Scott McDermand II is pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Bad Axe, Michigan. He graduated from San Diego State University (B.A., History) and earned masters degrees at Westminster Seminary California (M.A., Historical Theology; M.Div). He serves on the board of directors of the Heidelberg Reformation Association as secretary. He has a passion for preaching and teaching the Word of God, Biblical theology, Church History, and enjoying fellowship with the people of First Presbyterian Church, Bad Axe, MI. In his free time, he enjoys baseball, reading, classical music, eating whatever his wife cooks for him, and walking their two dogs.
In the first part of our exposition of Psalm 50, we considered what proper, or correct worship is—that is, worship offered according to the Word of God (Regulative Principle of Worship) and given with all of the heart, mind, soul, and strength. . . . Continue reading →
Imagine preparing for worship on the Lord’s Day, the most important day of the week—you get to church, find your seat, and you prepare yourself for divine worship. As the worship service begins, you listen to the call to worship and the . . . Continue reading →
Last time, we looked at verses 1–4, where David seeks refuge in God. In this final part, we will see how David proclaims his trust in the Lord in the remainder of this psalm. David Puts His Trust in God (vv. 5–8) . . . Continue reading →
In one of the most famous scenes in the Gospel according to Luke, after the Lord Jesus Christ defeated death he appeared to some of his disciples on the road to Emmaus. The despondent followers of the crucified Messiah were walking along . . . Continue reading →
The English Reformed theologian William Perkins (1558–1602), is perhaps the most prominent and influential of all English-speaking divines. As preacher and lecturer at Great St. Andrews and Christ’s College, Cambridge, he “influenced a generation of young students including Richard Sibbes, John Cotton, . . . Continue reading →
Resurrection & Sanctification All those who are justified, will also be sanctified. What is Sanctification? “Sanctification is the work of God’s free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more . . . Continue reading →
The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is a supernatural historical event that is well attested in the Biblical data. Furthermore, the resurrection of Christ is central to the biblical story of God redeeming his people, and thus, it is an . . . Continue reading →
Most of us know that we should pray more often. We do not need a book to tell us this. We only need to consider our own daily prayers to see our failures. If we already know this, then why bother reading . . . Continue reading →
As we meditate on these truths and thus come to a greater understanding of what our Lord Jesus went through on our behalf, hopefully, this adds depth to our appreciation of him and his suffering for us. And so, this week, as we hear of his final Passover, his prayers in Gethsemane, his midnight trial, his disciples scattered, his discussion with Pilate, his death sentence, his torment on the way to the cross, his agony on the cross, his final words, his being pierced through by the spear, and his burial in the tomb, it is my prayer that we will not only see these as events that truly did occur in history but that they would have a profound influence on our lives. Continue reading →
On the night wherein he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus, knowing that he would soon be arrested and crucified, went to the Garden of Gethsemane, fell on his face in great agony, with sweat coming down his head like great drops of . . . Continue reading →
Scripture clearly teaches that Christ’s active obedience is imputed to sinners. It can also, however, be found all throughout Reformed theology in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, particularly in the Reformed confessions and catechisms. Continue reading →
Many of us have family, friends, or co-workers who show up to events with ash on their foreheads or announce the fact that they are fasting and cannot eat certain foods on certain days. Is that what this time of the year is all about? Letting people know that you are fasting? Showing up to work or social events with ash on your forehead? What should Reformed Christians be doing at this time of the year? Continue reading →
In each of his four main arguments, Gillespie stayed true to the Rule of Worship. He steadfastly contended against the Anglican bishops by asserting the authority of God’s Word in binding the conscience of the Christian in the worship of God. This was the same defense employed by the Reformers before him and it is the same doctrine which Reformed Christians find in their confessions and catechisms in the present day. Continue reading →
During the Protestant Reformation of the 16th and 17th centuries, one of the doctrines in which the Reformers saw a particular need for reforming was the doctrine of worship. In his 1543 treatise The Necessity of Reforming the Church, John Calvin (1509–64) wrote, . . . Continue reading →
If a survey were to be taken of Christians in America, a vast majority would probably never have heard of the French Reformer, Theodore Beza (1519–1605). For those actually familiar with him, they would likely fall into one of three camps. For . . . Continue reading →
From the author of The Lost Soul of American Protestantism and From Billy Graham to Sarah Palin: Evangelicals and the Betrayal American Conservatism, comes Benjamin Franklin: Cultural Protestant. Part of Oxford’s “Spiritual Lives” series, the host of the Paleo Protestant Pudcast (podcast) . . . Continue reading →
Geerhardus Vos: Reformed biblical theologian, academic, churchman, son, husband, father, professor, colleague, poet, Christian. Danny Olinger’s biography Geerhardus Vos: Reformed Biblical Theologian, Confessional Presbyterian is a recommended read for pastors, students, and lay people. For pastors, particularly of the Reformed persuasion, this . . . Continue reading →
The purpose of the incarnation was so the Son of God would participate in the same things (flesh and blood) as we who have fallen into sin through the wiles of the devil, in order, that becoming like us, he would pull . . . Continue reading →
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’ (Mark 1:14, 15) If the ministry of our . . . Continue reading →
The past two-and-a-half years of COVID-19 fears, restrictions, and dissensions have led to strenuous circumstances for many professions and vocations. The callings of pastors and ministers have been no exception. It has been especially difficult for sessions, consistories, diaconates, and congregations in . . . Continue reading →