Ascending Mt. Zion
For the upcoming Lord’s Day May 25th, 2025
Core Values: Being Gospel-Centered – Part 3
Today, in Core Values: Being Gospel-Centered Part 3, we continue exploring what SPCC means by the phrase. Read Part 1 and Part 2 if you’d like, before going further.
Our First Core Value: Gospel-Centered
We believe Jesus Christ is the central purpose of all Scripture, Christian discipleship, and the substance of both the Old & New Covenants. As a Church, we seek to teach the Scriptures as the whole counsel of God. The method of teaching we use in our public worship, in general, is expositional preaching with the Gospel as the lens.
What Is the Gospel?
Two weeks ago, we asked:
“What is the Gospel?”
The Gospel is the Incarnation, Perfect Life, Death and Burial, Resurrection, Ascension and Enthronement, Outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, King of Heaven and Earth.
Jesus Christ is the Gospel.
Jesus Is the Substance of Both Covenants
Last week, we asked:
“Is Jesus Christ the substance of both the Old and the New Covenants?”
The answer was a resounding “Yes!” Paul says in Ephesians 2:
“Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.”
So then you are no longer strangers (to the covenants of promise) and aliens (from the commonwealth of Israel), but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord (Ephesians 2:12, 19–21).
God Made the Promises to Christ, Which is Why They are “Yes in Him.”
In Genesis 3:15, God made a singular promise—to send a Son of Adam to destroy the Serpent’s power. God made all the other promises to “the son.” Paul stresses that point in Galatians 3:16:
“Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, ‘And to offsprings,’ referring to many, but referring to one, ‘And to your offspring,’ who is Christ.”
God promised to send us a Savior and then promised Him everything else. When we receive Him, we receive a Savior, and we become co-inheritors with Him because the promises—the inheritance—is His. We are unified with Him in the Holy Spirit.
That is how:
“All the promises of God find their Yes in Him.”
As Paul goes on to say:
“That is why it is through Him that we utter our Amen to God for His glory” (2 Corinthians 1:20).
Application: Being Gospel-Centered
How Does the Congregation Apply the First Core Value: Being Gospel-Centered?
We reflect it in our worship, focusing on the Word of God and the Sacraments. Today, let’s briefly talk about being Gospel-Centered in our approach to “the Word of God.”
The Gospel Is the Lens
The Word of God is not a book of strong suggestions. It is a book of commands and principles. God divinely inspired, breathed out, guaranteed the inerrancy of, and made the Word all-sufficient. In it, we find everything we need for Life and Faith.
However, teachers and preachers must deliver it through a Gospel lens to handle it rightly.
That is why seeing Jesus as the substance of both covenants is essential. If Christians don’t, they will drastically misinterpret the Old Testament and develop a deformed understanding of the New.
You Cannot Get the Gospel Foundation Wrong
“The Old is in the New revealed, and the New is in the Old concealed.” — Augustine
The Old Testament is the foundation of the New.
I once framed a house for a contractor on a foundation that was eleven inches out of square. I tried to warn him that the roof line would be “cattywampus,” as they say. He didn’t listen.
God Builds Square Buildings
Occasionally, when I’m in the area, I still drive by and chuckle at the roof line dipping left to right about seven inches. Looks more like a carnival funhouse.
What is my point? If you get the foundation wrong, everything will be wrong. Your theology will not have any right angles.
Imagine a bedroom in the shape of the state of Tennessee. That’s what you are building on if Jesus is not the foundation of the Old Testament. You’ll never get a square building.
“New Jerusalem lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal” (Revelation 21:15).
We Preach Jesus and Him Crucified
When we preach—whether from the Old or New Testaments—we preach Jesus and Him crucified.
The method we use is Expositional Preaching:
Verse by verse, line by line, book by book.
As we plod through the Scriptures, we keep two things before us:
Christ and context.
The purpose of all God’s revelation is Jesus Christ. Discovering Christ on every page of Scripture requires that we keep the context of each passage in mind.
Scripture without context is a pretext to say whatever you want. It is a door for preaching in the flesh.
We Preach Verse By Verse
Expositional preaching does not allow skipping the difficult parts. If you teach Deuteronomy, you must make sense of all of it.
God calls His man to be studious and brave, because he must encourage, admonish, and rebuke God’s people. God plows up and tears down Christians so He can rebuild them.
“For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: ‘Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the Lord; remove the foreskin of your hearts’” (Jeremiah 4:3–4a).
“Come, let us return to the Lord; for He has torn us, that He may heal us; He has struck us down, and He will bind us up” (Hosea 6:1).
Conclusion
Being Gospel-Centered means preaching and teaching the whole counsel of God by looking for Jesus Christ on every page and keeping each passage in context.
Why?
So we can discover Him, receive all His benefits, and learn how to please Him in all we do.
Coming Next…
Next week, in Being Gospel-Centered Part 4, we will discuss:
“How we handle Discipleship Topics, if the Lord’s Day worship services are dedicated to expositional preaching?”
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord!
Thanks For Stopping By
If you are not a member at SPCC, thanks for reading “Core Value: Being Gospel-Centered Part 3” What comes after this section may not mean much to you. However, I always write a little piece at the front of this missive on Wednesdays so don’t be shy, go ahead and SUBSCRIBE.
Sermon
This week Pastor Jeremy will be in Acts 23:12-22
Memory & Meditation
Memory & Meditation Verses for this Prayer Book are 1 Corinthians 15:35-49.
SPCC Prayer Book: Celebrating the Resurrection
M & M Verses for the Lord’s Day May 4th, 2025
“So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).”
Current M & M Essay Series: Putting On Immortality Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
Previous M & M Essay Series
Forsaken For Us All Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 based on Psalm 22:1-15
Christ, His Church, & Marriage Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 based on Ephesians 5:22-33.
Catechism Questions
Westminster Shorter Catechism: Questions 16-20
Remember that you can present Questions 11-15, our WSC Catechism Questions from last month, to any member of the Consistory during lunch starting this week.
Lord’s Day Meal
Yes sirs and mams
Psalms & Hymns of Worship
Psalm 65:9-13 Tune: St Stephen Hymn- Jesus Lover of My Soul (Indelible Grace)
Psalm 64:1-4 Tune: St Peter Hymn- Praise My Soul The King Of Heaven
No Midweek Worship
Consistory Meeting Wednesday 05.21.25 @ 7:45 after the Opus Dei via Zoom. All the brothers are invited to attend the first half of the meeting. We are reading “Life Together” by Deitrich Bonhoeffer. Purchase a Copy
Also, to supplement our training, for April-May we read The Sum of Saving Knowledge, a short commentary produced by the Scottish Church that was printed with the Confession for three hundred years.
Join Us for Worship
Finally, come and worship with us on the Lord’s Day. We also meet on three Wednesday evenings a month for Catechism Lesson & Prayer. Another Visit our Homepage or What We Believe for more information. Find us on Google Maps or watch our sermons on Youtube.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord!
Pastor Jeremy
“The Creation is quite like a spacious and splendid house, provided and filled with the most exquisite, and at the same time, the most abundant furnishings. Everything in it tells of God.” – John Calvin
Discover more from Solomon's Porch Christian Community
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.