Providence Community Church

As providence would have it, our Psalm a month series presents us Psalm 102 today. This message follows 2 sermons from various passages in Nehemiah 8-10. We have emphasized in these occasional sermons, the seriousness of the historical moment we find ourselves in this day as a nation in 2020. Our world has been interrupted by a viral pandemic that has ground ordinary life to a screeching halt. Tim...

Nehemiah 10 presents an exemplary covenant document of national repentance. Following a public forum wherein the people had humbled themselves via prayer, fasting, sackcloth, scripture proclamation, and worship.... they codified their intentions by sealed document (9:38). The names of princes, Levites, and priests are affixed as signatories to “a firm covenant in writing” that discloses the vows o...

Today's message falls under the category of 'occasional sermon', or a message intended to address a particularly significant historical moment upon us at the time of this delivery: March 29, 2020. Today our world and our economy are virtually paralyzed by the threat of a global pandemic. The 'coronavirus' can cause acute respiratory symptoms among a wide population as the contagion spreads exponen...

Paul continues to expound the significance and implications of Genesis 15:6 as this revelation proves absolutely foundational to the nature of salvation. All of Romans 4 and his summary language of Chapter 5 are centered on the application of this text. From time to time, a statement or phrase will be highlighted by the scriptures themselves that proves to be the seed or source of the full floweri...

the course of our Genesis series, we have taken time to catalogue how future authors of scripture recognize and expound the significance of watershed moments in the course of salvation's history. Naturally as we have reached Genesis 15, in our Old Testament study, we find cause to consider Romans 4 in some detail. In Paul's writings, such as this, we find the declarative statement in Gen 15:6 iden...

William Binnie writes concerning Psalm 101: “This is the Psalm which the old expositors used to designate “the Mirror for Magistrates” and an excellent mirror it is. It would mightily accelerate the coming of the time when every nation shall be Christ's possession and every capital a “City of the Lord”, if all magistrates could be persuaded to dress themselves by it every time they go forth to per...

Chapter one of I Peter continues to develop the theme of endurance despite the exile status of the Christian. Last message, we covered versers 13-21 noting that Peter ties the believer's survival in hostile conditions to the Orientation of his soul, Sufficient motivation, and The object of his faith. To this list, the apostle adds a 4th category in our text today: The elect exile's endurance is ti...

Genesis 15 figures prominently & dramatically in the record of unfolding covenant revelation. Three major elements are revealed over the course of Abram's life. In Gen 12 covenant promises involving salvation's history in the categories of seed, land, and nations are specified/disclosed. In Gen 15 the covenant is ratified by ceremony in the 2nd portion of the chapter. In Gen 17 the covenant si...

Today's message joins several others we have on record lately which demonstrate the signal implications of Genesis events in the arc of redemptive history. From the vantage point of later revelation, an apparent footnote may prove to be a beacon of Gospel reality. This is certainly the case in Genesis 12 where Abram first receives covenant hope via divine word. Thus, we witnessed other authors vis...

Taken together, Ps 99 and Ps 100 round out themes of Yahweh worship complimenting each other to display a full range of expression worthy of the King of Kings. Ps 99 communicates solemnity and reverence inspired by the holiness of God, while Ps 100 follows with choruses of joyful gladness and thanksgiving. Spurgeon comments on Ps 100: “(it is) a fit anticipation of the worship of heaven, where pra...

In verses 10-12 Peter shapes the perspective of his readers reminding them of their privileged place in covenant history. Post-incarnation Christians are the heirs of revelation that is the envy of the prophets and angels. He emphasizes furthermore, that the coming sufferings and subsequent glories of Jesus Christ the Messiah captivated the imagination and spiritual affections of our fore-bearers...

This brief incident in Abram's life proves extremely significant to the revelation of the Messiah to come. Without the benefit of further scripture, this central figure of redemption's history would surely have been overlooked. This is one of those moments in the legacy of Abraham that takes on staggering implications when viewed from the vantage point of Melchizedek's anti-type revealed in Jesus...

Genesis 14 is the first record of war in scripture properly speaking. As such, this conflict is strikingly similar to many aspects of modern warfare with one exception. The victor and spoils in this campaign are finally awarded to the significant son and patriarch Abram who does not engage his troops according to the prevailing motivations. Abram is not interested in rebellion, empire, independenc...

Psalm 99 magnifies the preeminent attribute of God as the song proclaims the holiness of Yahweh. This is the 7th of 8 'Yahweh is King' songs in this section of the Psalter, a fitting addition to the catalogue of anthems exalting the magnificent sovereignty of our God. Ps 99 demonstrates the holiness of God is better appreciated in light of revelation displaying this attribute, than merely noting a...

Peter opens his letter to the elect exiles dispersed and fledgling in their new born faith by framing the historical era of the early church age in the context of redemption's timeline. Suddenly the trials and afflictions of a early convert to Christianity in a thoroughly pagan culture are placed in perspective and appear trivial by comparison. Christian perseverance is tied directly to appreciati...

Today we conclude our series and study of 'new song' worship through the scriptures. We have referenced this concept of recognizing with proportional and appropriate praise, each new occasion to worship the Lord through several eras of redemptive history. Beginning in Psalm 98, where the call to new song worship is explicitly declared, we have noted such worship examples during the times of the ki...

Psalm 98 instructs the worshipper throughout the ages to “...sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things! His right hand and His holy arm have worked salvation for Him.” As we have noted, a new song in the context of Biblical worship is to recognize with proportional and appropriate praise, each new occasion to worship our majestic Lord. In our texts today, the 400 some year inte...

Psalm 98 contains 3 sections distinguished by theme and tense. Verses 1-3 mark occasions for praise and references to past tense examples of the marvelous things Yahweh the King has done. Verses 4-6 are a present tense call to praise with instrumentation and joyous song. The song closes in verses 7-9 extending the call to realms of praise across all creation and finally declares the future tense c...

Psalm 98 is 6th in a matching set of 8 psalms which magnify the universal lordship of Yahweh. Psalm 98 in particular is meant to inspire a crescendo of praise from all possible corners of creation, striving for an expression of worship worthy of the sovereign over all things from salvation to final judgement. This song is often noted for its incarnation themes and is the foundational inspiration f...

Many have noted the Apostle Peter's unique contributions to the canon by way of theme and emphasis dubbing him: “The Apostle of Hope”. Our passage today certainly fits this distinctive. No doubt inspired in part by his own experience with our Savior, and in part by the plight of the churches to whom he wrote. Peter provides a poetically beautiful, theologically rich, and transcendently encouraging...

Without considering the covenantal perspective, it would appear that Abram and Lot have plenty in common. They come from the same family clan, both are successful herdsman with servants and flocks abounding. Both of them share geographical, cultural, and vocational backgrounds. But as the context of our passage today makes clear, these common traits and shared experiences are superficial. They are...

The title for today's message is borrowed from a line in the Robert Frost poem: “The Road Not Taken”. Frost muses in retrospect how the course of one's life can often present tow options and the eventual consequences are realized along the way which may have been obscured at the time of choosing. Such is the situation in the diverging paths of Abram and his nephew Lot in Genesis 13. This seemingly...

We have reached the 5th Psalm in a set of 8 that unequivocally declares the universal Lordship and comprehensive kingdom of Yahweh. We have noted that this set of songs is a subset of a larger collection prominently featuring the hallowed name of the Lord from the first stanza (these include Psalms 92 – 107). This section of the Psalter and the particular example of Psalm 97 serve to give wings of...

Verse one of Peter's first epistle to converts across the Roman empire identifies his credentials, the nature of his audience, and the area in which they lived. As to his qualifications and office, he simply introduces himself as “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ”. He does not go to great lengths asserting his leadership position in the church, rather he emphasizes the shared experience of all tr...

Among the first chapters of covenant history, there is documentation of conflict between the legacies of Shem and Ham. Early accounts of the progress of God's people include frequent clashes between significant sons, or those who find their hope in the Messianic line, and the city builders (those who invest their faith in the machinations of humanism). Think of Moses vs. Pharaoh, Joshua vs. Jerich...