Category: Weekly Thoughts

The sermon is from be Romans 12:14-21– “Serve the Lord Perseveringly”. “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.” – Romans 12:14

How can a mere sinful mortal obey Paul’s command in this verse? Our innate tendency is to defend ourselves. This is a proper response in the kingdoms of men; there are “just wars” which must be waged. But, in Christ’s kingdom, things are “upside-down.” The first are last and the last are first. Paul, of course, is simply reminding us of Christ’s words, “But I say to you, ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.’” (Matt. 5:44-45) Such challenging requirements for Christian discipleship should steer us toward “… the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16)

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

The sermon is from be Romans 12: 9-13–”Serve the Lord Admirably”.  “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.” – Romans 12:11

Paul’s rapid-fire commands in Romans 12:9-13 take one’s breath away. There are 13 of them in only 5 verses. He summons Christians to love, abhor, hold fast, love, outdo, be zealous, be fervent, serve, rejoice, be patient, be constant, contribute, and seek. Do you recoil from this list and say, “Impossible!! I am sinful and weak. I can never measure up to these expectations!” Well, there is good news for you; someone did measure up; his name is Jesus Christ and he grants his perfect righteousness to those who trust him alone for salvation. Now, clothed in his righteousness, believers can trust him to work in them “… both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Phil, 2:12). He will “lift their drooping hands and strengthen their weak knees” (Heb. 12:12) as they present themselves to him as living sacrifices (Rom. 12:1).

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

The sermon is from Romans 12:3-8 –“Gifted to Serve Christ and His Body”. “For in it [i.e. the gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed …” – Romans 1:17

In the early 1500s, a German monk began to ponder just one phrase in Romans 1:17 and that phrase was “the righteousness of God.” He had always been terrified of this concept; he would tremble over the implications of this divine attribute. God was morally perfect and the monk knew that he was not. But, as he read, studied, and taught Romans, he came to a different understanding of the phrase. He came to see that Paul was actually describing a “gift” of divine righteousness that is credited to sinners who by faith alone, trust Christ alone for salvation (Romans 3:21-26; 4:1-8; 5:15-21). The monk’s name was Martin Luther and his re-discovery of the doctrine of justification by faith alone sparked what is known as “The Protestant Reformation.” Let me invite you to come to Hickory Withe Presbyterian Church this Sunday at 6:00 PM. The worship service will uplift you and the sermon on “Justification by Faith Alone” will instruct and edify you.

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

The sermon is from Romans 12:1-2 – “Now, What?” “Do not be conformed … but be transformed …” – Romans 12:2

The Bible teaches that sin no longer reigns in Christians (Romans 6:1-23), but the Bible also teaches that sin does remain in Christians (Romans 7:14-25). Romans 12:2 reminds us of the world’s efforts to conform us and to shape us into its mold. The Christian, now indwelt by the Holy Spirit, is summoned to resist these pressures which wage war without and within. An old hymn, if sung as a prayer, might aid us in the struggle, “O let me feel thee near me, the world is ever near; I see the sights that dazzle, the tempting sounds I hear: my foes are ever near me, around me and within; but, Jesus, draw thou nearer, and shield my soul from sin.” (Trinity Hymnal #654 – O Jesus, I Have Promised)

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

The sermon is from Romans 11:33-36- “Sola Deo Gloria”.  “How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” -Romans 11:33

Someone in the 16th Century asked the Protestant Reformer, John Calvin, “What was God doing before he created the world?” To which Calvin replied, “He was preparing hell for the curious.” Now, Calvin wasn’t discouraging scientific inquiry, but he was admonishing us to exercise caution in our study of Scripture and not to go beyond what God has revealed in his Word. Moses provides perspective for the humble study of God’s Word, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of the law.” (Deut. 29:29)

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

The sermon is from Romans 11:25-32 – “Israel’s Future Salvation”.  “… in this way all Israel will be saved, …” – Romans 11:26

In Romans Chapters 9, 10, and 11, Paul explains a great conundrum in the First Century. Israel’s promised Messiah came to earth and the nation en masse rejected him. He came to his “own” and his own did not receive him (John 1:11). How can one explain this tragedy? Well, Paul, in 3 chapters demonstrates that this turn of events was a part of God’s sovereign plan in human and redemptive history; and he also predicts a day when Israel’s fortunes will be reversed. Listen to Romans 11:26, when, “The Deliverer comes from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob; ….” Let us long for that day.

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

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