Posts with the category “preparing-for-worship”

“Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter” (Proverbs 24:11). This proverb is 3,000 years old, but it is a timely word for today.This Sunday is marked as Sanctity of Life Sunday as it is close to the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. While we are thankful that this Supreme Court decision was overturned in 2022, it is a grievous reality that aborti...  Read More

Dear OBC Family,Grace restores nature.This is a simple principle that Christian theologians have employed throughout the history of the church. Along the way, some (mostly in the Roman Catholic Church) have misused these terms and argued for some type of super-added grace in the beginning with Adam. But on the whole, Christians have affirmed the goodness of creation (nature), the badness of sin (t...  Read More

The more things change, the more they stay the same. And as we begin the new year, with the promise (or threat) of ongoing changes in the world around us, it is good to remember one thing that remains the same: Jesus Christ is Lord and all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him.In Matthew 28 we hear Jesus say to his disciples, “All authority in heaven and earth have been given to m...  Read More

The sands of time are winding down for 2025, and Sunday marks the last day we will gather for worship this year. That being the case, Sunday’s sermon will direct our attention to what we will be doing in the beginning of 2026.While January will include a sampling of different messages that touch on Christ’s Lordship, his designs for the family, the Word of God, and missions, February will begin a ...  Read More

Dear OBC Family,For the last few Sundays we have considered the birth of Moab and Ben-ammi, Isaac, and the sons of Nahor. In short, we’ve been watching the slow moving train of history some 1800 years before Christ. But this week we will hit warp speed to arrive at the birth of Christ.In Matthew 1, the tax collector turned evangelist begins with a list of 41–42 names depending on how you count. An...  Read More

Take a moment to read Genesis 22:20–24.Now after these things it was told to Abraham, “Behold, Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor: 21 Uz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram, 22 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 23 (Bethuel fathered Rebekah.) These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. 24 Moreover, his concubine, whose name was Reumah, bo...  Read More

Dear OBC Family,If you want to play a fun game — is game the right word? — with your children or friends, take time to read Genesis 22:1–19 verse by verse. In each verse, ask yourself a question: What does this passage say about Christ in type or shadow?In the Bible, types are historical persons, places, events, or institutions that point forward to Jesus Christ as the goal of God’s plan of salvat...  Read More

I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse,  and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”Genesis 12:3In Genesis 21, we have three stories in one. Verses 1–7 tell the long-awaited birth story of Isaac, then verses 8–21 recount how Ishmael, the son of an Egyptian slave, is cast out because he laughed at Isaac, while verses 22–34 finish the chapter by desc...  Read More

On Sunday, we take the next step in thinking about ordering our lives around the altar of God’s worship. Three weeks ago, we considered how the altar takes priority over the city in the life of the Christian. Last Sunday, we looked at the way our watches are set by that worship. And this Sunday, we will begin to think about our households.Indeed, when God made the world, he created the universe to...  Read More

What will you do when you cannot preach? Oh, I am not talking about planning for an upcoming Sunday when I, as your pastor, will be absent, or when multiple teaching elders are unavailable. I am talking about when it becomes apparent 10 hours or 10 minutes before Sunday morning that the man called to preach simply cannot do it.In such a situation, we have a few options. We could call on someone to...  Read More