Mission to Babylon

Christ Church DC
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A podcast of Christ Church DC. Hear CREC Pastors exposit on God’s Holy Word. Subscribe to hear Doug Wilson, Jared Longshore, Ben Merkle, Toby Sumpter, Joe Rigney, Adam McIntosh, Ben Zornes, Brooks Potteiger, Garrett Craw, C. R. Wiley and many more. Hear their weekly exhortation and sermon. Like what you hear? Join Christ Church DC live on Sundays at 10:30am in Washington, DC.

Episodes

  1. FEB 22

    Brooks Potteiger, Drunk on Hypocrisy, Revived by Righteousness (Amos 5-6)

    Summary Pastor Potteiger draws a parallel between an incident of raw sewage polluting the Potomac River and the spiritual corruption within the church, emphasizing that without genuine repentance, worship becomes hypocritical and unpleasing to God. Referencing the Book of Amos, particularly chapters 5 and 6, the sermon highlights Israel’s false sense of security amidst their rituals, cautioning that the day of the Lord, which they anticipated, would instead bring judgment upon them. The speaker outlines four movements within the text: 1) the misguided desire for the day of the Lord, 2) the need for repentance over ritualistic worship, 3) the complacency of leaders ignoring spiritual decay, and 4) the inevitable ruin facing the nation due to pride and injustice. He underscores the church’s role in addressing the nation’s spiritual maladies, arguing that true righteousness can only emerge through faith in Christ, who not only forgives but transforms. The call to action emphasizes lifting high the name of Jesus to foster streams of righteousness that can revitalize the entire nation. Transcription Choose show more to view the transcription. Transcriptions are AI generated and MAY be incorrect. Rely on the spoken word heard in the audio file. show more I have been told that several weeks ago there was, shall we say, an unwelcomed contribution added to the Potomac River with millions of gallons of raw sewage. And this is a shame, not just because it’s gag reflex nasty, but because it’s a corruption for a time of what was intended to be a life-giving blessing, a river of refreshment flowing through the city. As we continue on in Amos today, what happened to the Potomac is a picture of what happens to the worship and the witness of the church when there is no true repentance. What should be a life-giving source of righteous refreshment becomes putrid, becomes offensive when tainted by hypocrisy and mere religious formality with no reformation of our hearts and our deeds. To cleanse the Potomac, as it were. To remove corruptions that have seeped into our souls this past week. Have you proudly thought yourself holier than your brother? Have you been impatient and harsh towards your children or your spouse without following up with earnest repentance? Have you relished in the downfall of a rival? Have you tweeted about an enemy but never paused to pray for them first? Of course you have. This or some other sin. And so repentance is the rhythm where the Lord does his dredging and his cleansing work of his people so that our worship and our witness may be a potent blessing in the land. Well, before I read the text today, which is a lengthy hunk of prophetic meat, I want to remind us how the book begins. The first words of Amos in the book are, This is the creator and the covenant king of the church, not offering his humble opinion on the state of things, not looking to have a round table conversation on the truly regrettable effects of idolatry in the land. This is the Lord roaring through a prophetic megaphone to the nation and to his people. He roars that he may rouse a complacent nation who has placed themselves in his cross hairs. So the question ought not be, as the text is read, how do I feel about this text? Rather, it should be, what is so urgent that would cause the Lord to roar? What is so urgent that would cause the Lord to roar? Quick intro before I read the text. Amos is a shepherd prophet whom the Lord had called out of the southern kingdom to pronounce a scathing rebuke upon the northern kingdom, a kingdom who had experienced a season of remarkable physical blessing, land expansion, but who had not received the blessing so that they could be a blessing. It was exactly the opposite. They had grown fat in their comfort, idolatrous in their appetites, and hypocritical in their religion, utterly self-deceived now about their standing before God. That is the context. With that, I will read our text for today. We’ll begin in Amos 5, chapter 5, verse 18, and I will go all the way through 6, 14. Amos 5, beginning in verse 18. I hate, I despise your feasts. I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them. And the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. Take away from me this noise of your songs to the melody of your harps. I will not listen, but let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings during the 40 years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? And I, I will send you into exile beyond Damascus, says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts. Woe to those who are at ease in Zion and to those who feel so secure on the mountain of Samaria. The notable men of the first of the nations to whom the house of Israel comes, pass over to Kalna and see. And from there, go to Hamath, the great. Then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Or is their territory greater than your territory? Oh, you who put far away the day of disaster, but bring near the seat of violence. Woe to those who lie in beds of ivory, who stretch themselves out on their couches. They eat lambs from the flocks and calves from the midst of the stall. Sing idle songs to the sound of the harp. And like David, they invent for themselves instruments of music, who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils. But they are not grieved. They are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph. Therefore, they shall now be the first of those who go into exile. And the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away. God has sworn by himself, declares the Lord, the God of hosts, I abhor the pride of Jacob. I hate his strongholds. I will deliver up this city and all that is in it. If ten men remain in one house, they’ll die. And when one’s relative, the one who anoints him for burial, shall take him up to bring the bones out of the house, and shall say to him who is in the innermost parts of the house, Is there still anyone with you? He will say, No. And he shall say, Silence! We must not mention the name of the Lord now. For behold, the Lord commands, and the great house shall be struck down into fragments, and the little house into bits. Do horses run on rocks? Does one plow where there is oxen? But you have turned justice into poison, and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood. Have we not by our own strength captured carnium for ourselves? For behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, declares the Lord, the God of hosts, and they shall oppress you from Labo Hamath to the brook of the Ereba. The word of the Lord. For Lord and our God, we pray that you would apply this where it needs to go. I pray that you would humble the proud, I pray that you would comfort the humble. And the people of God said, and amen. Well, today to wrap our arms around this hefty text, rather than getting into the granular of it, which space does not allow, I want to consider it like a section of this roaring symphony. Amos is a roaring symphony. I want to consider four key movements from our text and then land with two key takeaways for us today in 2026. In Washington, D.C. So with that, let’s dive in to this roaring symphony. Movement number one, we might call it, you desire the day that you should dread. You desire the day you should dread. This is verses 18 through 20. It begins with, woe to you who desire the day of the Lord. And the day of the Lord in scripture is a day of divine visitation. It is a day, if you think of tombstone, of a reckoning, of judgment. And so Israel, the house of Israel, was hastening the day of the Lord. Essentially saying, it’ll be fantastic when the day of the Lord comes. Bring it on. Let judgment roll down from heaven to earth. Bring it on. We desire that day. We would like to see that day come. But here’s the disconnect. Here’s the delusion that Israel was under. They were the ones in the center of the bullseye when judgment would come. When the hammer fell from heaven, it would land on them first. If they were in their right mind, the day of the Lord, barring repentance, would be a dread, not a desire. And so Amos says, you think that you’ve outrun a lion. Not realizing you’ve sprinted into a bear’s den. You think you’ve reached a safe house, not realizing that there are serpents crawling behind the sheetrock. They think the day of the Lord will be a sunrise for them, not realizing it will in fact be a tsunami that will crash upon them if they will remain in their stupor. The Lord is roaring to awaken them to this, that they might repent before they come to ruin. Second movement, verses 21 through 27, which we might call, right worship begins with repentance, not with rituals. Right worship begins with repentance, not rituals. The reason Israel had a false sense of security, believing that they were in fact the Lord’s favorites, that he was for them and against everyone else, is because they had such a pristine liturgy. Their religious paint-by-numbers worksheet was flawless. They did the feasts on the right days. They did the sacrifices in the right orders. Their harmonies were on point. Their amens were the heartiest in the land. How could God not be pleased with them? It was all by the book. The Lord had to be happy. But the Lord says, through Amos, I despise your feasts. Do not delight me. They disgust me. They make me gag. You thought you were lighting sweet perfume by your culture, by your worship, but it smells like a dank morgue to me. I’m not impressed. I am provoked by your songs. They are so much noise and static. Then verses 26 through 27, he reveals that even their worship, which they thought was so pristine, wasn’t actually pure. They had pet idols. They had presumptuous sins that no l

    31 min

  2. FEB 15

    Doug Wilson, No Jesus, No Way (Amos 5:1-17)

    Summary In this sermon, Pastor Doug Wilson emphasizes the profound nature of worship as a divine gathering with God, transcending mere theological discussions. Drawing on the text from Amos 5:1-17, he highlights a spiritual connection where believers worldwide unite in worship before God’s throne. The theme centers on the transformation of humanity from a fallen state (Humanity 1.0) to a renewed version through Jesus Christ (Humanity 2.0). The speaker urges repentance, asserting that seeking God and living righteously is essential for spiritual survival, while warning against idolatry and injustices, particularly in societal leadership. He explains the literary structure of Amos’ message and stresses the importance of aligning both internal faith and external actions in true worship. Ultimately, the call is to actively seek the living God, publicly confess one’s faith, and embrace justice, mercy, and repentance to foster personal and societal transformation. Transcription Choose show more to view the transcription. Transcriptions are AI generated and MAY be incorrect. Rely on the spoken word heard in the audio file. show more The worship of God in the name of Jesus Christ is not a weekly meeting of people who are interested in theological issues. It is a time when we gather together with our God. He meets with his people. When the words of the call to worship are uttered, we believe that something spiritual happens. Something actually happens. And in the spiritual realm, the roof retracts. The Holy Spirit gathers us up and takes us, escorts us into the heavenly places in order to worship God before the throne. And that means that we’re not a little sectarian band worshiping God in a closed room. We’re worshiping God together with all the saints all over the world because the same thing is happening in every believing Christian church. The roof retracts and we all gather before the throne on the Lord’s day in order to worship Him together. And so consequently, we don’t believe that this is simply a special interest group. We believe that this is the body of Christ. This is something that God is doing in the world. Has established in Christ humanity 2.0. Humanity 1.0 had some bugs. You and I are one of them. Humanity 1.0 was given to us in the garden. We rebelled against God and crashed. And the theologians call it the fall. I prefer to call it the crash. And God, in His great mercy, when the time was fully right, sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law. And what’s happening in our worship, what’s happening in our Christian lives together, is that God is transforming us. He’s making us into something. And what He’s making us into, what He’s fashioning us into, is human beings. And He is using the material of wreckage of human being. So the wreckage of human being that was the result of the crash is now being formed and shaped into a new humanity, humanity 2.0. And the template for that is the Lord Jesus Christ. And every worship service, additional progress is made toward that end. And so consequently, that is what we are doing here this morning. The text this morning is from Amos, chapter 5, verses 1 through 17. These are the words of God. There is none to raise her up. And they calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth. The Lord is His name. That strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong, so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress. They hate Him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor Him that speaketh uprightly. For as much, therefore, as your treading is upon the poor, and ye take from him burdens of wheat, ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them. Ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink wine of them. For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins. They afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right. Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time, for it is an evil time. The Lord of hosts shall be with you as you have spoken. Hate the evil and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate. It may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph. Therefore the Lord, the God of hosts, the Lord saith thus, Wailing shall be in all the streets, and they shall say in all the highways, Alas, alas, that they shall call the husbandmen to mourning, and such as are skillful of lamentation to wailing. And in all the vineyards shall be wailing, for I will pass through them, saith the Lord. Father and gracious God, we thank you for your word, we thank you for the spirit that inspired it, and for that same spirit present here with us today. I pray that your Holy Spirit would take these words and apply to our hearts and lives exactly what we need to hear. We pray in Jesus’ name, amen. First, it’s wonderful to be here with you all. It’s a great blessing to me, and it’s a great blessing to the saints in Moscow. Your sisters and brothers in Moscow. It’s just a privilege to be here. God is doing a wonderful thing, and don’t ever stop thanking him for it. In this passage, we’re going to have to follow the way that Amos arranged the unit, which, though it starts at verse 1 in a nice and tidy way, it does not match the chapter divisions. The way Amos divided this up, this section only goes through verse 17. This particular section that I read, is a chiasm, which I’ll explain in a minute, for those of you who have not heard of that before. It’s a chiasm, and it’s a literary unit that marks off what Amos is up to. So given what Amos does elsewhere in this book, it’s not surprising that it’s a seven-fold breakout. So let’s look at this. The structure of the text. How do we know? What is a chiasm, and how do we know? If you took an English comp class, you know that you were taught to put your thesis statement, early on, and then you unpack and develop the thesis statement. We say what we are wanting the main point to be right at the front end, and then we develop that. That’s how we think in the West. In the ancient Near East, for example, in the book of Habakkuk, the way you identified the most important element, the thesis statement, is you put it at the hinge of a chiasm. So imagine folding a piece of paper in two, and then the first three points go down to the fold in the paper, and right on the fold of the paper is the most important point, and then you back out again, so it’s A, B, C, and then D on the fold, and then C, B, A on the other side of the paper. That’s a chiasm. And this section of Amos is a chiasm, which I’ll explain in just a moment, but it’s really interesting. So for example, in the book of Habakkuk, the whole book of Habakkuk is a chiasm, and the hinge of the chiasm is the just shall live by faith, and that’s the hinge of the chiasm in Habakkuk. And then in the book of Romans, Paul does it in our way, in the first chapter of Romans, he quotes Habakkuk, and he states the just shall live by faith in the first chapter, and then he develops that whole theme throughout the rest of the book of Romans. So it’s just simply different ways of organizing a text, and different ways of pointing to what is the most important thing. So here, in this section, we have, and he’s done this before, in 3.1 and 4.1, begins the same way, begins with the same word that he has done previously. And this is a word that the rebellious house of Israel needs to hear. So in verses 1 through 3, it’s a lamentation over the fall of Israel. It’s a lamentation over the fall of Israel. And I’m going to make this simpler by jumping down to verses 16 and 17, which is a coming lamentation over Israel. 16 and 17. So 1 through 3, a lamentation over Israel, 16 and 17, a lamentation over Israel. B would be a call for repentance. That’s verses 4 through the first half of 6. Amos tells Israel to seek and to live. And he uses seven verbs in that exhortation. Amos likes the number 7. He uses seven verbs in that exhortation, seek and live. Seek and live. So that’s the call to repentance in verses 4 through the first part of 6. In verses 14 and 15, surprise, Amos tells Israel to seek and to live. And again, he uses seven verbs. He uses seven verbs in 4 through 6, and he uses seven verbs in 14 and 15, and the message is the same. Seek the Lord, seek Yahweh, and live. And then the third section, the third point, is condemnation of injustice. That’s the second part of verse 6 into verse 7. And then matching that would be, again, surprise, condemnation of injustice, condemnation of injustice. Another way of thinking this, it would be not sound rhymes, like modern poets would, well, actually, classical poets, modern poets don’t do anything, but in classical poets, the poetry would scan, and oftentimes it would rhyme. What a chiasm does is thought rhymes. It’s a concept rhyme. So condemnation of injustice, condemnation of injustice. And then we get to the hinge of the section, which is praise to Yahweh. Yahweh, Jehovah, is his name. And then on either side of this statement is a hymn to God’s power, verses 8 and 9. A hymn to God’s power. Yahweh is supreme. Yahweh is his name. And then more of a hymn to God’s power. So that’s the chiasm. That’s the literary unit. That’s the modern chapter and verse markings, however helpful they are, and they are helpful, are a modern development. It was after the age of printing, basically. At least one reformed guy, an early printer, did the versification while on horseback, fleeing from persecution. And sometimes it shows. They divided here. Well, that doesn’t mean that there were no principles of organizing the text prior to chapter and verse markings. And this is a good example. So let’s summarize the text. So the center of this word is the nature and character of God. Hear the lament

    39 min

  3. FEB 8

    Ben Merkle, Cows of Bashan (Amos 4)

    Summary Dr. Ben Merkle preaches on Amos chapter 4. This includes his confession exhortation. Transcription Choose show more to view the transcription. Transcriptions are AI generated and MAY be incorrect. Rely on the spoken word heard in the audio file. show more [00:00:00.000 –> 00:00:06.840] In the second commandment, we are prohibited from making a carved image or a likeness of any sort to be used in the worship of God.[00:00:06.840 –> 00:00:10.000] The church has always had a hard time being faithful to this command.[00:00:10.000 –> 00:00:15.760] What is it about the human heart that is inexplicably pulled towards wanting to draw God?[00:00:15.760 –> 00:00:21.200] Or consider from the other side, why is it so important to ensure that we not draw God?[00:00:21.200 –> 00:00:26.220] I believe that the problem is that the use of images in worship is a way of trying to tame God.[00:00:26.640 –> 00:00:30.200] It’s a way of making Him serve our own proclivities by portraying God.[00:00:30.200 –> 00:00:33.400] Not so much as He is, but rather as we want Him to behave.[00:00:33.400 –> 00:00:39.480] When we use images in worship, our vices are indulged and set up as a picture of the God that we want to worship.[00:00:39.480 –> 00:00:44.800] Syrupy, sweet sentimentality, machismo run amok, ethnic chauvinism.[00:00:44.800 –> 00:00:48.500] We paint those things that we see in ourselves that we want to indulge.[00:00:48.500 –> 00:00:55.760] And though it’s set up supposedly to help in worship, it’s actually a huge distraction to worshiping the true triune God.[00:00:56.120 –> 00:00:59.480] Rather than setting up a picture of God, we set up mirrors of ourselves.[00:00:59.480 –> 00:01:01.500] But God is not tameable.[00:01:01.500 –> 00:01:06.320] He is the God who spoke into existence heaven, earth, and the waters under the earth.[00:01:06.320 –> 00:01:09.580] And He will not be tamed or contained by our drawings.[00:01:09.580 –> 00:01:14.300] But if we think about this for a moment, we’ll see that we are prone to fall into the same sin[00:01:14.300 –> 00:01:17.700] even without picking up a pencil, paintbrush, or a chisel.[00:01:17.700 –> 00:01:22.160] We are still prone to trying to tame God, trying to remake Him after our own image.[00:01:22.580 –> 00:01:26.680] We do this when we come to Scripture in order to find proof text for what we already believe[00:01:26.680 –> 00:01:30.700] rather than coming with an open heart, ready to be corrected, humbled, and taught.[00:01:30.700 –> 00:01:34.980] We do this when we decide for God what His blessings in our life need to look like[00:01:34.980 –> 00:01:38.380] when we try to script for Him how and when He will move.[00:01:38.380 –> 00:01:41.680] Then when we feel suddenly as if He has wronged us[00:01:41.680 –> 00:01:45.140] because He didn’t follow the script that we so carefully wrote for Him.[00:01:45.140 –> 00:01:49.940] And we remake God in our own image when we imagine that the sins we don’t really struggle with[00:01:49.940 –> 00:01:53.000] and are actually really disgusted by, these are the ones that God truly hates.[00:01:53.000 –> 00:01:56.840] But the sins that we regularly fall into, the ones that are attracted to us,[00:01:56.840 –> 00:01:59.740] these are the ones that are far more understandable in His eyes.[00:01:59.740 –> 00:02:02.020] Put aside your false gods.[00:02:02.020 –> 00:02:06.940] Get rid of the carved images and the likenesses that have been set up in your heart.[00:02:06.940 –> 00:02:10.760] Launch a 16th century reformation in your soul,[00:02:10.760 –> 00:02:14.520] cleansing out all of those images by confessing these sins.[00:02:14.520 –> 00:02:16.860] Our text this morning is Amos chapter 4.[00:02:17.480 –> 00:02:21.820] Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria,[00:02:21.820 –> 00:02:25.020] who oppress the poor, who crush the needy,[00:02:25.020 –> 00:02:28.000] who say to your husbands, bring wine, let us drink.[00:02:28.000 –> 00:02:32.580] The Lord God has sworn by His holiness, behold, the day shall come upon you[00:02:32.580 –> 00:02:36.640] when He will take you away with fishhooks and your posterity with fishhooks.[00:02:36.640 –> 00:02:39.840] You will go out through broken walls, each one straight ahead of her,[00:02:39.840 –> 00:02:42.240] and you will be cast into Harman, says the Lord.[00:02:42.240 –> 00:02:46.780] Come to Bethel and transgress, and Gilgal, multiply transgression.[00:02:46.780 –> 00:02:50.100] Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three days.[00:02:50.100 –> 00:02:53.040] Offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven.[00:02:53.040 –> 00:02:55.480] Proclaim and announce the freewill offerings.[00:02:55.480 –> 00:02:58.340] For this you love, you children of Israel, says the Lord.[00:02:58.340 –> 00:03:05.280] Also, I gave you cleanliness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places.[00:03:05.280 –> 00:03:08.060] Yet you have not returned to me, says the Lord.[00:03:08.060 –> 00:03:10.540] I also withheld rain from you.[00:03:10.540 –> 00:03:14.020] When there were still three months to the harvest, I made a rain on one city.[00:03:14.020 –> 00:03:15.860] I withheld rain from another city.[00:03:15.860 –> 00:03:19.320] One part was rained upon, and where it did not rain, the part withered.[00:03:19.320 –> 00:03:24.040] So two or three cities wandered to another city to drink water, but they were not satisfied.[00:03:24.040 –> 00:03:26.120] Yet you have not returned to me, says the Lord.[00:03:26.120 –> 00:03:29.860] I blasted you with blight and mildew when your gardens increased,[00:03:29.860 –> 00:03:32.380] your vineyards, your fig trees, and your olive trees.[00:03:32.380 –> 00:03:36.320] The locusts devoured them, yet you have not returned to me, says the Lord.[00:03:36.320 –> 00:03:39.260] I sent among you a plague after the manner of Egypt.[00:03:39.260 –> 00:03:42.840] Your young men I killed with a sword, along with your captive horses.[00:03:42.840 –> 00:03:45.760] I made the stench of your camps come up into your nostrils.[00:03:46.160 –> 00:03:47.940] Yet you have not returned to me, says the Lord.[00:03:47.940 –> 00:03:51.720] I overthrew some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.[00:03:51.720 –> 00:03:54.140] And you are like a firebrand plucked from the burning.[00:03:54.140 –> 00:03:56.080] Yet you have not returned to me, says the Lord.[00:03:56.080 –> 00:03:59.140] Therefore, thus will I do to you, O Israel.[00:03:59.140 –> 00:04:02.920] Because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel.[00:04:02.920 –> 00:04:06.480] For behold, he who forms mountains and creates the wind,[00:04:06.480 –> 00:04:08.820] who declares to man what his thought is,[00:04:08.820 –> 00:04:12.700] and makes the morning darkness, who treads the high places of the earth.[00:04:12.700 –> 00:04:15.420] The Lord God of hosts is his name.[00:04:15.860 –> 00:04:16.280] Let’s pray.[00:04:16.280 –> 00:04:21.240] Our Heavenly Father, we come to your word and we ask that you would pour out your spirit on us.[00:04:21.240 –> 00:04:23.360] We know that your word is effective and powerful.[00:04:23.360 –> 00:04:26.160] Your word called the world into being.[00:04:26.160 –> 00:04:29.700] Your word upholds and sustains all things.[00:04:29.700 –> 00:04:31.820] Your word is a lamp and your word is a sword.[00:04:31.820 –> 00:04:34.000] We are blessed to sit under its teaching.[00:04:34.000 –> 00:04:37.380] Would you bless this time now that we would joyfully receive your word[00:04:37.380 –> 00:04:39.540] and cling to it for the week to come.[00:04:39.540 –> 00:04:42.600] We praise things in the name of Jesus Christ and amen.[00:04:42.600 –> 00:04:44.980] And please be seated.[00:04:45.860 –> 00:04:51.520] Good morning and again greetings from Moscow.[00:04:51.520 –> 00:04:58.840] I can’t tell you how much the way this congregation is thriving is an encouragement to the saints back in Moscow[00:04:58.840 –> 00:05:01.780] and their thoughts and prayers are with you all here.[00:05:01.780 –> 00:05:07.120] And just to remind us where we are as we work through this book of Amos.[00:05:07.120 –> 00:05:11.080] Amos is prophesying against the northern kingdom of Israel.[00:05:11.080 –> 00:05:15.800] They’ve fallen away from worshiping the one true God and because of this judgment is coming.[00:05:16.840 –> 00:05:23.600] Ultimately, this judgment finally comes when the Assyrians conquer the northern kingdom and takes them all away.[00:05:23.600 –> 00:05:29.660] And the book of Amos serves as a warning to the ten northern tribes of this coming judgment.[00:05:29.660 –> 00:05:32.260] So let’s just dive into chapter 4.[00:05:32.260 –> 00:05:38.000] It begins with this first verse. It’s pretty exceptional.[00:05:38.000 –> 00:05:41.000] Hear this word, you cows of Bashan.[00:05:41.600 –> 00:05:46.020] This is a terribly un-PC thing for a prophet to have said.[00:05:46.020 –> 00:05:52.240] Just to unpack that a little bit, Bashan is the, if you’re looking at a map of the nation of Israel,[00:05:52.240 –> 00:05:58.840] Bashan is the furthest northeastern region of Israel, what we would now know as the Golan Heights.[00:05:58.840 –> 00:06:05.380] It was a lush plateau that was particularly good for grazing cattle, and in fact is to this day.[00:06:05.380 –> 00:06:09.120] If you’re in Israel and you get into this area, all of a sudden you see cattle everywhere,[00:06:09.120 –> 00:06:10.400] and you realize we’re in Bashan.[00:06:10.920 –> 00:06:14.960] The cattle there were known for being the largest in the Middle East.[00:06:14.960 –> 00:06:21.100] The cows of Bashan, these are the largest, most

    49 min

  4. FEB 1

    Kasey Horvath, Three Summons from the Lord (Amos 3)

    Summary Pastor Horvath preaches on Amos chapter 3. Transcription Choose show more to view the transcription. Transcriptions are AI generated and MAY be incorrect. Rely on the spoken word heard in the audio file. show more Today, we will continue the sermon series in the book of Amos. The text before us this morning is Amos chapter 3, verses 1 through 15. I’ve titled my sermon, Three Summons from the Lord. As we will see in a moment, in Amos chapter 3, Yahweh gives three summons or three calls. God is effectively calling Israel into account based upon her covenant standing. My aim in preaching today is twofold. First, I want you to understand the words of Amos. I’m preaching so that you might understand what God’s Word says, particularly the three summons from the Lord Himself. Second, I’m preaching because I want you to consider what these three summons mean for you. To help you follow along with my exposition, I have three points. First, a summons to the ten tribes of Israel. Second, a summons to Israel’s neighbors. And third, a summons to the people of God. With that being said, if you have your Bible with you, you can go ahead and turn to Amos chapter 3. And I’m going to read verses 1 through 15, and then I’ll pray a prayer of illumination. Hear now the living God’s very words. Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O people of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt. You only have I known of all the families of the earth. Do two walk together unless they have agreed to meet? Does a lion roar in the forest when he has no prey? Does a young lion cry out from his den if he has taken nothing? Does a bird fall on a snare on the earth when there is no trap for it? Does a snare spring up from the ground when it has taken nothing? Is a trumpet blown in a city and the people are not afraid? Does disaster come to a city unless the Lord has done it? For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants, the prophets. The lion has roared, who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken, who can but prophesy? Proclaim to the strongholds in Ashdod and to the strongholds in the land of Egypt and say, And see the great tumults within her and the oppressed in her midst. They do not know how to do right, declares the Lord, those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds. Therefore, thus says the Lord God, an adversary shall surround the land and bring down your defenses from you, and your strongholds shall be plundered. Thus says the Lord, as the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion, or a piece of an ear, so shall the people of Israel who dwell in Samaria be rescued with the corner of a couch and part of a bed. Hear and testify against the house of Jacob, declares the Lord God, the God of hosts, that on the day I punish Israel for his transgressions, I will punish the altars of Bethel, and the horns of the altar shall be cut off and fall to the ground. Bow your head with me. Do not let us harden our hearts when you call us into account. By your Spirit, turn your word from resonance. Into summons. From warning into wisdom. And from judgment into repentance and life. We ask this in reverent faith before the God who speaks and whose word never returns empty. Amen. Consider this first point. A summons to the ten tribes of Israel. I’m going to draw your attention back to verses 1 and 2. Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O people of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt. You only have I known of all the families of the earth. Therefore, I will punish you for all your iniquities. And they function like legal charges against the nations. These charges go out to Israel’s neighbors. But these charges also include Judah and Israel, the two kingdoms, the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. In short, eight times in the first two chapters, God states that He will exercise His wrath on the nations. The sin of the nations that warranted God’s just judgment comprised of things like violence, lying, human trafficking, rape, exploitation of the poor, and murder. These indictments, these eight indictments, are referred to by theologians and Bible students as the oracles of God. And they’ve been given that nomenclature because each one of the eight accusations begins with the words, thus says the Lord. And if you glance or look at Amos chapters 1 and 2 and consider the typesetting in your English Bible, the phrase, thus says the Lord, sort of just jumps off the page at you. And that is purposeful because chapters 1 and 2 are organized and arranged around these eight oracles or these eight charges of judgment against the nations. Now, when we come to chapter 3, a significant change in Amos’ vocabulary occurs. Instead of oracles, Yahweh gives three summons. And these summons functioned like a covenant lawsuit. They are different than the charges against the nations. This change takes place because God effectively shifts His attention away from the nations and fixes His scope on the ten northern tribes of Israel. In other words, God’s focus is no longer the sin and injustices of the world. Instead, in chapter 3, His concern moves to the sin and injustices committed by His covenant people. In verse 1 of chapter 3, the word that is translated into English as here is the Hebrew word shema. And for some of you, this word shema might sound familiar. That is because in Deuteronomy chapter 6, we are given the great shema. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. It’s the great shema. And right after that famous line, the message in Deuteronomy teaches that Israel, as God’s unique covenant people, should do the following four things. They are to love God fully with their heart, soul, and strength. They are to keep God’s word close in the mind and in the heart. They are to teach His word diligently to their children and their grandchildren and their great-grandchildren. And they are to keep God’s word ever before them, symbolically on the hands and foreheads and doorposts. But literally, God’s word is to be the lens by which they view all of life through. Attached to this great Shema in Deuteronomy blessing and cursing. If God’s people remained faithful to Him, then they would experience blessing. But if Yahweh’s covenant people transgressed His will and ways, they would experience curses. In Deuteronomy chapter 28, one of the specific curses for disobedience or breaking the covenant was the invasion of foreign conquering foes. This would come to fruition in 722 BC when the Assyrian armies sacked Samaria, the capital city of the 10 northern tribes. What I want you to understand is this. In verse 1, Yahweh is calling Israel into account in a different way than how He has already called the nations into account. Particularly, Yahweh is charging Israel for their covenant unfaithfulness, namely their sin of idolatry and lawlessness. And God does so in a very profound way by using the very familiar covenant language, said again here in Amos 3. God brings out the charges with the words, Hear, O Israel. Verse 2 emphasizes that Israel’s judgment is, in fact, a result of her covenant unfaithfulness. In short, because they are God’s people, Israel will be judged for their iniquity. Look with me at verses 3 through 8. Verse 3 through 9. Verse 3 through 6. Rhetorically communicate the concept of cause and effect. And verse 7 and 8 explain that Israel’s judgment was the outworking of cause and effect. The cause was this. Israel, God’s covenant people, was unfaithful to Yahweh by engaging in idolatry and lawlessness. That’s the cause. The effect is this. God the lion roared from his holy hill and disaster befell Samaria. This is the first point. A summons to the ten tribes of Israel. The vocabulary of chapter 3 changes with the use of covenantal language. Hear, O Israel. God’s wrath shifts from the nations to his people. In God’s cosmic courtroom, Israel is on trial for breaking covenant with Yahweh. This leads us to our second point. A summons to Israel’s neighbors. Look with me at verses 9 through 12. And see the great tumults within her and the oppressed in her midst. They do not know how to do right, declares the Lord, those who store up violence and robbery in their strongholds. Therefore, thus says the Lord God, an adversary shall surround the land and bring down your defenses from you, and your strongholds shall be plundered. Thus says the Lord, as the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs or a piece of an ear, so shall the people of Israel who dwell in Samaria be rescued with the corner of a couch and part of a bed. The Hebrew word that is translated in verse 9 as proclaimed is the same Hebrew word that is used at the beginning of verse 1. It is this word, Shema. Hear, O Israel. In verse 9, God employs this familiar covenantal language again. At this time, Yahweh issues a summons to two foreign nations. Ashdon, which was a major Philistine city, and Egypt. In verse 9, God summoned the Philistines and Egyptians to serve as witnesses in his cosmic courtroom. When taking the witness stand, these two foreign nations were to do two things. They were to testify against Israel, and they were to witness what would become of Israel. The Philistines and Egyptians were summoned to testify against Israel because they were firsthand eyewitnesses to Israel’s covenantal status and standing. In the Exodus, Egypt witnessed Yahweh’s covenant faithfulness toward Israel through His redemption. Egypt had a front row seat to the Lord’s mighty hand and outstretched arm. Egypt had an experiential knowledge of the ten plagues and the parting of the Red Sea. They saw and knew that Israel was God’s people. They could attest to this. Likewise, the Philistines also witnessed Yahweh’s cov

    34 min

  5. JAN 25

    Jack Waters, Conviction Comes Home (Amos 2:4-16)

    Summary In a recent sermon delivered remotely due to snow, the preacher, Jack Waters, reflected on the March for Life event and presented a reading from Amos 2:4-16, emphasizing God’s impending judgment on Judah and Israel for their transgressions. The passage underscores Israel’s sins, including the exploitation of the poor, sexual immorality, and the rejection of prophetic messages. Jeroboam II is noted as a historically significant king who, despite expanding Israel’s wealth and territory, represents a failure to uphold God’s law. The sermon draws parallels between ancient Israel’s disregard for righteousness and contemporary societal issues, warning that neglecting the responsibility of the wealthy towards the impoverished can lead to moral decay and divine judgment. Ultimately, the preacher urges the congregation to pray for the nation and be vigilant against personal and societal sin, highlighting the mercy of Jesus Christ for the humble and the judgment awaiting the proud. Transcription Choose show more to view the transcription. Transcriptions are AI generated and MAY be incorrect. Rely on the spoken word heard in the audio file. show more Good morning, Saints of Christ Church. It was a real honor to be with you all on Friday at the March for Life. It was such an encouraging experience, to sing, to rejoice, and look at the long road ahead and the pro-life issue. And I’m so disappointed that I’m not able to be with you in person now, as the snow has separated us. But our reading today for our sermon text comes from Amos chapter 2, verses 4 through 16, which I will now read. Transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof, because they have despised the law of the Lord, and have not kept his commandments, and their lies caused them to err, and after the which their fathers have walked. But I will send a fire upon Judah, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem. Thus saith the Lord for three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof, because they sold the righteous for silver. And the poor for a pair of shoes, that pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek, and a man and a father will go into the same maid to profane my holy name. And they lay themselves down upon clothes laid in pledge by every altar, and they drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their God. Yet destroyed I the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the yokes, yet I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath. Also I brought you up in the land of Egypt, and led you forty years through the wilderness to possess the land of the Amorite. And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites. Is it not even thus, O children of Israel, saith the Lord? But ye gave the Nazarites wine to drink, and commanded the prophets, saying, Prophesy not. Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves. Neither shall he stand that handleth the bow, and he that is swift of foot shall not deliver himself, neither shall he that rideth his horse deliver himself. And he that is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked on that day, saith the Lord. And he oppressed his people fearsomely. To save the people from this oppression, a man exiled by Solomon named Jeroboam was called back from Egypt to launch an attack on Rehoboam. Though Jeroboam took most of Israel with him, God’s wrath on Rehoboam abated, and he managed to take back Jerusalem as well as the southern tribes of Judah, and many of the Levites. Part of the reason why God’s wrath abated was that Jeroboam practiced political pragmatism without regard for God’s law, assuming that idolatry posed no national danger. That assumption would become Israel’s downfall. But Jeroboam was Israelite enough to understand that worship unites the people, and so he put prominent altars to golden calves at the northern and southern border of his nation. The story of Jeroboam can be found in 1 Kings 11-14 and 1 Chronicles 10-13. But our story picks up around two centuries later, when Israel has another king named Jeroboam on the throne, and he represents all the ideals of the first Jeroboam even more successfully than the first, such that some liberal commentators have even speculated that the first Jeroboam was a fiction of Jeroboam 2.0. But nonetheless, the parallels to the founder of the old Israel are striking, except that this new Jeroboam is in fact greater. With the major power, Assyria, weakened by internal disputes, Jeroboam II expands Israel’s boundaries and wealth, taking over much land and influence from the region, formerly belonging to Syria, Tyre, Moab, and other regional powers. But those six enemies of Israel are the six enemies that Amos condemns as under God’s judgment, which you heard last week’s sermon. And this is welcome news. Amos proclaims judgment upon Damascus of Syria, Gaza of Philistia, the free city of Tyre, then Esau’s descendants, Edom, and then Lot’s descendants from his incestuous daughters, the Ammonites and the Moabites. And until now, Amos has left the listeners in suspense. How many nations will he condemn? As a matter of Israelite rhetoric, it must be either seven or eight, numbers of completion and fullness. And so who will that seventh be? There is probably some doubt, given Amos was from the south and almost certainly had a southern accent. But to the spectacular surprise and joy of the northern listener, it is Judah, not Israel, receives the cup of wrath, the seeming final criticism. Judah will fall with fire. When even those arrogant, backward southern prophets condemn themselves, the Israelites can be sure that Judah’s days are numbered. Israel is growing in wealth and prestige the very day Amos enters. The Sumerian counterfeit of Jerusalem’s true worship has never been more successful and credible than it is right now. Amos appears to be a full-on David French character, telling the enemies of God exactly what they want to hear. Listen. Yet something in Amos’ voice is clearly poised for one more result. His oration is not quite finished, and he prepares to take on one more enemy of God’s wrath. Imagine you’re a listener to Amos. Could it be Assyria, the long shadow over Israel and the entire Levant? Perhaps Egypt? Could the Mediterranean open up before the wealth of Israel and Jeroboam II? Could Jeroboam finish what Solomon began? This is clever, because it means that the prophet, this popular prejudice against Israel’s enemies, is grounding his condemnations in a moral standard beyond what Israel can actually claim for itself. But by now, he would have built ethos with the crowd, and it could not easily be stopped. See, Amos is a prophet who teaches with authority, and not like the scribes or the priests of Israel. But this standard, this law of God, is about to come crashing down on the very people who hail its coming. Eight is a number of completion and then some, a final finality. And now comes this eighth judgment, and it comes like a scorching fire, like a hammer that shatters rock. Thou art the man. Israel, your end is at hand. And every applause against their enemies fell on their own head, and it accuses them of their own guilt. Listen to God’s judgment against Israel. Therefore, I will not turn away the punishment thereof. One, because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes. Two, they pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor, and turn aside the way of the meek. Three, and a man and his father will go into the same maid to profane my holy name. And four, and they lay themselves down upon clothes laid in pledge by every altar, and they drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their God. Let’s take a look at these in reverse order. In Deuteronomy chapter 24:12-13, Moses outlines how the poor could take loans from others. Listen to this: The priests of the northern kingdom were now keeping the only garment the poor had to warm themselves on their own beds, and they’re now keeping it for a personal benefit. This profaned the altars that the poor were ostensibly worshipping on, thinking they were worshipping Yahweh, however corrupted their worship. It took public loans and made personal profit off of them. It humiliated the poor, who were then left without warmth at night, and it associates the holy men of God, the priests, with the vice of untrustworthiness. If the priests can take advantage of the poor, how much more does God? Meanwhile, men and their fathers alike take the same women, outside of their spouses, in a pagan worship to fertility goddesses. How quickly sexual perversion spreads into people. Sexual sin always spreads, and if it is not actively being killed and repressed, and even socially mocked by everyone within the church, it can and it will run rampant, dividing marriages, leaving young people depressed and unfulfilled and purposeless, and resulting in fewer marriages with children, which is the natural result of God’s love. In Andrew Jackson’s first administration as president, the greatest political issue of his day was whether his cabinet officials and their wives would dine and invite to parties the wife of one of his cabinet members, Margaret Eaton, who had been credibly accused of intimacy to her now husband and other gentlemen in D.C. when her previous husband was still living. It sharply divided Washington D.C. and it almost shattered Andrew Jackson’s chances of re-election, and it resulted in the entire cabinet of his stepping down or being let go to allow a reset of the government. We need not adopt Victorian methods to appreciate the way men and women together worked to ostracize unrepentant sin. And while the sin of adultery is

    18 min

  6. JAN 18

    Aaron Youngren, For Three Transgressions and for Four (Amos 1:3-2:3)

    Summary In the sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of a disciplined mind, urging listeners to engage actively with Scripture and doctrine to avoid the pitfalls of ignorance and distortion. Using the Book of Amos as a foundation, the speaker discusses God’s imminent judgment on nations like Syria, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, and Moab for their egregious sins, such as violence and betrayal against Israel. He asserts that God sees nations and holds them accountable for their actions, with leaders bearing the brunt of judgment first. The sermon calls for fear, prayer, diligent work to cultivate righteousness, and reliance on God’s grace. Ultimately, through repentance and integrity, both individuals and nations can seek forgiveness and restoration from God. Transcription Choose show more to view the transcription. Transcriptions are AI generated and MAY be incorrect. Rely on the spoken word heard in the audio file. show more One of our most cherished and protected American rights is the right to an undisciplined and unfruitful mind. The right to vague understanding. The right to fudgy fact-finding. The right to swipe and scroll ourselves into total decay. The scriptures tell us that a mind like that is fertile soil for snares, tears, and thorns. You can’t just have a tidy pile of dirt and say, I’ll get around to tending it one day because the seeds of error are falling out of the sky all around you, wherever you go, ready to grow into climbing weeds that choke everything that should grow strong. In the undisciplined mind, even the word of God can be twisted. Peter tells us that Paul’s words can be distorted by the unlearned and unstable. Sinners can find teachers to tell them pretty much everything. Something we find definitely true today. The word of God is perfectly precise in its use of metaphor, story, and poetry. But the wicked have used every opportunity to twist the word. So, the great theologians who have gone before us have helped to set boundary lines for the mind in terms of creeds and doctrine. And in our homes and in our vocations have a wealth of doctrinal tools at our disposal. Tools often fashioned at the expense of blood. We must cultivate our minds with the word of God. We must be diligent about our doctrine. We must prune, tend, and weed. We should keep a ready burn pile. To hot and glorious sunlight. And if we wake up some sad morning smelling like last night’s Twitter bender. Or a back alley of some TikTok conspiracy drug den. We should turn and repent and get back to work. Our text today is from the book of Amos. Starting in chapter 1 verse 3. And the people of Syria shall go into captivity into Kir, saith the Lord. And for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof, because they carried away captive the whole captivity to deliver them up to Edom. But I will set a fire on the wall of Gaza, which shall devour the palaces thereof. And I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, and hold him that holdeth the scepter from Ashkelon. And I will turn my hand against Ekron, and the remnant of the Philistine shall perish, saith the Lord God. Thus saith the Lord, for three transgressions of Tyrus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof, because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, and remembered not the brotherly covenant. But I will send a fire on the wall of Tyrus, which shall devour the palaces thereof. Thus saith the Lord, for three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof, because he did pursue his brother with the sword, and did cast off all pity, and his anger did tear perpetually, and he kept his wrath forever. But I will send a fire upon Taman, which shall devour the palaces of Basra. Thus saith the Lord, for three transgressions of the children of Ammon, and for three, I will not turn away the punishment thereof, because they have ripped up the women with child of Gilead, that they might enlarge their border. But I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah, and it shall devour the palaces thereof, with a tempest in the day of the whirlwind. And their king shall go into captivity, and his princes together, thus saith the Lord. Thus saith the Lord, for three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof, because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime. But I will send a fire upon Moab, and it shall devour the palaces of Kiriath, and Moab shall die with tumult, and with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet. The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. You may be seated. Heavenly Father, we come before you now. We ask that you would bless your word. We ask that we would have ears to hear it, that it would be a light in the troubled places of our heart, that we would be encouraged. In Jesus’ name, amen. What does God see? When he sees us. What does God see when he looks at this city? What does God see when he sees you and your team and your boss and your family here? Does God see individuals only? Or does he also see Americans in something called America? Put another way, are each of us a single row on a big cosmic spreadsheet? A single data point? Okay, here’s Bob, you know, sins, 8,201, up 27 from last month. Or does he see humanity in a way that’s not at all like a big metaphysical database? Does he see stories and covenants and origins? Does he see nations? In the time that you and I live in, a time that includes rampant globalism, borderless countries, whatever those are, rising anti-Semitism, and cultural relativism, in this time, the question of whether God sees nations, whether God sees our nation in particular, that question matters a whole lot. In fact, see nations, and he sees them not from a safe and comfortable distance, but instead from right up close. He sees their covenants, he sees their deeds, he sees their sins, he keeps track of the story, and no one’s getting away with anything. And wonder of wonders, we find that he has a category for bad nations as well as good. And this seems somewhat relevant for our times. Let’s survey the text, starting in verse 3 of chapter 1. The Lord is bringing judgment without appeal against Syria. Now Damascus is here specifically mentioned because it’s the capital city. So the Lord is bringing judgment because the sins of Syria are many and grievous. This is what the phrase for three transgressions and for four means. Not just one sin, just two grievous sins. And they’re really bad. One of the egregious sins they’ve committed is their violent conquest of Gilead, the land east of the Jordan, which was the Lord, if you recall, the Lord himself gave to Gad and Reuben and the half tribe of Manasseh. So they went on a conquest for that land. And in their conquest, the Syrians treated God’s people like chaff on the threshing floor. That’s verse three. That’s verse five. And here again, Gaza is called by name because it’s the capital region, southernmost capital. This judgment is coming because the Philistines had taken the people of God captive and sold them as slaves. That’s verse six. We talked about this incidentally in 2 Chronicles 21 during the reign of Jehoram. So the Philistines totally looted Jehoram’s palace, took away all of his sons except for Jehoahaz, his youngest. And here again, because of their great sins, the Lord will destroy their capital buildings, verse seven, their capital cities, and indeed the entire Philistine nation will be totally wiped out. That’s in verse eight. The same indictments brought against Tyre. With the added note that Tyre was a covenant ally of the people of God, that’s verse nine. You’ll recall in the reign of Solomon, Tyre prospered greatly in trade with Solomon during Solomon’s reign. Tyre prospered greatly in the trade with Israel, so much so that they made a covenant together, Solomon and the king of Tyre. That’s in first Kings five. While Tyre broke that covenant unjustly. So the judgment for Tyre is destruction, verse 10. The crime of Edom is special because Edom is family. Israel and Edom are family. And Edom let a murderous brother hatred fester against Israel, going all the way back to Esau. That’s verse 11. Because of this, the Lord will destroy Edom, verse 12. The Lord is going to punish Ammon. Ammon’s chief crime is horribly severe and ought to sound familiar to us. They butchered the pregnant women and their children in the womb in Gilead for nothing more than their own desire for wealth and prosperity. That’s verse 13. Because of this, their nation will be destroyed with equal terror. Equal terror that they inflicted, verse 14. And the king and his sons will be taken away as slaves, verse 15. The Lord will punish Moab for her many sins, and among them is burning to lime. You see that phrase right there. Burning to lime the bones of the king of Edom. In chapter 2, verse 1. That probably means that they burned the king alive. Jehoram and Jehoshaphat had allied with the king of Edom, and we read about that in 2 Kings 3. And this likely happened after that incident. Burned the king of Edom alive. As a result, the capital city of Moab will be destroyed, and Moab itself will meet a violent end. That’s in verse 2. Its princes will be killed, and there will be no successor. That’s verse 3. Okay, so let’s start by observing a simple fact that is very relevant for us. Okay, simple fact. The fact is this. God sees nations, and God sees what nations do. God sees nations, and God sees what nations do. Did you notice, did you notice as we read what was missing in this text? It’s an indictment, but where are the names of the accused? Where are the individuals? No individual person is indicted in any of these passages. So in other places, Scripture calls individuals out by name. Amos, the book, opens by mentioning the kings of Judah and Israel by name. And as we saw, some of th

    32 min

  7. JAN 11

    Josiah Vanderveen, The Lion Roars (Amos 1:1-2)

    Summary In this sermon, the speaker introduces the book of Amos, a minor prophet with a significant message, addressing Israel’s idolatry and hypocrisy during the 8th century B.C. Amos, a shepherd from Tekoa, prophesied to the northern kingdom of Israel, which was experiencing prosperity while being blind to its impending judgment due to sin and unfaithfulness to God. The sermon highlights Israel’s practices of idolatry, blending worship with those of surrounding nations, and their hypocrisy, as they engaged in outward religious rituals while neglecting justice and oppressing the poor. The speaker warns that God’s judgment against such actions is inevitable, citing the historical context of Israel’s division and decline, ultimately leading to its conquest by Assyria in 722 B.C. Nevertheless, the speaker emphasizes God’s mercy and the call for the church today to prioritize both worship and social justice, advocating for the voiceless and maintaining a commitment to biblical truth. The message culminates in a call to action for the church to serve the needy and uphold justice while remaining steadfast in the gospel of Christ. Transcription Choose show more to view the transcription. Transcriptions are AI generated and MAY be incorrect. Rely on the spoken word heard in the audio file. show more If you would turn with me in your copy of the Word of God to Amos chapter 1. I’ll read the first two verses and I’ll be giving an introduction to the book as a whole this morning. And while you turn there, let me just say it’s a joy to bring God’s Word to you this morning. I bring you greetings from the saints at 10th Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. I grew up in a CREC church in Canada that began in 1999 where my dad still pastors. So the CREC will always be near and dear to my heart. And I do earnestly pray that the Lord would bless you as a church plant, that he would pour out his grace upon you and establish the work of your hands here in Washington as you seek to be salt and light in a city that desperately needs the gospel. Amos, beginning at verse 1. Let’s give our attention together to the infallible, authoritative, and life-giving word of God. And in the days of Jeroboam, the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. And he said, The Lord roars from Zion and utters his voice from Jerusalem. The pastures of the shepherds mourn, and the top of the carmel withers. But the word of our God endures forever. Let’s pray together. O Lord God, may the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight. O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. You are watching over your word to perform it. Your word will not return void. Amen. This morning we come to the book of Amos. Amos is a minor prophet with a major message. There are 12 minor prophets in the Old Testament and they’re called the minor prophets not because of their insignificance but because of their length. The minor prophets are much shorter than the major prophets. Daniel. Now who was the prophet Amos? We’re given a brief biographical sketch in chapter 1 verse 1. Amos was from Tekoa, a little village in the southern kingdom of Judah about 10 miles south of Jerusalem. His assignment however was in the north. Amos was a southerner prophesying in Yankee territory. He prophesied in the days when the nation of Israel was divided between the north and the south. You had the northern kingdom called Israel and the southern kingdom called Judah. More on that later. And in fact Amos is one of only two Old Testament prophets with an assignment in the north. The other. Every other Old Testament prophet has their assignment in the south. The kingdom of Judah. Now Amos was a shepherd and arborist by trade. Chapter 1 verse 1 and chapter 7 verse 14. Amos was not an ivory tower theologian or academic. He had no fancy titles or credentials. No, he simply had a divine call to proclaim the word of God, to speak the truth, even when it’s unpopular. God called Amos to prophesy during the first half of the 8th century B.C. And by this time, the northern kingdom of Israel was on its last legs. Of course, Israel was perfectly oblivious to this. They presumed on God’s grace. They presumed that their kingdom would endure forever and ever. But in reality, their days were numbered. They had been tried in the heavenly courtroom and been found wanting. It was ticking. And Amos comes to sound the alarm. He comes with a message of judgment. The Lord roars from Zion. The day of the Lord is coming. And that day would come just a few decades later when the nation of Assyria would rise up and invade Israel in 722 BC. Of course, during Amos’ ministry, by all appearances, everything seemed to be going all fine and well in Israel. In fact, though Israel had had their fair share of turmoil in the past, the beginning of the 8th century BC, before the Assyrian invasion, was a time of unprecedented prosperity and stability. The Old Testament timeline here to situate where we are in Israel’s history. You have Abraham called by God in roughly 2000 BC. 600 years or so later, God delivers Israel from Egypt. They wander in the wilderness for 40 years because of their rebellion. Then around 1400 BC, they enter the promised land. They conquer the Canaanites. As they get settled, God establishes the monarchy, beginning with Saul. After Saul comes David, who unites the 12 tribes of Israel into one nation. Then after David comes Solomon, around 1000 BC. Solomon marks the golden age of Israel’s history. Dominance, power, and prestige. But what comes after Solomon really marks the beginning of the end of the United Nation of Israel as we know it. It’s all downhill after Solomon. Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, rips the nation apart. If Solomon was known for his wisdom, Rehoboam was known for his folly. We can find the story in 1 Kings 12. It’s a famous story. It’s a timeless fable that serves as a warning against the rashness of youth. Rehoboam inherits the throne from his father Solomon. He starts by consulting the old men. He goes to the wise men, the seasoned men, who’ve seen kings come and go, and they urge Rehoboam to rule as a servant of the people, to seek the well-being of the common man. Seeking the common good of all, being a servant, that’s weakness. That’s overrated, the young men say. And Rehoboam heeds their counsel. He says to the people, my yoke will be far heavier than my father’s yoke. I will squeeze you for everything you’re worth. My thumb will be thicker than my father’s thighs. 1 Kings chapter 12, Rehoboam says, Rehoboam chooses the path of folly. He becomes an oppressive tyrant. And civil war erupts and new territories emerge. The kingdom of Israel is divided north and south. New borders and new alliances are formed. After Rehoboam, around 920 BC, the map of Israel is forever changed. Ten tribes united in the north, now known as Israel, and two tribes united in the south, now known as Judah. Israel in the north would be conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BC. Judah in the south would be conquered almost 150 years later by Babylon in 586 BC. And this is the world into which the prophet Amos enters, a kingdom divided. And he arrives as a prophet to the northern kingdom proclaiming God’s coming judgment. And he comes around 750 BC, just decades before Assyria will conquer her. Amos 1, verse 1. In the days of Uzziah, king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam, the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake. Now this new geographical arrangement would soon lead to theological derangement. The holy city, Jerusalem, was now in the southern kingdom, meaning the northerners no longer had access to the temple. And the temple, of course, was the place of God’s presence. It was where God’s people gathered to worship. So this was significant for Israel in the north. Their access to worship was cut off. But rather than trust God to provide, they took matters into their own hands. We read in 1 Kings chapter 12 of Israel’s evil solution. They go the way of the evil nations around them. The king orders golden calves to be made and worshipped at Bethel and Dan in the north. He establishes new high places for worship and sacrifice. He establishes a new priesthood. Plunges the people of Israel into gross idolatry. And there’s really two angles of Israel’s sin we can see that will ultimately lead to her judgment. The first is Israel’s idolatry. The second is Israel’s hypocrisy. So first, Israel’s idolatry. Chapter 17 provides us with a commentary on the rationale for God’s wrath against Israel. It’s worth reading when you go home this afternoon. Read 2 Kings chapter 17 verses 7 through 23. It’s a harrowing picture of spiritual idolatry and its consequences. But I’ll give you just a small sampling now. Israel’s idolatry is linked to following the nations around them. Here’s a few verses from 2 Kings chapter 17. And this occurred, that’s speaking of the Assyrian conquest of Israel, this occurred because the people of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God and had feared other gods and walked in the customs of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. And the customs that the kings of Israel had practiced. They set up for themselves pillars and ashery on every high hill and under every green tree. And there they made offerings on all the high places as the nations did whom the Lord carried away before them. And they did wicked things, provoking the Lord to anger. And they served idols of which the Lord had said to them, you shall not do this. They went after false idols and became false. They followed the nations that were around them concerning whom the Lord had commanded them that they should not do like them. Therefore, the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight. And so we see t

    39 min

  8. JAN 4

    C. R. Wiley, Behold, I am a Servant of the Lord, Luke 1 (New Years Sermon)

    Summary In this sermon based on Luke 1:26-38, the speaker reflects on the angel Gabriel’s announcement to Mary that she will conceive Jesus, emphasizing her initial fear, astonishment, and ultimate acceptance of her role as a servant of the Lord. The speaker explores three key phrases: Mary’s troubled reaction, her query about how this will happen due to her virginity, and her affirmation of faith, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord.” He highlights the weight of being favored by God, suggesting it often involves challenges and sacrifice, as seen in Mary’s future pain witnessing Jesus’ crucifixion. Drawing parallels to St. Christopher’s legend, the sermon urges the congregation to recognize their own roles as bearers of Christ in the world, regardless of their gender or specific calling. Ultimately, the message encourages believers to see themselves as part of a divinely ordered hierarchy, fulfilling their purposes in service and proclaiming the gospel. Transcription Choose show more to view the transcription. Transcriptions are AI generated and MAY be incorrect. Rely on the spoken word heard in the audio file. show more My sermon text this morning is from Luke’s Gospel, chapter 1, beginning at verse 26. Now, in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. Having come in, the angel said to her, Rejoice, highly favored one. The Lord is with you. But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son and shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Highest. And the Lord God will give him the throne. And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. Then Mary said to the angel, How can this be, since I do not know a man? And the angel answered her and said, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you. Therefore also that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. And this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren, for with God nothing will be impossible. Then Mary said, Behold the maidservant of the Lord, let it be to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her. The word of the Lord. Let’s pray. Father, I pray that the words of my mouth and meditations of my heart will be acceptable to you, for you are our rock and our redeemer. Amen. Well, I’m glad to be back with you, and congratulations on the efforts that have been made to quiet things down a little bit. I want you to know it was a bit challenging last week, or last time I was with you. Well, it was last week, too, because in my church I’ve got about 150 little kids who are always making noise. But anyway, it’s great to be back. Glad to be with you. Today I’m dressed like a man of the Pacific Northwest. I thought I should dress according to type, you know, because I live right outside Portland, just so you know. We’re actually in Connecticut this week, and next week we have a home there, and we go back and forth between the homes. And so I scheduled the two times I’d be with you kind of according to when I knew it was going to be there, because it’s only about a 45 minute flight from Hartford down here. So it’s like nothing, but it’s like forever to fly, you know, from Portland to here. Anyway, so with all that said, let’s take a look at this particular passage. This is really familiar territory. I’ve read many times, and I think maybe we get too familiar with certain scriptures, and because that’s the case, we miss things. We don’t take note because we know what comes next, and our minds kind of get ahead of what’s being said, and we don’t stop and reflect a bit. It’s one of the reasons why I prefer reading the King James Version of my devotions. You have to read slowly, you know, because it’s antiquated speech. Stuff, you know, translations that are just a little too colloquial are just a little too smooth, and you just don’t stop, and you don’t think, you don’t slow down. Anyway, that’s just a little recommendation for you. By the way, it helps you to understand Shakespeare when you, like, are in a play. But there are three striking phrases here I would like us to focus on. The first is found in verse 29, she was troubled. She was troubled. Then the next is found in verse 34, how can this be? And then the last one is found in verse 38, So now you know where I’m going to be, like kind of the course of my message, you know how fast I’m going. First, she was troubled. She was troubled. Now that should strike you as a little odd because isn’t this a blessing? Isn’t this good news that she’s receiving? And yet she’s troubled by what she hears when the angel addresses her. As I’ve reflected on that, I’ve thought of a few possibilities as to why she might be troubled. One of those possibilities is that maybe she doesn’t think of herself as favored. He addresses her as someone who is highly favored, and yet she probably over the course of her life never thought of herself in those terms. So this is news. This is news that she’s favored. The other possibility is that angels aren’t chubby babies. I don’t know if you’ve maybe been overexposed to 19th century Victorian works of art where angels are little cherubs. They’re just like these cute, cuddly, little pudgy things. On the wing, in the clouds, and that kind of thing. When we are actually given a little indication in scripture of what their appearance is, they’re disturbing to look at. If you look at, for example, Revelation chapter 4, we see the four living creatures around the throne. Those are cherubim. And one has the appearance of a lion, another has the appearance of a calf. One has the head of a man, and then the other is an eagle. They’re covered with eyes. This is just freaky stuff. I mean, if you put a picture of that in your child’s nursery, the kid could have nightmares for the rest of his or her life. They’re scary creatures because they’re awesome. In other words, they’re awesome in the sense that they invoke awe. There’s a sense of awe that comes over you. And that’s one of the reasons why I think angels always have to say, fear not. I know I’m scary, but don’t be afraid. I’m bringing you some good news. But anyway, this is kind of a disposition that fathers should have. You know, there should be a kind of a reverence for fathers and a kind of fear of the father. But there should also be a sense of grace and mercy and a sense of blessedness when the father is doing his job right. But anyway, just kind of an aside. So he tells her not to be afraid because she is. She is afraid. Have you ever had an encounter with authority in which you suddenly felt fear? Sometimes when I’m pulled over, and this happens like maybe once in 10,000 years, but every once in a while when I’m traveling along and I’m pulled over by a policeman whose radar gun is not accurate, there’s a sense of dread that comes over me. And I think to myself as I feel that dread, what am I afraid of? Do I really think he’s going to kill me or something? He’s going to give me a ticket. But I think the reason is because we are sinful. We know there’s a kind of latent guilt that we all kind of have to deal with. And if it isn’t this particular time that I was speeding, there was a time. There was a time I was speeding. So consequently, we’re afraid when we have an encounter with authority because we know that we are not what we should be. Now, there’s something else here, I think, to consider when we think about what troubles her. Finding favor with God in Scripture is always a mixed blessing. In other words, finding favor with God doesn’t necessarily mean that everything that you’re going to deal with in the rest of your life is going to be pleasant. Just think about those men who were called friends of God in Scripture. I had a friend who preached a sermon entitled, How God Treats His Friends. Let me tell you, he’s pretty rough with them. And so consequently, when you find favor with God, often that means there’s a task for you to do and there’s going to be something unpleasant you’re going to have to experience. And then, you know, just for example, remember, Gideon, Judges chapter six, right? How is he addressed when the angel appears to him? He says to him, you have found favor, right? Oh, mighty man of God, which is actually kind of a joke because where is he? He’s hiding. He’s hiding from the Midianites in a wine press and he’s threshing wheat because he’s afraid that if they see him doing this, they’re going to come and take it from him. So there’s nothing evident in terms of his appearance of behavior that would warrant that address, mighty man of valor. Now he’ll rise to the occasion because of God’s grace, but as we know, there was a lot of stuff that he went through from that point on that was challenging. And even when we think about women in scripture who are told, you know, something wonderful, like we think about Sarah or Hannah, barren women who received children, well, those children don’t necessarily just stay with them and just, you know, spend all of their time with them, but in the case of Hannah, of course, she hands them over to Eli, the high priest, and so she promised the Lord that she would do that if she was blessed with a child, and so consequently, there’s this sense that everything is kind of a mixed blessing, in a sense, when we think about God’s favor, and of course, when it comes to Mary, what does she have

    25 min

  9. 12/28/2025

    Gene Helsel, Incarnation Bookends, Galatians 4 (Christmas)

    Summary In a sermon based on Galatians Chapter 4, the speaker begins by greeting the congregation and sharing prayers from King’s Cross Church in Wenatchee, Washington, reinforcing their support for the church plant in Washington, D.C. He references Galatians 4 and leads in a Christmas message. Transcription Choose show more to view the transcription. Transcriptions are AI generated and MAY be incorrect. Rely on the spoken word heard in the audio file. show more Galatians chapter 4 and I’ll begin the reading this morning at verse 4. But before I do, I’ll bring you greetings from your brothers and sisters at King’s Cross Church in Wenatchee, Washington. Very glad to be with you all this weekend. And please know that we are praying for you in this rather irregular church plant out here in Washington, D.C. But confident the Lord is with you and will add His blessing to your labors. show less

    36 min

  10. 12/21/2025

    Jody Simmons, The Unique Greatness of Jesus (Advent)

    Summary In this sermon on Advent, the focus is on the significance of waiting and preparing for both the birth and return of Jesus Christ. The term “Advent,” which means “coming” or “arrival,” highlights this period of anticipation as Christians celebrate Christmas and prepare for Christ’s second coming as judge. The angel Gabriel’s announcement to Mary in Nazareth emphasizes Jesus’ unique greatness, being both fully divine and fully human, born of a virgin and destined to reign on David’s throne. The sermon underscores that Jesus, who embodies the promise of salvation and serves as the mediator between God and humanity, reigns with everlasting authority. Believers are encouraged to live faithfully in service to Him, even amidst challenges, recognizing the growing impact of His kingdom. Ultimately, they are reminded of the hope found in Christ’s eventual return and the call to be steadfast in their faith and service until that day. Transcription Choose show more to view the transcription. Transcriptions are AI generated and MAY be incorrect. Rely on the spoken word heard in the audio file. show more The word Advent is from Latin and it means coming or arrival. During Advent, we as Christians wait and prepare for the coming of Jesus Christ and this includes both his birth as well as his return. Right now, we are all waiting for Christmas just a few days away in which we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ into this world and as we wait, we prepare for this celebration in various ways. We bake cookies. We buy gifts. We decorate our homes. We have parties. We drink cider. We sing carols. We have daily Advent readings. We watch maybe It’s a Wonderful Life, maybe Charlie Brown Christmas. There are many ways we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. The second coming of Christ, we prepare for that accordingly as well. One day, probably a long way off, we don’t know, Jesus Christ, having died, been buried, raised from the dead, and ascended into heaven, taking His seat at the right hand of God the Father, will physically return to this earth in His glorified body as the judge of both the living and the dead. And so for us, at His second coming, we will be raised in glorified bodies like Jesus, and we will give an account of ourselves to God. He will judge us for our works. We will be given rewards based upon which works last. But ours as Christians is a judgment of salvation, rather than condemnation, and we thank God for that. But how we live as Christians between now and then, or between our birth and the day we die, matters. And this is where waiting and preparing for the day in which Jesus Christ returns as judge is important. And this is where Advent is helpful. In our sermon text for today from Luke 1, the angel Gabriel is sent from God to a city of Nazareth to give a message to a virgin named Mary. And this took place in the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy with John. Now, the city of Nazareth was apparently not well thought of. It looks like, in fact, it was known for being especially corrupt. If you remember from John, whenever Philip told Nathanael about Jesus of Nazareth, you remember Nathanael’s response was, can anything good come out of Nazareth? It was in Nazareth that Jesus marveled over their unbelief. And it was in Nazareth where everyone in the synagogue, we’re told, was filled with wrath at Jesus. And they drove him out of town and they tried to throw him down a cliff, but he got away. This no good, corrupt city is where Mary and Joseph lived and where God sent the angel Gabriel to give this very important message to Mary. This was betrothed to Joseph, who was of the lineage of King David. And during those days, a betrothal or an engagement included a legal agreement, and this was well ahead of the wedding ceremony itself. During the time of betrothal, the man and the woman were considered husband and wife, though they had not yet come together until the wedding. This is why in Matthew’s account, Joseph, during this betrothal time and before they came together, is referred to as her husband. This is also why we’re told he considered divorcing Mary whenever he found out that she was pregnant. His natural first assumption would have been that she was unfaithful because virgins don’t get pregnant. But this time, a virgin does get pregnant, which is part of the unique greatness of Jesus Christ, as we will consider in a moment. This is where we begin to see the unique greatness of Jesus Christ. It is true that there are some people whom we know personally, or some that we know of, that we would say he or she is great. I can truly say my dad was a great man, for example. But no one is great in the way that Jesus Christ is great. The first thing we see here about Jesus is that he was born of a woman. Mary would conceive, we’re told, in her womb, and this shows that Jesus is a real man. Being a real man is nothing special in and of itself, but it is whenever we read a few verses down that he would be conceived of the Holy Spirit, as well as when we consider the next part of verse 32, where the angel Gabriel says of Jesus, He will be great and will be called the Son of the Highest. It is immediately clear that this man, Jesus, would be no ordinary man, and that His greatness is on a completely different level than anyone else. Being born of the Virgin Mary and being conceived of the Holy Spirit and being called the Son of the Highest and the Son of God means, that Jesus is not only man, but He is also divine. By nature, He is God. This is unique. In this one person are two natures, God and man. Jesus is both truly God and truly man. As the Chalcedonian Creed says, which we actually recited earlier, without confusion, without change, without division, and without separation. Jesus remains both divine and human without mixing the two together to become some kind of a third thing. In becoming a man, in no way did He cease being the eternal Son of God. He is not half man and half God. Jesus is a real union. That Jesus is truly God and truly man, two natures in one person without any confusion, division, separation, or change. This is a truth that is very difficult for us to put our minds around and to understand completely. But this is part of the unique greatness of Jesus Christ. And what is even more amazing is that He, the eternal Son of God, and flesh for you. Without this union of two natures and one person, there would be no salvation. A sinner like every one of us cannot save another sinner. Jesus became like us, but without a sin nature. And He bore the penalty of God’s wrath on the cross for our sins. And He serves now as the mediator between God and man on our behalf. And in this way, Jesus and Jesus alone. Saves us from our sins. As George Herbert wrote, in Christ, two natures met to be your cure. Jesus Christ is truly unique, truly great. Even the name Jesus, they were to name Him Jesus. That was a common name at the time. But for this Jesus, there is unique significance. The name Jesus means something like Yahweh saves. This is true of this Jesus. The angel in Matthew 1 was sent to Joseph. The angel told him to name Him Jesus. And the reason was given because He will save His people from their sins. The one who is eternal and divine, through whom all things were created. The one who upholds the universe by the word of His power. And the one whom all the angelic creatures in heaven worship as they say to one another, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of His glory. This is the one who humbled Himself and took on flesh and died in our place to save us from our sins. And thus His name is Jesus. Yahweh saves. Next, the angel Gabriel says of Jesus in verse 32, And the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. This means that Jesus is King. There are many rulers and presidents and kings all throughout history. But again, Jesus is unique because He is not just any king. He is God’s anointed king. We notice here from the angel Gabriel that it is the Lord God who will give Him the throne, give the throne to Jesus. As mentioned earlier, Joseph was of the lineage of King David. And in 2 Samuel chapter 7, the Lord promised David, Now that’s a big promise that God made to King David, like a thousand years ahead of Christ. But Jesus is the fulfillment of this promise. And just as David’s rule was earthly, so Jesus’ rule includes the earth as well as heaven. And I think this is important because if we don’t understand this, then we will think that Christianity only has to do with eternal salvation and with heaven, which it does. But if we don’t understand that his rule also includes the earth, we’re going to fail to understand that his kingship, has everything to do with this earth and what takes place on this earth each day, even what we hear going on outside. But of course, there is a difference between the earthly rule of King David and King Jesus. Whereas David’s rule was limited to this earth, as well as limited by time and by geographic location, Jesus’ kingship has no limits. For as the angel Gabriel continues, Jesus has everlasting and total authority and dominion. His reign over the house of Jacob includes us, the church. If you recall, God made a covenant with Abraham many several thousand years ago and with his offspring. And we’re told repeatedly through Scripture that God is the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. And we know that it is those of faith who are children of Abraham, including us. We who are in Christ, the true Israel, are blessed along with Abraham so that Jesus’ reign over the house of Jacob forever includes us, his church. But his reign is not limited to us, his people. Think of every single arrogant man or woman who thumbs his or her nose at Jesus. And there are many of them. Yes, Jesus’ reign even includes those peopl

    26 min
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A podcast of Christ Church DC. Hear CREC Pastors exposit on God’s Holy Word. Subscribe to hear Doug Wilson, Jared Longshore, Ben Merkle, Toby Sumpter, Joe Rigney, Adam McIntosh, Ben Zornes, Brooks Potteiger, Garrett Craw, C. R. Wiley and many more. Hear their weekly exhortation and sermon. Like what you hear? Join Christ Church DC live on Sundays at 10:30am in Washington, DC.

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  • Creator
    Christ Church DC
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    10
  • Rating
    Clean
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    Copyright © 2025 Christ Church. All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Mission to Babylon

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