Posts by David Hall

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New Life in an Old Prayer?

David Hall
May 6, 2015
Read Mt. 6:9 So having first told his disciples how NOT to pray, Jesus also told them what to do; and now he moves on to give them a model or perfect example for prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. The parallel in Luke 11 reports that the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray (Luke 11:2). His primer is...

The Doctrine of God Affects the Practice of Prayer

David Hall
Apr 22, 2015
Matthew 6:6-8 Think you can live without doctrine? Try that with prayer. Far from being an obstacle to godly living, doctrine helps. Specifically, when we pray we should be clear to WHOM we’re praying. For example, if you think of God as a syrupy and sentimental you might pray that your feelings be...

The Disciple's Prayer Life 101

David Hall
Apr 12, 2015
Read Matthew 6:5-13 The verses in Mt. 6:6-8 show us how Jesus instructed us NOT to pray. He said that we were not to pray seeking fame and admiration from others. He also cautioned us not to pray with vain repetition or saying the same meaningless phrases all the time. He warned us that if we pray...

Fasting Does Not Slow Us Down

David Hall
Mar 23, 2015
Read Mt. 6:16-18 Many Protestants avoid fasting, thinking it to be a vestige of Medieval asceticism that is somehow alien to Reformed piety. The third example in this context concerns fasting that is not pretentious. A third time Jesus begins by denouncing the showy spirituality involved. In v. 16...

Praying that is Not Presumptuous

David Hall
Mar 18, 2015
Read Mt. 6:5-8 The next example from the first Gospel that we’ll consider briefly concerns praying that is not presumptuous. The same principles hold for prayer as for almsgiving. All one needs to do to appreciate Our Lord’s wisdom in these verses is to attend a prayer meeting where the light...

Religion should be Shown-not a Show

David Hall
Mar 11, 2015
Read Mt. 6:1-4 Jesus opposed ostentatious piety. Tell that to your friends and also to yourself. And he was not fooled by the counterfeit. In Matthew 6, he developed these important ideas. Our Lord called for giving that is not ostentatious. The ancient practice of almsgiving (giving offerings) is...

What If We Practiced This?

David Hall
Feb 9, 2015
Some Christians have become so allergic to work or effort that they blanch at the prospect of practice, virtually cursing any kind of effort as a legalistic bogeyman of some sort. However, it’s no mistake that the competitors for this year’s Super Bowl practice—a lot. Imagine a player from the...

Spirituality That is Not Showy

David Hall
Feb 2, 2015
Read Matthew 6:1-8, 16-18 Jesus began his instruction in the Sermon on the Mount by describing the essential elements of Christian character , and then proceeded to indicate by his metaphors of salt and light the influence for good that Christians will exert in the community if they exhibit this...

Cases of the Extraordinary

David Hall
Jan 12, 2015
Jesus’ teaching is not only piercing but it is also crystal clear. In this part of the Sermon on the Mount, he gives four cases that illustrate the main point. 1. If an evil person strikes you on the cheek, don’t resist him, but turn to him the other cheek also. In the face of this insulting and...

Extraordinary Christianity

David Hall
Jan 6, 2015
Read Matthew 5:38-48 In these verses, we consider the last two illustrations in Jesus’ sermon, returning the Law to its original meaning. He is in the process of stripping away the Scribe’s and Pharisee’s oral tradition which had nearly squelched the Law. We’ve already seen examples of how the true...

On The Hermeneutics of Subscription: Part 3

David Hall
Dec 29, 2014
This article is the third part of an article called "On the Hermeneutics of Subscription." Read part 1 and part 2 . Scotland and Ireland Prior to the Adopting Act In the beginning of his treatment of the background of the Adopting Act, Charles Briggs noted that in 1693 the General Assembly of...

On The Hermeneutics of Subscription - Part 2

David Hall
Dec 22, 2014
This article is a continuation of " On the Hermeneutics of Subscription ." England A moderately successful experiment in “presbyterianizing” was carried out in Northampton in 1571, with “prophesyings” (exposition of Scripture apart from liturgy) following from the precedent of 1 Corinthians 14. [1...

If the Good News is Old News, does it become Bad News?

David Hall
Dec 22, 2014
Read: Lk 1:30-34; Is. 7:14; Luke 2:1-7, 10; Gal. 4:4 What if you received the same edition of a newspaper every day for a week? Or for a year? Or what would you call a website that had the same update daily? You would likely stop your subscription, wouldn’t you!? Or if you turned on the morning...

The Gospel Ethic of Speech

David Hall
Dec 21, 2014
Read Mt. 5:33-37 Christians, of all people, should be known as “eminent for fidelity” (Barclay) and that “whatever we say is firmer than an oath.” All of our language must have this character. Wasn’t our Lord’s speech and language like this? Can you think of an instance when his words were not...

On The Hermeneutics of Subscription

David Hall
Dec 15, 2014
Interpretation is a difficult art, nearly as much so with a hermeneutic of history as with a hermeneutic of Scripture. Of course, the former both is governed by more certain principles and also is more rewarding. Still, many of the historic debates in ecclesiastical communions are in no small part...

Speech Perversion and Gospel Truth

David Hall
Dec 10, 2014
Read Matthew 5:33-37 Notice also what is happening in this process in which the Scribes seek to negotiate the value of words with Jesus. They try to buttress their words with authority greater than their own character. The reason for this is because their character was contradictory or deceptive...

The Gospel and Our Speech

David Hall
Nov 24, 2014
Read Matthew 5:33-37 At this stage in our study of the Sermon on the Mount, we are analyzing six illustrations of Jesus’ main principle asserted in Matthew 5:17-20. Remember his principle and posture toward the law: “I have not come to overturn the Law of God, but to fulfill it.” However, he had...

Gospel Living and Divorce

David Hall
Nov 16, 2014
Read Matt. 5:31-32 Jesus’ second example concerns sexual faithfulness within marriage. Before I analyze this let me give two asides about our contemporary situation. Recently, the divorce rate reached its height in our nation. The divorce rate reached nearly 50% some time ago. The percentage of...

Justifying Self and Sex

David Hall
Nov 5, 2014
Matthew 5:27-32 These verses provide an exercise in learning how error functions. I want you to note four things about Jesus’ correction of the Scribes’ interpretation of the law. First , “anyone” refers to both male and female. Jesus intentionally phrases this commandment in gender neutral...

Looking for Loopholes in all the Wrong Places

David Hall
Oct 23, 2014
Read Matthew 5:27-32 In our previous study, we examined Jesus’ first example of how the Pharisees had distorted the Law and how Jesus actually was in harmony with it. This first example was from the 6th Commandment, which negatively states “Thou shalt not murder.” We saw the positive side...

An Internal Litmus

David Hall
Oct 16, 2014
Read Matt. 5:21-22 A litmus test reveals the chemical makeup of something that is normally invisible. Jesus taught that the law of God actually reveals much about our inner life; it is a litmus test of our inner life. A person consumed with hatred or loathing toward another can become a murderer...

The Internal Law About Anger

David Hall
Oct 8, 2014
Matthew 5:21-26 Our Lord states his main principle in the prior verses (Mt. 5:21-22). Then in verses 23-26, he gives two examples in practical life of what he means. In both, he illustrates the inescapably internal nature of the law of God. First let’s understand the principle: Anger and insult...

Jesus' Law About Anger

David Hall
Oct 1, 2014
Read Matthew 5:21-26 Often we will read in the newspaper or see on the TV news about a road-rage killing or some other situation in which anger gets out of control and leads to a homicide. For example, a woman is attacked, her attacker was consumed with anger or lust, and then her husband, as a...

Was Jesus a Law Hater? A Law Corrector?

David Hall
Sep 22, 2014
Read Matt. 5:19-20 There are some who mistakenly think that Christ in this sermon expounds a new and improved moral code. I hope as we review the balance of Matthew 5 to persuade you that he speaks with one voice with the OT revelation. There is a unity of doctrine all throughout Scripture, rooted...

Quality over Quantity

David Hall
Sep 14, 2014
Read Matthew 5:19-20 Thus far our Lord has stated how he is in harmony or continuity with the Old Testament. But in verses 19-20, he describes the Christian’s righteousness as being utterly contradictory or in discontinuity with the Pharisees’ tradition. In these verses Christ teaches that true...

Not the Smallest Letter

David Hall
Sep 7, 2014
Matthew 5:18 Jesus, the Giver of Grace, shows his respect for the eternal and binding authority of the Old Testament when he states that not even in the slightest respect will the Old Testament Law remain unfulfilled. Consider a few details of verse 18. ‘Amen’ means “Seriously!” or “I tell you...

Christ and the Law

David Hall
Sep 1, 2014
Read Matthew 5:17-20 Having established Christ’s love for the Law, we’ll now proceed to consider three main points: 1. Jesus’ relationship to the Old Testament Law was one of continuity. 2. Jesus viewed the Old Testament canon as authoritative and inerrant. 3. Jesus instructs us as to the kind of...

Christ's Love for the Law

David Hall
Aug 21, 2014
Read Matthew 5:17-20 The first verses in this chapter examined the Christian’s character as described by the Beatitudes. Following that, we saw what the influence of Christian would be. In these present verses, we proceed to a different subject—the Christian and the Law. Jesus wanted to make it...

You are the Light of the World

David Hall
Aug 14, 2014
Read Matthew 5:14-16 If you remember Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth…” then you’ll recognize the parallel with this second metaphor. First there is the emphatic affirmation. You (plural, ‘y’all disciples’) yourselves are the light of the world. Christ does not say you may be or will be...

Salt and Light, Not Honey and Shade

David Hall
Aug 4, 2014
Read Matthew 5:13-16 One of the things that is clear from the Beatitudes is that they cannot be practiced in total isolation. Evidently, the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount were not designed primarily for monastic living. You cannot be meek or merciful alone. It is impossible to follow those...

The Imitation of Christ: Incarnating the Beatitudes

David Hall
Jul 21, 2014
Read Matthew 5:7-12 The Beatitudes provide moral virtues for believers. But to avoid moralism, we should also note how each of these was perfectly incarnate in Christ; they each point us to our Savior. #5 . Blessed are the merciful . (5:7) Jesus had so many opportunities to respond with coarseness...

Jesus Fulfills the Beatitudes

David Hall
Jul 13, 2014
Toward the very end of Jesus’ earthly ministry, he enters Jerusalem—knowingly headed to the Lamb’s slaughter. With less than a week of his mortal life remaining, would-be kings or rulers would not have spent their time with the least influential in society. For example, what does a presidential...

Purity and Peacemaking

David Hall
Jun 30, 2014
Read Matthew 5:6-10 God’s benediction rests on you (you’ll have true happiness) if you are pure in heart . This blessing is not bestowed upon the intellectually keen or emotionally pious, but on those pure or clean in heart. Like poor “in spirit” pure is modified in this blessing by “in heart”—thus...

Hunger and Mercy

David Hall
Jun 23, 2014
Read Matthew 5:6-9 One of the keys to the spreading of the gospel is to have believers who make a difference in life—and who live differently. There must be some moral distinctiveness if we are to impact the world around us. Any church with an extraordinary constituency will make a difference...

The Blessings of Mournfulness and Meekness

David Hall
Jun 15, 2014
Read Matthew 5:4-5 The opening theme of the Sermon on the Mount is that those who mourn over their own impoverished ability are in Jesus’ kingdom. The Pharisees do not fit. This was radical—it was like telling all those who thought they were “in” with God that they really were not. And then Jesus...

The Greatest Question Confronting Mankind

David Hall
Jun 8, 2014
Read Matthew 5:3-12 This first sermon in the first Gospel deserves the attention of all readers. In sum, the Sermon on the Mount is the constitution of the Christian’s life, desire, and character. Before we proceed to the Beatitudes, please recall that these are not the way to salvation, but are...

Update on the Insider Movement

David Hall
May 28, 2014
...From Matthew’s Gospel Read Matt. 10:32-33 This just in: the Bible answers the question about how converts in hostile countries are to bear witness to Christ: Publicly. That, at least, is what Jesus said in the first Gospel. Underneath all the missiological mumbo-jumbo and artful dodges—often...

The Best Sermon Ever

David Hall
May 18, 2014
Read Matthew 5:1-6 While only the written Word of God is perfect and free from errors, still God has ordained the preaching of his Word, i. e., the careful explanation of its meaning with application to your lives, as one of the central activities for Christians in all ages and in all countries...

An Introduction to Confessional Subscription

David Hall
May 15, 2014
Richard Webster referred to five widely differing views regarding subscription in the colonial Presbyterian church as: “the Protesters, the excluded, the silent, those who were dissatisfied with both parties, and the absent.” The modern church may find itself in a similar position. The subject of...

Understanding the Appeal of Temptations

David Hall
May 7, 2014
Read Matthew 4:6-11 Let’s conclude our study of temptation by observing how Jesus teaches us to repel temptation. Already we have seen that God’s Spirit allows temptation to occur; we have also seen Satan’s appeal: to use physical power to meet our needs. However, as Jesus’ temptation shows us in...

Temptation and the Gospel, 201

David Hall
Apr 14, 2014
God is gracious in providing a practical manual for dealing with temptation early in the first Gospel. Every believer can benefit from seeing how our Lord dealt with temptation. In this second temptation Satan leads Jesus to Jerusalem, and in some manner sets the Lord up at the pinnacle of the...

Temptation and the Gospel

David Hall
Apr 8, 2014
Read Matthew 4:1-10 Here’s the situation. You are away on a business trip; you are lonely and want some company. And, it is far too easy to locate such company just down the corner. So you go to your room, thinking yourself noble to have resisted temptation. Then you turn on the TV, and the movies...

The Branding of Jesus: Why Jesus Was Baptized

David Hall
Apr 3, 2014
Read Mt 3:11-17 Baptism can be a confusing topic. This symbol, however, is so important that God the Father had God the Son baptized. Thankfully, he also provides clear information on baptism’s import. Baptism is a symbol; it’s a logo of sorts. It is a visible stamp. While I normally shy away from...

Repentance 102

David Hall
Mar 12, 2014
Read Matthew 3:8-12 For Jesus, Repentance was a mainstay in his preaching and ministry. It is a first truth in the first gospel. It has an early place in the scheme of truth. As we continue to explore the vital importance of repentance in the Christian life, we should observe that the word is a...

Repentance 101: A Regular Dose

David Hall
Feb 26, 2014
Read Matthew 3:1-1 Repentance is a medicine that we need in regular dosage. That sounds rather bracing, I know. But think about it. Most of us view repentance as something which is unusual or over-and-done-with at conversion. Repentance is viewed as un common and not the norm for most Christians...

That's Just the Kind of God He Is

David Hall
Feb 19, 2014
Read Mt. 1:22-2:12 Sometimes in conversation, we find ourselves talking about a great person, and after extolling his/her virtue, it is pointed out that this great person has remarkable humility or compassion to supplement his greatness. The compliment will then be added: “That’s just the kind of...

Learning God's Ways from the Forgotten Father

David Hall
Feb 13, 2014
Read Matthew 1:18-25 If you were God and you were sending your Son into the world to save the world . . . into what kind of family would you send your chosen Son? Some might expect God to have selected a dazzling father, perhaps a noteworthy religious or civic leader. You might expect the Messiah...

The Supernatural Origin of Christ

David Hall
Feb 5, 2014
Read Matthew 1:18-25 No dad would believe it. Sure, dads are gullible at times, but if your teenage daughter came to you and said, “I’m carrying a child, and I have not had sexual relations,” you’d be furious. That, however, was the exact predicament of Mary’s father. She was a virgin. The virgin...

Genealogies of Grace: The First Note

David Hall
Jan 27, 2014
Read: Matthew 1:1-17 Most of us race through the Bible like a computer spell check program. When we read the Bible that way—blazing through as quickly as we can, as if a prize were given to the one who finishes first—we can miss critical messages. This remote-control style of Bible reading, in...

Good Medicine for a Church's Health

David Hall
Nov 24, 2013
Although not particularly popular, either in our present secular milieu or in bearing our present ecclesiological amnesia, I continue to believe that having, holding, and requiring a confession is good for us. In short, a confession is good for our health, even if it, at times, requires medicine...