Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church

Last week, we began a new afternoon sermon series on the Shorter Catechism. I did an introductory message to show you that God has called us to confess our faith, therefore faithful churches have always had creeds and confessions. We are to hold to the pattern of such sound words in opposition to false doctrine, false beliefs, that some who profess Christ hold. As those gathered for worship, it is proper for us to confess these articles of faith. So we will do that each week. Today, we come to the First Question in the Catechism. So I will ask the question and then we will confess the answer together. Q. 1. What is the chief end of Man? A. Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.

People of God, see how much the Lord loves us. He will not allow those that He loves to go on being lukewarm. David did not repent when God rescued him. Gentle measures failed, so now the Lord takes more severe measures.

This afternoon, I am going to start a new sermon series on the Shorter Catechism. It seems like I sense a need for this about every five years. But why do we do Catechism, and what are we trying to accomplish? Five years ago, I emphasised that we are called to do Catechism. I want to do that again, but to emphasise that it is Christ that we are given when we believe the articles of faith. The goal is for us to be rooted and built up in the faith.

My dear brothers and sisters, in this chapter our Lord shows us that He is the One who rescues us when we have become hopelessly entangled with the world through faithless compromise like David was.

Rev. John Shearouse - How We Can Know God

Today, since we have the blessing of welcoming nine new members, and of baptising four covenant children, I am going to break from our regular sermon series in Samuel. Those who are joining want to be a part of a church with a biblical confession and practice. That is why they have come. I want to show you today that where you worship, and what church you are a part of, is important because God is those who will worship Him in spirit and truth.

John's great burden in this Epistle is to encourage believers to continue trusting in Christ for ongoing fellowship with God—that we grow in our knowledge of God, in our delight in Him, in our love for Him and for others, in our obedience and in our service. Since faith in Jesus is the vehicle that fuels our growing relationship with God, it is essential for us to have certainty about Jesus—that He is indeed the One who saves us!

This week, we will focus on why our Lord, as a faithful Saviour, rejects Saul.

In 1 John 4, John has much to say about love. In 1 John 4:7-12, we saw how, as those who are adopted into God's family, we have the perfect conditions for love—a new nature from God and new environment in His house. In 1 John 4:12-19, we saw how our security increases as we mature in love. Today in 1 John 4:20 – 5:5, we are going to see still more about love. Here, we are given a reality check about our love, and then we are sent to Him for help. It is a tremendously helpful passage! Let's dig in.

I am so thankful for the realistic picture the Bible gives us even of the heroes of the faith like David. It shows us their godliness as well as their sin. This is helpful for our walk. But this is not the best part. The best part is that the Bible shows us how God's grace intersects with their lives. This helps us to trust Him and love Him better. Today, we see David in a time of weariness. He pursues relief in a sinful way.

Dr. Jeff Temple - Guest Sermons

Dr. Jeff Temple - Guest Sermons

This week, we are going to look at one of the effects of "maturing love:" It makes us secure. A child who grows up in a loving family becomes more and more mature in that love and more and more secure about his place in that family. He knows that He belongs there. Our reading today is 1 John 4:12-19. As has often been the case in our study of 1 John, we have a transitional verse that was included in last week's reading: verse 12.

In 1 Sam 26, we see David, God's anointed king, having to deal with Saul all over again. Back in chapter 24, King Saul had been pursing David to destroy him in almost exactly the same way until one day when he entered a cave, unaware that David was hiding there and was forced to confess when David spared him that David was righteous and he was wicked. He left David alone for a while after that (chapter 25), but in 26 he is at it all over again

Today in First John, we are covering chapter 4, verses 7-12. In the last three sermons we looked at evidences that we know God. The first one was that we obey God as God. The second is a subset of the first… we love our brothers—other Christians. The third evidence is that we follow those who preach the truth. This week, John shows us from whence love comes—the source of it.

Today, the sermon will be a little different. We are going to look at the subject of Polygamy. We have David's Polygamy set before us in our text, 1 Sam 25:39-44.

1 John 3:24 is a transition from commandment keeping as an evidence that we know God to having the Holy Spirit as an evidence that we know Him.

Our gracious Lord is so wise and faithful in bringing about His purposes and kingdom. Last week, David glorifies God by refusing to take vengeance on his enemy, but this week, God is glorified by restraining David from taking vengeance.

Suppose you have two people who profess to believe in Christ. But one practices righteousness and the other does not. Last week, we saw in 3:4-10, that John says the one who doesn't doesn't know God. Suppose, however, that both of these individuals practice righteousness in the ways I just described, but one of them does not love his brother? That also is inconsistent with a true Christian profession. That is our topic this week in 1 John 3:10-23. Verse 10 is a transitional verse from the sign of practicing righteousness to the sign of brotherly love.

Revering God is a rare commodity in every age. David is a refreshing exception of someone who truly revered God. Let's take a look.