Michiana Covenant Presbyterian Church

Peter Wallace
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  • Christianity

The newest sermons from Michiana Covenant Presbyterian Church on SermonAudio.

  1. May 10

    Fourth Commandment: Sabbath and the Feasts (Deut. 16:1-17)

    Paul tells us that the OT Sabbath was a shadow of Christ. Listen to what Paul says in Colossians 2:16-17 – "Let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ." The feasts of the OT, the new moon celebration, and the weekly Sabbath were all shadows of the things to come. Any time you have a shadow, you have to have two other things: a light – and a body (something that casts the shadow). The substance of these things – namely, the body that casts the shadow – is Christ. So where is the light coming from? If Christ is the body that casts the shadow – and the shadow is seen in the OT – then the light must be coming from the New Creation! Christ is casting his shadow back into the Old Testament. The reason why we don't follow the OT calendar is not because we've replaced it with a NT calendar – (either Medieval or Reformed) – but because we have replaced it with Christ. So how do these shadows reflect the substance of Christ?

  2. May 10

    We Must Obey God Rather than Men (Acts 5:12-42)

    [Sung Psalm: 139] The point of Isaiah 11 is that when the Spirit-anointed Branch comes – when the Spirit-filled Messiah comes – he will make all things right. The description of Isaiah 11 is not talking about what will happen after the final judgment. "The wolf shall dwell with the lamb" is talking about what is happening right now – as Jesus is governing his church today! This is a description of the church of Jesus Christ. Why do I say that? Because the following verses describe what happens "in that day" – and "in that day" God will restore his people from all over the earth. And that is what is happening! This is that day. This is the day when Jesus decides with equity for the meek of the earth! This the day he strikes the earth with the rod of his mouth – and kills the wicked! We saw that last time in the story of Ananias and Sapphira! Jesus is making things right! I know – you look around and you wonder – really?! This is "making things right!?" It's a long path. A long road. But Jesus is King – and he is at work by his sevenfold Spirit! And so we sing in Psalm 139 – "where shall I go from your Spirit? Where shall I flee from your presence?"

  3. May 3

    Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 4:32-5:11)

    [Sung Psalm: 95] What does it mean to bear fruit? If the seed is the Word of God – then the fruit in our lives is the Word of God multiplying and abounding in us! The picture here is of flourishing abundance. It's the same image in Psalm 1 – the blessed man who meditates on God's Law – in all he does he prospers – he is a tree planted by streams of water – bearing fruit in season! The seed is being sown today. What kind of soil will you be? Will you hear the word with diligence, preparation, prayer, lay it up in your heart – and practice it your life?! I start by asking this question – because the story of Ananias and Sapphira is a difficult one for many. It sounds like something out of the Old Testament! Especially after reading Ezekiel 11! But this is where we need to remember that the same God who struck down Pelatiah in Ezekiel's day, also struck down Ananias and Sapphira in Peter's day. God will not be mocked. Those who pretend to be devoted to the kingdom of God, but who are really devoted to their own kingdoms, will be destroyed. But in order to understand what this story says to us today, we need to understand what it is doing here in the book of Acts...

  4. May 3

    Fourth Commandment: What Is Sabbath? (Deut. 15)

    This week we turn from the topic of how we spend our money and turn to how we use our time. If God made us in his own image – and especially, if Jesus has redeemed us from sin and death, renewing us in the image of God and bringing us into his Kingdom by his Spirit – then how we use our time should be oriented towards Christ's Kingdom. If you want to think about how Deuteronomy 15 is Christ-centered, we need to see three things: 1) the theme of inheritance is closely bound up with the language of Father and Son -- Israel is the Son who inherits (Paul will speak in Galatians 3-4 about how a son, so long as he is in his minority, cannot inherit...) 2) the redemption of slaves is explicitly connected to redemption from slavery in Egypt – which in the NT is explicitly connected to our redemption from bondage to sin and death 3) the theme of blessing is likewise connected to inheritance and sonship language (think back to Genesis 1-2 and God's blessing of Adam and Eve – and then the blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob...).

  5. Apr 26

    Laborers into His Harvest (Matt. 9:35–10:15)

    Sermon Outline: I. The Harvest 1. The Need for the Harvest (9:35–38) 2. The Method of the Harvest (10:5–15) II. The Harvesters 3. The Men of the Harvest (10:1–4)

  6. Apr 26

    Third Commandment: The Economic Implications of God’s Holy Name (Deut. 14:22-29)

    The Third Commandment says: You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. What does it mean to honor God's holy name in our actions? Last time, we looked at Moses' teaching on clean and unclean animals – and we saw how Christ declares all foods clean, but he did not do away with the principles of the Old Testament. The apostles still warn against "unclean" practices – no longer referring to OT food laws, but rather those practices in our culture that lead away from God...

  7. Apr 19

    No Other Name (Acts 4:5-31)

    [Sung Psalm: 2] The prayer of Hezekiah is the pattern that the apostles follow in Acts 4. Hezekiah begins with acknowledging that God is the Creator of all things. And then he remembers God's promises – and he humbles himself before God, and asks God to hear their threats and do something! Save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O LORD, are God alone...

  8. Apr 19

    The Third Commandment: God’s Holy Name (Deut. 14:1-21)

    The third commandment says: "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain." I have suggested that Moses is providing an exposition of the Ten Commandments in the central part of Deuteronomy. So far we have seen rather clear connections between the first and second commandments and the content of chapters 6-13. But how does this discussion of clean and unclean foods relate to God's Name?

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