The Local Christendom Podcast with Aaron Ventura

Aaron Ventura
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The Local Christendom Podcast is hosted by Aaron Ventura.

  1. 2d ago

    Sermon: His Unspeakable Gift (2 Corinthians 9:6-15)

    His Unspeakable Gift Sunday, November 1st, 2026 All Saints’ Day Christ Covenant Church – Chehalis, WA 2 Corinthians 9:6–15 Prayer O Father, we thank You for Your Son, who became poor for a season, to make us rich forever. Grant us to taste and to see Your Divine Goodness in Your Word, for we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Introduction Do you have a generous soul? Would other people describe you as being a generous person, a person who has not merely a big wallet but a big heart? It says in Proverbs 11:24-25, There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty. The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters [others] will also be watered himself. This morning I want us to consider how the Apostle Paul talks about money, giving, and generosity. For here in this letter he is writing to the church in Corinth, advising them to be generous to the poor back in Jerusalem. Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” and here Paul enumerates what some of those blessings are. And so I thought it most fitting, that on our first Sunday here, in this building that was largely purchased for us by a handful of very generous souls, that while they remain anonymous, we can honor their gift by honoring God in how we receive this gift. Do you know how God would have us receive a blessing as grand as this? David asks in Psalm 116:11, What shall I render unto the Lord For all his benefits toward me? Well, here in this passage, Paul is going to give us some directions in how to do that, sothat you may come to know by experience, that it is truly more blessed to give than to receive. Outline Now there are four reasons in this passage, that Paul uses to motivate the Corinthians to be generous. And it is according to those four reasons that we will walk through our text. So starting in verses 6-7, the first reason Paul gives for generosity is: Because the more you sow, the more you reap. Verses 6-7 – Because the more you sow, the more you reap 6But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. Here, Paul gives us the image of a farmer, or gardener. And the question he asks you is: How big of a harvest do you want? How much fruit and grain, bread and wine do you want to have this summer and fall? If you want a big harvest, then sow big. If you want a small harvest, then sow stingily. He says in Galatians 6:7, Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. So this is the first incentive to give. Jesus Christ is Lord of the harvest, He makes the rain to fall and the sun to shine on the just and unjust alike (Matthew 5:45). And therefore, if you are a child of God, living in God’s world, why not sow bountifully into His divine economy and leave the results to Him? In verse 7 the Apostle goes on to describe the most fertile conditions for producing a great harvest. He says, Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. In the original context, the Corinthian church had had many months, if not a full year to set aside money each week to relieve their poor brothers and sisters in Jerusalem. In Paul’s first letter to them, he concluded by saying in 1 Corinthians 16:1-3, Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: On the first day of the week [Sunday] let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. And when I come, whomever you approve by your letters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem. Now as most of us know, it is easy to be inspired to give to some person or missionary or worthy cause in a moment of passion, but then after a few days, or weeks, or months, that passion subsides, and we can easily forget that that need still exists, and that unless we follow through on our intention to give, that intention is really worthless. If after the feeling passes, no gift has been given, no check has been signed, did you really meet that need? And so Paul is writing this second letter to the Corinthians to stir up their affections again, and to remind them of their original intention to give, along with the real blessings that await those who sow bountifully to the Lord. As it says in Proverbs 19:17, He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, And He will pay back what he has given. So Paul does not want anyone to give alms from a mere passing sentiment, or emotional guilt-manipulation, and certainly not under threat or compulsion. Instead, he wants them to give alms (which is a free-will offering distinct from the tithe) from a sober mind, a decisive heart, that cheerfully gives in proportion to their means. Recall He says in 1 Corinthians 16, lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper. And so do you consider the money in your bank account as seed that God has given you to sow? We could ask the same of your time and energy, and how you prioritize your life. Is your whole a life a cheerful offering unto God? A healthy church is a church that is full of cheerful givers. Because those are the only kind of givers that God is said to love. God loves a cheerful giver (not a reluctant giver), because cheerful giving is divine. Such generosity is god-like. Cheerful giving is who God is in His very nature and being. The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are together a unity of unbounded and infinite love. And so if God gives cheerfully, so also should His people. That’s the first incentive to give. God is not mocked, a man will reap what he sows. Now the second reason to be generous is… Verse 8 – Because God has unlimited resources 8And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: That is a lot of universal language here: all grace, always, all sufficiency in all things to abound in every good work. This is a remarkable promise, that only a God with unlimited power and resources can make. Later in 2 Corinthians 12 Paul will use his own life as an example of this promise being fulfilled. Paul is suffering, he is in pain, he is being harassed by this messenger of Satan, this thorn in his flesh, and pleads with God to remove it. But what does God say to him? How does God’s all surpassing power minister to Paul? It says in 2 Corinthians 12:9, The Lord said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. And so wherever there is a good work to be done, God has grace in unlimited supply. That grace might come in an unexpected form, it might not come as a check in the mail, or maybe it will. But in either case we have God’s promise. And as Jesus says in Matthew 6:33, Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. This is true for us individuals, and it is true for the church corporately. God does not command us to do anything without also supplying the strength and resources to do it. Sometimes this means we have to get really creative, we have to make sacrifices, but the promise of God is always sure. He will not test you beyond what you are able to endure, and then when you feel unable to endure, that is often when God most frequently loves to manifest His power. What did Abraham call the mountain where God provided a ram for his son Isaac? It says Genesis 22:14, And Abraham called the name of the place, Jehovah-Jireh (The-Lord-Will-Provide); as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” This means you must climb the mountain of God by faith. Not by sight, not always carrying the ram upon your back, but trusting that if God told you to do something, He will give you what you need when you need it. And so however poor and needy you may feel and be, hope in God and never let go. Wrestle with God, like Jacob wrestled with angel, and tell him, I will not let go until you bless me. This is how God makes you strong, by dislocating your hip in hard trials, so that His divine power can be manifest in your weakness. This is true when it comes to spiritual things, and it is true when it comes to our finances as well. So Paul tells the Corinthians to give because God has infinite grace, unlimited supply. And this will sustain your heart, even if it feels like a lean season. God is not asking you to give what you do not have. Now the third reason Paul gives is… Verses 9-10 – Because God gives us gifts that are labeled for other people 9(As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. 10Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;) Here Paul fortifies his argument with three proof texts from the Old Testament. He starts with a direct quotation from Psalm 112, and then brings together Isaiah 55:10, and Hosea 10:12. So just in case you did not trust Paul’s authority. Here he brings forth a threefold witness from the Psalms and Prophets. And what he is doing is anticipating a possible objection, which is, “If I give to the poor saints in Jerusalem, how can I be sure that I’ll have enough food for myself?” And the answer Paul gives is, well, you have to trust Jesus. And so think about where both your seed and your bread (the necessities of life) come from. If the seed comes from God, and God tells you to sow y

  2. Oct 27

    Sermon: Church Planting in Canaan (Genesis 12:1-9)

    Church Planting in Canaan Sunday, October 25th, 2026 Twenty-Second Sunday After Pentecost Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WA Genesis 12:1–9 Prayer O Heavenly Father, we thank you for the example of our spiritual father Abraham, who sojourned in the land of Canaan, who forsook all to follow You, and because of his patience and faith, received the promised inheritance, not in this life, but in the life that is to come. Grant us to imitate his great faith, which is faith in Your Only Begotten Son, our Lord Jesus, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God forever, Amen. Introduction 4,000 years ago, Noah died. And two years after Noah’s death, Abram was born. Noah died in 1998 BC. And Abram was born to Terah in 1996 BC. Now a couple weeks ago we studied Genesis 11 and the building of the tower of Babel. And we saw how men conspired together to dethrone the Most High God. How did God respond? He responded graciously, by coming down and scattering the tongues and languages of men. Now as we come to Genesis 12, and the call of Abram, about 320 years have passed since that Babel event. And we find that Abram is living in Haran (500 miles north of Babylon), and with Abram, God is going to begin a new building project, which is the building of Christ’s kingdom. God has placed Genesis 11 and Genesis 12 right next to each other, to show us this difference between man’s way of exalting himself and building a kingdom against God, and God’s ways of exalting man to sit down next to Him in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:6). God’s kingdom is built through humility, obedience, and patient faith in God’s promise. As it says in Zechariah 4:6, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, Saith the Lord of hosts. At Babel, man tried to make his own name great, but to Abram what does God say? I will make your name great. At Babel, man refused to leave his own country and kin. Instead of spreading out on the earth, he tried to build a world city (the first globalist empire against God). But to Abram God says, leave your country, leave your kindred, leave your father’s house, forsake your blood and soil, and go to a new land that I will show you. At Babel man tried to build a monument for posterity, a name which would not be forgotten. But where are the names of those builders today? Instead, their memory is an unfinished tower, forever testifying to their pride and folly. What does God build with and through Abram? God builds from him a great nation (many nations in fact), principally a holy nation and a royal priesthood. And through his loins, and the barren womb of Sarah, would come the promised redeemer and seed, the God-man Christ Jesus. Paul says in Galatians 3:16, Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. So Christ is the ultimate means by which blessing comes to Abram and all humanity. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 1:20 that in Christ Jesus, all the promises of God find their Yes and Amen. And so if you have the faith of Abram, which is faith in Christ, then you are an heir together with him. And just as Abram had to trust God, and wait patiently, and endure long trials, hoping against hope, so also must you in your own day. And so on this final morning, of us worshipping here together in this building, I want us to consider how God builds his kingdom through the faith and patience of His saints. Outline of the Text Our text divides into three sections: In verses 1-3, God issues a command and promises a blessing. In verses 4-6, Abram obeys and departs to Canaan. In verses 7-9, God appears to Abram, and Abram builds two altars for worship. So God commands and promises a blessing, Abram obeys and departs, and then God appears to Abram, and Abram builds a place for worship. Verses 1-3 – God gives a command and promises a blessing 1Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. Here we have a command followed by a promise. The command is to leave at least four things behind: 1. Abram must leave his own country/land 2. He must say goodbye to his kindred and extended relatives, 3. He must leave his father’s house, which we are told in Joshua 24:2 was a house of idolatry. And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the River in old times; and they served other gods. Abram was to forsake his father’s gods and idolatrous ways. 4. And then fourth, Abram must relinquish the security and control that he presently has over his own life. God tells him to go, but God does not yet tell him all the details about where to go, and for how long, and if he will ever get to settle down anywhere. Abram has to trust God, and trust the very limited information God gives to him at this stage. It says of this scene in Hebrews 11:8, By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. Isn’t this how God so often works in our lives? He gives us clear commands that we must obey and promises blessings if we do, and yet He leaves out so many particulars that we think are essential to know. God gives Abram a command without giving him a precise destination. The command is Leave, but where to, he is not yet told. And so you can imagine the greatness of Abram’s faith here. Because Abram has to go have one of those awkward conversations with his wife later that evening. “Honey, the Lord spoke to me, and He told us we need to leave. Leave what? Not much, just our land, our family, my father’s house. Uhm. Okay. Where are we going? Great question. I don’t know. He didn’t tell me that. But get this, He promised me a great blessing if we obey. Oh yeah? He said, I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” What did Sarai think of all this? We are not told. But this is a staggering promise that is tied to a kind of scary command. Leave all that is familiar to you, and go somewhere unknown. All you’ve got to go on at this point, is the word of God. Is that enough? Well as risky or scary or thrilling as this might be (depending on your temperament), this is also what Jesus says to every person who would follow him. Isn’t this what God is still saying to you today? Jesus says in Luke 14:26-30, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ So have you counted the cost, of leaving all so you can follow Jesus and actually reach the finish line (dying in faith)? Well then you too must in spirit and in truth, forsake this world, forsake the sins of your father’s house, forsake the devil and all his works, forsake your family and relatives, and anything that would hinder you from obeying Jesus completely. Jesus leaves no room in his kingdom for divided loyalties. You cannot serve God and mammon, no man can have two masters, Jesus says. Eventually God will separate the sheep from the goats, the wheat from the tares. And so have you truly forsaken this world, for the sake of Christ? Can you honestly say with the Apostle Paul, But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Chris (Phil 3:7-8). Abram forsook all to follow and gain Jesus Christ and his resurrection glory. And so must you, if you would be called a true son of Abraham. Now in verses 4-6 we are given a brief description of Abram’s departure. Verses 4-6 – Abram obeys God’s command and departs to Canaan. 4So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran. 5And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. 6And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. What do you expect to be doing when you are 75 years old? Some of you are older than 75, and here you are. Did you imagine your life would turn out this way? Whatever Abram’s plans might have been, it was probably not leaving everything behind and start a new life on the road. Recall Abram and his wife are childless, and they have been childless their entire marriage, with all the griefs, sorrows, and disappointments that that would cause. We learn later in Genesis that both of them are fairly resigned to this hard providence, and so Eliezer of Damascus, an adopted serva

  3. Oct 27

    Sunday School: Lesson 20 - The Four Causes of Supernatural Revelation (WCF 1.5)

    The Local Christendom Podcast with Aaron Ventura

  4. Oct 12

    Sunday School: Lesson 19 - What persuades you of the Bible's divine authority? (WCF 1.5)

    The Local Christendom Podcast with Aaron Ventura

  5. Oct 12

    Sermon: Babel & The City of God (Genesis 11:1-9, Ezekiel 48:30-35)

    Babel & The City of God Sunday, October 11th, 2026 Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WA Genesis 11:1–9, Ezekiel 48:30–35 Prayer O Father, we thank You for the revelation of Your Son, who by his death and resurrection has broken down the dividing wall of hostility, to create in Himself one new man from the scattered and divided tribes of the earth, thus making peace. Grant us this peace, as Your kingdom advances, for we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Introduction How many acres of land do you own? Zero acres? Maybe you rent. Half and acre. 5 acres. 100 acres. More? What if God gave you 50 square miles of land, that is 32,000 acres? What would you do with it? How would you organize, divide, and arrange that land so that people would want to live there? Where would you build the city? What would you call it? Where would you put the farmland, the forests, the pasture, the houses, the neighborhoods, and the grocery stores? How would you write the zoning laws for what could be built and where? In the two passages I just read, Genesis 11 and Ezekiel 48, we have two competing visions for what a land and a city should be. On one hand there is the Babel Vision, with a tall tower that stretches up towards heaven. And then there is Ezekiel’s Vision, where heavenly blueprints descend down to earth, and God shows us how He arranges 50 square miles of land around His Holy sanctuary. If you look at the graphic I have put in your bulletin, there is a central square there, in between the two territories of the Prince. And that square measures about 50 square miles, and just for comparison, that is about the same land mass as all of Tacoma. That is what is God is showing to Ezekiel in Ezekiel 40-48, and this morning I want to compare and contrast these two rival visions for what society can be. There is the Babelic vision to build a tower and a name for oneself. And then there is God’s Vision, with a sanctuary for true worship from which living waters flow, and then south of that Sanctuary is a city whose name is The LORD is there. So as we are about to move from one city to another, from Centralia to Chehalis, I want us to consider some of the practical lessons contained here in Genesis 11 and in Ezekiel’s vision. Outline of the Sermon In order to set these two rival visions side by side, we are going to ask and answer three questions of each building project, that capture its essence. Those three questions are: Q1. Where do they build? Q2. What do they build? Q3. Why do they build? So starting with the Babel Project, where was the city and tower of Babel built? Q1. Where do they build? We read in Genesis 11:1-2 1And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. 2And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. First recall the context of Genesis 11. It is about 100 years after the flood. God reduced the entire population of the earth down to 8 people, Noah and his family. And after the flood subsides it says in Genesis 9:1, So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.” So God’s charge to Noah has not changed even after the fall, and even after the flood. The commission God gave to Adam and Eve in the Garden, is re-commissioned to Noah and His sons as they step out of the ark. God still wants a world full of image bearers who reflect His Triune glory and who exercise dominion over the earth.God intends for Noah and his sons and their wives to fill the earth with true worshippers of the true God, and to especially not repeat the same wickedness, idolatry, and disobedience that provoked God to flood the earth in the first place. So the marching orders for this reboot of the human race is: Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. That is go out, cultivate the land, plant vineyards, plant gardens, raise cattle, dig in the earth for gold, silver, and precious stones, make tools, make musical instruments and offer all your first fruits to God. God wants Noah’s descendants to beautify and offer the creation back to God in worship. They are to be good stewards of a new world that has just been washed clean. Now 100 years go by, and a lot can change in 100 years. Can you imagine living in 1926? It was a different world! And depending on how quickly children were born and spaced, there would only have been perhaps a few thousand people on earth when the tower of Babel was built (estimates range anywhere from 1,000 on the low end to 10,000 at the high end). Whatever the case, when it says in verse 1, the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech, it is describing a world population that is almost certainly less than 10,000 people. Now we are told in verse 2 that they journeyed from the east and chose to settle in the plain in the land of Shinar (שִׁנְעָ֖ר). This is the where for the city and tower of Babel. Now what does this name Shinar mean? In Hebrew it means something like shaking teeth, or teeth city. And this word for teeth in Hebrew (Shen) shares a root with the Hebrew word for gate (Shaar). And if you think about it, what are teeth but the gate of the mouth?And this is curious since this whole passage is about man’s mouth and speech and what comes out of it. In verse 1 it says more literally, the whole earth had one language and one lip. And so there is a lot of Hebrew wordplay going on here as God is about to scatter and divide the proud tongues of men. So Genesis 11:1-9 is really about man’s mouthy rebellion against the Most High God, and what God does to those who exalt themselves against Him. So the name Babel, which means confusion, is built in the land of Shinar, shaking teeth. And perhaps this idea of shaking teeth should remind us of what Jesus says in the gospels. That those who do evil will be cast into outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. This is the land of Shinar, where the ungodly children of men try to build a city in defiance of God. What Satan tried to do as an angel and fell, so also man now tries to do, and will fall. What about God’s city in Ezekiel 40-48. Where is that built? First recall that Ezekiel is seeing everything in a vision. And so really the location of God’s city is in the mind of God. It is in the bosom of the Father who begets the eternal Word, and from which the Holy Spirit of love proceeds. The Triune God is the inheritance, the holy land, the true sanctuary and city, for those who desire eternal life. As we sing in Psalm 46, God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble…There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn. Now if you read these chapters in Ezekiel carefully, you will notice that God never tells Ezekiel, He never tells Israel, to build any of what He is showing them. Instead, He tells them to measure it, study it, contemplate its form and its arrangements. As He says in Ezekiel 43:10, Son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure the pattern. And so God is using earthly geographic structures, forms, buildings, to teach us what it means to be holy as He is holy. Ezekiel is seeing in a vision, what our father Abraham could only apprehend by faith. As it says in Hebrews 11:13-16, These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better [country], that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. What does God say to Abram in Genesis 15:1, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. So mark this difference between the City of Babel, and the City of God. Babel is city a of man’s fleshly works, where men try to climb up to heaven on their own strength, by their own ingenuity, and proud ambition. But the City of God is built in heaven, not with human hands, but by Divine hands, and at the end of the history, that heavenly city comes down to earth. And thus Jesus says in the Beatitudes of Matthew 5, Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth…Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Heaven and earth are the inheritance of the saints. But you have to aim for heaven by humility and meekness, and then God gives you not only heaven, but earth as well. That is God’s way, and it is opposed to man’s way. And so I ask you today, Where are you building? Where is your ambition and labor and resources being invested? The wise mother says to her son in Proverbs 31:3, Do not give your strength to women, Nor your ways to that which destroys kings And Jesus says in Luke 12:29-32, And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek [first] the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Do you believe this? This brings us to our second question which is, What do they build? Q2. What do they build? We read in Genesis 11:3-4 3And they said one to another, Go to [Come now], let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. 4And they said,

  6. Oct 12

    Sunday School: Lesson 18 - Natural & Supernatural Faith (WCF 1.4)

    The Local Christendom Podcast with Aaron Ventura

  7. Oct 12

    Sunday School: Lesson 17 - How Does Sin & Finitude Affect Us? (WCF 1.4)

    The Local Christendom Podcast with Aaron Ventura

  8. Oct 7

    Sermon: Anagogical Architecture (Ezekiel 43:1-12)

    Anagogical Architecture Sunday, September 27th, 2026 Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost Christ Covenant Church – Centralia, WA Ezekiel 43:1–12 Prayer O Father, we thank You for Your law, that is perfect and converting to the soul. We thank You for Your testimony that is sure and makes wise the simple. Teach us we ask, by the power of Your Spirit, for we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Introduction Children, I have a question for you this morning before you start coloring, are you listening? Have you ever had an idea in your head, or a picture in your head, of something that you wanted to draw? How many of you are good at drawing? How many of you are bad at drawing? Pastor Ventura is very bad at drawing. But sometimes my children will ask me to draw something for them, usually it’s a dragon, or some kind of excavator or racecar. And I’ll have a perfect picture in my head of that dragon, or that truck, or that Toyota Supra my boys want me to draw them. But then when I go to draw it, my dragon looks more like a goat with flames coming out of its mouth. Or I’ll try to draw Lightning McQueen, but it looks nothing like him. I make him too short, or too fat, or too long. And if I’m drawing on the Magna doodle, my kids sometimes just erase it it’s so bad, and they go and ask Mom to draw for them. Do you know what it’s like to draw or make something, but then it comes out way worse than what you had hoped? And how does that make you feel? Sad. Frustrated. Disappointed. Angry. Or let’s say you are playing with Magna-Tiles or building with Legos. And you build something that you think is really cool. But then your big brother, or your little sister comes along, and in just a few minutes they make something twice as big, twice as cool, twice as awesome, and now nobody cares or likes what you made anymore, because what your brother or sister made is so much better. How would that make you feel? Would you be really happy, or ashamed of yourself? Well here in God’s Word, in that passage I just read from Ezekiel 43, God is drawing a picture for His people to look at. And it is the picture of a beautiful, glorious, visionary city. And that city He is drawing is way better than anything that they could ever hope to draw or build on their own. Why is God showing them this city? It is because He wants His people to be ashamed of all the bad ideas and the sinful images that they have in their head, which the Bible calls idolatry. God wants to show His people a holy city, so that they will be ashamed of how not holy they have been. That’s what this section of Ezekiel is all about. Outline of the Text Now our text divides into three basic sections, according to three actions of God. In verses 1-5, God returns to His House and consecrates it. To consecrate means to make holy. In verses 5-9, God condemns His people for their past unfaithfulness and idolatry. He tells them they need to clean up their act, or they won’t be able to live in His neighborhood anymore. And in then in verses 10-12,God promises His people a hope-filled future, but only if they are ashamed of their sins. So God returns to His house, God condemns His people, and then God promises salvation for those who hate their former sins. So let’s look at our text a little more closely together. Starting in verses 1-5 we see that God returns to His House by entering through the east gate. And if you look at the handout I gave you of Ezekiel’s temple, you can see the east gate is the entrance on the right side of that top diagram. And if you were to enter through that gate, it would then be a straight shot from the Outer Court to the Inner Court, up the Altar, and then up the stairs into the Holy Place, and then through the doors in the Holy Place to the Most Holy Place where the Throne of the Mercy Seat was. That is the path God shows to Ezekiel here in verses 1-5. Verses 1-5 – God Returns To His House 1Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east: 2And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory. 3And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face. 4And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east. 5So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house. Now if we had the whole book of Ezekiel in our minds, we would remember that about 19 years earlier, God gave to Ezekiel a vision of His glory, and also a guided tour of Jerusalem and the Temple (rf. Ezekiel 1-11). And this was a guided tour of all the idolatry, and wickedness, and abominations that God’s people were committing in their minds and hearts, and in public together. It says in Ezekiel 8:15-18, Then He said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Turn again, you will see greater abominations than these.” So He brought me into the inner court of the Lord’s house; and there, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun toward the east. And He said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it a trivial thing to the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they commit here? For they have filled the land with violence; then they have returned to provoke Me to anger. Indeed they put the branch to their nose. Therefore I also will act in fury. My eye will not spare nor will I have pity; and though they cry in My ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.” And then after this in Ezekiel 9, God starts killing people. And He starts by executing the wicked leaders, the elders in the temple, and then works His way outward from the sanctuary until dead bodies are lying in the streets. The only people who are spared in this judgment, are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Upon them, God places the Hebrew letter tav on their foreheads. And what does a tav look like? It looks like a cross. Only those who have the cross of Christ engraved upon their minds shall be spared in the judgment. Everyone else shall die in their sins. This is the message of Ezekiel 600 years before the death of Christ. It says in Ezekiel 9:4-6, And the Lord said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.” To the others He said in my hearing, “Go after him through the city and kill; do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity. Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.” And so I ask you this morning people of God, if God’s judgment came upon Christ Covenant Church today, would you be spared? Would you survive? Do you have the mark of the Cross in your forehead, and the Holy Trinity engraved upon your heart, or is their idolatry there? God’s judgments on His House are not just an Old Testament thing. The Apostle Peter says in 1 Peter 4:17-18, For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? So do you take up your cross daily, and follow Jesus Christ with your mind fixed upon Him? Because that is the only sure way of salvation. As it says of the redeemed in Revelation 22:4, And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. So Ezekiel had this vision of God’s glory and judgment, and the desolation of the Temple 19 years ago (around 592 BC). The temple was literally destroyed and burned to the ground by the Babylonians about 6 years later in 586 BC. And ever since then, the faithful have been living in exile, looking to Ezekiel as their priest and prophet near the Chebar river in Babylon. And this is when God reveals to Ezekiel a vision of His glory returning. Returning to a consecrate a new and more glorious Temple than before. But with that return comes a stern warning and rebuke. This is verses 6-9. Verses 6-9 – God Condemns His People 6And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me. 7And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcases of their kings in their high places. 8In their setting of their threshold by my thresholds, and their post by my posts, and the wall between me and them, they have even defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed: wherefore I have consumed them in mine anger. 9Now let them put away their whoredom, and the carcases of their kings, far from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever. So these are God’s conditions for living in the same house and neighborhood and city with His people again. For those of you who live in a neighborhood with an HOA (a Homeowners Association), imagine if the requirements to live in your neighborhood was: You must keep the Ten Commandments. No other gods. No idolatry. No blasphemy. Must attend worship on the Lord’s Day. Honor your father and mother. No murder. No adultery. No stealing. No lying. No coveting. Imagine if everyone kept God’s commandments in spirit and in truth. What kind of neighborhood would

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The Local Christendom Podcast is hosted by Aaron Ventura.

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