Sermons on the Heidelberg Catechism
The Heidelberg Catechism takes its name from the City of Heidelberg, Germany, where it was written in the 16th century. During that time, the German province, or palatinate, was ruled by Elector Palatine, Frederick III. A pious leader, Frederick sought to promote unity in Protestant doctrine and strengthen the Reformed faith within his realm. To that end, he commissioned Zacharias Ursinus and Caspar Olevianus to draft a catechism designed both to instruct the youth and to guide pastors and teachers. The Catechism was officially published in 1563, after receiving the approval of the Heidelberg Synod. One of the Catechism’s most distinguishing features is its warm and heartfelt expression of Reformed theology. It contains a personal and spiritual depth. Because of its comforting and devotional tongue, it has often been affectionately called “The book of comfort for God’s people.” The sermons that follow, preached by Rev. Bartel Elshout, to his final congregation in Kalamazoo, Michigan, reflect the same spirit of comfort and instruction. It is our hope that these sermons will be a blessing to you.
Lessons
Lesson 6: Sermon #6 “The Doctrine of Hell”
Lesson 9: Sermon #9 “True Saving Faith”
Lesson 11: Sermon #11 ”Faith in God the Father”
Lesson 12: Sermon #12 “The Providence of God”
Lesson 14: Sermon #14 “Jesus, the Savior of Sinners”
Lesson 15: Sermon #15 “Faith in Christ”
Lesson 18: Sermon #18 “The Lordship of Jesus Christ”
Lesson 24: Sermon #24 “Faith in the Exalted Christ”
Lesson 25: Sermon #25 “The Second Coming of Christ”
Lesson 26: Sermon #26 “Faith in God the Holy Spirit”
Lesson 29: Sermon #29 “The Future of the Christian”
Lesson 30: Sermon #30 “Justifying Faith”
Lesson 31: Sermon #31 “The Believer and Good Works”
Lesson 32: Sermon #32 “Faith and the Sacraments”
Lesson 34: Sermon #34 “The Water of Holy Baptism”
Lesson 35: Sermon #35 “The Baptism of Infants”
Lesson 37: Sermon #37 “The Value of the Lord’s Supper”
Lesson 40: Sermon #40 “The Good Works of the Christian”
Lesson 41: Sermon #41 “The True Conversion of Man”
Lesson 42: Sermon #42 “The Transcript of God’s Mind”
Lesson 43: Sermon #43 “The Holy Law of God”
Lesson 44: Sermon #44 “The Second Commandment”
Lesson 51: Sermon #51 "The Sixth Commandment"
Lesson 54: Sermon #54 "The Ninth Commandment"
Lesson 62: Sermon #62 "Readiness to Forgive"
| Lesson Number | Title | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sermon #1 “The Christian’s Only Comfort in Life and Death” | Lord’s Day 1 — Question and Answer #1 In this first sermon in the series, the Rev. Bartel Elshout introduces us not only to the first Question and Answer in the Heidelberg Catechism, but he helps... |
| 2 | Sermon #2 “The Pattern of Christian Experience” | Lord’s Day 1 — Question and Answer #2 This sermon delves into the historical background of the Heidelberg Catechism, that we might personally connect with basic Christian doctrine in all ages. Come... |
| 3 | Sermon #3 “The Law of God and Our Misery” | Lord’s Day 2 — Questions #3, #4, and #5 Thanks be to God there is a remedy for the terminal disease of sin. In this sermon we see how the next Questions of the Heidelberg Catechism echo the Word of... |
| 4 | Sermon #4 “The Total (Radical) Depravity of Man” | Lord’s Day 3 — Questions #6, #7, and #8 The Bible’s assessment of our true spiritual condition says that we are full of sin, a disease from which we will all die, and our case is hopeless. By... |
| 5 | Sermon #5 “Man’s Sinnership in Light of God’s Justice” | Lord’s Day 4 — Questions #9, #10, and #11 In the previous sermons, we heard much about our sin and misery in this fallen world, and now, in this sermon we are confronted with how God sees our... |
| 6 | Sermon #6 “The Doctrine of Hell” | Lord’s Day 4 — Question #11 The first sermon on Lord’s Day 4 revealed much to us about God’s just wrath in response to our rebellion and sin against Him. And now, Rev. Elshout shows us how the... |
| 7 | Sermon #7 “Perfect Satisfaction: a Requirement for Deliverance” | Lord’s Day 5 — Questions #12, #13, #14, and #15 As the Catechism echoes God’s Word, we’ve learned many sad truths about our condition as fallen sinners, and in the last sermon, we turned our... |
| 8 | Sermon #8 “One Mediator Between God and Man” | Lord’s Day 6 — Questions #16, #17, #18, and #19 The last Lord’s Day informed us that there is one who can deliver sinners from sin and death, and the wrath of God for eternity, and now this sermon... |
| 9 | Sermon #9 “True Saving Faith” | Lord’s Day 7 — Questions #20, #21, #22, and #23 What a joy it is to know that there is deliverance and salvation available to us by faith in Jesus Christ! In this sermon on Lord’s Day 7, Rev.... |
| 10 | Sermon #10 “The God of Salvation—A Triune God” | Lord’s Day 8 — Question #24 and #25 In past sermons we have learned about our sin, our great need for a Mediator to save us, and how God has provided such a Savior in the Lord Jesus Christ. Then in... |
| 11 | Sermon #11 ”Faith in God the Father” | Lord’s Day 9 — Question #26 In the previous sermon gave us a broad view of the Triune God, made up of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. But now the Catechism exposits the opening article of... |
| 12 | Sermon #12 “The Providence of God” | Lord’s Day 10 — Questions #27 and #28 We marvel at how God has created this entire universe, and sustains all things, but do we ever think about the Providence of God in bringing all things to pass... |
| 13 | Sermon #13 “The Rich Benefits Derived from Believing in God’s Providence” | Lord’s Day 10 — Questions #27 and #28 Now looking at the second part of Lord’s Day #10, this sermon opens the door to the rich benefits available for those who believe in God’s Providence. The... |
| 14 | Sermon #14 “Jesus, the Savior of Sinners” | Lord’s Day 11 — Questions #29 and #30 The Heidelberg Catechism now begins to address what the Apostles’ Creed confesses about God the Son. Rev. Elshout exposits the Catechism from the Word of God,... |
| 15 | Sermon #15 “Faith in Christ” | Lord’s Day 12 — Questions #31 and #32 As the Catechism continues looking at the names of the Son of God, this sermon delves into his name as “Christ,” the meaning and the ways it is used, revealing... |
| 16 | Sermon #16 “The Identity of the True Christian” | Lord’s Day 12 — Questions #31 and #32 This sermon addresses more aspects of what it means to believe in Christ, what it means to be a Christian, and reveals how our beliefs should affect our daily... |
| 17 | Sermon #17 “The Unique Identity of Jesus Christ” | Lord’s Day 13 — Questions #33 and #34 There is only one Savior of sinners, only one Son of God, only one Lord Jesus Christ, and this sermon is all about Him—His righteousness, His goodness His... |
| 18 | Sermon #18 “The Lordship of Jesus Christ” | Lord’s Day 13 — Questions #33 and #34 The previous sermons focused on the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, as the Catechism is expounds the Apostles’ Creed. And in this sermon, Rev. Elshout... |
| 19 | Sermon #19 “The Incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ” | Lord’s Day 14 — Questions #35 and #36 This sermon delves into the nature, purpose and profit derived from the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ. He came to dwell among us, to be one of us, but... |
| 20 | Sermon #20 “Faith in the Suffering Son of God” | Lord’s Day 15 — Questions #37, #38, and #39 Following the pattern set in the Heidelberg Catechism, we have focused on the identity of Christ, the identity of the Savior, considering him as Lord,... |
| 21 | Sermon #21 “Christ—A Savior Who Has Paid the Wages of Sin in Full” | Lord’s Day 16 — Questions #40, #41, #42, #43, and #44 The last step of Christ’s humiliation includes his death, his burial, and his descent into hell. Why was his suffering of these horrors so... |
| 22 | Sermon #22 “The Threefold Benefits of the Resurrection of Christ” | Lord’s Day 17 — Question #45 The Heidelberg Catechism begins to focus now on the steps of Christ’s exaltation, and this sermon lifts us up to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. It shines light on... |
| 23 | Sermon #23 “The Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ” | Lord’s Day 18 — Questions #46, #47, #48, and #49 As the Catechism continues to echo the Word of God about the steps of Christ’s exaltation, this sermon brings us to the heights of Christ’s... |
| 24 | Sermon #24 “Faith in the Exalted Christ” | Lord’s Day 19 — Questions #50, #51, and #52 Every step Christ took, in his humiliation and in his exaltation, he took on behalf of his children. When he arose from the grave, we rose; when he... |
| 25 | Sermon #25 “The Second Coming of Christ” | Lord’s Day 19 — Question #52 The very last part of the last step of Christ’s exaltation is unfolded before us in this sermon, expositing the Heidelberg Catechism as it echoes the Word of God, with... |
| 26 | Sermon #26 “Faith in God the Holy Spirit” | Lord’s Day 20—Question and Answer #53 Each Person in the Trinity has a unique role. In previous sermons we focused on God the Father and creation, God the Son and our redemption. Now we enter into... |
| 27 | Sermon #27 “The Holy Catholic (Universal) Church of Christ” | Lord’s Day 21, part 1—Questions #54, #55, and #56 Why is there a church in this world? Why does there continue to be a church in this world? Where does all of this originate? Who are the members of... |
| 28 | Sermon #28 “The Church’s Confession Regarding the Forgiveness of Sins” | Lord’s Day 21, part 2—Question and Answer #56 “We believe in the forgiveness of sins” is such an important article in the Apostles’ Creed, and this sermon focuses more on several blessed aspects of... |
| 29 | Sermon #29 “The Future of the Christian” | Lord’s Day 22—Questions and Answers #57 and #58 The question is not whether we will die, but how we die, how we close our eyes, how we face that inescapable moment that will forever seal our... |
| 30 | Sermon #30 “Justifying Faith” | Lord’s Day 23—Questions #59, #60, and #61 This sermon opens up to us the most famous of all the Lord’s Days in the Heidelberg Catechism, which talks about faith that justifies, faith by which one... |
| 31 | Sermon #31 “The Believer and Good Works” | Lord’s Day 24—Questions #61, #63, and #64 In the last sermon, we learned how a man can become righteous before God, and now the Heidelberg Catechism reaffirms that from a negative perspective, so... |
| 32 | Sermon #32 “Faith and the Sacraments” | Lord’s Day 25—Questions #65, #66, #67, and #68 Rev. Elshout, in this sermon, addresses the vital connection between faith and the sacraments or the means of grace. The Holy Spirit works faith... |
| 33 | Sermon #33 “Holy Baptism and the Promise of the Gospel” | Lord’s Day 26—Questions #69, #70, and #71 Now that we’ve heard about the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, we now focus on the other of the two Christian sacraments, Holy Baptism. We’ll see that... |
| 34 | Sermon #34 “The Water of Holy Baptism” | Lord’s Day 27, part 1—Questions and Answers #72 and #73 There is nothing magical about the water of baptism, but it does symbolize the cleansing blood of Christ, and it gives assurance to the... |
| 35 | Sermon #35 “The Baptism of Infants” | Lord’s Day 27, part 2—Question and Answer #74 Following the last sermon explaining the basic truths of baptism, Rev. Elshout presents here, in clear biblical context, a number of important key... |
| 36 | Sermon #36 “The Holy Supper of Our Lord Jesus Christ” | Lord’s Day 28—Questions #75, #76, and #77 This sermon opens precious truths to us about the Lord’s Supper, what it does, its benefits, and the promise it gives, under three main headings: 1. The... |
| 37 | Sermon #37 “The Value of the Lord’s Supper” | Lord’s Day 29—Questions and Answers #78 and #79 We’ve already seen in the last sermon that there is much symbolism in the Lord’s Supper. Now Rev. Elshout carefully exposes some errors about the use... |
| 38 | Sermon #38 “The Observance of the Lord’s Supper” | Lord’s Day 30—Questions #80, #81, and #82 The Bible clearly warns us not to partake of the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner. Rev. Elshout beautifully shows us what the Lord’s Supper is, and what... |
| 39 | Sermon #39 “The Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven” | Lord’s Day 31—Questions and Answers #83, #84, and #85 What are the keys to the kingdom of heaven? How many keys are there? What are they used for? This sermon explains the answers from the Word of... |
| 40 | Sermon #40 “The Good Works of the Christian” | Lord’s Day 32—Questions and Answers #86 and #87 What is more important: misery, deliverance, or gratitude? Beginning the third section of the Heidelberg Catechism, Rev. Elshout reveals to us from... |
| 41 | Sermon #41 “The True Conversion of Man” | Lord’s Day 33—Questions #88, #89, #90, and #91 We know someone is alive by the way they act. To be a Christian means to be united to Christ, to be a living branch of Jesus Christ. In this sermon,... |
| 42 | Sermon #42 “The Transcript of God’s Mind” | An Introductory Sermon to the Law of God The focus of this sermon is on the law of God and on prayer, the two essential components of the Christian life. This study will prepare us to look at the... |
| 43 | Sermon #43 “The Holy Law of God” | Lord’s Day 34—Questions and Answers #92, #93, #94, and #95 God created mankind to live within the context of His law, and true freedom is found in obeying that law. This first sermon in this series... |
| 44 | Sermon #44 “The Second Commandment” | Lord’s Day 35, part 1—Questions and Answers #96 and #97 This sermon shows us what is required in the Second Commandment, and what is forbidden. We’ll learn what it means to embrace a vile... |
| 45 | Sermon #45 “The Preaching of God’s Word, and Graven Images” | Lord’s Day 35, part 2—Questions and Answers #96, #97, and #98 Let’s take a closer look now at idolatry and how dangerous it is. Let’s get a better definition of what means to invent an image from... |
| 46 | Sermon #46 "God's Commandment Concerning His Name" | Lord’s Day 36—Questions and Answers #99 and #100. The theme of God’s name is very prominent throughout the Bible. Why is that and why is God’s name so important? In this sermon, we will learn what... |
| 47 | Sermon #47 "God's Name and the Oath" | Lord’s Day 37—Questions and Answers #101 and #102. In the last sermon, we learned that the swearing of an oath belongs to the Third Commandment. In this sermon, Rev. Elshout will show us from the... |
| 48 | Sermon #48 "The Fourth Commandment, part 1" | Lord’s Day 38, part 1—Question and Answer #103. The first full day of Adam’s and Eve’s life was the Sabbath Day, the first day of rest. They began their life with a day of worship, on the seventh... |
| 49 | Sermon #49 "The Fourth Commandment, part 2" | Lord’s Day 38, part 2—Question and Answer #103. The Lord’s Day is a day of rest and a day we can visit with our families. But this sermon helps us to see that it is not a family day. The Lord’s Day... |
| 50 | Sermon #50 "The Threefold Requirement of the 5th Commandment" | Lord’s Day 39—Question and Answer #104. What does God require of us in Fifth Commandment? Why does it also include a promise for keeping it, “That it shall go well with thee in the land which the... |
| 51 | Sermon #51 "The Sixth Commandment" | Lord’s Day 40—Questions and Answers #105, #106, and #107. In this sermon, we will see the different aspects of the Fifth Commandment, and that the breaking of it is very offensive to God. But the... |
| 52 | Sermon #52 "The Seventh Commandment and Marriage" | Lord’s Day 41—Questions and Answers #108 and #109. God gave the Seventh Commandment in order to protect the institution of marriage, which he gave to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. Because of... |
| 53 | Sermon #53 "The Eighth Commandment" | Lord’s Day 42—Questions and Answers #110 and #111. It is out of gratitude that the Christian orders his life according to God’s law. That includes the Eighth Commandment, which deals with the... |
| 54 | Sermon #54 "The Ninth Commandment" | Lord’s Day 43—Question and Answer #112. How important is it to be truthful? The Ninth Commandment deals with the issue of truth, and the Catechism focuses on the vast context of this commandment,... |
| 55 | Sermon #55 "Final Observations about the Law of God" | Lord’s Day 44—Questions and Answers #113, #114, and #115. In this sermon, we will examine the Tenth Commandment, and consider the importance of keeping the law of God, and the valuable role of the... |
| 56 | Sermon #56 "The Prayer of the Christian" | Lord’s Day 45—Questions #116, #117, #118, and #119. As we consider prayer in the Heidelberg Catechism, this sermon serves to introduce us to the Lord’s Prayer. We will learn the necessity of... |
| 57 | Sermon #57 "Address of the Lord's Prayer" | Lord’s Day 46—Questions and Answers #120 and #121. This sermon considers the preamble to the Lord’s Prayer, which is the prayer that Christ gave to his disciples. First he taught them how to... |
| 58 | Sermon #58 "Hallowing of God's "Father" Name" | Lord’s Day 47—Question and Answer #122. After Christ taught His disciples how to address God in prayer, he began with the first of six petitions, “Hallowed be Thy name.” In this sermon, we’ll how... |
| 59 | Sermon #59 "The Second Petition of the Lord's Prayer" | Lord’s Day 48—Question and Answer #123. In this sermon, we will begin to see why Christ instructed us in the Lord’s Prayer to pray not only for the hallowing of God’s name, but to pray for the... |
| 60 | Sermon #60 "The Third Petition of the Lord's Prayer" | Lord’s Day 49—Question and Answer #124. In the third petition of the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy will be done,” we are called upon to be a people who endeavor to promote the coming of God’s kingdom. This... |
| 61 | Sermon #61 "The Christian's Petition for Daily Bread" | Lord’s Day 50—Question and Answer #125. The Heidelberg Catechism beautifully emphasizes and highlights for us that praying this fourth petition, “Give us this day our daily bread,” is very... |
| 62 | Sermon #62 "Readiness to Forgive" | Lord’s Day 51—Question and Answer #126. Considering the fifth petition to the Lord’s Prayer, we learn in this sermon that it focuses on God’s forgiveness of his children, and we see that the... |
| 63 | Sermon #63 "The Last Petition of the Lord's Prayer" | Lord’s Day 52—Questions and Answers #127, #128, and #129. For this final petition of the Lord’s Prayer, this sermon will consider the petition itself, and the worship that is attached to it, as... |