TBC Glassboro Sermons and More

The fourth recorded sermon of Jesus is the Sermon About Kingdom Values, Matthew 18:1-19:1. The thrust of this sermon is to teach disciples five fundamental values that must be present amongst Kingdom citizens. These values are critical to the Kingdom community as they govern relationships between Kingdom citizens. The Kingdom values of Matthew 18 must be recovered and embraced. The first value to...

Psalm 103 is a psalm of thankful praise. The superscription reveals that David is the psalmist. Reflecting upon God’s goodness and mercy, David can only respond by giving thankful praise to God. He is so overjoyed by God’s goodness and mercy that He calls upon the angels and all of creation to join him in thankful praise. How often do we give thankful praise to God? Perhaps, our lack of praise is...

Genesis 1 presents the steps God took in creation. First, God took steps to form that which was tōhû and bōhû (i.e., unformed and unfilled) and then proceeded to take that which He formed and filled it. Thus, days one through three, God is forming creation and days four through six, God is filling creation. On day one of creation God formed space and on day four, He filled it.

Psalm 102 is a lament over pain. Here the psalmist is a man in pain. His days are slipping by, his bones are aching, and his heart is hurting. He has not appetite and is simply wasting away. Amid his pain, the psalmist cries out to God with his lament. How many believers struggle with pain? How do we deal with it? Do we live in denial or perhaps attempt to rationalize it? Common sense would attemp...

The universe is not the by-product of natural processes. Instead, creation is the result of the supernatural power of God. By looking at the word, the witness, and the work of creation, one will see the supernatural power of God. Hence, Genesis 1:1-31 examines the truth of “God created.”

Psalm 97 is a confession of God’s Reign. The psalmist seeks to correct believers’ distorted view of God. Thus, the psalmist pictures YHWH coming to judge His enemies. When believers see God as Who He really is, then we will submit to His rule.

Now in the final two parables, The Dragnet and The Householder, Jesus presents The Judgment of the Kingdom. The spiritual Kingdom will merge into the physical Kingdom. However, their merger will come with judgment. The theme of phase four is one of responsibility. Hence, in Matthew 13:47-53, Jesus presents the dragnet, the householder, and the Kingdom.

Psalm 96 is a song of worship to God. According to 1 Chronicles 16:7, this psalm is written by David when He brought the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem. 1 Chronicles 16:23-33 parallels Psalm 96:1-13. This song of worship to God calls upon everyone and nature, as well, to praise God because He is greater than the gods of the pagans and He will reign in truth and righteousness.

The phase three parables represent The People of the Kingdom as revealed in The Hidden Treasure and The Costly Pearl. Jesus explains that the spiritual Kingdom is comprised of two groups of people: Israel and the Church. The theme of phase three is value. Both the treasure and the pearl have great value. Hence, Jesus presents in Matthew 13:44-46 the Hidden Treasure, the Costly Pearl, and the Kingd...

Psalm 94 is a song of assurance in chastening. The psalmist recognizes that vengeance belongs only to the Lord. Since, it is now his responsibility to seek revenge upon the wicked, he cries out to God to mete out vengeance upon those oppress the righteous. While praying for vengeance against evildoers, he wrestles with the idea of God taking vengeance upon the righteous who act wickedly. In the se...

The phase two parables represent the opposition to the Kingdom as demonstrated by the two parables: The Mustard Seed and The Leaven. Despite opposition, the Kingdom will grow from a small, meager beginning to a large, magnificent organism. Hence, Jesus presents in Matthew 13:31-33 the Mustard Seed, the Leaven, and the Kingdom.

Psalm 92 is written to praise God for His goodness. However, what makes such praise unique is that it is written at a time when the wicked are flourishing (vss 6-7). However, instead of asking how long the wicked will prosper, the psalmist turns to God and praises Him for His goodness. In particular, the psalmist sees God’s goodness in His providence towards the godless and His providence towards...

The theme of the inauguration phase of the spiritual Kingdom is planting. In The Sower and the Soils, the Gospel is planted in humanity’s hearts. However, in The Wheat and Weeds parable, another type of planting occurs with a nefarious purpose. While Jesus and His followers are busy planting the Gospel seed, Satan is busty planting weeds amid the wheat. Hence, Jesus presents in Matthew 13:24-30 an...

Part three of the study on Psalm 89. Psalm 89 is written to reconcile theology with experience. A crisis has occurred and Ethan the Ezrahite, a contemporary of Solomon, tries to reconcile his theology with his experience. His theology affirms the covenant God made with David. In 2 Samuel 7:12-17, God promised David a descendent would always reign over the people of Israel. However, the Davidic mon...

The book of Genesis is a book of beginnings. Chapters 1-11 record the history of the beginnings of the world. Chapters 12-50 record the history of the beginning of God’s chosen people, Israel. Yet here in Genesis, beginning in the first chapter, God confronts His people with the revelation of who He is and what He has done.

Psalm 89 is written to reconcile theology with experience. A crisis has occurred and Ethan the Ezrahite, a contemporary of Solomon, tries to reconcile his theology with his experience. His theology affirms the covenant God made with David. In 2 Samuel 7:12-17, God promised David a descendent would always reign over the people of Israel. However, the Davidic monarch is at a crossroad. Solomon’s son...

Jesus confirms that He is still inaugurating His Kingdom, albeit for the time, only in spiritual form. However, this spiritual form is no less authentic than its physical. The Kingdom still has a King and citizens over whom the King reigns. Jesus sets forth the Sower, the Soil and the Kingdom in Matthew 13:3b-9 and 18-23 to demonstrate how one is inaugurated in the spiritual aspect of God’s Kingdo...

Psalm 89 is written to reconcile theology with experience. A crisis has occurred and Ethan the Ezrahite, a contemporary of Solomon, tries to reconcile his theology with his experience. His theology affirms the covenant God made with David. In 2 Samuel 7:12-17, God promised David a descendent would always reign over the people of Israel. However, the Davidic monarch is at a crossroad. Solomon’s son...

Questions about the Kingdom were being raised in light of the religious leaders’ rejection of the Messiah in Matthew 12. Specifically, what will happen to the Kingdom now that the King has been rejected? In light of that question, Jesus presents the Sermon about the Kingdom in Matthew 13. As Jesus uncovers the mysteries of the Kingdom, He will reveal the Kingdom’s present form. In Matthew 13:1-3,...

Psalm 88 is the saddest psalm of the Hebrew Psalter. It is the diligent prayer of the suffering. The psalmist, Heman the Ezrahite laments the constant affliction from which he suffers. From his point of view, he is knocking on deaths’ door. Hence, he does the only thing that can possibly bring relief and peace. He prays days and night to YHWH.

In Matthew 10:32-42, Jesus lays out the final expectations for Kingdom servants. These final four expectations include two rewards. Kingdom servants should expect a reward for confessing Jesus’ Lordship. They should expect rejection from family. Kingdom servants should expect to sacrifice their life for their King. Finally, they should expect a reward for faithfulness.

Psalm 87 announces the glory of God’s city. The sons of Korah directs the readers of this psalm to remember Zion or Jerusalem, the city of God. It is the city where God dwelled among His people. Additionally, the sons of Korah encourage the reader to look forward to see the future of Jerusalem, where God will dwell among the nations. This psalm is post-exilic. As the Jews return to the land, they...

Jesus warned that not only will some reject the Gospel message, but some will reject the Gospel messengers. Indeed, Kingdom servants will face rejection from at least three sources — the religious, rulers, and even relatives. Not wanting to leave His servants on a negative note, Jesus sets forth the expectations for Kingdom servants in Matthew 10:24-42. In this final section of His Sermon for King...

Psalm 85 is a request to restore God’s people. In 586 BC, the Babylonians carried the Kingdom of Judah into captivity. After seventy years, their exile was coming to an end, and some of the Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem. That first group returned to a destroyed city and Temple, surrounded by enemies. Immediately, they set out to rebuild the Temple. Nonetheless, they got no further than...

In that final task of identifying those receptive to the Gospel, Jesus made it clear that not all will respond positively to the Gospel message. Some will reject It. However, Kingdom servants must also know that not only will their message be rejected, but they will also be rejected. Indeed, the proclamation of the Gospel is inseparable from rejection. Jesus now addresses the rejection of Kingdom...