God deserves to be praised, honored, and glorified, but more often than not you and I give Him less than our best. 

Which was happening in Malachi’s day. The people were active in worship, but they were merely going through the motions because their hearts were far from the Lord. 

And that’s exactly what the Lord is chastising Israel for—they’re going to the Temple, they’re participating in Old Testament worship, but they weren’t giving the Lord their best because their hearts were far from Him.

God’s love is not a fragile or conditional love, but a committed, covenant-keeping love rooted in God’s own character. Even when Israel struggled to see it, even when their situation made it feel distant, God’s love had not diminished. He had bound Himself to them in love. And that means His love was not temporary or uncertain, but enduring, faithful, and secure in every season.

“Remember how he told you…”

You see, the Lord Jesus has already told us—and accomplished—everything we need. He lived the perfect life, bore our sins on the cross, and rose three days later just as He said. And so the question before us isn’t really whether or not you know this. Most of you likely do. The question is whether you remember it—whether it’s something you regularly reflect on, hold dear, and truly trust in.

Because it’s possible to know these truths in your mind and yet live as though they don’t matter.

According to God’s Word that’s forgetfulness. That’s the warning of Psalm 78. That’s also what we see here in Luke 24. 

Careers will come and go. Possessions will fade. Achievements will eventually be forgotten. But a life that points your family to the Lord has eternal significance. When you tell your children and grandchildren about who God is and what He has done, you are investing in something that will outlast you. You are shaping not just their present lives, but their eternal future—and there is no greater legacy than that.

A healthy society is not built merely through legislation, a healthy society is built in the home. A peaceful, happy society begins with honoring your father and mother. The crack that will ultimately break down your family and break down our society is when dishonor and disrespect are normalized in the home.

When husbands and wives begin to shape their marriage according to God’s design, it brings clarity, stability, and a deeper sense of purpose to their relationship.  

Which is why Ephesians 5 is so significant. It’s more than just an analogy of Christ and His church for marriage. It provides all Christians, regardless of whether you’re married or not, with principles and guidelines for a happy, healthy, marriage.

Like one of Robert Frost’s most famous poems, “The Road Not Taken,” Psalm 1 describes two paths. But unlike Frost’s poem, the Psalmist tells you exactly where the paths will take you. From the very beginning the Psalmist tells us that one path is for the blessed and the other path is for the wicked.

This past Sunday, Providence Presbyterian Church was blessed to have Rev. Taylor King from Woodruff Road Presbyterian Church in Simpsonville, SC fill the pulpit.

This past Sunday, Providence Presbyterian Church was blessed to have Rev. Andrew Newman from Fellowship Presbyterian Church in Greer, SC fill the pulpit.

This past Sunday, Providence Presbyterian Church was blessed to have Rev. Aaron Roberts from Covenant Presbyterian Church in Harrisonburg fill the pulpit.

This past Sunday, Providence Presbyterian Church was blessed to have Rev. Richard Brueck fill the pulpit. Rev. Brueck is leading the church planting effort in Bedford, VA.

We, the church, have to acknowledge our complicity in the abortion industry. Somehow, people think that their only option is to walk out of the church and straight into the abortion clinic. We’re doing something wrong. 

The question of “what the church is doing wrong” admittedly has many answers, but one that consistently stands out to me is that the church is unwilling to confront idols. 

Which, in many ways, was exactly what we just read from Exodus 32: Aaron, Moses’ own brother, the first high priest, the man responsible for leading worship in Israel, passively went along with their idol worship and then sought to blend it with the worship of the One True God.

Paul wants the Philippians to understand that their generous financial support was just incredibly helpful for him, it was going to be beneficial for them as well. In fact, Paul shares three reasons they, and by extension us, should be financially generous. First, you and I should understand that generosity supports the mission of the church (vv. 14-15). Second, generosity produces spiritual growth (vv. 16-17). And lastly, generosity requires you and I to rest in God’s sufficiency (vv. 18-23).

Our passage this morning is probably a familiar one to most of you. Especially verse 13: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” It’s been co-opted into a bumper-sticker inspirational slogan, but what we often fail to recognize is that it’s not a mantra, or inspirational quote. Rather Philippians 4:13 comes in the context of something that is rarely talked about today: contentment.

David doesn’t speak negatively about worship as is so common today, in fact, everything David says is overwhelmingly positive. David teaches us that we shouldn’t just tolerate worship, rather we should long for it. 

But the birth of Jesus was different, because his birth wasn’t great news for just some people. His birth wasn’t just exciting for Mary and Joseph’s family. It was great news for all people. The entire world was going to change because of the birth of Jesus Christ. And so, when we think about this particular passage we have to ask ourselves several questions: first, why was it great news? Second, who would the great news affect? And lastly, how should we respond to this great news? 

Distraction dulls our sense of need. It convinces us that everything is fine when it isn’t, that we are well when we are actually sick. And that’s precisely why reflecting on the advent of Jesus Christ is so significant. Christmas is not merely about comfort or nostalgia; it is about light breaking into darkness. 

It is about Jesus shining His light into our distracted, shadowed hearts—calling us to repentance and leading us into true and lasting peace.

You’d expect Mary to be consumed by the fact that God has assigned her to birth and raise the Messiah, which would have been one of the most humbling tasks ever. No doubt, Mary understands that, but it’s not the thing that has captured her heart and mind. What captured Mary’s heart and mind was God’s goodness and faithfulness. 

Sin always begins in the heart long before it ever becomes visible in the life.

Most of us know that already. But what we often forget is the obvious implication: the primary battlefield of the Christian life is not your external behavior—it is the hidden places of your heart and mind. What fills your thoughts will eventually shape your words, your habits, and your character. What you meditate on today will become the kind of person you are a year from now.

That is precisely why Paul, in Philippians 4, doesn’t begin with techniques, programs, or quick fixes. He goes straight to the inner life of the believer.

And of course, not all conflicts and disagreements are created equal. Within the church, you have to distinguish big theological controversies that may be worth breaking fellowship over from the small, petty, insignificant disagreements. There are some sins that are so serious that Paul tells the church to purge the evil from your midst. And then there are situations where Paul tells two people to, “agree in the Lord.”