https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc The newest sermons from Immanuel Fellowship Church on SermonAudio. Religion & Spirituality Immanuel Fellowship Church http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification https://vps.sermonaudio.com/resize_image/sources/podcast/1440/1440/reformedifc.jpg https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc en Tue, 10 Mar 2026 03:01:08 +0000 30 William Boekestein no The newest sermons from Immanuel Fellowship Church on SermonAudio. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/35261418162124 Jesus' warning in Luke 17:32 is one of the shortest verses of the Bible, just three words. Yet they flood our minds with penetrating and profound thoughts—remember Lot's wife! Even the memorable event to which Jesus refers is told in "a curt and summary fashion": "But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt" (Gen. 19:26). The brief story of Lot's wife recorded in Genesis 19 is a tragedy, a story featuring tragic events that ends unhappily. But by remembering Lot's wife we can avoid her fate. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/35261418162124 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 08 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:38:18 no William Boekestein - The Life of Abraham. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/312617151803 In Titus 3 Paul uses a very simple phrase to describe the work of God: "he saved us" (v. 5). Just three words: subject, verb, object. It is hard to imagine a shorter biblical summary of salvation. These three words are rich with meaning. Paul's phrase stresses that "salvation belongs to the Lord" (Jonah 2:9); he saved us. None of it is our own doing (Eph. 2:8). This phrase also hints at the fullness of God's saving work. Salvation is a complete work of rescue and restoration. And this phrase makes salvation personal. Paul doesn't merely tell us that God saves sinners. By using the first-person plural personal pronoun he invites the redeemed to treasure God's saving work in them. In the previous sermons we focused on the he in Paul's phrase. The second person of the Trinity took on flesh to suffer, die, arise from the dead, and return to heaven in glory, for us. He will come again to judge the living and the dead and restore his people to the paradise we lost because of our sin. To glory in Christ even more fully, we should also ponder the last two words in Paul's simple phrase. Who is the us and what does it mean to be saved? https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/312617151803 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 01 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:38:31 no William Boekestein - The Second Helvetic Confession https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/31261712376081 Until sin is terrible to you, God's grace will not be glorious to you. Sin is a terrible disease that turns us against God, impairs our judgment, harms ourselves and others, and will lead us to hell if we are not cured. But because not everyone thinks of sin this way, many people do not treasure God's grace. God's inspection and judgment of Sodom reveal the terribleness of sin. In Genesis 13 we read, "Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord" (v. 13). Genesis 19 shows that sin in action. But what might surprise us about what God sees when he inspects the city, is that even the most righteous man in Sodom shows signs of being terribly infected by sin. We recall Abraham's plea that God would not "sweep away the righteous with the wicked" (Gen. 18:23), and we wonder, where are the righteous? That God saved anyone from Sodom is a remarkable mercy. As we study these verses don't look down on the sinners of Sodom—look up to the God who rescues sinners. Isaiah wrote, "If the Lord of hosts had not left us a few survivors, we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah" (Is. 1:9; cf. Rom. 9:29). The world will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrows it (Is. 13:19). But the gospel can be for us God's rescue plan to take us out of Sodom. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/31261712376081 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 01 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:36:57 no William Boekestein - The Life of Abraham. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/2222623156834 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/2222623156834 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 22 Feb 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Ricardo Morais 0:39:51 no Ricardo Morais https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/2222623052055 Jesus' meeting with this Samaritan woman is like a shortened version of the entire Bible: A seeking God brings to sad people the gift of a satisfied life, the goal of which is joyful worship. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/2222623052055 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 22 Feb 2026 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:34:20 no William Boekestein https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/21326122311381 Growing in the grace of Christ requires growing also in knowledge of him (2 Peter 3:18). Knowledge may strike us as impersonal. But it is simply accurate familiarity gained by experience; something essential for every healthy relationship. To know Jesus we must become come to understand both his person and his work. Jesus is the eternal second person of the Trinity who has taken on genuine humanity in the incarnation. Who he is—his person— equipped to do the work necessary for our salvation. The incarnation enables the Son to say, "a body you have prepared for me … 'Behold, I have come to do your will, O God'" (Heb. 10:5, 7). For this reason, all the events in Christ's earthly ministry assume his incarnation. He performs all his blessed actions toward us "in the flesh" (1 Peter 4:1), truly in our flesh. As God and man he does for us what we must do but, because of the weakness of sin, cannot do (Rom. 8:3). Like 1 Timothy 3:16, 17, the Apostles' Creed briefly outlines the life of Jesus, God's "only begotten Son … who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary." This outline summarizes all that is promised us in the gospel which, by believing, we may be "grafted into Christ and accept all his benefits." https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/21326122311381 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 15 Feb 2026 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:39:46 no William Boekestein - The Second Helvetic Confession https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/21326119484976 Few ancient episodes of devastation are more universally known than God's fiery judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah. Part of why this story is so familiar is because dozens of times throughout the Bible God uses it as a warning to his covenant people. Isaiah begins his oracle against Judah—the better of the two kingdoms—by calling them Sodom and Gomorrah (Is. 1:10). The sin of Sodom provides the context for this part of God's story. But related to this sin is God's involvement of Abraham and Abraham's intercession for Sodom. Sodom represents a way of living as if there were no God. For their godless wickedness the Lord will judge them. But as he prepares for the judgment, he includes Abraham. Abraham symbolizes the true church, God's holy people who live in the world but who are not of it. By involving Abraham, God informs true church members of their role of creating an alternate reality on earth, an anti-Sodom. Believers are righteous kings and prophets in a wicked world. But what more traditional and orthodox Christians sometimes forget, is that the church also a priestly ministry; a ministry of intercession. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/21326119484976 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 15 Feb 2026 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:41:15 no William Boekestein - The Life of Abraham. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/25261536366002 Do you remember first meeting someone in your life who eventually became dear to you? Maybe it was your spouse, or a best friend. During that first meeting your knowledge of that person grew exponentially. That total stranger, or near stranger, was on their way to becoming a close friend. But even after that first meeting, you knew only a fraction of what could be known about him or her. Your relationship deepened through increased knowledge about that person. You came to know both important facts, but also what made that person special. And your love for them deepened. Your relationship with Jesus is something like this. At one point, Jesus is a near stranger to us. Through conversion we truly come to know Jesus. But the start of that friendship is only the beginning of getting to know him. Peter commands us to grow in our knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; and he ties that growth in knowledge of Christ to our growth in his grace. How we think about Jesus goes hand-in-hand with how we trust him, love him, and serve him. Listen to what Scripture says about the person of Jesus, not how you might have studied the history of famous people of the past, but how you listened with sincere and eager interest as you came to know the story of a dear friend or lover. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/25261536366002 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 08 Feb 2026 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:38:01 no William Boekestein - The Second Helvetic Confession https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/25261534171209 At first glance, the reactions of Abraham and Sarah to God's messengers couldn't have been more different. Abraham meets messengers from God and falls over himself to honor them. Sarah overhears these same men and derides their report. Easy sermon, right? Be like Abraham, not like Sarah! But we must interpret these different reactions carefully; the New Testament doesn't allow us to see Abraham as a model of faith and Sarah as a model of unbelief. God commends Abraham. "In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations … he did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb" (Rom. 4:18, 19). And God similarly commends Sarah. "By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised" (Heb. 11:11). So, what should we make of their different reactions to meeting with God? We see in this story the diversity of faith that always exists in God's church. Clearly strong faith is better. But the portraits of both strong and weak faith can help us as we walk in faith before God. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/25261534171209 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 08 Feb 2026 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:37:52 no William Boekestein - The Life of Abraham. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1292612619994 The Scriptures present the doctrine of predestination not simply as truth, but as a most lovely and practical truth. People are saved because God chose them for salvation out of no consideration of their works. This revelation moved Paul to celebrate God's sovereign truth with a stirring benediction: "For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen" (Rom. 11:36). And yet, we can find the doctrine troubling. Perhaps we view sovereign election like how the Selective Service used a lottery system to decide who would be sent to Vietnam and who would get to stay home. Most of us can only imagine the anxiety this lottery induced. Is divine election like that? Must we be ignorant or even pessimistic about our election? Is there nothing we can do to gain confidence about the Lord's eternal favor toward us? Thankfully, Scripture both teaches election and instructs us how to live happily in light of this teaching. Surely, "The Lord knows those who are his" (2 Tim. 2:19). And while we cannot fully access God's mind to see whose names are "written in the Lamb's book of life" (Rev. 21:27), God does provide important cautions, comforts, and commands that can help us properly honor his decree of predestination. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1292612619994 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 01 Feb 2026 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:43:19 no William Boekestein - The Second Helvetic Confession https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/129261157194585 Thirteen years elapsed between the birth of Ishmael and this next recorded interaction between God and Abram. We aren't told what happened to Abram in the nearly 5,000 days between these chapters. That suggests to us that Genesis 12–25 is not a biography of Abram but a record of the growing relationship between God and his chosen son. To say it differently, Abram's life was shaped by God's progressive revelation. God's ongoing communication Abram had the effect of developing his trust and deepening his faith. This is true in our lives as well. Imagine learning that a cell-phone company wants to put a tower on your property. You might be interested. But you wouldn't instantly sign a contract. But, the company scouts the property and submits drawings. They offer a 50-year lease for $5,000/month. Eventually you learn what you would be committing to and are increasingly willing to do it. Following God is a commitment. But God reveals himself to us in such a way that we being to realize we would want it no other way. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/129261157194585 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 01 Feb 2026 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:40:21 no William Boekestein - The Life of Abraham. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/12226347145790 No Christian denies the biblical doctrine of election, or predestination. The idea that some people—though not all—are chosen by God is plastered throughout every part of the Bible. When Peter called God's people a "chosen race" (1 Peter 2:9), he is using Old Testament language (e.g. Deut. 7:6; 14:2; Ps. 33:12) to describe the New Testament church. Peter's word is elektos; God has predestinated or elected certain people to be the recipients of his salvation. But while all Christians acknowledge that the Bible teaches election, it is not always understood or used properly. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/12226347145790 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 25 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:42:09 no William Boekestein - The Second Helvetic Confession https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/12226344364178 When was the last time you wanted something so badly that you were tempted to do almost anything to get it? Our desire for even good things can lead us in the wrong direction. That's what we see in Genesis 16. God promised Abram and his wife Sarai a son. So, it was good for them to want that. But they made a disastrous decision to pursue that desire outside the bounds of God's will. The young people who have just publicly professed their faith made a vow that is common to all believers: We must serve God "according to his word … forsake the world … put to death [our] old nature, and … lead a godly life." Abram and Sarai had the same duty. Their failure warns us about what happens when we break that vow. Yet, through it all, God's goodness shines. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/12226344364178 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 25 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:35:13 no William Boekestein - The Life of Abraham. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/11626125246725 Apart from grace people can still think, choose, and perform outward things. But they cannot properly judge heavenly things or do any spiritual good. In his kindness God graciously and sovereignly makes some people "a new creation" (2 Cor. 5:17; cf. Gal. 6:15). Paul says that God "saved us … by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5). Regeneration literally means a new beginning. This fresh start is the determining factor for what a person can and cannot do. So, having considered the limitations of the will of a natural person, let's ask, "What can the righteous do?" https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/11626125246725 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 18 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:37:48 no William Boekestein - The Second Helvetic Confession https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/11626115271661 What does it mean to know something? That may sound like an easy question. And in many observable things it is simple. You know that if you jump into a lake, you will get wet; the properties of water require it. But how do you know things that you can't test? This is where trust enters. You can't prove that the person you love will stay with you forever. But you might confidently enter marriage because you have good reasons to trust them. Something like that happens also in the spiritual life. In Genesis 15:6 God counted Abram as righteous because of his faith. Abram couldn't yet see his promised children and didn't yet possess any of the promised land. But he had come to believe that God was trustworthy. Human trust honors God. And for his part, God reveals himself in ways that help us trust him. One way he strengthens our trust is by making a covenant. In our study of the life of Abram we have only touched on the doctrine of the covenant; the word hasn't come up yet. But the second part of Genesis 15 is all about God's covenant with Abram. This covenant addresses Abram's important question, "How am I to know" that your promise is true. And it can do the same for us. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/11626115271661 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 18 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:42:43 no William Boekestein - The Life of Abraham. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1926187147135 In 1525 Martin Luther wrote his only book he thought worthy of preservation (besides his children's catechism). It is called The Bondage of the Will. B.B. Warfield called it "the manifesto of the reformation." The reason Luther thought it was so important was because it got to the heart of the human situation. Luther wrote the book against Erasmus—the greatest humanist scholar of the day. In Luther's conclusion he thanked Erasmus saying, "You alone … have attacked the real thing, that is, the essential issue." Today it is commonly asserted that everyone has free will. But what is meant by the term is not always carefully considered. In a general sense, free will means the common ability to think and act at one's own discretion. But in theology, the question has a higher meaning. Can people freely choose to do spiritual good? Can people, by the expression of the will, savingly know God and enter his kingdom? To understand the freedom of the human will it is important to distinguish between "the triple condition or estate of man" (ch. 9). Before the fall man was completely "upright and free, [he] might both continue in goodness or decline to evil" (ch. 9). But, as the doctrine of original sin suggests, sin changed man's will. The freedom or bondage of the will must be understood in relation to the biblical teaching of regeneration, or being born again (John 3:3). https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1926187147135 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 11 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:41:48 no William Boekestein - The Second Helvetic Confession https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1926180396788 The first sin was rebellion against God that demonstrated distrust in his word. Every sin is like that. By contrast, faith is trust in confident belief in God and his revelation. In Scripture faith is the key to eternal life. It is how unrighteous people can be counted righteous. The Bible's term for this experience is justification. And Abram serves as a key model of justifying faith. To this point in Abram's life, we see him learning to be a disciple of God by obeying God's call and practicing, however imperfectly, the integrity and courage required of a child of God. But we haven't yet been explicitly introduced to what makes Abram the father of the faithful (Rom. 4:16). The transition in verse one is significant. "After these things" tends to indicate a major turning point. And that's what we see in Abram's life. The man who had come to follow God is now shown to trust in him. No other verse describing Abram's life is quoted as often in the New Testament as Genesis 15:6. "And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness." https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1926180396788 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 11 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:39:18 no William Boekestein - The Life of Abraham. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/12262041238086 One of the most persistent accusations against God concerns his supposed sovereignty over a world that is clearly broken. If "all creatures … are sustained and governed by the providence of this wise, eternal, and omnipotent God" (ch. 6), why is there evil in the world? Critics say that the problem of evil either proves that God is impotent—unable to prevent sin, or that he is evil—the author of sin. We have already studied Scripture's undeniable testimony concerning God's providence. As saint Augustine put it, "whatever men count most vile, that also is governed by the almighty power of God" (ch. 6). So now we must evaluate the claim that God is the author of sin. When facing such challenges to our faith we must admit the difficulty. Some things in God's word are "hard to understand" (2 Peter 3:16). For our own sake and for our testimony to the world we should acknowledge such tension. But we must also let Scripture answer our questions. If the Bible is God's revelation of what is real, it alone must shape our understanding (John 17:17). In response to the charge that God is the author of sin, Scripture teaches us to affirm at least four truths. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/12262041238086 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 04 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:34:37 no William Boekestein - The Second Helvetic Confession https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/12262037201044 If you were reading the Bible from cover to cover for the first time and got to Genesis 14:18–20, you would find Melchizedek to be an interesting character. But you might not expect him to turn up again in the rest of the story. Melchizedek is a king-priest who met Abram after he rescued his nephew Lot. The king blessed Abram and received from him a tenth of his spoils of battle. After this, nothing more is said about him until Psalm 110:4. And even then, David's use of Melchizedek is brief and mysterious. It isn't until the middle of Hebrews that the significance of this figure is elaborated. For the author to the Hebrews, Melchizedek provides the way to introduce the superiority of our great high priest Jesus. So, what may appear to be an insignificant meeting between Abram and an obscure king-priest, turns out to be fundamental to our relationship with God. To benefit from this text, we will consider Melchizedek's meeting with Abram, the link between Melchizedek and Jesus, and what Melchizedek means for your walk with God. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/12262037201044 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 04 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:39:05 no William Boekestein - The Life of Abraham. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/121125123511837 How did the universe begin? Some people give what they consider to be a scientific answer to the question. Billions of years ago an infinitely small point in which all matter and energy were concentrated expanded in the "big bang." Scientists arrive at this theory by observing an expanding universe—what is now expanding must have once been contracted. But as they work backward from observation, they must eventually propose beliefs that cannot be proven. Where did the original matter and energy come from? No one knows. Yet, theories abound. The question of origins is ultimately a matter of faith. But what many scientists refuse to do is submit their belief system to the record of Scripture. By contrast, Christians affirm that "By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible" (Heb. 11:3). Belief in God requires us to think of creation only by what "is delivered unto us by the Scriptures in the apostolic church of Christ" (ch. 7). https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/121125123511837 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 14 Dec 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:40:21 no William Boekestein - The Second Helvetic Confession https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1211251228408012 The real you is most visible when you come under pressure. How do you act when someone gets in the way of a goal you want to achieve? How do you respond when someone judges you falsely (or accurately)? What you do then reveals a truth about who you are that remains largely hidden during easy times. After Abram committed himself to the Lord, he endured a series of tests. In chapter twelve Abram gave in to fear when his life felt threatened. Abram wasn't perfect. But he was upright. He did walk by faith, however imperfectly. In chapter thirteen difficulty revealed his godly conduct. We can use this chapter as a test for our faith. How do you react when someone else seems to threaten your flourishing? Abram's response can train us to focus in trials on the covenant faithfulness of God. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1211251228408012 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 14 Dec 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:39:29 no William Boekestein - The Life of Abraham. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1252525724572 The main point of Psalm 135 is "the one true God has chosen Israel; therefore, praise the LORD!" This sermon takes this in three parts: (1) The One True God, (2) God Has Chosen Israel, (3) Praise the LORD! There is only one true living God who rules over all of creation and all other gods are false and not gods at all. God's people are to worship no other god and must worship God as he instructs them in his Word. God chose a people for himself who will know him and worship him truly. There has always been and always will be a remnant of this people of God from the Fall to the day of the LORD. These people of God like Jacob were not chosen by God because they were in any way significant or deserving in themselves. Just as God has chosen his people to himself out of his grace and love, he keeps them, rules them, and comforts them until one day he when he will make our vindication and comfort complete. We have a role to play as the church in praising the LORD that his name may endure forever on our lips and his renown in the memory of his people. We must give him glory and bear witness to Jesus Christ for all the world to hear. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1252525724572 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 07 Dec 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Joel Haan 0:36:55 no Joel Haan https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1252531104931 One of the most common practical objections to covenantal baptism is that it happens prior to a child being able to remember it. For this reason, for some young people or adults, their own infant baptism seems to lack significance. Many people, once baptized at a young age, opt to get rebaptized, or at least consider it. And while we can respect that desire, there are compelling reasons to be "content with a single reason once received" and to agree with earlier reformed confessions that "rebaptism is not properly a work of the church." This sermon may seem to have a narrow application, to resist the urge to get rebaptized. But the arguments should help us see the more fundamental point: what God does in baptism—even in the baptism of an infant—is more than sufficient to accomplish what he intends, and ought not to be repeated. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1252531104931 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 07 Dec 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:34:35 no William Boekestein https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1119252358535742 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1119252358535742 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 23 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Rev. Bill Green 0:38:40 no Rev. Bill Green https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/111225032574584 It will surprise few Protestants that there is a "doctrine which gives too much unto the saints in heaven." Protestants recognize only one mediator and intercessor, the Lord Jesus. But it is possible also to err on the other side, giving too little to the saints in heaven. We can so overreact to the adoration of saints that we entirely dismiss the importance of "so great a cloud of witnesses" that surrounds us (Heb. 12:1). As Jesus said, quoting Scripture, "You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve" (Matt. 4:10; cf. Deut. 6:13; 10:20). The writer to the Hebrews argues that the saints can help us look to Jesus who alone establishes and perfects our faith (Heb. 12:2). Becoming true worshipers demands that we worship only God. And with the right perspective on history, the saints of God who have gone before us can help us do just that. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/111225032574584 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 16 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:36:45 no William Boekestein - The Second Helvetic Confession https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/111225030441733 The first story in Abram's life after his call isn't a happy one. Instead, it is an embarrassing account of Abram's cowardice and self-love. The man God chose out of all the people in the world through whom to build a great nation an on whom he promised to lavish rich blessings, sacrificed his wife's honor for his own skin. We might have wished for a better start for Abram. But for several reasons, we can be thankful for what is recorded. Big picture, it shows us that following God requires much more than simply making a decision to follow God. This is the first big challenge we read about in Abram's new life of faith. And instead of living by faith, he acted according to the flesh. You know what that's like; challenges can bring out the worst in us. Or they can teach us to trust in the Lord. Abram's failure can help us see the perfect faithfulness of our Savior Christ. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/111225030441733 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 16 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:37:44 no William Boekestein - The Life of Abraham. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/11625139273463 What were you doing two months ago? You might not remember exactly if nothing dramatic happened, but you could probably roughly piece together the timeline—it isn't that long ago. But what if something happened two months ago that shook you to your core. You would remember it vividly, like many of us know exactly what we were doing on September 11. Imagine living as an Israelite in the days of Exodos 32, when Aaron built a golden calf. You would remember what you were doing two months ago. Amid fire and smoke God had given Moses the Ten Commandments, the second of which pronounces a curse on all who make a carved image of God for use in worship. And the people agreed to the terms of this covenant (Ex. 24:3). So how could they sin so greatly by making an image of a calf as a symbol of the Lord (Ex. 32:21)? They forgot that God is a spirit whom no creature can see and live (Ex. 33:20). They were not content with the words that God had given them; they wanted to make God visible and tangible, like the gods of the nations. It is hard to imagine a professing Christian condoning Aaron's golden calf. And yet we are still tempted to construct images of God, specifically of the second person of the Trinity. In addressing this natural desire to see Jesus we should understand both the arguments against religious images and the assistance that God has given us to help us truly know him. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/11625139273463 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 09 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:39:34 no William Boekestein - The Second Helvetic Confession https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/11625141437028 The early history of Genesis tells about God's creation of the world and humanity's fall into sin and rapid decline into near total wickedness. God destroyed the world with a flood and started over with the generations of Noah. But even after the flood people resumed their proud and idolatrous ways. In God's eternal plan he didn't send another calamity to remake the world. Instead, he promised to make of an undeserving man a great nation. He would bless this man and, through him, bless the world. Genesis 12 begins the story of Abraham, which will occupy fourteen chapters. We will find that he was far from perfect. But he trusted the God who was faithful to his promises. Through his life we will learn how to become children of Abraham (Gal. 3:7) through the same faith he had in our promising God. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/11625141437028 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 09 Nov 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:42:00 no William Boekestein - The Life of Abraham. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1023251111496919 You might expect the conclusion of a lengthy letter to contain a bunch of miscellaneous items—"that's right, one more thing." But Paul remains focused on the big theme of the letter. He wants Christians to understand what really counts in life. And he uses the false teachers in Galatia as a foil to extol the well-lived Chistian life. False Christians desire an easy life and crave the respect of followers. By contrast, true Christians—exemplified by Paul—are willing to endure trials because they know they are accepted by God purely by his grace. This is so important to Paul that he wrote at least this part of his letter with his own hand (Gal. 6:11). The conclusion of Galatians warns us against sinful compromise and invites us to make the cross of Christ our greatest hope. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1023251111496919 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 26 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:34:44 no William Boekestein - Galatians 2025 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1016251237545242 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1016251237545242 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 19 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Rev. Jephthah Nobel 0:37:33 no Rev. Jephthah Nobel https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1016251234201565 How long could you survive on the garden you planted last year? Some of us wouldn't last a day—we didn't plant one or it didn't yield well. What if you knew next planting season that you would need to depend on your garden for food later in the year? You would probably plant wisely and aggressively. You cannot reap what you do not sow. Scripture tells us that our world is like a garden and we are the sowers. Like farmers planting seeds in the ground in the hope of a greater return in the fall, we must steward our opportunities for future return. Our present actions will bear either good fruit or barrenness. "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1016251234201565 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 19 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:32:52 no William Boekestein - Galatians 2025 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/109251349422312 One of the best tests of the spiritual life is how one relates to other sinners, especially sinners in the church. In the second half of Galatians 5 Paul contrasted the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit. Now, in the first part of Galatians 6 he describes the responsibility of those who "are spiritual" to care for those who are struggling, "caught in any transgression" (Gal. 6:1). Some people in the church will do nothing to help those who struggle. They think only of themselves (Gal. 5:26). They are conceited, boasting in what they have achieved and indifferent to the trials of others. Or they provoke others; they are always up for a fight but never interested in helping. Or they envy others, caring only about how they can be more like those who are succeeding. Instead, Spirit-led people invest in others, especially those who need help. And those who live by the Spirit have all the resources they need to do the work of restoration. They have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. How do such people help other sinners? https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/109251349422312 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 12 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:36:52 no William Boekestein - Galatians 2025 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/101251316211989 A large recent survey shows that 98% of American evangelicals believe—as the church always has—that "There is one true God in three persons." Yet more than half of that same group believe that "God accepts the worship of all religions" including adherents of Judaism and Islam who vehemently deny the Trinity. Many people believe that the doctrine of the Trinity is technically correct but practically unimportant. Fifteen hundred years ago the consensus among serious Christians was vastly different. The Athanasian Creed declares, "Now this is the catholic," or universal Christian "faith: that we worship God in Trinity and the Trinity in unity." The creed adds also this serious warning: "Anyone then who desires to be saved should think thus about the Trinity." Worship is the response of the redeemed, those who truly know God. It must be offered "in spirit and truth" (John 4:23), in sincerity and in light of who God really is. Christians must be able to defend trinitarian theology. But more importantly, we must know this one God and the three persons of the Godhead. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/101251316211989 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 05 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:35:40 no William Boekestein - The Second Helvetic Confession https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/101251313593475 How do I know that I belong to Christ Jesus? How can I know that my heart has been renewed by the Holy Spirit? Can I be confident that I will inherit the kingdom of God. These are vital questions. To gain confidence that we are truly walking in grace we must trust in the unfailing promises of the gospel and heed "the testimony of the Spirit of adoption witnessing with our spirits that we are the children of God." And, as this Scripture lesson teaches us, we must do good works "so that we may be assured of our faith by its fruits." Our works reveal our hearts just as a tree is known by its fruits (Luke 6:44). Jesus put it this way: "The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks" (Luke 6:45). Not only our speech but our other actions reveal our hearts, our relationship with God. Our text reveals four things that can help us assess our spiritual health. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/101251313593475 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 05 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:42:30 no William Boekestein - Galatians 2025 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/926251042564326 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/926251042564326 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 28 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Rev. Paul Murphy 0:05:14 no Rev. Paul Murphy https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/827251438476780 Imagine that I received text from a married friend that read "I hate my wife." With just those words I would believe that his marriage was in serious trouble. But what if, after typing those first four words he accidentally hit "send." What if he had meant to say, "I hate my wife being away from me so long. I miss her dearly and can't wait for her to return from her trip." That presents an entirely different meaning. He truly meant those first four words, but they only express his real intent when combined with the words that follow. We interpret the meaning of words in their context, with all the words of a thought woven together. Theologian Don Carson learned a saying from his father that explains why Bible verses are often misused: "A text without a context is a pretext for a proof text." In other words, only by neglecting context can you make a verse mean what you want it to mean. This interpretive principle is often not applied to Jesus' word on judging in Matthew 7:1. If we lift from its context the chapter's first verse we might come to a very different conclusion than Jesus intended. What we will find is that Jesus wants us both to judge and not judge, or to use discernment in our judging. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/827251438476780 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 31 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:41:48 no William Boekestein - Great Texts https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/827251446261205 Earlier this month an Indiana man was arrested on charges of "distribution of child pornography." This is a terrible and grievous sin. But what makes this sin even more heinous is that the defendant is professing Christian. More shamefully, he was a deacon in one of our churches and was employed by a seminary that prepares men for ministry in our churches. The man's alleged actions have devastated his wife, children, and extended family members, as well as his local church. And they have brought terrible shame on the name of Christ. Like the notable sins recorded in the Old Testament, this tragedy can be an example for our instruction (1 Cor. 10:11). Paul writes, "Therefore, let anyone who things he stands take heed lest he fall" (10:12). James 1:14–16 warns about this kind of moral failure. Desire gives birth to sin which brings forth death. This man started with what might be called "ordinary" pornography. But as he followed his lust he descended even more deeply into sin. That can happen to you. Sin is deceptive. The devil did not entice this man with the prospect of 5–20 years in a federal prison, but with the gratification of his desires. But, as always, sin leads to death. Let this example and James' warning be for you a course-correction that could save your life. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/827251446261205 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 31 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:38:37 no William Boekestein https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/821251024453692 Philippians 4:13 is one of the most misused verses in Scripture. Like some of the other "great texts" that we've been studying you can find this verse everywhere in popular culture, commonly in arenas that require strength and skill. Athletes that have it tattooed on their bodies might mean something like, "I'm a Christian. I'm strong. I can do great things." And that may well be true. But that's not what this verse means. In context this verse is not a banner that one holds overhead after single-handedly conquering adversity. Instead, it means relying exclusively on the strength of Jesus especially in weakness. It is quite a paraphrase, but the way Eugene Peterson rewords this verse is far closer to the point than how it is often used: "Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am." Clarifying what this verse means doesn't weaken it though. It helps us apply it to our greatest needs and teaches us to persevere with great hope in God's help. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/821251024453692 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 24 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:32:55 no William Boekestein - Great Texts https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/82125102722953 Our son was recently doing some genealogical work and learned he is a distant cousin of Vincent van Gogh. That's interesting. But what if he found that Vincent had left a stash of paintings to a fourth cousin whose ancestors had immigrated to America. That discovery would change my son's fortunes. This is the sort of argument that Paul uses in his ongoing plea with Galatian Christians; they must see themselves as inheritors of God's grace earned for them by Jesus and received by faith alone. Paul again returns to the idea of an heir and a slave (Gal. 4:1ff.). But now he provides a concrete historical example from the Torah, God's law. Paul knew that the Galatian believers who were being enticed to "be under the law" of Moses, were not listening to the law (4:21), or were at least failing to draw right conclusions from it. So, he goes back to the life of Abraham. To Abraham God preached the gospel of salvation of free grace. To him God made promises that would ultimately be fulfilled in Christ apart from human law-keeping (3:16–18). God justified Abraham on account of his faith. "It is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham" (3:7; cf. 14). The story Paul now relays about the start of Abraham's generations has profound implications for the Galatians and for us. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/82125102722953 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 24 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:38:46 no William Boekestein - Galatians 2025 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/816251038497045 Jeremiah 29:11 is an example of what Charles Spurgeon called "great texts" of Scripture. It is clear, powerful, and beautiful. It is a favorite Bible verse to many, especially during times of uncertainty. And it is a great comfort for God's people. But to understand what it means for us today we have to know what it meant for its original hearers. Jeremiah prophesied during the reign of the last king of Judah. The northern Kingdom of Israel has long been exiled among the Assyrians. And Jeremiah makes plain that Judah will soon face a similar fate. The people of Israel, those to whom this "great text" is spoken, would soon be put "under the yoke of the king of Babylon" (Jer. 27:8). God has a good plan for his people. But it will certainly include trouble. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/816251038497045 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 17 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:38:41 no William Boekestein - Great Texts https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/8162510370821 Before writing the text that is before us, the last thing Paul wrote to the Galatian churches was this: "I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain" (Gal. 4:11). Paul is expressing his anxiety over the churches in Galatia. Did I waste my time with you? That's a sobering question for us too. Are you at risk of wasting all the gospel care that you have received from ministers, Sunday school teachers, parents, and other loved ones? But Paul is doing more than raising concern among the Galatians. He reminds them of his hard work among them. He wants them to think about his preaching and teaching—he will later compare his ministry to "the anguish of childbirth" (19). And they had received his teaching. They were growing in grace. Now Paul says to them, Do not waste our labor! Paul urges the Galatian Christians to do three things in order to remain firm in the faith. The Spirit says the same thing to us. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/8162510370821 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 17 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:32:59 no William Boekestein - Galatians 2025 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/810251713115612 Recently one of our young members asked me to preach on John 3:16, his favorite Bible verse. Many people love this text. Those who know only a single Bible verse often know John 3:16. It is perennially one of the most searched-for Bible verses on the internet. You find it referenced on t-shirts, at sporting events, and on road-side signs. And it is popular for a good reason. It is one of the simplest and most thorough summaries of the gospel.     One of the side-effects of the popularity of John 3:16 is that it has become so familiar that we might take its truths for granted. But this remarkable verse reveals amazing truth that should delight us every time we hear it. To understand this amazing verse we need to know what it says about God and about us. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/810251713115612 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 10 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:32:57 no William Boekestein - Great Texts https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/72525107475549 The call of the Gospel has always been the same. Repent from sin and believe in Jesus Christ for salvation. The same gospel call is given in Isaiah 55:6-7. The rest of Isaiah 55 shows us how this call is a critical call, a credible call, and a charitable call. We have an urgent need for salvation as sinners. The promises of God are certainties. God reveals that he is warm and gracious in offering salvation to a world of sinners. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/72525107475549 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 27 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Joel Haan 0:33:22 no Joel Haan https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/7172513386883 What is the point of living for God when so many wicked and profane people seem to live their best life now? When we zoom out, we can see that this life is not the full picture. Those who trust in the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ as their substitute will not perish but have eternal life. This new life starts now. The wicked think that they are rich because they prosper and do whatever they want in life, but when they die with no savior to stand under the wrath of God as their substitute, that wrath will fall on their heads. The Psalmist remembers that there is no greater treasure in heaven and earth than God himself. It is good indeed to be near to God. When we believe in Christ as our savior sacrificed in our place on the cross as his altar, we already have new life and are reconciled to God. We look forward to the day of our death or when Christ returns and we will dwell in the presence of God, but even now he is near to his people walking through life with them while holding their hand. May we say that there is nothing in heaven and earth that we desire more than God himself. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/7172513386883 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 20 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Joel Haan 0:25:37 no Joel Haan https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/7172511022139 In his interaction with the lawyer, Jesus shows us how we truly fail to love our neighbors as ourselves. No one is excluded from the commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves. If this love which is due to our neighbors is due to every human being, we cannot put limits on it as our sinful hearts desire to. It was popular in the days of Jesus' ministry and is equally popular today to adjust and tweak and narrow the law of God in an effort to make salvation by works more convincing; however, this leads to a version of the law which unrecognizable as the law of God. Rather than accept how the law reveals all to be sinners who fall short of the glory of God and desperately need a savior, we are tempted to make ourselves and others out to be good people by qualifying and dismissing certain sins as sins at all. Jesus has shown us such great compassion as our savior that the compassion of the Samaritan in the parable pales in comparison. God requires perfect love of our neighbors from us and we cannot live up to it, but Jesus fulfills God's requirement for perfect compassion on our neighbors in our place. The law of love still stands, yet Christians should be primarily driven to love our neighbors especially when they need compassion, because we have been so blessed by the rich compassion of Christ in our greatest need. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/7172511022139 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 20 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Joel Haan 0:39:14 no Joel Haan https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/710251121341525 After the Fall of humanity into sin, God confronts Adam and Eve and the Serpent. But even before God tells Adam and Eve the curses that they will suffer due to the Fall, God promises them a savior. God tells Adam and Eve that a son of the Woman will crush the Serpent himself which is Satan. Then in the fullness of time the Son of God came and was born of a woman under the law to redeem those who were under the law so that we might receive adoption as sons. This son promised to Adam and Eve has come and this is not just a promise to Adam and Eve but the promise is ours as well! All who believe in Jesus Christ are sons of God and heirs of salvation. Though the Serpent still persecutes the church, his days are numbered. Christians do not need to fear death or judgement but are safe and secure in Christ. We look forward to the day when the Devil and all that are his will once and for all be crushed beneath the feet of our Lord and be cast headlong into the lake of fire. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/710251121341525 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 13 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Joel Haan 0:36:48 no Joel Haan https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/710251125407564 God is the creator and keeper of all things. He is every man's creator and keeper, but he is only the Heavenly Father of those who were adopted and saved in Jesus Christ. We stand as wicked sinners who deserve to be consumed from the earth and to suffer the wrath of God; therefore, we need God to be more to us than just our creator and keeper. We need God to be our Father. As adopted sons of God who are justified and adopted by faith in Jesus Christ, Christians can see the glory of God in this world while also acknowledging that things are not as they should be. Christians can trust God with all things in their lives today and long for the New Heavens and New Earth when God will make all things right and new. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/710251125407564 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 13 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Joel Haan 0:40:20 no Joel Haan https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/7325111459503 How can God be just and only choose to save some sinners from Hell when he has the power to save all sinners from Hell? Mankind is to blame for being worthy of Hell and God is just in sending us there. But God's Mercy is his to dispense with as he wishes. No one can make a claim on him that they deserve his mercy. God can have mercy on the elect because Christ has satisfied God's just penalty for sin and requirement for obedience for them. Jesus came to save specific sinners chosen by God who he knew by name. Thus, none of Christ's blood was shed in vain but Jesus has succeeded in saving all who he came to save. This doctrine has great importance for the comfort of a Christian and for our witness to the world around us. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/7325111459503 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 06 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Joel Haan 0:43:27 no Joel Haan https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/73251119327037 Many people in the world ask what is the purpose of life and cannot find an answer; however, God our creator reveals in his Holy Word what our created place and purpose is as humanity. If we do not know our created place and purpose in creation, how can we know how we must live? If we do not know God, we cannot know his purpose and place for us. And apart from Christ we cannot truly know God. Psalm 8 reveals how God made us and what he made us for. Yet even if we know our purpose and place we are powerless to fill them as we ought to due to our sinful nature. Christ has satisfied the requirement and set us free to live in the knowledge of God's purpose and place for us in this created world. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/73251119327037 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 06 Jul 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Joel Haan 0:30:46 no Joel Haan https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/62625208406718 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/62625208406718 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 29 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Dr. Michael Barrett 0:38:05 no Dr. Michael Barrett https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/6262520617205 It is easy to become fixate on the next big thing on our calendars. We long for our next birthday, the next holiday, and upcoming vacations or sport seasons. The close of Revelation teaches us to channel into faithful living here and now. this yearning for the next big event. The biggest event on the calendar of every person is the return of Christ. It dwarves in comparison to anything else we might anticipate. But instead of making the intervening ordinary days unimportant, it charges them with meaning. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/6262520617205 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 29 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:34:29 no William Boekestein - The Church in Revelation https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/620251452154393 The famous twentieth century atheist philosopher Bertrand Russell said, "I believe that when I die I shall rot, and nothing of my ego will survive." By "ego" he means his conscious self. This is the only conclusion for anyone who rejects divine creation and embraces evolution. But believing in annihilation doesn't make it so. And Scripture reveals an entirely different reality. The apostle John sees a future day when everyone who has ever lived will stand before God's throne. They will be "judged, each one of them, according to what they had done" (Rev. 20:13). And everyone will live forever either in paradise or in hell. In Revelation 21 John witnesses what will happen after the judgment. By God's grace he has the vantage point of a redeemed child of God. But he also learns what will happen to those who reject God's will. These verses us to reject the daydream that this life is all there is, and to prepare to enter into God's reward. Three main themes help us do that. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/620251452154393 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 22 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:38:22 no William Boekestein - The Church in Revelation https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/620251450375128 The people of Israel had finally arrived at the promised land. God had delivered them from slavery in Egypt and was about to give them cities they did not build, and houses, wells, and vineyards that they did not make (Deut. 6:10, 11). To receive their inheritance, they only had to trust God's promise to drive out the Canaanites (Ex. 23:30). Victory was in sight! Instead, after learning of the strength of the Canaanites and the fortifications of their cities, the whole congregation said to one another, "Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt" (Num. 14:4). Let us renounce our freedom and return to servitude. What a tragedy! Centuries later the church at Galatia faced a similar danger. They were unknowingly on the brink of returning to slavery. You could be too. Every believer is tempted to rely on the works of the flesh rather than continue trusting God's provision. Paul's argument to the Galatians can save us from a tragic end. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/620251450375128 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 22 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:40:32 no William Boekestein - Galatians 2025 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/61225151244267 Revelation shows believers what "must soon take place" (Rev. 1:1; 22:6). But it does more than that. It also reveals the entire spiritual history of the world. By "spiritual history" I mean an account of what has happened in this world, and what is currently happening, that cannot be seen with the eye. Knowing this history is vital to living by faith. It tells us the deeper truths about reality. It confirms that "we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Eph. 6:12). We are in a spiritual war. And just as important, Revelation reveals the outcome of this battle. The saints, united to the victor Christ, will overcome the evil one. We need to know that our labors in the Lord are not in vain. We are not fighting a losing battle. Resistance is not futile. Through a sort of allegory, Revelation 12 tells about the coming of Christ, the defeat of Satan, and the victory of God's people. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/61225151244267 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 15 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:39:15 no William Boekestein - The Church in Revelation https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/612251459186917 On Father's Day we pay tribute to our fathers and to those who have been like fathers to us. But just what are we celebrating? Simply being a father—merely contributing to the birth of a child—is no great accomplishment. We aren't celebrating the status of being a sire, a male parent. Instead, we acknowledge the praiseworthy qualities of fathers. These are the same traits required of men who bring their children to be baptized. Godly fathers don't simply have children but "bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" (Eph. 6:4). The apostle Paul uses the concept of fatherhood to describe his ministry among the Thessalonians. He cared for them "like a father with his children" (1 Thess. 2:11). By considering Paul's example we can glean insights into the marks of a good father. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/612251459186917 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 15 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:33:37 no William Boekestein https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/51525105382230 In the book of Revelation God "show[s] his servants the things that must soon take place" (Rev. 1:1). And it reveals the future for a specific purpose, so that the church might be faithful. "Blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near" (Rev. 1:3). This vision helps us to be realistic. It tells about the struggles believers will face. It is honest about the shortcomings every congregation will have. It insists that we stay on mission. And it holds out the hope of heaven to everyone who endures to the end. In the opening chapter John summarizes the gospel, reminds us of our calling, and assures us of Jesus' return: Christ has "loved us and freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father … he is coming" (Rev. 1:5–7). That is the book of Revelation in summary. He begins to unpack the Christian life by showing us that Christ is with us now. While John was on the island called Patmos he heard a loud voice telling him to write what he saw to the seven churches. He turned to see who was speaking to him. The sound came from one "like a son of man" (Rev. 1:13). This is our Lord Jesus' the favorite self-designation. What John encountered when he heard and saw Jesus is crucial for the faithfulness of the church today. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/51525105382230 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 25 May 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:38:26 no William Boekestein - The Church in Revelation https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/522251739356282 Paul's announcement that people of all sorts are one in Christ Jesus is the dramatic climax of his argument for justification by faith alone. And it is glorious. No matter who you are, if you are trusting in Jesus, you are a son of God! Unfortunately, Galatians 3:28 has been used to defend such positions as female church leadership and transgenderism, as if in Christ, men and women transcend gender. So it is vital that we understand what Paul isn't saying, what he is saying, and what it means for us. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/522251739356282 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 25 May 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:33:20 no William Boekestein - Galatians 2025 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/515251050281534 It is possible to teach only the Bible and yet proclaim a false gospel. That's what happened in Galatia in the days of the apostle Paul. His opponents in the church could say they were only teaching Scripture; they required believers to do things that they could reference with chapter and verse. But by using the Bible wrongly they had put themselves under God's curse. By confusing promise and obedience the Galatian teachers were perverting the gospel and troubling the souls of their hearers. In his letter to the church he has asserted that "a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ" (Gal. 2:16). But it remained for him to spell out the relationship between the law and the promise of the gospel, something we must learn as well. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/515251050281534 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 18 May 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:39:45 no William Boekestein - Galatians 2025 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/58251023404958 Someday you may need to decide what to do with the body of a loved one after they die. You can influence those who will make the decision about your body. It isn't a happy thought. But it cannot be ignored. And as a Christian you will want Scripture to inform your decision. Until very recently, burials have been the norm for believers. That has changed. Many funeral homes now perform more cremations than burials. Does Scripture command burial? Some reformed believers have thought so. "Holy Scripture commands that the bodies of believers, which are temples of the Holy Spirit and which will rise from the dead on the last day, be buried in the ground reverently." Henry Bullinger says that "Scripture wills that the bodies of the faithful … should be … committed to the earth." It may be too strong to say the Scripture commands burial. Herman Bavinck observes that "Cremation is nowhere forbidden." But Scripture certainly commends the practice. And knowing that it does so and why should help us honor the bodies of the dead. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/58251023404958 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 11 May 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:44:12 no William Boekestein https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/58251019277477 The believers in Galatia had a problem: Though they had learned to trust in Christ alone, they were feeling pressured to rely—to some extent—on the works of the law for salvation. This may sound foreign to you. But relying on the works of the law is still a common strategy. Only 57% of American Christians agree with the following statement: "God counts a person as righteous not because of one's works but only because of one's faith in Jesus Christ." I hope 100% of this congregation would agree with that statement! But what we believe is sometimes different than what we feel. You believe that salvation is only in Christ alone. Yet haven't you felt that God likes you better when you obey the law? Don't you feel tempted to ensure your salvation by keeping the law? We need the same message the Galatians needed. Trusting in the law and trusting in Christ are two completely different ways of salvation. And only one will succeed. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/58251019277477 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 11 May 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:44:13 no William Boekestein - Galatians 2025 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/430252027264497 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/430252027264497 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 04 May 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Chris Engelsma 0:34:17 no Chris Engelsma https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/430252028536178 By faith God has "seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:6; cf. (Rom. 6:4). Though our feet are planted on the earth, we can worship him "in his sanctuary" and "in his mighty heavens" no matter where we are. Gathered worship is critically important. But your whole life can be worship. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/430252028536178 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 04 May 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:37:35 no William Boekestein https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/51125245484555 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/51125245484555 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 27 Apr 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:42:46 no William Boekestein https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/511252445885 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/511252445885 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 27 Apr 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:24:45 no William Boekestein https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/4172514352244 Psalm 150 is the final poem of the psalter. But more than that, it is like the closing argument in a court case. It is brief and strong, giving clear instructions regarding our most important calling in life, the worship of our triune God. Specifically, the list of instruments in verses 3–5 tells us how to worship. But like all Scripture, we need to interpret these words with care. They teach us how to worship, but their message may differ from what first meets the eye. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/4172514352244 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 20 Apr 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:46:23 no William Boekestein https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/41725141427040 It is Easter Sunday, the day of resurrection. But you might not feel victorious. Jesus' disciples didn't. An old Latin hymn says, "That Easter day with joy was bright: the sun shone out with fairer light when to their longing eyes restored, the apostles saw their risen Lord." That verse isn't wrong. But for most of that first Easter Day, the sun was not brighter than normal, and the apostles' eyes weren't longing. The day felt dark. The apostles were scared. The message of Easter was exactly what they needed. And it is what you need too. Only the resurrection of God's Son and the defeat of death can bring God's people "into joy from sadness," as another hymn puts it. The apostle John tells how Jesus surprised the apostles with joy, and commissioned them to spread the good news that the risen Lord will forgive the sins of the vilest offender who truly believes. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/41725141427040 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 20 Apr 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:35:29 no William Boekestein https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/4132509184063 It is easy to grow accustomed to even a high level of disfunction. I once asked a friend in college what he missed about his hometown of Benton Harber. He said, "Boarded-up windows." But windows aren't supposed to be boarded up. Neither should spouses become cold and independent of each other. But we can grow used to such things. Being familiar, they can even feel safe. The same thing can happen in worship. We can go to church without drawing near to God. Worship can become uneventful. We can expect little, receive little, and give little. Yet, we can feel that all is well; we've performed a religious task. We constantly need Jesus to refocus our worship. This is what Christ did at the temple in Jerusalem in the final days before his death. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/4132509184063 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 13 Apr 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:40:02 no William Boekestein https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/46250064049 No chapter in the Bible concentrates on the praise of God like Psalm 150. Every phrase centers on the word praise. Praise is the only verb in the entire psalm. And all thirteen times it occurs, it is an imperative, a command. But while praise is the most basic rule of Scripture it is never an arm-twisting order; it isn't like "go to work" or "clean your room." Praise exactly what we should want to do. If we don't there is something wrong with us. If you know God as he truly is, the only appropriate and soul-satisfying response is worship. Here are two reasons why you should make the praise of God your chief end. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/46250064049 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 06 Apr 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:39:09 no William Boekestein https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/329251057164712 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/329251057164712 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 30 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Alan Strange 0:39:29 no Alan Strange https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/3292511130697 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/3292511130697 Religion & Spirituality Sat, 29 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Alan Strange 0:46:50 no Alan Strange - Faith & Life Conference 2025 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/3292511535554 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/3292511535554 Religion & Spirituality Sat, 29 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Alan Strange 0:57:34 no Alan Strange - Faith & Life Conference 2025 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/319252155378056 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/319252155378056 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 23 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Rev. Neil Quinn 0:37:34 no Rev. Neil Quinn https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/31925214481405 Christians are people of truth. Jesus came to bear witness to the truth. Those who are of the truth hear his voice (John 18:38) and become witnesses of what they have seen and heard. In other words, believers have something to say. But, like many things speaking well is both a science and an art. We have to both learn what to say and how to say it. In other words, a truly biblical message requires a biblical method of communication. And Proverbs 15:23 provides important insights into how believers can best say what we know. Specifically, the verse praises "a word in season, how good it is!" What does this mean and how can this encouragement help us communicate like God? https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/31925214481405 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 23 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:43:30 no William Boekestein https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/31525131762555 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/31525131762555 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 16 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Rodney Kleyn 0:37:55 no Rodney Kleyn https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/31525131192854 Who needs a sermon on the last judgment? Unbelievers may find this topic offensive, and even some Christians are embarrassed by it. The theme may strike us as negative and impractical. This is exactly how historic confessions can help us. The first words of the Belgic Confession's last article clearly make the point: "We believe" in the return and judgment of Christ "according to God's Word." The final judgment is not just mentioned by Scripture; it is the culmination of the entire drama of redemption. It is the full realization of God's promise to crush the serpent's head and restore God's people to himself. It is the only appropriate conclusion to the entire system taught in the Bible. And this is exactly how the Bible teaches it. The final judgment is the theme of Jesus' last sermons (Matt. 24, 25). It frequently undergirds Paul's most comprehensive and passionate pleas for personal godliness (e.g., Rom. 12:19; 1 Thess. 4:13–18). And it is integral to the apostolic presentation of the gospel (Acts 17:31). Without the final judgment, you have an unfinished story of "a nobleman [who] when into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom" and never returned to look after his servants (cf. Luke 19:12). We can be thankful that the ancient confessions remind us of a truth we need to hear but sometimes forget and undervalue. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/31525131192854 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 16 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:38:31 no William Boekestein - Belgic Confession 2024 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/39251150391114 Few theological issues are thornier than a Christian approach to politics. Even Christians with similar commitments to Scripture disagree over policies, political platforms, and particular politicians. We even disagree over how much people may disagree with our views. These divisions won't be resolved in this present age. But to step in the right direction, we should temporarily set aside specific issues and consider the big principles that the Bible teaches about the reason for government and the responsibilities of those who govern and those who are governed. To have a biblical view of the civil government we must make at least three affirmations. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/39251150391114 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 09 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:43:07 no William Boekestein - Belgic Confession 2024 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/39251147534231 What are you afraid of? Fear is simply a feeling of anxiety concerning the outcome of something. Real men fear. David was a leader and a warrior. But he was sometimes afraid. "My heart is in aguish within me … Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me" (Ps. 55:4–5). David's psalms can help men admit the fears in their own lives. And being honest about our fears is the first step in facing them. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/39251147534231 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 09 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:40:39 no William Boekestein https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/22625233929807 Some may try to object to or evade the justice of God by claiming that God is unjust, hoping that God will not be able to bring everyone to justice, or appealing to his mercy in hopes that he will compromise on justice. However God's just requirements for humanity are still just even though, since the fall, all humanity has been unable to meet and keep these just requirements. God made us completely able to keep his just commands, and it is only by the fault of Adam and Eve that we are no longer able to keep them. God also is fully able to bring all those who disobey him to justice. Many sinners suffer the wrath of God in this life but all will suffer the full wrath of God on the day of the LORD. God is merciful but his mercy will not conflict with his justice. This means that his justice needs to be satisfied. The good news of the gospel is not that God has overlooked all the sin of those who believe in Jesus Christ but that God's just requirement of righteousness and just wrath against their sin has been satisfied in Jesus' life of obedience and sacrificial death on the cross. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/22625233929807 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 02 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Joel Haan 0:41:23 no Joel Haan https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/226252341322727 We cannot say for sure that the writer to Hebrews had in mind the examples of Abraham and Lot. But he seems to assume that his Jewish hearers would appreciate the illustration without needing further details. And their stories certainly fit the point of Hebrews 13:2 and reveal to us God's will for our hospitality. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/226252341322727 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 02 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:38:34 no William Boekestein https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/219252328121150 "We believe that this good God, after he created all things, did not abandon them to chance or fortune but leads and governs them according to his holy will, in such a way that nothing happens in this world without his orderly arrangement" (Belgic Confession of Faith Article 13). The reason this doctrine of the providence of God gives the Christian unspeakable comfort is the very nature of God himself and our relationship to him. God is first of all, almighty God. All things are competently held in his hands and controlled according to his will. We see here that God is able and diligent in his sovereign rule over all things. But this alone is not a comfort to us. God is sovereign creator and ruler over all people but he is only the loving heavenly Father of those who believe in Jesus Christ. Because this almighty God is our loving heavenly Father who will never cast us out, we can truly rest in his providence knowing his love for us is as unfailing as his power over all things. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/219252328121150 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Joel Haan 0:34:58 no Joel Haan https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/21925233244410 Have you ever asked, "How did I get here?" Perhaps you've been lost in the woods. Maybe you've found yourself in a marriage or other relationship that started well but is way off track. When you've gone astray it can help to retrace your steps to where you started. That's Jesus' admonition to the church at Ephesus: "Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first" (Rev. 2:5). This is also Paul's approach to the Galatian Christians; they started well, trusting in Christ alone, but are now on their way to building a new religion by making their obedience part of the gospel. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/21925233244410 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:30:50 no William Boekestein - Galatians 2025 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/21325219403538 On the night that Jesus died he shared a meal with his disciples. They ate because they were hungry. The meal fed their bodies. But this was a special meal called the Passover. It commemorated the Lord's provision of a lamb whose blood protected believing families from tragedy. At the dinner Jesus "took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, 'Take, eat; this is my body.' And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, 'Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sin'" (Matt. 26:26–28). Jesus transformed the Passover into the Lord's Supper. By use of this meal Christ's body and blood can "preserve your body and soul unto everlasting life." But only if we understand and use it properly. To do so requires discernment, right judgment, and self-examination (1 Cor. 11:27–29). https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/21325219403538 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 16 Feb 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:37:06 no William Boekestein - Belgic Confession 2024 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/21325221263865 By this point in Paul's letter to the Galatians his thesis is clear: The gospel declares salvation through the work of Christ alone which we receive by faith alone. This truth is so familiar to us that it seems obvious, noncontroversial. But this theory often gets tested in practice. It is possible for our "conduct [to be] not in step with the truth of the gospel" (Gal. 2:14). We can believe that we are saved by grace alone but behave as if our justification depends on the works of the law. Paul tells of how he rebuked Peter for just this kind of gospel hypocrisy, and then further explains the life-saving truth of justification by faith in Christ alone. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/21325221263865 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 16 Feb 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:41:21 no William Boekestein - Galatians 2025 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/26251511208150 As Jesus was preparing to return to the Father, having received "all authority in heaven and on earth," He gave this simple instruction to the eleven disciples: make disciples of all nations" (Matt. 28:18, 19). A disciple is a student, an apprentice, one who is learning to live like his master. And Jesus defined the disciple-making process with these two directives: baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all of Jesus' commands. Christian baptism is disciple's identification with the holy Trinity and a critical step in the process of walking with Jesus. So it is vital that we understand the sacrament of baptism. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/26251511208150 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 09 Feb 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:41:20 no William Boekestein - Belgic Confession 2024 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/2625159257116 People who compromise are the best. They are easy to live with because they don't insist on their own way. They work, sometimes against their own purposes, to reach a mutually-beneficial settlement. Like Christ, they look not only to their own interests but also to the interests of others (Phil. 2:4). They are interested not in being served but in serving and giving (). The gospel should make Christians the most agreeable people on the planet. As we bear the fruit of the Spirit we should be easy to get along with in the ordinary course of life. Paul engendered the spirit of compromise when he was willing to become all things to all people (). But our willingness to compromise must have limits. As we keep "in step with the truth of the gospel" (2:14) we will become increasingly inflexible on gospel issues. When the truth of the gospel is concerned we must "not yield in submission even for a moment" (Gal. 2:5). In the first part of Galatians 2 Paul gives an example of his gospel inflexibility. This story authenticates Paul's claim as an apostle sent directly from Christ and teaches us to stand firm when we must. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/2625159257116 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 09 Feb 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:36:12 no William Boekestein - Galatians 2025 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1302502223403 A husband and wife once met with a counselor. The wife explained that while the husband said he loved her, he never touched her. He never held her hand or hugged or kissed her. She believed that her husband loved her. But she couldn't sense it. And that troubled her. We are sensory people. Our senses contribute to our knowledge. You might believe that the cake on a restaurant menu tastes good. You could probably even prove it by reading the ingredients and understanding the preparation procedures. But that's not the same as eating it. The relationship between what we know and what we sense also applies to spiritual things. This is crucial for understanding Scripture's teaching on the sacraments. God "has added [sacraments] to the Word of the gospel to represent better to our external senses both what he enables us to understand by his Word and what he does inwardly in our hearts" (BC 33). The Sacraments are vital to our spiritual growth because, like the preached word, they communicate the gospel free grace and can cultivate a richer sense of God's love for us. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1302502223403 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 02 Feb 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:37:17 no William Boekestein - Belgic Confession 2024 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/13025024386382 In Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations, an orphan named Pip receives a lavish allowance from an anonymous patron. The gift changes his life. It allows him to become a gentleman. But through most of the story Pip has no relationship with his patron. He simply enjoys the benefits of his kindness. In a similar way, it is possible to view God as a benevolent stranger, a mysterious benefactor who pays our debts and enables us to live a rich life. But salvation is more than receiving from God; it is entering a new relationship with him. No doctrine reveals the believer's new relationship with God the way adoption does. And the baptism of a precious adopted child is a perfect opportunity to think about what it means to enter God's family. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/13025024386382 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 02 Feb 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:30:45 no William Boekestein https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/122252331246254 We have a complicated relationship with rules. Our sinful nature rebels against restrictions. Saint Augustine tells a story from his pre-conversion life about how he and some friends stole pears from a neighbor. They didn't need food. Their "pleasure lay" simply "in doing what was not allowed." We don't like limitations. But we also recognize the need for good rules. Augustine asks, "What thief can with [calmness] endure being robbed by another thief?" Even in the church we need regulations to help us faithfully serve the God of order who calls us to follow him according to his will. So it is "useful and good for those who govern the churches to establish and set up a certain order among themselves for maintaining the body of the church" (BC 31). Church leaders promote God's honor in the church through two types of ordinances. The first we might call "house rules" and the second "holiness rules." https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/122252331246254 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 26 Jan 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:43:52 no William Boekestein - Belgic Confession 2024 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/122252328395062 There is presently a lot of discussion about social media fact checking. People are divided about the role of gatekeepers in regulating truth. But this isn't a new problem. The old maxim has always been helpful: consider the source. If you read that "Elevation Church Debuts Water Slide Baptismal," you are probably reading a satire news site. In that example, the danger of believing fake news isn't extreme. But some disputed claims are much more serious. In the churches of Galatia in the early first century a new "gospel" of faith-plus works was gaining circulation. The apostle blasts this "distort[ed] gospel of Jesus Christ. The Galatians should believe nothing but what he had earlier preached to them. And in commending his gospel he tells the Galatians to consider the source. So at the end of the first chapter Paul tells part of his story and why it should matter to the Galatians and to us. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/122252328395062 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 26 Jan 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:40:30 no William Boekestein - Galatians 2025 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/117251415273565 The church of Jesus Christ is a political organization. It operates differently from civil governments and secular organizations, and must respect its God-ordained sphere. But the church is a body politic, a body of people under an organized government. The church has a King named Jesus, a constitution called the Bible, and officers—elders, deacons, and ministers—who promote the King's will. The way God's officers are chosen, and how they exert influence and are honored by the people they lead is crucial to the health of any congregation. We don't solve this problem of bad church politics by making the church less political. Instead, we should strive for a more biblical practice of church politics. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/117251415273565 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 19 Jan 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:39:35 no William Boekestein - Belgic Confession 2024 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/117251413383264 Faithful Christian service requires radical commitment to the truth, competence in arguing the truth, and greater concern for the approval of God than people. And we see just these traits in the apostle Paul as he introduces us to the Galatian problem. These verses can help us keep Christ front and center in our lives and can especially encourage leaders how to contend for the gospel. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/117251413383264 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 19 Jan 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:44:22 no William Boekestein - Galatians 2025 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1825234305244 God has so ordered his church that "there should be ministers or pastors to preach the Word of God" (Art. 30). The church must send ministers to preach the gospel so that sinners can hear the good news and call on Jesus to be saved (Rom. 10:14, 15). But the duty of gospel proclamation does not belong to ministers alone. Instead, ministers are "to equip the saints for the work of ministry" (Eph. 4:12). To be faithful evangelists we should understand seven foundations for biblical evangelism. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1825234305244 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 12 Jan 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:38:15 no William Boekestein - Belgic Confession 2024 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/13251629226573 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/13251629226573 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 05 Jan 2025 12:00:00 +0000 Chris Engelsma 0:31:31 no Chris Engelsma https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1325162701877 The topic of church government doesn't seem spiritually stimulating. We are naturally suspicious of leadership. And we have had bad experiences. Scandals and government overreach may make us wonder if we all wouldn't be better off fending for ourselves. But leadership is important to God. In both testaments he establishes structures of spiritual authority for his people, urges proper submission, and promises rewards for those who respect his plan. And leadership is inescapable. Even the loosest organizations practice some form of government. So churches should insist that their government harmonizes with Scripture's mandate. The church must be "governed by the spiritual order that our Lord has taught us in his Word." We should examine our hearts to see if we are embracing God's vision for church leadership. How we interact with God's government reveals how we submit to God (Rom. 13:1). https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1325162701877 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 05 Jan 2025 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:37:35 no William Boekestein - Belgic Confession 2024 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1223242038456557 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1223242038456557 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:00:00 +0000 Dr. Joel Beeke 1:00:23 no Dr. Joel Beeke https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1223242035285704 In the Bible's tragic account of the life of King Joash we see how important it is that our faith is personal. Joash had a promising start. His life was spared by God from the murderous hand of his grandmother. He was raised by his uncle Jehoiada the chief priest in the temple of God for six years and then returned to the throne. He repaired the temple of God and the people destroyed the idols of his grandmother. But he only did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada. When Jehoiada dies, Joash turns from God after idols. This proves that he did not do what was right in the Lord's sight out of a personal faith but he was living out the faith of Jehoiada his instructor. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1223242035285704 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:00:00 +0000 Joel Haan 0:33:26 no Joel Haan https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1219241429184559 We all want a place to belong. We have that in part here and now. We have families, and we can be living members of the church of Jesus Christ. But we still long for something more. God has put eternity into our hearts (Eccl. 3:11). We want to be part of what God will do when he finishes his work in this world. We who have accepted God's promises by faith still "desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one" (Heb. 11:16). A word that Scripture uses to capture this desire to receive all that the Lord has promised is "inheritance"; the Old Testament uses the word almost 200 times. It usually refers to the land that God would give his people, which Ezekiel describes in the closing verses of his book; six times in our text he calls the land an inheritance. That this land was a true inheritance is confirmed in the New Testament (Acts 13:9). But the gift of land is only a shadow of the full gift that God promises to his people. Believers have "an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you" (1 Pet. 1:4). Studying the close of Ezekiel's vision can give us a taste of God's kindness and make us long for what it to come. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1219241429184559 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 22 Dec 2024 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:48:36 no William Boekestein - Ezekiel 2023 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1219241426215625 The New Testament contains three so-called canticles, poems or songs that celebrate the coming of Christ. Simeon blessed God for allowing him to meet the promised Messiah (Luke 2:28–32). Mary magnified the Lord for choosing her to be the mother of God (Luke 1:46–55). And Zechariah the priest prophesied about how Jesus fulfilled God's ancient promise of salvation, and his son John's role in introducing him. Zechariah's prophecy can help us understand the significance of Jesus' advent, or first coming, and stir us respond the way Zechariah did. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1219241426215625 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 22 Dec 2024 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:36:11 no William Boekestein https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/12122411200946 In our age of selective toleration it is awkward to make judgments about other groups or people. And there is certainly a wrong way to judge, in ignorance or pretense, for example. But it is also wrong to not judge. "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1). Jesus says that those with discernment can easily recognize marks of the kingdom and marks of the wicked one (Matt. 13:24–30, 36–43). It is possible and good for believers to judge well. Surely we must judge wisely when choosing to commit to a church. The Belgic Confession primarily warned believers against uniting with the Roman Catholic Church and other newly forming sects. But the biblical standards of judgment are just as applicable today. True Christians know they must unite with a congregation of Christ. But how should we decide among all the options? https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/12122411200946 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 15 Dec 2024 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:38:35 no William Boekestein - Belgic Confession 2024 https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1212241122294749 The Bible is a huge book that drives at a single question: Do you believe this? Your answer will determine the course of your life. The famous eleventh chapter of Hebrews described what the heroes of faith did because of what they believed. Through faith ordinary people, "conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises" and "were made strong out of weakness" (Heb. 11:33, 34). Their faith—not their eyes—enabled them to see that he was doing all things well. And this confidence kept them on the path of righteousness. Again, Ezekiel helps us to see what the eye overlooks. Ezekiel's host asks this question, "Son of man, have you seen this?" He'd heard that question before. In chapter 8 Ezekiel virtually toured the Jerusalem temple that was still standing. It seemed holy. But God allowed Ezekiel to see deeper into its hidden sinfulness. Now the imagery is reversed. Ezekiel sees God's healing river flowing from the temple into the dry land of Israel. If "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1), we need to know that God is healing the world even when we can't see it. https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/reformedifc/sermons/1212241122294749 Religion & Spirituality Sun, 15 Dec 2024 12:00:00 +0000 William Boekestein 0:37:23 no William Boekestein - Ezekiel 2023