Cornerstone Reformed Church

About Cornerstone Reformed Church

Preaching, teaching, conversations, and other resources from Cornerstone...

Publisher

Cornerstone Reformed Church

Category

religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

14 Jan 2024

Latest episode

19 Jul 2026

Latest episodes

84 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   19 Jul 2026

   The Point Of It All – Romans 10:1-4

   Introduction One of my favorite preachers from church history is the Scotsmen, Robert Murray M’Cheyne. He died before he reached thirty years old, yet his influence on the church has endured for nearly two centuries. Those who knew him often spoke of his remarkable holiness, but if you had asked M’Cheyne the secret of his life, he wouldn’t have pointed you to himself. He knew his own heart too well for that. You all know his famous quote that I return to again and again, “Learn much of your own heart… and when you have learned all you can, remember you have seen but a few yards into a pit that is unfathomable. Learn much of the Lord Jesus. For every look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ.” Well, I actually think that quote is a great summary of Romans 10:1-4. Israel kept looking at Israel. They looked at their zeal. They looked at their knowledge. They looked at the covenant-privileges they had. They looked at their Law-keeping. They looked at themselves. But Paul says the ultimate point of the Law isn’t to make us look at ourselves, it’s to make us look to Christ. And that’s what I want us to see today. But with that, I want us to see Christ today as well. So with that in mind, look with me at Romans 10:1-4. Context Last week we saw that God’s Word has not failed because God’s purpose has never failed. Through Hosea and Isaiah, Paul showed us that God always intended to save only a faithful remnant from Israel while gathering a countless multitude from among the nations. Israel’s widespread rejection of Christ did not catch God by surprise. Indeed, even the prophets foretold that many within Israel would stumble over God’s chosen Cornerstone, while those who looked to Him by faith would never be put to shame. God’s sovereign plan of redemption has always centered on His beloved Son, and His purpose has always been to fill the earth with His glory by gathering one covenant people from every tribe, tongue, and nation through Jesus Christ. But that raises another important question. If Israel’s unbelief fulfilled God’s sovereign purpose, does that somehow excuse their unbelief? Was Israel merely a helpless victim of God’s decree? Paul answers with another clear no. Having defended God’s sovereign freedom in the first part of Romans 9, as we saw last week in the last part of Romans 9, Paul turned to expose Israel’s responsibility—they stumbled over the Cornerstone that is Christ. And that same idea continues in our passage this week. Israel’s problem was not a lack of zeal, religious privilege, or covenant blessings. Their problem was that they refused to look through all of those gifts to Christ Himself. They sought to establish a righteousness of their own instead of submitting to the righteousness God freely gives through faith in His Son. And in doing so, they remind us that it is possible to possess great religious knowledge, sound doctrine, faithful liturgy, covenant signs, and every outward privilege, yet still miss the very One to whom they all point. Romans 10:1–4 therefore calls every one of us to fix the eyes of our hearts upon Christ alone, for He is the goal of the Law, the fulfillment of God’s covenant promises, and the only righteousness that can save. Romans 10:1-4 Paul beings in verse 1 saying, “Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.” Here Paul’s echoing Romans 9:1-5 where he revealed his heart for his kinsmen according to the flesh… but here he gives us a bit more insight. Earlier he said he’s willing to be cut off, to be condemned for their sake, and here he tells us why. He would be cut off in order for them to be saved. Indeed, his heart’s desire is that they may be saved. Now first notice that this helps us better understand everything that has come before in Romans 9. This tells us that Paul has not merely been discussing God’s sovereignty and man’s covenant responsibility in some abstract way, but in a way that is directly

2. 

   15 Jul 2026

   Jesus Is The Key – Matthew 5:17-20

   Matthew 5:17-20 (ESV) 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

3. 

   12 Jul 2026

   The Cornerstone of God’s Covenant – Romans 9:25-33

   Introduction It was such a joy to get to baptize baby Wyatt today. What a wonderful reminder that God is still gathering a people for Himself. In baptism God places His covenant name upon His people. It is His sign and seal of the covenant, pointing us to His promises of mercy, grace, forgiveness, and every spiritual blessing in Christ. And like every covenant promise, baptism calls us to lay hold of Christ by faith. Most of you know the Estrada’s story to some degree, but for those of you who don’t, it could be summarized with the very words Paul quotes from Hosea in our passage today: once they were not God’s people, but now they are God’s people. Once they had not received mercy, but now they have received mercy. Once Christ was a stumbling stone to them, but now He is their Cornerstone. He is the foundation upon which they are building their lives, so much so that they are now raising their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and presenting them for baptism as members of His covenant people. And that is exactly the reality Paul is unfolding in our passage today. God’s great plan of redemption has always been to gather a people for Himself from every nation through Jesus Christ. But God’s covenant signs, God’s covenant privileges, and even God’s covenant people all point beyond themselves to Christ. Our hope is not in who we are or what we do—not even in baptism. Our hope is in Christ alone. We must look through the Word, through baptism, through the sacraments, and indeed through all of God’s works, and see and savor Jesus. For that is how sinners are saved, how saints are sustained, and how Christ is gathering the nations to Himself. So with that in mind, look with me at Romans 9:25–33. Context Last week we saw that God’s purpose in election is ultimately the praise of His glorious grace. Paul showed us that God has endured vessels of wrath in order to make known the riches of His glory to vessels of mercy whom He prepared beforehand for glory. We considered how God’s wrath is His strange work, while His mercy is what most beautifully reveals His heart. Indeed, God’s sovereign purpose has never been random. Everything He ordains is for His own glory, the good of His people, and the life of His world. And we closed by seeing that this purpose reaches far beyond ethnic Israel. God’s elect are not from the Jews only, but also from the Gentiles. His grand plan has always been to gather a people for Himself from every tribe, tongue, and nation, until the earth is filled with the knowledge of His glory. But that raises an important question. If God’s purpose has always been to save Jews and Gentiles alike, then why do so many Jews reject their own Messiah while so many Gentiles are embracing Him? Has God abandoned Israel? Has His Word somehow failed? Paul has been telling us that the answer is no, and he has been defending that answer by pointing to election. God’s promises have not failed because He has mercy on whom He wills. And He is just and right to do so because He is always just and right. He is the very standard of justice and righteousness. But today Paul is going to show us why God’s Word hasn’t failed from another angle. God’s purpose has always included both a faithful remnant from Israel and the calling of the nations. And so the faithfulness of God’s Word and His covenant promises have ultimately always been for a remnant of the Jews, and a multitude from every nation. And in our passage today Paul proves this not by appealing to new revelation, but by opening the Old Testament itself. Romans 9:25-33 Our passage begins with Paul quoting Hosea. In verses 25-26 we read, “As indeed he says in Hosea, ‘Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’ ’ ‘And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’ ’” Verse 25 is from Hosea 2:23, and verse