Second Presbyterian Church Sermons

Peace with God can alone bring peace to an individual life. The peace of God alone is powerful enough to stop warring factions. God’s peace alone can enable us to live in peace with those who disagree with us or even hate us. Peace with God through Jesus Christ alone can indescribably guard our hearts and minds in the midst of these intersecting global crises. That peace and the way to obtai...

We must meet God’s demands, because he is the highest authority. The ark of the covenant reveals five attributes of God and each one implies a duty for us. I. Holiness of God The ark was constructed of wood but covered by gold, a symbol of God’s holiness. Because God is holy, he demands that we be holy (Lv. 19:2; Mt. 5:48). To be holy is to be committed to thinking, saying&nb...

Our natural response to fear and anxiety is fight or flight. It takes intention to respond in any other way. God’s commandment to keep the Sabbath Day is a primary way to find both certainty and rest. I. Certainty (Exodus 31:12-13, 17a) Setting aside the Lord’s Day for worship will refocus us away from fears onto certainty. A. God’s Word: Through Moses, God set up the standard by...

God uses us to advance his kingdom in the city, as we… I. Live (vv. 1-6, 8-9) II. Seek (v. 7) III. Pray (v. 7) Questions for Reflection/Discussion: What did you learn from this sermon/passage? What implications does this have for who you are are a follower of Jesus? What is one way you can respond?

Because God is both transcendent and immanent, we must constantly be humbled to remain dependent on the presence of Christ. I. Transcendence (vv. 29-30) Moses’ face shone because he had been in the presence of God. And it was not merely a glistening hue like a sunbather lathered up with tanning oil, the Hebrew intensely describes light bursting forth in rays from Moses’ face. Knowing:...

The presence of the Lord is better than life itself (cf. Ps. 63:3), so we must stay near to him through... I. Repentance (vv. 1-6) What do you do when God hides his face? What the Israelites did—repent furiously. Repentance is always a good idea, no matter the situation because our hearts are constantly wandering. But sometimes repentance requires radical steps tangibly representing new choi...

The whole Bible, including this passage, tells us only Jesus can deliver us from the danger we are in, so we must turn to him. I. See Imperfectly (vv. 1-5) Idolatry causes us to see imperfectly. We can make tragically flawed conclusions based on our faulty and limited perspective. Therefore, we must trust that Jesus tells us what is accurate about life and our world even if it doesn...

Amid the detailed description of the priests’ clothing, we find the calling of every believer and the supply of all we need in Christ. There are two ways we can try to present ourselves to God. I. By Holiness The only way we will avoid God’s judgment is by holiness. Our moral bankruptcy is only highlighted by the garments prescribed for the priest. While the people were not r...

God becomes our God through Christ, so we will live as his people. His people worship in response to grace, obey his words in gratitude, and rest on his welcome provided by Jesus. I. Worship (24:1-2, 9-11, 15-18) As God’s people, we worship him in response to his grace. Knowing : Before there is any reference to obedience to commands, God invites the leaders, representing the peopl...

Because Jesus redeems us body and soul, we must seek flourishing for all those around us. I. Work (21:2) Our work is always framed by 1) remembering we are God’s treasured possession, 2) worshipping God in grateful obedience, and 3) responding by serving others with our work. Knowing: The translation “slaves” in this passage may not be the best translation for our modern&nbs...

Regardless of what we cease doing or start doing, we will not depart from these essentials—discipleship, outreach, and worship. On the threshold of this long list of laws for the newly formed nation of Israel, God mandates these three essential duties for the people of God. Discipleship, outreach and worship apply the essence of the law to love God and neighbor.  I. Disci...

Motivation and enablement for obedience to the Lord in the Old Testament are no different from that in the New Testament, and it is proven in the preface to the Ten Commandments. I. The Lord The most obvious reason to obey God’s commandments is that it is God who gave them. Knowing: “I am the Lord,” he says, using that sacred, stunning name YHWH by which he first reveal...