All Saints Reformed Church

Reconciled To God

the Mod — Mon, 21 May 2012 00:51:22 +0000

Too many Christians imagine that reconciliation with God is about sinners putting away their hostility toward God and embracing God’s love for them. Paul teaches that the opposite is true however, as he proclaims a reconciliation with God based upon Christ pacifying God’s wrath against our sin by His cross and thus “killing” the enmity which separated God from fallen sinners. This is what reconiliation with God is about and it brings with it the glorious effect of believers being able to draw near to God through Christ and enjoy access to the divine presence and grace. As Christ comes through His sent ministers who proclaim this peace, Christ Himself preaches this message of peace and makes it effectual unto His sheep by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Wall Is Gone

the Mod — Mon, 14 May 2012 00:50:13 +0000

The Wall Is Gone

Ephesians 2:14-15

Memorable moments witnessed by watchful observers tend to leave vivid impressions, and one such memorable moment, is the crumbling of the Berlin Wall in November of 1989. People in the West were not only shocked but deeply encouraged as they saw that symbol of communist oppression and division systematically dismantled by an angry mob of West Germans. A similar “wall” of even greater symbolic weight was kicked down by Jesus Christ 2,000 years prior when he shed his blood on the cross. That wall, which Paul calls the “enmity” and subsequently describes as the “law of commandments contained in ordinances” separated Jew and Gentile, leaving the whole sweep of humanity on the outside of the covenant looking in. But Christ, by his cross, toppled that wall and made those two groups, Jews and Gentiles, into one new man through his blood who together might be partakers of grace. Praise God, the wall is gone!

Brought Near In Christ

the Mod — Sun, 06 May 2012 23:47:08 +0000

Brought Near In Christ

Ephesians 2:11-13

Six deficiences marked out the objective spiritual situation of the Gentiles before the incarnation of Jesus Christ. These deficiencies of the “far off” Gentile situation ranged from covenant exclusion, to hopelessness, to atheism. Paul proclaims the all-sufficiency of Christ as he explains that Christ has powerfully overcome these deficiencies through his shed blood as he inaugurated the new covenant and expanded its borders to include both Jew and Gentile.

John Calvin’s Institutes Study Group

the Mod — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:42:19 +0000

John Calvin’s Institutes Study Group

We are meeting this Sunday to go over Book 1 Chapter 14. Make sure you drop by for an interesting discussion and tasty meal.

Saved By Grace

the Mod — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 14:00:22 +0000

Saved By Grace

Ephesians 2:7-10

It is easy to start reading verse 8 with the words “saved by grace” and miss the first word in the verse, the word “for.” Such a reading tends to ingore the contextual role of verses 8 through 10 which serve not primarily as a proof-text for the doctrine of salvation but rather, they serve to confirm Paul’s assertion in verse 7 which is that God has acted in salvation in such a way that it manifests His eternal, gracious character. The role of these verses then is to show how salvation by pure undiluted grace confirms the grace of God’s divine nature which is the fountain from which the stream of saving grace flows. Any interpretation of these verses which detracts from the pure grace of salvation expounded upon here (Arminianism, Wesleyanism, Calminianism, or any kind of synergism) at the same time detracts from the eternal character of God and is therefore false and pernicious.

The Virus of Triumphalism

the Mod — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 23:47:06 +0000

The Virus of Triumphalism

Behind the rancor and division in the Corinthian church was a spiritual virus infecting it which was an immoderate desire to be something. Paul cuts the ground out from underneath those who were thus infected by reminding them that there was nothing desirable in them which accounted for their election unto salvation. Then Paul gives these Corinthians the pure gospel antidote for resisting this spiritual virus which is their sovereign and gracious union with Jesus Christ.

Study of John Calvin’s Institutes

the Mod — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 21:25:06 +0000

Study of John Calvin’s Institutes

With the middle of April nearly at hand we are approaching Calvin Studies Sunday. This week we will be discussing book one, chapter 13 on the doctrine of the Trinity. This is a lengthy chapter and has some difficult spots but I am sure that spending some time thinking about the doctrine of the Trinity will be edifying for us all. I look forward to seeing you all at the study.

Pastor Sawtelle

He Made Us Alive!

the Mod — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 02:07:58 +0000

He Made Us Alive!

From the time a young person starts playing team sports, they learn that there is no “I” in “team” only “we.” When it comes to the new birth, Scripture is clear that regeneration, or, being made alive, is not a cooperative effort between God and the sinner; rather, regeneration is sovereign, with God doing all the work while man sits passively. Paul unravels the logic behind God’s sovereignty in making sinners alive as he grounds the new birth in its prior historical and covenantal reality of being united with Christ in his bodily resurrection from the dead and his ascension into heaven.

The Rich Mercy of God

the Mod — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 01:34:09 +0000

The Rich Mercy of God

Three attributes of God, mercy, love, and grace, are the source of the rich streams of saving benefits bestowed upon sinners when they are converted to faith in Christ. Paul, responding to the terrible predicament of human sin, outlined in verses 1-3, transitions to proclaiming gospel grace by putting the spotlight on the rich mercy of God the Father. This message takes the attributes of divine mercy, which a root of our salvation in Christ, and places it in its broader Biblical context in order to gain deeper insight into the riches of God’s mercy.

Children of Wrath

the Mod — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 15:15:46 +0000

Children of Wrath

The third distinct component of Paul’s description of fallen humanity apart from Christ, contained in these first few verses of Ephesians 2, is found at the end of v3 in the terrible words, ‘we were born children of wrath by nature.’ Paul’s words which describe the spiritual condition of every person born into this world cannot be taken reasonably or fairly to mean anything other than that all men are born as objects of divine wrath. Minds unwilling to submit to Scripture seek to twist and contort Paul’s plain statement about the human condition primarily because they think such an idea makes the God of Scripture an unjust monster; however, the proper response to the truth is not denial or protest, but acceptance. As each person understands the misery and consequences of sin they are able to appreciate the wonder of the gospel which proclaims a God who redeems sinners from divine wrath through faith in the shed blood of His Son Jesus Christ.