New Covenant OPC Sermon Podcast

In Acts 2:14-41, in the first Apostolic sermon on the day of Pentecost, Peter proclaims the glory of Christ's Kingdom in connection with His resurrection from the dead. Through union with Christ, every believer triumphs with Christ, being seated with Him in the heavenly places, overcoming their sins in this life, and reigning with Christ in the world to come having overcome death itself in vic...

In Matthew 27:27-54 Christ is put to death. Everything in the narrative is ironic as Christ is mocked and humiliated for being the "King of the Jews." In reality, however, all that happens to Him, even in His death, proves His Kingship. Christ is the King who reigns from the cross.

In Revelation 17:1-18 Pastor Grasso explains the significance of Babylon, the great harlot, who rides on the beast. Babylon stands for the religious arm that persecutes the people of God in connection with the state. Surprisingly, in the end the beast will cast off this alliance and claim all power for itself in the person of the antichrist. Evil always ends up fighting against itself, and this wi...

In Genesis 23:1-20; 25:7-11 we read of Abraham purchasing a piece of land for a burial for Sarah. Then he himself dies and is buried in this place. This is significant because this is the only piece of land in Canaan that Abraham ever owned even though God had promised to give him the land. When, then, will Abraham receive what was promised? In the resurrection.

In Revelation 17:1-18 Pastor Grasso explains the significance of the beast on which Babylon rides. The beast and Babylon have an alliance in the fight against the people of God, which will be abandoned in the end. With the description of the beast in Revelation 17, we are introduced to the concept of a final antichrist who will arise to make war on the saints before the last day.

In Genesis 22:20-24; 25:1-6, 12-18 there are a number of genealogies recorded. Many see genealogies and skip them thinking they are unimportant. The genealogies of Genesis have a theological purpose. Here we see that the genealogies highlight the surprising ways the promises of God are fulfilled which points to their greater fulfillment in Christ.

In Revelation 16:1-21 the bowls of God's wrath are poured out. In this final expression of the judgment of God the dragon, beast, and false prophet, the counterfeit Trinity, are overthrown. As was prophesied throughout the OT, there will be one last final battle where the enemies of God's people are put down once and for all. Such is the significance of the battle of Armageddon.

In Genesis 22:1-19, and particularly verses 15-19, we see the confirmation of the climactic promise made to Abraham: the blessing of the nations. Here at the end of the Abrahamic narrative, at the climactic point of the climactic narrative we are told that the nations will be blessed, but with one new addition: it will be in Abraham's singular seed that this will happen. This singular seed is Chri...

In Revelation 16:1-21 we read of the record of the bowls of God's judgment. What do these bowls signify? Pastor Grasso explains their connection to the trumpets and the way in which these bowls point to the final judgment.

In Genesis 22:1-19 God tests Abraham by telling him to sacrifice his own son as a burnt offering. When the Angel of the LORD stops Abraham at the last moment, the story does not end. Abraham then sees a ram caught in a thicket and recognizes that God has provided a substitute for his son. The ram as a substitute for Isaac provides a fundamental principle for atonement, namely, that it is substitut...

In Revelation 15:1-8 those who conquer the beast learn to sing the Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb. These are those who will be blessed on the last day despite their sufferings in this life. In contrast, those who bowl the knee to the world, who in this sense submit to the beast, will face the judgment of the bowls.

In Genesis 22:1-19 we come to the great climax of the Abrahamic narrative. God tests Abraham by telling him to sacrifice the child of promise. How does Abraham respond? In faith. Abraham's faith entails obedience of the most difficult kind, but Abraham's faith also entails hope in the resurrection. This is because all the promises of God for Abraham are related to Isaac. Therefore, Isaac m...

In Revelation 14:14-20 the final judgment is described under the figure of two harvests: a wheat harvest and a grape harvest. The first emphasizes the division of the world into two groups at the end of the age. The second emphasizes God's wrath against the ungodly. Though many teach that God being love means there is no place for wrath, the Bible here teaches something different: God is furio...

In Genesis 21:22-34 Abraham makes a covenant with Abimelech. Though Abraham had disastrously lied about Sarah being his wife to Abimelech, now we see that God is able to turn this to good as Abimelech sees through the incident that God is with Abraham and defends him. It is by this that Abraham is able to dwell in the land peacefully, even though he is unable to acquire it.

In Revelation 14:6-13 we see an element of the gospel that is often overlooked: judgment. This seems counter-intuitive but judgment is actually an element of the gospel. This message is meant to encourage the saints to remain steadfast in the midst of all difficulties so that that final day of judgment might be a day of vindication for them, rather than a day of destruction.

In Genesis 21:8-21 we encounter problems in Abraham's family once again. Though Isaac is born, this causes tension with Hagar and Ishmael. Ishmael persecutes Isaac and the result is that both Hagar and Ishmael are cast out. God, however, shows mercy to both of them in the wilderness, foreshadowing the inclusion of the Gentiles through Christ.

In Revelation 14:1-5 we see the opposite of the mark of the beast. Whereas many will receive the mark of the beast in order to receive advantages in this life, those who receive the seal of God, with God's name written on their foreheads, will receive advantages in the life to come. This is what happens to the 144,000, a figure for all the elect. They are blessed in the presence of God singing...

In Genesis 21:1-7 Isaac is born. God is faithful to all of His promises. The entire Abrahamic narrative turns on the birth of Isaac, and here, with the birth of Isaac, God shows that all of His promises will come to pass.

In Revelation 13:11-18 the second beast arises to persecute the church. One expression of this beast is the cultural forces at work today which seek to bring glory to Leftism, an expression of the first beast, and to make it costly to be a Christian in society. We must be aware of such opposition and remain firm in the faith, recognizing that it will cost us something to be faithful.

In Genesis 20:1-18 Abraham sins in the same way he did in chapter 12. Rather than protect his wife, he lies by calling her his sister, which leads to her being taken by Abimelech to become his wife. This sin is all the worse because Sarah is about to give birth to Isaac, the promised seed. Abraham's actions, therefore, appear to jeopardize the promises of God. God, however, is merciful to Abra...

In Revelation 13:11-18 a second beast arises. Whereas the first beast is a counterfeit Christ, the second is a counterfeit Spirit. This beast seeks to bring glory to the first beast by promoting image worship. The connection to image worship and the emphasis on a counterfeit form of Christianity make it clear that Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and any other group that follows the decisions...

In Genesis 21:22-34 Abraham makes a covenant with Abimelech. Though Abraham had disastrously lied about Sarah being his wife to Abimelech, now we see that God is able to turn this to good as Abimelech sees through the incident that God is with Abraham and defends him. It is by this that Abraham is able to dwell in the land peacefully, even though he is unable to acquire it.

Fasting is not done much today, and because of this, it is not always properly understood. Many think that the purpose of fasting is to chasten the appetites of the body so as to make us less likely to indulge in sin. This, however, is a form of asceticism condemned by Paul in Colossians 2:20-23. It is of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. The true purpose of fasting is actually to...

In Revelation 14:6-13 we see an element of the gospel that is often overlooked: judgment. This seems counter-intuitive but judgment is actually an element of the gospel. This message is meant to encourage the saints to remain steadfast in the midst of all difficulties so that that final day of judgment might be a day of vindication for them, rather than a day of destruction.

In Revelation 14:6-13 we see an element of the gospel that is often overlooked: judgment. This seems counter-intuitive but judgment is actually an element of the gospel. This message is meant to encourage the saints to remain steadfast in the midst of all difficulties so that that final day of judgment might be a day of vindication for them, rather than a day of destruction.