Month: December 2025

The sermon on Sunday, January 4, 2026, will be Revelation 3:7-13 – Philadelphia: A Church to Emulate.. “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write …” – Revelation 3:7

How does one rank the names for cities? How does one choose which city in the world has the best name? I, for one, would vote for our city in America named ‘Philadelphia.’ As most have heard, the name means ‘the city of brotherly love.’ Well, one of the churches in Revelation is located in a city in Asia Minor called ‘Philadelphia.’ This church, like the church at Smyrna, is not criticized at all by the exalted Lord Jesus Christ. She must have lived up to her name. Her members had tasted the love of Jesus Christ, and therefore, they demonstrated that love to others (1 John 4:19). What a simple, and yet, community transforming goal for us in 2026!

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

The sermon on Sunday, December 28, 2025, will be 2 Timothy 4:9-18 -The Apostle Paul: Beginning and Ending in Glory.  “To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” – 2 Timothy 4:18

A very popular Protestant catechism begins with this question, “What is the chief end of man?” Then, the question is answered, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” The Apostle Paul’s Christian life began and ended with an emphasis upon the glory of God. Certainly, this was true when he was converted on the Damascus Road (Acts 9). He was blind and anorexic for three days due to his encounter with the exalted and living Christ. And in some of the last words he penned (from a Roman prison cell facing execution), he returns to this theme – “To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” How about you? Have you discovered man’s chief end? When you do, you will be well on your way to the eternal enjoyment of God.

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

The sermon on Sunday, December 21, 2025, will be Ephesians 1:15-23 – The Birth of the Head of the Church. “And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, …” – Ephesians 1:22

Most of us have heard that ‘nature abhors a vacuum,’ but the same is true regarding authority in the world and in the church. ‘Church government’ sounds cold and mechanical for a ‘spiritual’ kingdom; but anyone who has participated in a church for any length of time knows that there must be a clear understanding of who is the head of the church and how his authority is exercised in this, the most wonderful institution on earth. Paul states in no uncertain terms that Christ is King and Head of the Church. This, of course, is the good news of Christmas, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11)

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

The sermon on Sunday, December 14, 2025, will be Colossians 1:15-20 – Asleep in Bethlehem, Yet Ruling the World. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” -Colossians 1:15

The popular Christian apologist of the 20th Century in Britain, C. S. Lewis, coined an idea that some have called a ‘trilemma.’ In Mere Christianity, Lewis posits that the New Testament leaves one with three options concerning the Person of Christ. Either he was a lunatic, a liar, or he was Lord. Later philosophers have criticized Lewis’s ‘trilemma,’ but in my opinion, he was correct. Jesus Christ, while on earth, asked his followers, “Who do you say that I am?” He is still asking that question today through his Word and by his Spirit. So, what about you? Do you think he was a lunatic? Or, a liar? Or, do you believe he was/is the Lord of heaven and earth?

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

The sermon on Sunday, December 7, 2025, will be Romans 9:1-5 – God Over All in Bethlehem’s Manger. “… Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.”  – Romans 9:5

In my intermediate Greek class in seminary, my professor required me and his other students to write an exegetical paper on the divinity of Jesus Christ. That is, the Lord Jesus Christ is God in human flesh; he is One Person, but he possesses both a divine and human nature. We were required to exegete every New Testament passage which affirms the Deity of Christ. Quite frankly, this was one of my most memorable assignments during my seminary days. Now, some may reject this New Testament claim, but it is a claim nonetheless, “Christ is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.” Is this the Christ you worship?

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