Author: Pastor Rich Lusk
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“Reworking the Covenant of Works” (2003)
From the Archives: The “Federal Vision” was several controversies ago in the Reformed world, and no one is using that label anymore as far as I can tell. Nevertheless, I think essay includes some important insights and so I want to make it available on my blog. This essay has been available on the web…
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Wedding Homily #4
David and Sophia, today you begin your new family together as husband and wife. You leave your old families behind to cleave to one another. Every wedding is an act of God, every wedding is a new creation. Today, God is joining you together. Marriage is a bond God forms between you. As you begin…
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Wedding Homily #3
HK and Alex, it is a great honor to be with you here today as you make your vows before God and these witnesses, and enter into the covenant of marriage. You have both given your lives to Christ, and today you come to give him your life together as well. You both believe the…
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Chrysostom on the Church
Never separate yourself from the Church. For nothing is stronger than the Church. Your hope is the Church alone; your salvation is inside the Church only, your refuge is the Church. She is higher than the heavens, and wider than the whole earth. She never grows old, but is always full of vigor and vitality.…
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What Mark Dever Gets Right and Wrong about Paedobaptists
A friend sent me a link to this clip, which is making the rounds. I know next to nothing about Mark Dever, but I do want to give a quick threefold response to his claims about baptism. First, Dever claims that paedobaptism and baptismal regeneration have historically gone together. On that point, he is exactly right.…
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God Wants His Rainbow Back (Baptism Exhortation)
The D family is a covenant household and so today they bring R for covenant baptism. We have probably seen more rainbows this month than we care to. Why? Because the symbol of the rainbow has been hijacked. God gave the rainbow as a sign of his promise but man has turned it into a…
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Baptismal Exhortation: Baptism as Divine Gift
The Bible makes astounding claims for baptism. For example: In Acts 2, Peter says baptism is for the forgiveness of sins. In Titus 3, Paul calls baptism the washing of regeneration. In Romans 6, Paul says we are united to Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection in baptism. In Galatians 3, Paul says in…
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Ephesians 4:5 and the Unity of the Church
Paul’s formula for unity in Ephesians 4:5 is helpful because of its balance: there is one faith, one Lord, one baptism (+ one Eucharist) — that is to say, there is the content of the faith, the way it is lived out under Christ’s lordship, and the sacramental boundaries drawn around the church. All three…
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Baptismal Exhortation: Another Link in the Chain
Infant baptism is a sign of God’s multi-generational faithfulness. God’s covenants always include the next generation. We Presbyterians call this “covenant succession.” The promise God makes to believing parents is, “I will be your God and the God of your children.” The hope, based on this promise, is that the faith will be passed on…
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Maundy Thursday Leftovers: The Footwashing God
Here some belated notes to go with this year’s Maundy Thursday sermon: Here is a note from our bulletin that explains the service: Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus in the upper room with His disciples just before he was betrayed. On this special night, we remember how Jesus transformed the Passover meal into…
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