Our Union with Christ

Our Union with Christ Listen here

I. What is union?
Close relation
Brought together in harmony with out blurring of distinct parts
It is intimate life

II. Union with Christ in eternity past
Covenant of redemption (John 6:37-41)
God’s eternal decrees (Tit 1;2-3)
Election and Predestination (Eph 1:3-7)

III. Union at the cross
Forensic Penal Substitutionary atonement (rom 3:23-30)
Crucified with Christ (Gal 2:20)
Christ living and dying in our place (Rom 5:19)

IV. Legal Union
Justification by faith alone (Rom 5:1)
Adoption (Gal 4:5)

V. Spiritual Union
Intellectual union (1 Cor 2:16)
Vital Union (Rom 6:1-4)
Mystical Union (Eph 3:17-21)

VI. Union in Sanctification
Think as Christ does 1 Cor 2:16
Feel as Christ does Phillip 2:5
Love what Christ love John 13:34-35
Hate what Christ hates Rev 2:6

The goal is to be like Christ. This is only way to truly live, everything is pseudo life

Seeing the Invisible

Seeing the Invisible Listen Here

I. God is Invisible
God is Spirit Non-Spatial and atemporal John 4:24, 1 Tim 1:17
No one can see God in His fullness, John 1:18, 1 John 4:12
Not even in Glory 1 Tim 6:16

II. We love the one we can not see
We love God who we can not see (1 John 4:20)
We love Christ who we can not see at this time (1 Pet 1:8)
We born again by the Spirit which is not seen (John 3:8 )

III. Why is God not seen by the natural eye
So that we will not die (Exodus 33:20)
So that Great Commission can be fulfilled (Matt 28:20)
So that we have a sure hope (Rom 5:1-5)

IV. We are to look to the invisible
A. We changed from glory to glory by the spirit (2 Cor 3:16-18)
B. Even though the natural man dies we have eternal life (2 Cor 4:16:18
C. Trust God who raises the dead (2 Cor 1:7:10)

The Federal Vision Debate: The Covenant of Grace

Do all New Covenant Members persevere onto final salvation?

Part 1
Part 2

Part 3

I. The Nature of the Triune God (Isa 6:3)
Holy and Just
Personal and Relational, which includes love and goodness
Therefore His Relationship to His creation most be holy and just

II. Bicovenantalism
Covenant of Works
Covenant of Grace
Mono-covenantalism denies Law – Gospel distinction

III. Overview of Covenants
Edenic Covenant (Works)
Adamic Covenant (Promise)
Noahic Covenant (Dominion)
Abrahamic Covenant (Royal Grant)
Mosaic Covenant (Typological Kingdom)
Davidic Covenant (Messianic)
New Covenant (Salvation)

IV. Ordo Salutis and Historia Salutis (Gal 3:29)
Man is always saved the same way (ordo salutis)
But the Covenant of Grace matures in redemptive History (Historia Salutis)
Old Testament Covenants fulfilled in Christ

V. Constitution of the New Covenant (Heb 8:10-12)
In Christ’s blood
Entirely salvific
All in the covenant are saved
No covenant breakers

VI. Therefore all New Covenant Members will persevere onto to final salvation

The Federal Vision Debate: The Covenant of Works

Covenant of Works Defended

Part 1

Part 2


I. Adam under a Covenant of Works Hosea 6:7
A. Like Adam Israel broke the Covenant
B. Job 31:33 as Adam
C. Rom 5:14 Solidarity between Adam and Christ

II. Works of the Law (Gal 3:5,12)
A. Works is obedience to the commandments (Gal 3:12)
B. Not based upon faith
C. Faith is antithetical to works
D. Faith is an empty hand

III. Strict Justice (Gal 3:10-12)
A. Cursed is He who breaks the Law (Jam 2:10-11)
B. Eternal Punishment is strict justice (Rev 20:11-15)
C. Wages for work rendered is not grace but justice (Rom 4:4)

IV. Meritorious (Rom 5:18, 7:10)
A. The Law is ordained to life (Rom 7:10)
B. Can earn eternal life by keeping all the law (Mark 10:17-21)
C. Full obedience would have resulted in Adams justification (Rom 5:18)

V. The Covenant Grace
A. Only exists in the context of satisfied justice (Rom 3:25)
B. Covenant of Grace is demerited favor (Eph 2:1-8)
C. Justification is not maintained through faithful obedience (Phillip 3:7-10)
D. Justification is not eschatological (Rom 5:1)

Exclusive Psalmody Debate

Listen to part 1 here and part 2 here

New Covenant Hymnody

I. A Survey of The Regulative Principle of Worship
A. The RPW in the Old Testament
1. Edenic Covenant (Works)
2. Adamic Covenant (Promise)
3. Noahic Covenant (Dominion)
4. Abrahamic Covenant (Royal Land Grant)
5. Mosaic Covenant (Typological Kingdom)
6. Davidic Covenant (Messianic)
B. The RPW in the New Testament
1. New Covenant (All covenants fulfilled in Christ)
- We are now in the semi-theocracy with the Word and the Spirit
- No longer the typological kingdom
- But we still have the RPW
2. New Covenant, New Acts of God, New Songs
- The Psalms instructs us to sing new songs when God does something new
- The New Covenant is new act of God and therefore warrants new songs (Isa 42:10)
C. The New Covenant commands the following elements of worship:
1. The Word (Preached and Taught)
2. Ordinances (Communion and Baptism), Church discipline
3. Prayers, fellowship, offerings
4. The sing of psalms, hymns and Spiritual songs

II. What does Col 3:16 and Eph 5:18 command/Teach
A. We are to meditate on the Word of God to be filled with the Spirit
1. The Word of Christ in Col is the mystery of Christ (Col 1:26-28)
2. In Eph the infilling of the Spirit is be under the influence of the Spirit not infallible inspiration of the Spirit(Eph 5:17)
B. We are then to teach, admonish, and speak to one another in Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs.
C. The context is private not public
1. instruction to Christian households
2. instruction to slaves
3. instruction to inter-personal conduct

III. Exegesis of Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs
A. All wisdom is needed when giving instruction
B. It is in the imperative, so we are commanded to do this
C. Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs are all in the dative; however Psalms and Hymns are masculine, whereas Spiritual Songs is famine.
1. Therefore it is either (a) speaking of different kinds of songs
2. or (b) the same kind of songs having Psalms and Hymns and songs as all spiritual
D. Regardless Spiritual songs in context Col 1:9 means doctrinally pure songs as opposed to worldly songs
E. Therefore Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs is a Triadic expression for New Covenant songs (Col 1:26-28)
F. Psalms are normally personally, Hymns are normally doxological, Spiritual songs are normally both.

IV. The extension to public worship
A. This now can be applied to public worship as a corporate means of fulfilling the same command
B. The New Testament is the full revelation of Christ. Heb 1:1-3 We therefore are to sing the propositional truth found in the New Testament, hence the Word of Christ in Col 3:16 is the lyrical content of the Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs.

Act 1:12-26 The Church Awaiting The Spirit

Act 1:12-26 The Church awaiting the Spirit Listen here

I. Where did the Apostles meet at:
A. Jerusalem (1 King 8:29-30)
1. The place of God’s name (2 Chron 6:6)
2. The epicenter for religious worship (1 King 8:29-30)
B. The upper room
1. Probably a chamber in the temple (1 King 6:5)
2. Owned by possibly Barnabas (Acts 4:26)
C. With the women, Mary and the brother of Jesus
1. The women were probably the wives of the Apostles
2. The brothers of Jesus now believing

II. What did they do?
A. They devoted themselves to prayer in one mind.
1. Prayer is priority for the Apostles (John 16:23-26)
2. Jews prayed towards the temple as the place of God’s dwelling
B. Then Peter explains the reason for Judas betrayal
1. Judas was the son of perdition
2. Fulfilled imprecatory psalms of King David
C. The Apostle draw lots for a man to replace Judas
1. It was common for Jews to draw lot’s to discern God’s will (Prov 16:33)
2. Matthias was God choice, not man’s. He became the 12th foundational Apostle.

III. The importance of…..
A. Location
B. Prayer
C. The Apostolic Ministry
D. God Sovereign choice


IV. We should therefore….
A. Not forsake the Assembly of ourselves together (Heb 10:25)
B. Purposeful prayer (Matt 6:5-14)
C. Believe Apostolic doctrine (Gal 1:7)
D. Delight in God’s Sovereignty (Eph 1:3-13)

The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob Part 2

The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob Part 2 Listen here

I. Jacob’s birth (Gen 25:23-26)
The twin brother of Esau
Favored by Rebekah
Chosen by God

II. Jacob’s conversion (Gen 28:10-17)
Takes birthrights
Steals blessings
Receives promises

III. Jacob’s prosperity (Gen 29-31)
Finds work with Laban
Finds wife with Rachel
Finds wealth with cattle

IV. Jacob’s submission (Gen 32:22-32)
God spares Jacob
God wrestles with Jacob
God renames Jacob

V. Jacob is the model of:
Sovereign grace (Rom 9:14-16)

Struggle (Gen 32:23-26)
Surrender: Renamed Israel (Gen 35:9-15)


VI. We are to be like Jacob
We boast only in the Lord (I Cor 1:26-30)
We submit to Christ as Lord (2 Cor 5:8-10)
We are to be weak so Christ can be strong (2 Cor 5:7-10)