New Covenant OPC Sermon Podcast

Some say that because the gospel is gracious and offers forgiveness from sins this means the law no longer plays a role in the Christian life.  Does the gospel nullify the law?  This was a common charge against Christ and those who followed him, namely, that what they preached undermined following Moses.  Jesus addresses this issue in Matthew 5:17-20 and shows that, far from undermi...

One of the most classic objections to the existence of God is the problem of evil.  How can God be good and all powerful and there still be evil in the world?  How are Christians to understand the presence of evil in this world?  Pastor Grasso tackles this question by distinguishing God as the first cause but not the efficient cause of evil (He is sovereign over it but does not "do"...

In John’s famous prologue that opens his gospel (1:1-18), John opens with a description of Christ going back to eternity.  Christ, as the eternal Son of God, existed in eternity with the Father and became flesh to save those who receive him from sin.  He is not an ordinary person, not merely a good teacher, he is God himself, and therefore there is a requirement to receive him as such fo...

Isaiah 7:1-16 contains the famous prophecy of the virgin giving birth to a son named “Immanuel” and is part of the larger “book of Immanuel” in chapters 7-12.  What was the context of this prophecy?  The people of Judah and the house of David faced terrible trials as enemies seemed to be surrounding them on every side.  What hope did the prophets give the people? The coming of the M...

It can often feel like our lives are a journey through the wilderness like the Israelites in the desert.  In Deuteronomy 8:1-20, Moses shows God’s good purposes in making his people go through such difficulties.  Above all he shows that God makes us go through these things that we might learn that “man does not live by bread alone but by everything that comes from the mouth of God.”

In Matthew 5:13-16 Jesus says that the people of God are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  This is what the church is by nature and therefore her purpose is to glorify God in all that she does.  The church is not to retreat from the world but permeate it to spread the gospel of grace to a lost and dying world.

Many Christians have thought hard about what it means to be saved from sin, but they have not thought as much about the need to be in church.  Here Pastor Grasso explains the way the Bible addresses the need to be in the worship service by showing the theological importance of the visible church and the blessings of the worship service.

In Deuteronomy 7:1-11 Moses exhorted the people of God to be fully separate from the world and even destroy the altars of the people in the land when they enter it.  In Deuteronomy 7:12-26 Moses continues this theme but answers the question, “Can the people of God actually defeat these other nations?”  God calls us to oppose the world, but he also promises that the world will triumph in...

Matthew 5:3-12 is the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount and Christ’s famous beatitudes where  he makes surprising statements about who will receive the blessings of the Kingdom of God, which has come with Christ the King.  Though the King has come, there will still be suffering in this world, and those who maintain godliness in the context of waiting for the full consummation of the K...

After addressing headship principles and the relationship it bears to the civil government, Pastor Grasso tackles the question about head coverings.  Here he shows in the context that this requirement was for women who served as prophetesses in the public worship service, a situation that is not applicable to today's worship services in the church.

In Deuteronomy 7:1-11, Moses gives instructions to the Israelites to destroy the inhabitants of Canaan completely.  Such instruction is difficult to receive today.  What does it mean?  For Christians, it means complete separation from and opposition to the idolatry of the world because of God’s love for them.

In Matthew 5:1-2 Jesus gives his famous Sermon on the Mount.  He gives this sermon as the reigning King and lawgiver of the coming Kingdom of God, showing what true devotion to God looks like.  Christ is the King as David’s son, the lawgiver as the new Moses, and the reigning Son of God.  As such he teaches with authority, showing what being a true member of God’s kingdom looks like...

How do the biblical principles of male headship apply to women serving in the government? In this episode Pastor Grasso gives an overview of the Bible's teachings on male headship and applies them to the situation of women serving in the civil government.

In Deuteronomy 6:10-25 Moses exhorts the people of God to remember Him even when they become prosperous in the promised land.  It is always a temptation to turn away from God when tempted.  It is easy to pray to God to receive something, receive it, and then forget to return thanks to God and think that we have procured the things we have through our own strength.

Peter’s last word on suffering in 1 Peter 5:6-14 is about God’s great power in the midst of suffering.  How does an understanding of God’s infinite power influence the way a Christian suffers?  Peter addresses this theme with respect to the believer’s relationship to God and Satan.  Humble yourself before God in light of God’s power; resist the devil in light of God’s power.

Christians often used the language of being "saved", but what are they saved from?  Pastor Grasso answers in this episode.

How is love for God maintained in the world? Deuteronomy 6:4-5 gives an overview of the message of the Bible. God has entered into a saving covenant relationship with his people through Christ, and the duties of those in covenant with God center on loving Him. How are the message of the gospel and the duty to love God perpetuated? In Deuteronomy 6:6-9 Moses teaches that it is primarily in the fami...

Does your godliness   in suffering include submission to elders in the church? One thing that is clear in 1 Peter is that   Christians need to suffer in a godly way. This includes within the church, particularly in the way elders serve and the way members relate to elders. In 1 Peter 5:1-5 Peter gives a charge to elders and members explaining what the duties of each are.

Does the Bible teach that the believer can live a perfectly sinless life?  Pastor Grasso answers in the negative, explaining that the language of perfection and blamelessness in the Bible does not mean one if free from all sin.

There is no way to overstate the importance of Deuteronomy 6:1-5.  Verse 4 is the great summary of redemption on which verse 5 develops the most succinct statement of the entire duty God requires of man, but what do these verses mean?  Here Pastor Grasso shows that God is calling his people to exclusive fidelity to him because of salvation and that love for God is to pervade every area o...

This past election season was the most contentious in recent history.  The country seems to be divided over different ideologies and goals for the country.  How should Christians think about such things?  Does the Bible address things like Socialism?  How should Christians respond to difficult elections?  All of these questions are addressed in this sermon on Psalm 146 whe...

Pastor Grasso recounts God's faithfulness during this difficult year in the life of the church after the first anniversary of his ordination.  God has been faithful to his church even in the midst of a pandemic, wildfires, a contentious election, and other challenges.

In this episode Pastor Grasso critiques Postmillennialism, arguing that there is fundamental continuity throughout the church age and that the great hope of the Christian is not in a Christianized society but in the return of Christ.

In Proverbs 3:5-6 King Solomon answers a question that many of us ask, what should we do to obtain wisdom, how do we choose when the answer is unclear? God knows every step we will take, we need to trust him with all of our heart.  Listen in as we explore how to trust in God instead of ourselves, and what advantage(s) does a God-dependent life bring?

Pastor Grasso offers a critique of premillennialism, noting that not everything in Revelation is chronological and that the premillennial view duplicates many of the events in eschatology.