Trinity Presbyterian Church North Bay — Sermons & Sunday School

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 10/30/2022 in Petaluma, CA, on Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation in 1522.

Sermon preached on Luke 20:27-44 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 10/23/2022 in Petaluma, CA.

Sermon Manuscript

Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.

We pick up again in Luke’s gospel remembering that Jesus had just triumphantly entered Jerusalem and began to put things into action that would result in his being put to death on the cross. This would happen through his conflict with the religious leaders who did not believe he was the Christ. For much of Jesus’ ministry, he kept his messianic identity fairly guarded. But now, in this final week leading up to the cross, he begins to make fully known his messianic identity. This conflict between him and the religious leaders and this revealing of his messianic identity is furthered in today’s passage.

There are two main sections in this passage, verses 27-40 and verses 41-44. We’ll deal with verses 27-40 first where we see Jesus asked a question about the resurrection. So then, beginning in verse 27 we see that his opponents here are the Sadducees. So far, Luke’s gospel has largely drawn our attention to the Pharisee’s opposition to Jesus. But, I mentioned earlier in the chapter when it mentioned how Jesus was opposed by the chief priests, elders, and prominent leaders in the temple, that that surely contained largely if not all Sadducees. These were two most major religious sects within Israel at that time, these Sadducees and the Pharisees. The Pharisees were by far more popular and influential among the people and thus more widespread, but the Sadducees were the ones in control of the priestly class and thus of the temple, and so they held much authority and resulting influence over the religious life of God’s people. Both groups had theological and moral problem, but today’s passage addresses the Sadducees and so I’ll focus on them today. Here, we learn something about their theological problems. They didn’t believe in the resurrection from the dead. They thought that this life was all that there was. They also only held to the first five books of the Bible as their canon of Scripture, what we refer to as the Torah or the Pentateuch. These things are interrelated because when you get rid of most of the Old Testament, you have a lot less revelation concerning the resurrection. They, in fact, mistakenly thought that it had no teaching about it.

So, then, another thing we see of the beliefs of these Sadducees is that they rejected Jesus as the Christ. For they come to him with a theological question. It’s a question related to the resurrection. It is a question that presumes the resurrection of the dead when they didn’t believe in the resurrection. In other words, this was not a genuine question. It was another one of those questions where they hoped to discredit Jesus. Because they come up in their mind what they think is some question that shows the absurdity of the doctrine of the resurrection. No doubt they thought their question would serve even two purposes – it would not only discredit Jesus, but also be another opportunity to make their doctrinal case against the Pharisees. So, in their mind, it was a great question.

Now you might be a little confused by their question, as it references an ancient practice call the levirate law. The levirate law was part of civil laws of Israel found in the Torah. It was also a widespread custom beyond Israel through much of the ancient Near East. The levirate law, also known as the husband’s brother law, said that if a married man dies before he has an heir with his wife, then his brother or otherwise nearest kin ought to take her as a wife and try to produce an heir with her.

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 10/23/2022 in Petaluma, CA, assessing critical theory in light of biblical teaching.

Sermon preached on Matthew 28:18-20 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 10/16/2022 in Novato, CA.

Sermon Manuscript

Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.

Here we are. We are in our new church building. This has been a long time in the works. God has been very gracious to bless our church after more than fifty years in the making our very own church home. This is a significant new chapter in the life and history of our church. And there is a sense in which this is a bit of a fresh start for us too. Not only is this a new building for our church, but he has put us in a new community. We hope and pray for lots of visitors, that God would build up the church ministry as we seek to bear witness to the gospel of Christ.

So then, I’ve decided to take a break this week from our sermon series in Luke. I am actually reprising today the second sermon that I gave to our church back in 2007 after I arrived here to take up the pastorate. My first sermon then was a Christmas sermon, but then the next week I gave a sermon from this passage, the Great Commission. As I started out my ministry at the church, I wanted to make sure we all knew what it was that the church is called to do. As we have a sort of fresh start here in our new building, let us become recommitted to a biblical vision for church ministry, as given to us by Christ Jesus himself.

I will approach this passage then with three points as we consider Jesus’ great commission of the church. First, we’ll consider how this commission is a calling and a mission. Then, we’ll consider how this commission comes with ordained means. Third, we’ll consider the divine authority that comes with this commission.

Let us begin then by considering how this commission is a calling and a mission. It’s right there in verse 19. Jesus calls the eleven to go and make disciples. These two verbs are Jesus’ commands to the eleven apostles, and by extension, to all the church that would come from their ministry. Jesus tells them, and he tells us, that we must go, and that we must make disciples. That’s the mission and the calling I’m referring to.

So then, this mission and calling has these two commands, to “go” and to “make disciples”. Let’s think about each command for a moment, starting with the “go.” The church of Jesus Christ has been sent out into the world with a mission. We are to go to the nations. Now, this doesn’t mean that every person in the church is called to become a foreign missionary in some distant land. Rather, we should recognize that we have already been sent here to this distant land. Where we are it is pretty far from the place where Jesus first gave these words. We in this local congregation have been sent here. Here, in the North Bay, in Marin and Sonoma and Solano counties. Here, and now especially Petaluma, is where God has sent us. Let us then “go” into this community that God has placed us. As we do, we will see that this is a mission field right here. In our area, as we go to the people of this community, we will surely engage people that are different from us, who have different cultures, different values, different worldviews, and different ideology. Going to them will surely involve getting outside of our comfort zones. But Jesus has called us to “go” and these are the people he has sent us to. Let us be proactive in reaching out to them. Let us not just wait for them to come to us. Let us seek to find them. Remember, it was our Lord Jesus who came to us in order to save us. We didn’t at first come to Jesus, he first came to us! Like Christ, we are to be Christ to the world by going to them,

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 10/16/2022 in Petaluma, CA, assessing critical theory in light of biblical teaching.

Sermon preached on Luke 20:1-26 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 10/09/2022 in Novato, CA.

Sermon Manuscript

Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.

Here we have a faceoff between Jesus and the chief priests, scribes, and elders, at Jerusalem. They stand in opposition against Jesus here. Given that they were in Jerusalem, many, if not all of these were surely part of the Great Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin in Jerusalem was the chief ruling body among the Jews and it was made up of the chief priests, scribes and elders. While subservient to the Roman government, the Sanhedrin’s power as a council was still wide reaching, with authority in religious, civil, and criminal matters. In other words, these opponents here of Jesus were the top authorities among the Jews. That’s who is facing off against Jesus. So then, as we studied last week, Jesus had just entered triumphantly into Jerusalem for what would be his final week before being crucified. Jesus’ bold entry into Jerusalem, especially with actions like cleansing the temple, put things into motion to bring this conflict and confrontation with the religious leaders to a head. We see some of that conflict in today’s passage. Behind this, is the question, of who is really in charge of God’s people? These religious leaders? Or Jesus as the Messiah?

We begin in our first point to consider verses 1-8. There, we find Jesus being confronted by these religious leaders while he is teaching. Notice that they do this publicly while Jesus is teaching the people. We see throughout this passage that they are afraid of the people. They aren’t happy with Jesus, but are afraid if they come down on Jesus then the people will be upset. Clearly, in this passage, these religious leaders are concerned that upsetting the people could be very bad for them. So, they seem to be trying to do what they can to discredit Jesus in front of the people. That would then allow them to take action against Jesus.

So, they come to Jesus asking of his authority. He’s been doing some very bold things recently as we saw last week. They asked Jesus who gave him the authority to do such things. Realize, since the ones asking them are the top local authorities, it’s effectively a way for them to imply that Jesus was acting without legitimate authority. That is, if you are only speaking of authority among humans. Since Jesus’ authority comes not from man but from heaven, it is an altogether different situation. But there lies the issue. Jesus knows that they won’t accept that answer. They are unwilling to accept such a possibility. Jesus knows this because that is exactly what just happened with John the Baptist.

So then, Jesus responds with his own question of authority that demonstrates this. Jesus asks them, “Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?” This is referring to John the Baptist and Jesus wants them to answer publicly where John’s authority came from. Was it from God and therefore legitimate, or for man, from John himself, and therefore illegitimate? To clarify, John the Baptist claimed that his authority was from God. So, they are being asked if they agree with that claim or not. Jesus’ question to them becomes a sort of “catch 22” type of question. They discuss it among themselves and realize that either way they answer it will be a problem for them. They can’t say John’s authority was from heaven, since they opposed John and rejected his ministry. Realize, that’s what they actually thought. But they didn’t dare say that publicly because, again, they feared the people. The people believed John.

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 10/09/2022 in Novato, CA, introducing a new series on assessing biblically the contemporary woke culture.

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 10/02/2022 in Novato, CA, considering Article 37 of the Belgic Confession.

Sermon preached on Luke 19:28-48 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 10/02/2022 in Novato, CA.

Sermon Manuscript

Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.

Luke’s gospel has been setting us up for this for a long time now. All the way back in chapter 9, it said that Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem. Chapter 13 reminded us that Jesus was traveling toward Jerusalem. We have had this big long section from chapter 9 until here where Jesus had been on the way to Jerusalem. And in both those earlier references to his heading toward Jerusalem, it mentioned that his death awaited him there. So, Luke has been drawing us toward this moment, building up his arrival at this time into Jerusalem with great anticipation. Here, finally, the Messiah has arrived in Jerusalem, to do the very work he had come to do. To clarify, this was not by any means the first time Jesus had come to Jerusalem. His previous ministry in Jerusalem is recorded in other gospel accounts. But there is something different with this trip to Jerusalem. It’s surely why Luke’s gospel highlights it in this climactic way, with building it up since chapter 9. Jesus comes here to Jerusalem in a bold and public way that he had not before. Here, we see the glory of the Messiah coming to the city of God’s people, just as long prophesied by the prophets at many times and in many ways. Yet, as Jesus triumphantly enters Jerusalem here as the Messiah, he knows that quickly it will lead to his betrayal, arrest, suffering, and then death on the cross. He knew this, but that is in fact why he came and central as to why his arrival here in Jerusalem was so climactic.

So then, while our passage is one big scene of Jesus’ arrival into Jerusalem, it does have a natural three-scene division. Let’s take them in order then, beginning first with verses 28-40. This first section begins with Jesus still a short ways off from Jerusalem, about to begin his final ascent into the city. The text tells us that he was in the area of the Mount of Olives near the two villages of Bethphage and Bethany. That put him approximately two miles east of Jerusalem. It is at that point he instructs his disciples to secure a colt for him, one never ridden before. As a side note, the text tells us of how they spoke with the owner, so this was not a stolen but loaned animal, but I digress. But, Jesus then rides this colt to Jerusalem, and we read of his triumphal entry.

Notice then the glory of all this. As he rides on this colt, the multitude of his disciples laud his coming. They lay down their cloaks. Elsewhere we learn they also laid down palm branches. Basically, they are spreading out the red carpet for him, so to speak. They then praise him and herald him as king. Verse 38, they say, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” That’s a quote of Psalm 118:26, though they add the word “King” here. Surely Psalm 118 was speaking of a coming king, but they proclaimed what was only implied in the psalm. They clearly see Psalm 118 finding its fulfillment here with Jesus entering Jerusalem as the Messiah King. Notice that there words go on in verse 38 to say “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.” Luke’s gospel really draws us to recognize the majesty of this when we hear those words again. I say again, because the last time we heard similar words, was at Jesus’ birth, and then by the angels. There, the angels declare peace on earth, and glory in the highest. Here, the disciples declare peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. At Jesus’ birth, his great glory was disclosed to some. But since then, Jesus has been very guarded in how he let his glory be known. But now it returns in a bit of symmetrical fashion.

Sermon preached on Luke 19:11-27 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 09/25/2022 in Novato, CA.

Sermon Manuscript

Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.

Today’s passage serves as a transition for us from the last section into the next section. We’ve been thinking for several weeks of the section that started in Luke 15 and culminated with last passage’s salvation of Zacchaeus. In that section Jesus was chided by the religious leaders for his ministry to tax collectors and other sinners, but Jesus said he came to seek and save the lost. In that section, Jesus in turn admonished the Pharisees for their love of money. Yet, as we saw last passage that section ended with one rich person not being saved and one rich person being saved. We come then to this passage in the Parable of the Ten Minas that speaks of the stewardship of wealth. As such, this parable is a fitting encore to these last several chapters that spoke against a wrong love of money and wrong use of money, to show like Zacchaeus that our money is something that we can steward in service to God. Our passage in verse 11 even begins by saying that Jesus told this parable after they heard what Jesus had to say about Zacchaeus. And so indeed, whether it be money or any other good thing we have from God, today’s passage will help us think about how to steward it.

Yet, this passage is transitionary, not only in how it looks back to the previous long section, but it also gets us to look ahead to the final main section in Luke’s gospel. Verse 11 references how he is nearing Jerusalem. Indeed, next passage will record his Triumphal Entry and his entrance into Jerusalem. From here in Luke, our attention will be drawn to the events surrounding the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus.

Let’s then dig into this parable. I will work us through the parable and make applications along the way. Let us begin then by considering verses 12-14. There we see Jesus describe a nobleman who is going away to a far country in order to receive a kingdom unto himself. We are probably to understand that this man was not yet the king, because it describes the citizens voicing opposition about the possibility of his rule. A historical setting that might come to mind to Jesus’ hearers is that of Herod Archelaus. When his father Herod the Great died, he went to Rome to see the emperor to secure his reign over his father’s territory. This he did amidst vocal opposition, but Emperor Caesar Augustus ultimately endowed him with the rule of Judea. But while that might be an historically familiar story, the application of this parable is about Jesus and the kingdom he is going to bring. We see that application made in verse 11. There, we find that Jesus told this parable because as they were nearing Jerusalem, some of his disciples were thinking that the awaited kingdom was going to immanently be established in his fullness. Jesus told this parable to combat that incorrect assumption. This noble’s journey to a far country to secure a kingdom is surely to be likened to what Jesus would be doing. After Jesus goes to Jerusalem to die and rise again, he will ascend up into heaven. He will go far away, in a certain sense, and it will be a long time until he returns. But when he returns, he will return as the fully endowed king ushering in the fulness of his kingdom.

So then, in the parable, Jesus envisions the noble giving his servants instructions for his long absence. He calls ten servants in verse 13 and tells them to engage in business until he returns. To clarify, he isn’t just giving these servants instructions. He is also entrusting them with a role of stewardship.