Praying for the Coming of Our Father’s Kingdom

Posted inLord's Prayer
The Heidelberg Catechims has a very helpful explanation of the second petition of the Lord’s Prayer in Lord’s Day 48. It teaches us that this prayer is very broad in scope because in it we pray for ourselves, for the church, against wickedness, and for the perfection of the kingdom. We pray for ourselves We…

Praying to Our Father in Heaven

Posted inLord's Prayer
Our Lord taught his disciples the Lord’s Prayer on at least two separate occasions. The first was in the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 6 he gave the Lord’s Prayer, but also instructions about it. 1) That we should pray in secret, and not as the hypocrites, on the street corners and in the…

Praying for the Hallowing of Our Father’s Name

Posted inLord's Prayer
One of the important things that Jesus teaches us in the Lord’s Prayer is that we should pray as members of his body. That does not mean that we may never pray as individuals. Many psalms are individual prayers. LORD, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me.…

Christian Burial vs. Cremation

Posted inCremation
The Reformed Church in the United States has published a paper defending Christian burial against the increasingly common practice of cremation. Magnifying Christ in My Body: Is Cremation a Legitimate Alternative to Christian Burial? A Historical, Biblical, Theological, and Pastoral Analysis This is highly recommended reading. The paper traces briefly the history of cremation in…

Christ in the Psalms of Suffering

Posted inPsalms Commentary
To speak of Messianic psalms as if there are only a few psalms that speak prophetically of the sufferings and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ is a serious mistake. Christ’s presence in the psalms is pervasive.  They are his songs first, and ours only as we are one with him. One of the best…

Praying for Our Daily Bread

Posted inLord's Prayer
There are two errors we can fall into with regard to the material things we pray about in this fourth petition of the Lord’s Prayer. The first is that we value them too much and set our hearts on them as if they were the means to a happy and fulfilled life. The apostle Paul…

Christians as Prophets, Priests and Kings in Christ, Part 5

Posted inOffice of Believers
Our Anointing in Christ The New Testament brings the offices of prophet, priest and king to their fulfillment in Christ. The special offices of priest and king ceased to exist with the outpouring of the Spirit and the special office of prophet with the closing of the canon. All God’s people have become prophets, priests…

Christians as Prophets, Priests and Kings in Christ, Part 3

Posted inOffice of Believers
The Special Offices in the New Testament The special offices in the New Testament can be divided into two categories: the temporary and the permanent. The temporary offices were apostles, prophets and evangelists. The apostles were witnesses of the resurrection of the Lord, had been with him during his earthly ministry, and were, with the…