10 episodes

Serving Petaluma, Sonoma County, California and the World Wide Web. This feed broadcasts the latest reformed sermons and Sunday schools from Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Petaluma, CA. Our sermons seek to exposit Scripture, preaching Christ and the cross, and understanding the impact and demand of the Word on our lives.

Reformed Sermons and Sunday Schools at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Petaluma, CA Rev. W. Reid Hankins

    • Religion & Spirituality
    • 5.0 • 3 Ratings

Serving Petaluma, Sonoma County, California and the World Wide Web. This feed broadcasts the latest reformed sermons and Sunday schools from Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Petaluma, CA. Our sermons seek to exposit Scripture, preaching Christ and the cross, and understanding the impact and demand of the Word on our lives.

    El Elohe Israel

    El Elohe Israel

    Sermon preached on Genesis 33 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 03/03/2024 in Petaluma, CA.















    Sermon Manuscript







    Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.







    Today’s passage is part two from last week’s passage. That’s where we saw Jacob on his return journey to Canaan, the Land of Promise. As he got close, he began to prepare to face his brother Esau who he had treated so poorly in the past. Remember, Jacob had essentially took both the blessing and the birthright from Esau. After Jacob deceived his father to get the blessing over Esau, Esau was furious. Esau was planning to kill Jacob. That is why Jacob fled the Promised Land and left to Paddan-aram. Now, some twenty years later, God had told him it was time to finally return home to the land of Canaan. As we saw last week, that meant he would have to face Esau, and he was afraid Esau might still try to harm him. So, we saw him both making defensive arrangements to protect his house, as well as prepared a great gift to try to propitiate Esau. Most importantly, Jacob prayed to God and expressed how he needed God to keep him safe. The passage ended with that mysterious wrestling of Jacob with God, where God says how Jacob had contended with God and man and prevailed. I pointed to that victory being shown in his prayer that said he needed God to save him, that the path to victory was in recognizing his complete dependence on God. So last week’s passage was the setup for today’s passage. Here, Jacob will face Esau. As we just read, we see that God did answer Jacob’s prayer. His meeting with Esau here will not be for conflict but for reconciliation. That clears the way for Jacob to complete his return journey to the Promised Land and bring this time of sojourning out of the Promised Land to a completion.







    Let us then dig into the details of our chapter, looking in our first point at verses 1-3. This is where we see Jacob approaching Esau. Verse 1 begins with Jacob looking up and seeing Esau coming in the distance, along with the four hundred men. Remember that last passage Jacob was concerned that Esau was bringing these men to do him harm. So, with Jacob seeing Esau and company approaching, Jacob makes his final preparations.







    First, we see Jacob exercise prudence in taking some final defensive actions. He divides us his women and children into multiple groups. This is similar to last week’s passage where he divided up the house into two camps for defensive purposes. Similarly, here takes his family and divides them up into their specific units. Of course, we also see his favoritism come out again. For he puts the group of the servant girls with their children first. Then he puts his wife Leah and her children next. Apparently unloved Leah is at least loved more than the servant girls. And then lastly, he puts his beloved wife Rachel with her son Joseph in the rear, which would have been the most protected position. So then, after Jacob divides up his women and children like this, Jacob then goes before them all, so that he will be the first to meet Esau. This shows a commendable heart of Jacob to want to protect his family, by putting himself in between them and Esau. And even though he assigns Rachel and Joseph to the most protected position, Jacob still puts himself in the least protected position. In other words, even the servant girls and Jacob’s children with them, are beloved and protected by Jacob.







    Jacob then proceeds to approach Esau, as we see in verse 3. Let us appreciate the manner of his approach. He bows seven times as he draws near to Esau. Seven is that number of completion, so it symbolizes Jacob’s complete honoring of Esau. Let us also appreciate that for him to bow before Esau is for Jacob to take the place of a servant ...

    • 36 min
    Personal Evangelism: Prayer

    Personal Evangelism: Prayer

    Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 03/03/2024 in Petaluma, CA. This week we considered adorning your witness with godliness.

    • 39 min
    Jacob’s Wrestling

    Jacob’s Wrestling

    Sermon preached on Genesis 32 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 2/25/2024 in Petaluma, CA.















    Sermon Manuscript







    Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.







    As we continue our series in Genesis, we pickup where we left off with Jacob. Last week, we saw he had successfully escaped the wrath of his uncle Laban. God safeguarded Jacob so he and Laban ended up making a covenant of peace. Jacob now is on the final leg of his return journey back home to the Promised Land, and he now comes to the time he has not been waiting for. He knows he will have to reunite with his brother Esau again. Thew whole reason Jacob had left some twenty years before was because of the fury of Esau. Esau had wanted to kill Jacob for how Jacob had stolen his father’s blessing. As Jacob returns to the land of Canaan, this is the question that is before us. Has Esau’s fury subsided? Will Esau greet and receive Jacob or will he be out to destroy him? Jacob had escaped Laban’s wrath, but would he now escape Esau’s wrath?







    This chapter thus serves as a bookend along with chapter 28 to Jacob’s time outside of the Promised Land. In Genesis 28, he flees Esau’s wrath, going to Paddan-aram. But there, on the way out of town, God appeared to Jacob at Bethel with that stairway to heaven dream. There God assured Jacob of his blessing and how God would keep him while he was away, and ultimately safely return him back to the Promised Land. Now, on the way back into town, here in chapter 32, some two decades later, God again appears to Jacob to encourage him. In fact, our chapter itself is bookended with this. The chapter begins with the angels of God appearing to Jacob, and it ends with God appearing and wrestling Jacob and ultimately blessing him. So, on his way out of the Promised Land, Jacob experiences a theophany along with angels, and he names the place Bethel. Now, on the way back into the Promised Land, he has these experiences of a theophany along with angels, and he names the places Mahanaim and Peniel. So, God has protected him thus far. Will he now preserve Jacob as he faces Esau? That’s the question that Jacob wrestles with here.







    Let us begin in our first point to see how Jacob fears Esau and the related actions he takes. I’ll have us consider at this point verses 3-8 and verses 13-21. We see first that Jacob sends messengers ahead to Esau. In other words, he lets Esau know that he is coming, and explains that he’s been sojourning with Laban. He also lets Esau know that he is not coming empty handed, but has come back with livestock and workers. His message is seeking to find favor with Esau, speaking to Esau with the respectful title of lord. Jacob commendably takes some initiative to restore the relationship with Esau, and it seems he has some measure of repentance implied here. Remember that Jacob had previously tried to steal the blessing and birthright from Esau. But regarding the blessing, Jacob’s sets himself as Esau’s servant, not the other way around, which was a key part about the blessing. And regarding the birthright, Jacob mentions all the wealth he now has, and he doesn’t say anything about coming back to collect an inheritance. Yet, rather ominously, the messengers deliver the message and report back to Jacob that Esau is coming out to meet Jacob with four hundred men.







    Verse 7 tells us Jacob’s understandable response. He’s terrified. Compare this fear to last chapter. Remember, Laban had pursued Jacob, but then had a dream from God warning him not to harm Jacob. Jacob was rather bold in response, and twice described to Laban the God of his fathers as the “Fear of Isaac”. What was implied, is that Laban had good reason to fear the God of Jacob’s fathers. Yet,

    • 42 min
    Personal Evangelism: Prayer

    Personal Evangelism: Prayer

    Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 02/25/2024 in Petaluma, CA. This week we considered sharing your personal testimony.

    • 51 min
    Then Laban Departed

    Then Laban Departed

    Sermon preached on Genesis 31:17-55 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 2/18/2024 in Petaluma, CA.















    Sermon Manuscript







    Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.







    As we continue our sermon series today, we continue studying the life of Jacob, though the subsection on Laban comes to a close. We’ve seen Jacob and Laban wrestling throughout their relationship, and that wrestling will finally come to an end in today’s passage. Jacob will leave Paddan-aram, the home of Laban, in order to return back to his home in Canaan, in the Promised Land. Yet, how Jacob leaves for home, will spark this final confrontation with Laban, that by the grace of God will end with a covenant of peace made between them. That will then clear the way for Jacob and family to finish their journey back to Canaan.







    Let’s consider in our first point verses 17-35, as we see Jacob flee Paddan-aram. Recall that last week we saw Jacob received revelation from God that it was time for him to return home. Jacob also discussed this with his wives who fully agreed with him and supported the decision. So then we see him proceed to pack up and leave in verses 17-18. We should note that the text describes everything he took with him as his own possessions that he acquired during his time there. He then sets out with them to return to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.







    But then we see verses 19-21 the manner in which Jacob left. It describes him as fleeing from Laban. This language of fleeing is just as it sounds, that he is described as running away from Laban. Jacob leaves town when Laban is away shearing his sheep, without saying goodbye or anything of that sort. The text tells us how to understand this there in verse 20, that Jacob tricked Laban. There’s actually an idiom used here, that Jacob stole Laban’s heart, but it means that Jacob tricked or deceived Laban by not telling him that he was leaving. This is another less-than-commendable action of Jacob. It may be a very understandable thing given the state of the relationship between Jacob and Laban. It also seems very much in character with Jacob that he would do another sort of deception as he leaves town. It was right for him to go, but he doesn’t do it above reproach.







    So then, we have this interesting side note about Rachel stealing her father’s idols in verse 19. We are not told why she stole them. Let us be careful not to impute motives when the text doesn’t tell us. Maybe she stole them because a part of her heart still trusted in the false gods of her father. Maybe she stole them because they could be sold for money. Maybe she stole them because she wanted to deprive her father from them, because she was upset with him. Maybe she falsely though she improved their chances of getting away if he didn’t have his gods to help him. Again, we don’t know why she took them, and the text doesn’t tell us. What we do know is that the text parallels this closely with Jacob’s action. Rachel stole Laban’s gods, and Jacob stole Laban’s heart, i.e. deceived him by fleeing without telling him. She has no allegiance left for her father. So, their actions show a sort of solidarity of these parting shots against Laban as they leave. Jacob and also his wife continue their wrestling with Laban even as they leave.







    So the text tells us that they end up with a three day head start on Laban. Then, in verses 23, Laban goes on the pursuit. It takes him seven days, but he eventually catches up to Jacob and family. He overtakes them in the hill country of Gilead. This was quite a long way. Jacob had already made it most of the way home. He was getting close to the Jordan River, and so not that much farther to go.

    • 41 min
    Personal Evangelism: Speaking of Jesus

    Personal Evangelism: Speaking of Jesus

    Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 02/18/2024 in Petaluma, CA. This week we considered sharing your personal testimony.

    • 34 min

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