Reformed Sermons and Sunday Schools at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Petaluma, CA

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

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.

Episodes

  1. NOV 24

    The Son of Man Among the Lampstands

    Sermon preached on Revelation 2:1-7 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 11/24/2024 in Petaluma, CA. Sermon Manuscript Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div. We pick up from last week in Revelation where we had just seen a vision of a glorious heavenly being who was like a son of man who was in the midst of seven lampstands and who held seven stars. That vision was interpreted for us as the lampstands representing seven churches, and by extension, all Christian churches. The stars represented angels associated with those churches, reminding us of the spiritual warfare going on right now. The one in their midst of the churches was none other than Jesus who had a powerful message to speak to his churches. This vision was given to encourage Christ’s church who was enduring tribulation. What their physical eyes can’t see, this vision reveals, namely, that Jesus was with them and tending to them as a priest tends a lampstand in the temple. So then, what follows in the next two chapters are a letter from Jesus to each of these seven churches. These letters call each congregation to endure until Christ’s return, overcoming in Christ all the threats to the faith. Today we will study the first of these letters, the one to Ephesus. We’ll see Jesus commend them in their outward orthodoxy but admonish them about their need to return to their first love. May we learn from all these letters, including this first to Ephesus, about what we too need to hear and heed while we await Christ. Let me begin today by talking about these seven letters in general. We’ve said that Revelation is largely apocalyptic in its genre, being a series of visions with symbolic imagery. But here, really a part of the first vision, Jesus gives these seven letters. This means there is a sub-genre here, that there is somewhat of a shift in genre from apocalyptic to epistle, yet not entirely. What I mean is that even in these letters we’ll find at least some amount of symbolic language, more than normal in a typical epistle. These are letters given in the midst of a vision, after all. Another thing to note about these seven letters is they all follow a similar structural pattern. There is a consistent formula in the opening, body, and conclusion of each letter. Each letter opens with a command to write to the angel at that church followed by Christ giving some description of himself, surely with importance to the specific letter’s theme. We find this opening for our letter to Ephesus in verse 1, with Jesus describing himself as the one from last chapter’s vision who holds the seven stars and who walks among the seven lampstands. That reminds the church of Ephesus that Jesus is there with them. The body of each of the seven letters is then introduced with the words, “I know”. We see that in today’s letter at the start of verse 2. Generally, the body of each letter contains some positive commendation of the church’s works, followed by an accusation of some sin they need to repent of. Then there is generally either a warning or an encouragement. Of note, sadly, there is nothing commended in the letter to Laodicea, but joyfully, no accusation of sin is made in the letters to Smyrna and Philadelphia. Each letter then concludes with the words, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” followed by a promise of the good future to the one who conquers, giving some specific description of that glorious future that awaits Christians in the coming new creation. As for the refrain of, “He who has an ear, let him hear,” that reminds us of how Jesus used those same words in connection to his telling of parables, Matthew 13:9 as one example of several.

    48 min

  2. NOV 24

    Surveying The Faith: Nehemiah

    Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 11/24/2024 in Petaluma, CA. This week we surveyed Nehemiah.

    45 min

  3. NOV 17

    The Son of Man Among the Lampstands

    Sermon preached on Revelation 1:9-20 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 11/17/2024 in Petaluma, CA. Sermon Manuscript Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div. In our country, the churches of Jesus Christ can be tempted to despair at the current state of Christianity here. In many ways it could be described as indecline. Less people identify as Christian. Church attendance is down. Biblical literacy has fallen greatly. Typical Judeo-Christian ethics are increasingly rejected by our culture. Sometimes the term post-Christian is used for our society. What naturally follows from such a shift in the population is at least some form of persecution for Christians. We’ve seen a rise in bigotry against Christians from people who don’t agree with the Bible’s teachings. We are called by Christ to bear witness to them, and that can make people hate us. We can be “cancelled” by the culture which means they can ostracize us in ways that can afflict us socially, financially, emotionally, or in other ways. And there is the threat that this might just get worse. The more such trouble comes, the more Christians can even be tempted to think being a Christian isn’t worth the trouble. This vision from Revelation is given in light of such trouble. John begins by relating that he is a partner in this tribulation Christians are facing. John has experienced persecution himself, that is why he is in exile on Patmos. This vision he receives speaks a word of encouragement to all Christians who experience such tribulation. Indeed, this passage sets the context for the entire book of Revelation, showing God addressing his people under such tribulation. Let us begin in our first point by considering John and the seven churches that are addressed here. Here, John receives his first vision in this book. We’ve been talking about that Revelation is in this apocalyptic genre, full of symbolic visions, and this is the first of many. Notice in verse 10 how this starts out. It says that John was in the Spirit when this vision came to him. This is like how the prophet Ezekiel repeatedly received various visions through the Spirit entering into him. Here, John similarly has some ecstatic experience through the Holy Spirit that becomes the venue for him to have this first vision. Let us also appreciate that verse 10 mentions that this took place on the Lord’s Day. That is a reference to the first day of the week, a term the early church used to describe Sunday in honor of the Lord rising from the dead on that day. That he received such a revelation on the Lord’s Day is a subtle confirmation of how Sunday has become set apart for God’s people now under the new covenant, but I digress. So then, we see how this first vision comes to him. He hears and he sees it. He hears a voice like a loud trumpet in verse 10. Then he starts to see the vision in verse 12. So, his senses are engaged with his hearing and seeing as he is caught up into this vision in the Spirit. This is how these apocalyptic visions work. We are reminded that such apocalyptic visions involve symbolism as we see the main symbols of the vision interpreted for us. Verse 20 says the stars symbolize angels and the lampstands symbolize churches. Verses 17-28 also reveal that the son of man in the vision represents Jesus. Revelation won’t always interpret all the symbolism for us, but in this first vision a lot of it is. Sometimes, by the grace of God, we’ll need to use our Spirit-illuminated brains to do that. For example, in verse 16 John sees a two-edged sword coming out of the mouth of this son of man. The text doesn’t explicitly tell us that such is symbolic. But surely, this does not mean that Jesus has a literal sword coming out of...

    45 min

  4. NOV 17

    Surveying The Faith: Ezra

    Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 11/17/2024 in Petaluma, CA. This week we surveyed Ezra.

  5. NOV 10

    The Revelation of Jesus Christ

    Sermon preached on Revelation 1:4-8 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 11/10/2024 in Petaluma, CA. Sermon Manuscript Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div. After studying the initial prologue last week to Revelation, we pick up here in verse 4. You may recall that last week I said that Revelation is largely a series of apocalyptic, prophetic visions. We will get into the first vision next week. But, I also said that the book is structured as an epistle, a letter. Today’s verses give us that epistolary structure. The typical epistle of the Grecco-roman world would begin in this fashion, first identifying the letter’s senders and recipients followed by a greeting, and typically some opening remarks. The sender is identified in verse 4 as the apostle John, as we discussed last week. The recipients are listed as the seven churches in Asia, which are identified by their locations down in verse 11. While those are real locations with real churches spread throughout Asia Minor, the number seven, signifying fullness, would encourage us to see them representative of all the churches of Jesus Christ. By extended application that would include all the churches today, ours included. What follows then is a greeting or salutation, and the opening remarks include not only a doxology but also a prophetic announcement. So then, this opening framing of Revelation as a letter emphasizes how God has sent these prophetic visions to the church. And the opening words here wonderfully set the overall context for what we’ll see in these visions. It establishes that we as God’s people have already been wonderfully saved by Jesus Christ, through his death and resurrection for us. It speaks of how Christ is already reigning right now from heaven. And it speaks of how Christ is coming again, reminding us of the coming judgment. We are reminded in all this of our great and eternal God who has a glorious plan that he is working out, a story he has decreed from the beginning to the end. Yes, this book’s many visions will go on to speak of the testing and tribulation we Christians will endure for now while we await Christ’s return, but this opening framework of a letter is God telling us that Christ is in control and everything is going according to plan, to God’s glory and our good. Let us begin in our first point with the greeting, the salutation, there in verses 4-5. John begins by pronouncing this blessing of grace and peace upon the churches. Grace and peace are indeed upon us today as the church of Jesus Christ. Grace to give us that spiritual good which we do not deserve, even eternal life in the blessed age to come. Peace to give us that reconciled relationship with God, a harmony with one another among God’s people, and even within our own hearts having the condemnation of sin removed. But notice that this blessing of grace and peace is not really from John. It’s from our Triune God. For verse 4 goes on to say who this blessing is from, and he lists three persons. The first person mentioned is, “Him, who is and who was and who is to come”. We think of God the Father here even as revealed himself in a similar way in Exodus chapter 3 when God appeared to Moses in the burning bush. There, God described himself as I AM WHO I AM, the great I AM. All this language reveals the aseity of God, meaning he is self-existent and eternal. This sets apart God from all other beings. Everything else has a beginning and its existence is dependent on God. But not God. God exists in himself, always has, and always will. And this is related to what we learn elsewhere, that this self-existent God has ordered all things, has foreordained all things, has decreed the end from the beginning,

    42 min

  6. NOV 10

    The Structure and Timing of Revelation

    Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 11/10/2024 in Petaluma, CA. This week we surveyed 2 Chronicles.

    46 min

  7. NOV 3

    The Revelation of Jesus Christ

    Sermon preached on Revelation 1:1-4 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 11/03/2024 in Petaluma, CA. Sermon Manuscript Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div. We begin a sermon series through the last book of the Bible. The book of Revelation has an important message for the church today. It brings us a mystery that God has unveiled to us. Not a mystery like some secret code to crack to know the date of the Christ’s return or things like that. Yet, it reveals a mystery about both the trials awaiting Christians and our ultimate victory at the return of Jesus. This is a book we need right now. As verse 3 tells us, there is blessing to whomever would read this prophecy, to whomever would hear it, and to whomever would keep it. This is a message God has given to us for our spiritual benefit. Let us acknowledge that Revelation can be intimidating to approach. All the symbolism can be difficult to interpret. Yet, it is a book God has given for us tobenefit from, to all whom God has given ears to hear and understand it. I hope this sermon series will teach you how to approach this book, so that you can study and use it with confidence. Let us then come eager to listen, learn, and live out what God has for us in this book. Today’s sermon will be introductory in nature. Let’s begin first by considering matters of authorship and purpose. Verse 1 begins by attributing this revelation to Jesus with the words, “the revelation of Jesus Christ.” The context of verse 1 adds that God is the one who gave this revelation to Jesus, who then gives it to us. Verse 1 goes on to further explain how Jesus got this book to us by giving it to John through an angel. It is then John who wrote it down and gave it to the churches of Jesus Christ. That is how we have it still today. Who is this John? The traditional answer is that it is John the Apostle, the son of Zebedee, one of the twelve disciples, the same John who wrote the Gospel of John and the three epistles of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John. Early church tradition affirmed this, such as the witness of Irenaeus. It wasn’t until later that some have suggested it may have been a different John. The argument is mainly around the fact that the writing style has some notable differences with John’s other writings. But that argument is not conclusive, since authors commonly used scribes in writing, and the use of different scribes would easily account for the differences. In contrast, there are also a number of literary similarities between Revelation and John’s other writings that would suggest the same human author behind the book. That, along with the early testimony of the church, favors maintaining the traditional view that this John was John the Apostle. From when and where then did John record Revelation? The location is told us is verse 9, that he wrote from exile on the island of Patmos, which would have been located off the coast of Ephesus in Asia Minor. John ended his ministry in Ephesus, so it is not surprising to see that he found persecution at some point that led to a period of exile near there. As for the timing of the letter, early church tradition records that it was during the reign of Emperor Domitian who reigned from AD 81 to 96. Later, some have argued for an earlier date around the time of Emperor Nero in the mid or late 60s. Both options would situate the writing of book during some Christian persecution by the Roman government. While a case can be made for either date option, neither seems decisive enough to warrant rejecting the early church testimony that Revelation was recorded during the time of Domitian, and thus somewhere around 90 AD. Why did Christ through John bring us this book?...

    47 min

  8. NOV 3

    The Structure and Timing of Revelation

    Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 11/03/2024 in Petaluma, CA. This week we discussed the structure and timing of Revelation.

    58 min

  9. OCT 28

    The Genius of the Reformation

    Sermon preached on Psalm 15 by Rev. Alan D. Strange during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 10/27/2024 in Petaluma, CA.

    1h 5m

  10. OCT 28

    Christian Nationalism: An Uncomfortable Disjunct

    Lecture taught by Rev. Alan D. Strange at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 10/27/2024 in Petaluma, CA assessing Christian nationalism.

    1h 9m
  • 10 Episodes

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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.

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