Month: September 2024

The sermon is from Romans 11:17-24 – “Lessons from the Olive Tree”. “Note then the kindness and the severity of God: …” – Romans 11:22

Christians, if they are not careful, can drift to extremes in their considerations of the attributes of God. We can focus entirely upon his love and ignore his wrath; we can focus entirely upon his wrath and ignore his love. We can emphasize his justice and exclude his mercy; we can so stress mercy that we lose sight of his justice. Romans 11:22 stresses both God’s kindness and severity. Our Triune God is kind in his dealings with us, but he can also respond with severity when we sin repeatedly in an area. He may even cut us off from his covenant people if we slip into apostasy and deny the faith (Rom. 11:17-24). So, as Paul states, let us not, “become proud, but stand in awe” before the God we love and serve.

Sunday Service Streamed Live at 11:00 AM – YouTube.com – Hickory Withe PCA

The sermon is from John 11:17-44 – “Life After Resurrection”. “… they were broken off because of their unbelief, …” – Romans 11:20

Ethnic Israel eventually violated the terms of the Old Covenant and suffered the curses of that covenant in 1st Century A.D. (See Deuteronomy Chapters 27-30). They were “cut off” or “broken off” from the blessings of being known as God’s covenant people (See 2 Cor. 3:7-11; Heb. 8:6-13). So, what is Israel’s hope since the infliction of these curses in the 1st Century? How can they have covenant status as the people of God and experience once again inclusion in the visible church on earth? They must turn to Jesus of Nazareth; they must embrace the Lord Jesus Christ by faith alone and “be grafted in” to the visible church under the New Covenant (Rom. 11:23-24). Christ is their (and our) only hope in life and death.

Sunday Service Streamed Live at 11:00 AM – YouTube.com – Hickory Withe PCA

The sermon is from Romans 11:11-16 – “Being Jealous Unto Salvation”.  “… through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, …” – Romans 11:11

Often as Christians, we take for granted certain Bible doctrines and fail to realize the magnitude and wonder of the truth we confess to believe. Newton’s famous song reminds us of our short-sighted tendencies; he did not say, “grace, how sweet the sound,” he said, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound!” Likewise, we fail to realize the magnitude of Paul’s reference to the Gentiles in Romans 11:11. Previous to the coming of Christ, God’s visible church on earth was confined to one nation, the nation Israel. To them, he poured out tremendous religious privilege and blessing (Romans 9:4-5). Now, the visible church is composed of Jew and Gentile and it extends to the ends of the earth. Now, “his blessings flow far as the curse is found.”

Sunday Service Streamed Live at 11:00 AM – YouTube.com – Hickory Withe PCA

The sermon is from Romans 11:7-10 – “Israel’s Failure; the Elect’s Success”.  “… if my people …” – 2 Chronicles 7:14

Many contemporary Christians bemoan the moral degeneracy in our nation and in our world. Such concerns, of course, are legitimate. Paul, in Athens, “was provoked within … as he saw that the city was full of idols” (Acts 17:16). But Paul’s provocation led to action; we see that he immediately, “… reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons … every day …” (Acts 17:17). Do our cultural concerns lead us to action? Do we, as Christians, humble ourselves, pray, seek God’s face, and turn from our wicked ways? Do we share the Gospel with the lost? Could the degeneracy in our culture be due to degeneracy in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ?

Sunday Service Streamed Live at 11:00 AM – YouTube.com – Hickory Withe PCA