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Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one”

This Lord’s Day

Since we have spent quite some time looking at Jesus’ preaching we will pass over Luke 4:42-44 (our text for this afternoon is Luke 4:31-41). However we would do well to meditate upon these excellent words of J.C. Ryle from his devotional on Luke (4:43):

We read that He said, “I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also–for therefore was I sent.” An expression like this ought to silence forever the foolish remarks that are sometimes made against preaching. The mere fact that the eternal Son of God undertook the office of a preacher, should satisfy us that preaching is one of the most valuable means of grace. To speak of preaching, as some do, as a thing of less importance than reading public prayers or administering the sacraments, is, to say the least, to exhibit ignorance of Scripture. It is a striking circumstance in our Lord’s history, that although He was almost incessantly preaching, we never read of His baptizing any person. The witness of John is distinct on this point–”Jesus baptized not.” (John 4:2.)

Let us beware of despising preaching. In every age of the Church, it has been God’s principal instrument for the awakening of sinners and the edifying of saints. The days when there has been little or no preaching have been days when there has been little or no good done in the Church. Let us hear sermons in a prayerful and reverent frame of mind, and remember that they are the principal engines which Christ Himself employed, when He was upon earth. Not least, let us pray daily for a continual supply of faithful preachers or God’s word. According to the state of the pulpit will always be the state of a congregation and of a Church.

 

Thought Provoking Movie

Since this is a church blog I would not ordinarily mention or discuss a movie. But Ben Stein’s “Expelled” has me intrigued because it is has been produced to educate the public about the growing debate regarding the truth claims of Darwinism.

This Lord’s Day

We look at 1 Timothy 1:15 in our morning service as we consider the Heidelberg Catechism’s concluding words on the Ten Commandments (LD 44, Q&A 114-115). Calvin comments on this verse:

“Our mind is always impelled to look at our worthiness; and as soon as our unworthiness is seen, our confidence sinks. Accordingly, the more any one is oppressed by his sins, let him the more courageously betake himself to Christ, relying on this doctrine, that he came to bring salvation not to the righteous, but to “sinners.”

The ’strictness’ of the Ten Commandments point us to Christ who has fulfilled all righteousness for us. Thus we may, with confidence, pursue God’s will in our life knowing that our salvation does not depend upon our performance. We who are free in Christ by faith alone will more and more desire holy living before God “until we attain the goal of perfection after this life.” (HC, Q&A 115)

New Link

I have added a link to Missions URC a website that shares information about URC evangelism and church plant efforts.