Given its rich supply of Old Testament allusions (the most of all the gospels) and the author’s ability to reveal redemptive truths both Old and New (Mat 13:52 = Matthew was a Levite scribe; Mar 2:14), Matthew should be the lens and launching for anyone wanting to understand their Bibles – or more specifically, it […]
Abrahamic Covenant Key
(Gen 17:1-14) Understanding the Abrahamic Covenant is among the most important interpretive keys to being – or operating as the people of God. This includes the Christian – or the people of God under the New Covenant. My ability to interpret the writings of the New Testament and verify their validity as consistent with God’s […]
Navigating the Waters of Re-Baptism
Navigating The Waters Of Re-Baptism (Eph 4:4-6) In the 16 years of this church’s existence, I have performed far more re-baptisms than initial (or first-time) baptisms. And what we wb doing today (at the end of our service) is another example of this. All the individuals who wb receiving the sacrament of baptism have been […]
Matthew 5 – Part 8: Old Testament Authoritative for New Covenant
8. There are many today who think that the obligation to obey the Old Testament Scriptures has been removed (in part or whole) as essential to salvation for the New Covenant Christian[1]. What they fail to consider is not only the content, clarity, and consequences of Jesus’ teaching in Mat 5:17-20, but also that: 8.1. […]
Matthew 5.2 – Conditional Identity
6. Jesus asserts that the identity we have gained as God’s people must be maintained through productivity and public witness (again Exo 19:4-6 = Israel’s identity also needed to be maintained – i.e. it was conditional): 6.1. (13) In the ancient world, salt was used as fertilizer for the soil/earth (“earth” = th/j gh/j = […]
Matthew 5.1 – Jesus’ Sermon On The Mount Address
1. Leading the Jewish crowds to a mountainside sb viewed as a clear sign that Jesus has become Israel’s new Moses since: 1.1. Like Moses, Jesus chooses elders to carry the ministry burden prior to going up the mountain (Luk 6:12-16 w/Exo 18:18-27) 1.2. Like Moses, Jesus goes to the mountain for the purpose of […]
Matthew 5.0 – The Blessings God Promises to His People
CHAPTER (5) SYNOPSIS = Jesus’ Sermon On The Mount Address (Part 1). 1. Leading the Jewish crowds to a mountainside sb viewed as a clear sign that Jesus has become Israel’s new Moses since: 1.1. Like Moses, Jesus chooses elders to carry the ministry burden prior to going up the mountain (Luk 6:12-16 w/Exo 18:18-27) […]
Matthew Introduction – Part 14: The Saving Gospel is a Marriage Covenant
6.4.3. What it is: A marriage covenant The plan of salvation communicated throughout the Bible’s redemptive history is always the same (e.g. Heb 8:5-6 = the “DNA” of God’s redemptive plan remains the same). It involves people entering into a marriage covenant with God[1]. 6.4.3.1. Consider: 6.4.3.1.1. God’s salvation always includes a covenant (Adamic = […]
My Version of A Christmas Carol – The Final Act Part 1
For two weeks now, I have been sharing with you My version of A Christmas Carol and that is my intention again this morning; to continue my story (or your story as we shall see) as my gift to you this Christmas—a gift to get you thinking about what really matters. The differences between my […]
New Covenant Jurisprudence
“Oh Lord, according to your justice, give me life” (Psa 119:149b) jurisprudence = theory or philosophy of law; a legal system One of the first things Jesus makes clear during His earthly ministry is that the entire content of the Law (the legal system established by God under the OC) remains intact for the New […]
Evangelical Myths – Part 1
Included in Paul’s instruction to pastors is the obligation to, “Have nothing to do with (i.e. reject) irreverent, silly myths [lit. imaginary beliefs promoted by old women and the world].” In this respect, Paul’s goal for God’s Church is clear. He desires that congregations be equipped to discern and distance themselves from those doctrines which […]
Welcome to Denver Reformed Church: We are not Evangelical. We are Biblical, Historical, Reformed – Part 3.1
4. Biblical, Historical and Reformed in our view of Salvation = Marriage Covenant.
Welcome to DSC: We are not Evangelical. We are Biblical, Historical and Reformed – Part 3
The American Evangelical movement is Christianity in America. It is however not Biblical, Historical, or Reformed Christianity. It is instead an aberration – even a perversion of those things. In contrast, it is these three attributes which defines the word “Sound” in Denver Reformed Church. We are Biblical, Historical and Reformed. 4. Biblical, Historical and […]
Marriage Covenant Theology – Part 5
Daniel 2:44-45; Matthew 21:43-44; God’s purpose in creating and coming into marriage covenant with man was the establishment of an Edenic Temple Kingdom on earth whose border and population would expand, subdue, and cover the earth.
Marriage Covenant Theology – Part 3
Since mankind’s fall into sin, the gospel of God’s gracious salvation has both existed and operated based upon the three fundamental categories of a marriage covenant: Procurement, Promises, and Penalty. Old covenant Israel is no longer the wife of God, the people of God, the holy nation or place where His holy city, priests, and […]
Marriage Covenant Theology – Part 2
In the bible, the phrase “the Law” refers to either the specific words of instruction given to Moses or the entire first five books of the Old Testament. For heuristic reasons, we make a bi-partite distinction between “Clean Laws” and “the Moral Commands”. Both testaments inform and establish for us what is pleasing to God […]
Marriage Covenant Theology – Part 1
Marriage Covenant Theology: 1. The pattern of salvation 2. Justification 3. Baptism and the Holy Spirit
Covenant – Part 5
Acts 11:19-26 We must belong to the church if we want a)to know God’s will and voice, b)to experience God’s special presence and Heavenly Kingdom, c) to receive God’s forgiveness, grace, protection, and assurance, d)God’s signs and gifts, and e) to be under God’s authority and assurance.
Covenant – Part 4
1 Peter 2:1-3 The “Glory of God” is the church. A covenant exists now only within the church community. The church is our new family. “Brother” and “sister” are covenant terms. Our greatest gain is the church community.
Covenant – Part 3
1 John 4:16 We cannot earn or work our way to salvation. If we receive it, it will only be because of the amazing grace that allows us to enter into a marriage covenant with the King of Kings. The church is portrayed in Scripture as our new family.