide their rebellion against God behind the request for a sign.  The reality is Christ had done enough to make himself known such that the request can only be interprete...

Guest sermon from Danny Olinger.

In Matthew 15:32-39 Christ feeds four thousand men besides women and children.  This is the second time Christ has miraculously fed thousands with just a few fish and a few loaves of bread.  Why record such a similar miracle twice?  God’s people often need to hear things again.

In 1 Samuel 14:24-52 Saul, like Jephthah before him, makes a rash oath. God’s people must be careful about the kind of oaths they take.  In today’s world oaths and vows are treated as things that are insignificant, things that can be broken on a whim.  The Scriptures, however, teach that you must uphold every lawful oath and that every unlawful oath is sin.

In Matthew 15:29-31 Christ heals many on a mountain.  Mountains are significant in the gospel of Matthew as they point to the fulfillment of the mountain of God theology in the OT.  What is the purpose of this summary of Christ’s miracles?  To indicate that the new creation has come in Christ.  Christ’s miracles are a foretaste of the resurrection.

In 1 Samuel 13:16-14:23 God gives deliverance to His people through Jonathan.  Jonathan believed in God, and his trust is seen in the fact that he states God can save by many or by few.  It is such faith that is needed today.

In Matthew 15:21-28 Christ heals a Canaanite woman’s daughter.  Before the healing happens Christ implicitly calls her a dog, since she is a Canaanite.  Rather than taking offense, she continues to plead with Christ for healing.  Her humble faith amazes Christ and is a model for us today.