There is a striking progression in the life and ministry of our Lord Jesus, in which He is shown to be the One who alone can bear the wrath of God on behalf of His people. At the beginning of the Gospels He has multitudes surrounding Him. Then He narrows it down to the seventy. From that group He chooses twelve. Then He takes eleven into the Garden and pulls three aside with Him. Finally He is left alone to look into the cup that the Father has prepared for …

There is an interesting development in the account of the lost and found parables of Luke 15. There are 1 out of 100 sheep, 1 out of 10 coins, and 1 out of two sons. Sinclair Ferguson notes:

Luke 15 contains three parables. In some ways, they are three parts of one larger parable–a single message about lost things being found, each episode told in a context of increased complexity and heightened tension.
Scene one describes a Shepherd who has lost one of his sheep. Sheep were, and are, valuable. But …

In the midst of current debates over the precise relationship between the pre-lapsarian Covenant of Works and the Mosaic Covenant, it would do us good to remember that many of the Reformed theologians of the 17th, 18th, and 19th Centuries understood that the Law given at Sinai, with its promise of blessing and cursing in accord with its subsequent demand for perfect obedience, was  the reflection of the Covenant of Works. Because of developments in Covenant theology in the 20th Century in the writings of  Meredith Kline and John Murray, …

I have frequently heard men express reservations about listening to other men’s sermons on a particular passage upon which they are preparing to preach. While I understand the desire to do one’s own work and to wrestle with the text before God, I find it hard to believe that the same individuals would not read commentaries or written sermons on the passage they will preach. Why then is there a reservation in regard to listening to sermons? It might be an overly scrupulous desire to be careful not to plagerize, …

Here is the audio from the last Sunday morning worship service at New Covenant Presbyterian Church. The text was Acts 2:40-47 and the title was “The Growing and Living Church.”

There is an interesting and important representation that runs through the Old Testament, concerning the process by which idols were removed from God’s people. Israel’s history was marked with idolatry. From the moment they were redeemed out of Egypt, Israel worshiped other gods. Standing at the foot of Mount Sinai, where they were to wait for God’s Law, Israel made a golden calf to worship in the name of Yahweh. When Moses came down the mountain he burned the idol, crushed it to fine dust, and poured it into a …

I really like Thomas Sowell. He is not a Christian. I wish he was. He does not use the Bible as the basis for his logically consistent ethical argument; but he has a great mind and a great sense of the inconsistency of the liberal worldview. He is a prolific writer and outstanding economist. His book Marxism: Philosophy and Economics is extremely helpful, as is his Quest for Cosmic Justice. Most recently he has written The Housing Boom and Bust and Intellectuals and Society. Tim Challies has a review of …

My good friend Gabriel Fluhrer has recently finished editing a series of lectures given by J.I. Packer, James Boice, R.C. Sproul, John Gerstner, Sinclair Ferguson, John R. Dewitt and Alistair Begg on the atonement. You can order a copy here. I am sure this will be a very beneficial volume for anyone wanting to grow deeper in their knowledge of the Gospel.

Below is the video from the Sunday Morning worship service at New Covenant Presbyterian Church. The text was Acts 2:14-39 and the title is “Hear These Words.”

Hear These Words (Acts 2:14-39) from Nicholas T. Batzig

Chelsea Hauk, a reporter with Bryan County Now–a division of the Savannah Morning News, was kind enough to interview me today with regard to the work involved with planting New Covenant Presbyterian Church. Chelsea asked a really great question at the end of the interview. You can listen here.

It is commonplace, in many Reformed churches, for ministers to use Hebrews 13:20-21 as a benediction at the end of a worship service. It is perhaps my favorite of all the benedictions we use. But as is true with all Scripture, we sometimes have a tendency to read over–and even memorize–portions of Scripture thoughtlessly. Such was the case, in my experience, with the phrase in Hebrews 13:20: “Now, may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead through the blood of the everlasting covenant, our Lord Jesus, that …

Below is the audio and video from the Sunday morning sermon preached at New Covenant Presbyterian Church in Richmond Hill, GA. The text was Acts 2:1-13 and the title was “When Jesus Shows Up at Pentecost.

When Jesus Comes to Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13) from Nicholas T. Batzig
Audio

Big news, as one of my mentors, Phil Ryken, accepts the call to be the new President of Wheaton College. You can read about it here, here and here. Pray for Tenth Presbyterian Church as they will now need to find someone suitable to replace such a faithful and gifted man.

Last Sunday Evening I preached a message on Romans 5:6-11 at New Covenant Presbyterian Church. The title of the sermon was “Much More Then.” Having gone back and listened to it I’ve come to realize that I did not preach the text as fully or carefully as I should have. Can you figure out what was left out? It is a lack of reference to a crucial part of Paul’s argument.

Much More Then (Romans 5:6-11) from Nicholas T. Batzig
Audio

Here is the link to the audio of my recent interview with Dr. Michael Haykin, concerning his book The Christian Lover. I believe that all Christian couples will benefit from the things that Dr. Haykin has to say and from this unique book.

Not that it really matters, but the latest theological abstraction from Union Theological Seminary has to win some kind of prize. Feminist theologian Margaret R. Miles will be delivering the 2010 Sprunt Lecture at the Seminary’s campus in Richmond, VA. The subject? A theology of the breast. Miles argues that the crucifixion was a violent act and is therefore an inappropriate reminder of the love of God. Miles suggests that a woman’s breast is a far more appropriate illustration. I for one am a bit confused–not because I fail to …

Among the multitude of expositions on the Apostle’s Creed, written throughout church history, one in particular has not received the attention it deserves. Herman Witsius, best known for his  The Economy of the Covenants (part 1) and (Part 2), published an exposition of the Apostle’s Creed under the title Sacred Dissertations on the Apostle’s Creed (Part 1) and (Part 2). If you are interested in doing further study of Witsius’ work  you will find an Analysis of the Economy of the Covenants and On the Character of a True Theologian …

Dr. Benjamin Shaw makes several significant points about covenantal baptism here. They deserve the most serious consideration by anyone who desires to understand more fully the biblical nature of covenantal signs and seals. I would also recommend that you listen to the audio lectures by Edward Donnelly and Bill Shishko. They are two of the finest defenses from modern theologians. If you want to read more thorough treatments from the annals of church history, I would recommend John Holt Rice’s essay on the subject, and the sermon Stephen Marshall preached …

Dennis Johnson, Professor of Practical Theology at Westminster Seminary California, has an article over at Third Millennium Ministries on how he came to change his mind about infant baptism. You can read the article here.

Many people have incorrect thoughts about the purpose of Pentecost. You will sometimes hear Christians praying that the Spirit will come in the same way as He came at Pentecost. It is certainly a good  and right thing to desire a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the church. But Pentecost held a very special place in redemptive history. It is as special and unique an event as the death, resurrection and ascension of Christ–a one-time event. Eric Alexander explains the significance of Pentecost in the following way:
This particular …

Below is the audio and video from the Sunday morning worship service at New Covenant Presbyterian Church of Richmond Hill, GA. The text was Acts 1:12-26 and the title, “Better By the Dozen.”
Audio

Better By the Dozen (Acts 1:12-26) from Nicholas T. Batzig on Vimeo.

There is an interesting theological purpose in the historical account in Acts 1:12-26. At first glance it doesn’t seem to be anything more than an historical recollection of the apostasy, suicide and replacement of Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed our Lord. But the place of this record in the book of Acts, the nature of the apostles’ prayer, and the Scripture that Peter appeals to all bring a much more significant purpose into view. Jesus has told the apostles to wait for the promised Holy Spirit, whom He would …

Over at the Riddleblog there is a post by Richard Muller, in which he considers what it means to say you believe in the five points of Calvinism. Muller suggests that there is much more to the historical Reformed faith than a bare confession of adherence to the so-called “five points of Calvinism”–which, incidentally, did not originate with John Calvin. At a time when many are coming to a fuller acceptance of the biblical teaching on the sovereignty of God in all spheres, the efficacy of the atonement Jesus made …

David Murray has a post over at Head, Heart, Hand in which he draws a valuable pastoral lesson from the skill with which Larry King carries out his interviews. You can read it here.

If you have never heard sermons by Ian Hamilton you are missing out on a great spiritual blessing. Iain is the minister of Cambridge Presbyterian Church in Cambridge, England. I find his sermons to be an outstanding example of substantive, passionate, Christ-centered, applicatory, textual, expositional preaching. He really is one of the best preachers in the church today. If you are looking for someone to listen to, or are in the process of preparing a sermon series, I highly recommend you take the time to listen to some of his …

Presbyterian Mission in Haiti has posted a list of relief efforts they are helping accomplish. If you are interested in helping provide relief, but are concerned about know where funds will go, the following is a breakdown of the needs that PMH is seeking to meet according to order of priority. PMH is a trustworthy organization, supporting Gospel-centered missions:
“A” List Priorities–Immediate Needs
The items on this list stem from the damage caused by either Hurrican Ike (Sept 2008) or the recent earthquake. Several of our PMH pastors (and their wives and …

Darryl Hart and Camden Bucey have a discussion on Christian Epistemology and Two Kingdoms Theology here.

Texts, Contexts, Cultures is a new departure in graduate research and training in Ireland. It offers candidates a multi-disciplinary PhD programme delivered in co-operation between Arts and Humanities research institutes at Trinity College Dublin, University College Cork and NUI Galway. The programme investigates the most basic component of Arts and Humanities research – the text as material object.
Texts, Contexts, Cultures offers a structured research path to the completion of a fourth level degree. It allows candidates to engage with the research knowledge and skills of scholars from three universities. It …

New Covenant Presbyterian Church had its first morning worship service yesterday. We began a series on the book of Acts. The first sermon was titled “The Acts of the Ascended Christ.”The text was Acts 1:1-11.  You can watch the video below.