Trinity Presbyterian Church North Bay — Sermons & Sunday School

Sermon preached on Luke 9:18-35 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 02/06/2022 in Novato, CA.

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We need Jesus. That should be an obvious statement to make from the pulpit from a Christian church. Yet it is a theme brought out in today’s passage and a worthy reminder for us. It is brought up here especially because they were soon going to be without Jesus when he is arrested and put to death on the cross. This is something Jesus again points out to them here. Given what we see in today’s passage, we might wonder how they would get by without Jesus. Because, again, today’s passage shows that both them and us need Jesus. Let us keep this theme in mind as we work through our passage for today.

Let us begin in our first point then by considering this boy afflicted by a demon. We see the boy’s condition described in verse 39. This demon caused seizures in the boy so that the boy lost bodily control. This would result in him uncontrollably shouting out and convulsions and foaming at the mouth. When it says that it shatters him, this probably means that the demon’s control of the boy would leave him battered and bruised. And to top it all off, we see that this demon would rarely leave. In other words, these demon-induced seizures were happening a lot. How sad of a state for this boy. And the father is greatly concerned for his boy, who happens to also be his only begotten son.

So then we see here how the father had come looking for help. The father recounts in verse 40 how he had begged Jesus’ disciples to cast out the demon. We see that the disciples had tried to cast out the demon. But Jesus’ disciples were not able to cast out the demon. It is at this point, we should remember the context given to us in verse 37. This is the day after the glorious transfiguration of Jesus that we read about in the previous passage. Recall that Jesus had been up with three of his disciples up there on the mountain. Now they come back down the mountain and this is the scene that they are greeted with. The remaining nine disciples are there with this father trying to no avail to cast out the demon. After Jesus with Peter, James, and John had just come from some heights of glory, they show up and see the rest of the disciples floundering. I can only imagine the scene with these other disciples and the father and the boy. One says, “I command you demon to leave this boy!” And nothing happens. Another disciple pushes him away and says, “Let me try!” but with the same results. I can imagine it starting to get pretty awkward. Don’t forget that the disciples at the start of the chapter had just been sent by Jesus on a special mission where Jesus had endowed them with the ability to cast out demons and to heal. But here, they were unable to cast out the demon.

This context reminds us that Jesus wasn’t with them when these disciples were trying in vain the cast out this demon. As I said at the start, this passage shows us that we need Jesus; we need him to be with us. Jesus leaves his disciples and a problem comes to them that they are powerless to address. Yet, Jesus was not powerless. No sooner does he return, but here he is casting out this demon they could not cast out. In verse 42, we see that when the demon saw Jesus coming he threw the child to the ground one last time to convulse him. Maybe the demon saw Jesus coming and thought he could kill the boy before Jesus cast him out. But no, Jesus rebukes the demon and the unclean spirit leaves him. Jesus heals the boy when his disciples could not. Jesus again shows that as the Son of Man he has authority even over the most powerful of demons.

This leads us now to our second point to see how Jesus described this situation where his di...

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 02/06/2022 in Novato, CA, considering Article 18 of the Belgic Confession.

Sermon preached on Luke 9:18-35 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 01/30/2022 in Novato, CA.

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In today’s passage, we see several ways in which the true identity of Jesus as the Christ is given. And here we also learn what that identity of being the Christ means, in terms of what Jesus’s mission would entail. We see here that Jesus would have to first endure a time of suffering, before his subsequent glory. That future glory would be when he ushers in his eternal kingdom. But first, there was a period of suffering that lay ahead for Jesus. This requirement for the Messiah to first suffer and then enter into his subsequent glory is something that the law and the prophets had already foretold. That is a fact that Luke’s gospel will remind us again at the end in Luke 24. But it is a fact that is also seen here in today’s passage. And not only have the law and the prophets told us of the Christ’s suffering then glory, Jesus himself teaches that right here. This Jesus teaches even as he calls them and us unto discipleship, to follow him, even in the suffering. But to follow him in his suffering means that we will also follow him into that subsequent glory. Let us then dig into today’s passage as we consider such things.

Our first point today is to consider the question of Jesus’ identity. Jesus raises the question with his disciples in verses 18-20. This shows us that while Jesus and even his apostles have already been proclaiming the coming of the kingdom, they haven’t yet been publicly proclaiming that Jesus is the Christ. Yet, his miracles and ministry pointed to who Jesus was, so that by the Holy Spirit one could discern the correct answer. So then, Jesus begins by asking them, “Who do the crowds says that I am?” We should immediately remember back a few verses to verses 7-9 where we had already read about the answer to this question. There, the crowds along with Herod had been wondering who Jesus is. By the way, this is a feature throughout this chapter, where John sort of weaves together various themes; he mentions the theme, then briefly goes to different topic, only to return back to that topic a few verses later. Such weaving is seen throughout this chapter with several topics. So then, here Jesus’s disciples answer his question by reporting to them what the crowds have been saying. The views include John the Baptist or Elijah or some other prophet back from the dead. But while Jesus spoke of the coming kingdom like how those prophets of old also spoke of it, Jesus was one greater than any of them.

So then, Jesus then his disciples a follow up question. But who do you say that I am. Peter, on their behalf, answers that Jesus is the Christ of God. Peter rightly acknowledges that the crowds’ identification of Jesus didn’t go far enough. Jesus was more than a prophet. He came in a power and authority never before possessed. And Jesus had come to bring something new where the prophets of old only spoke of that new thing which would one day come. So then, for Peter to say that Jesus is the Christ of God, I should remind you what that word means. The word Christ is really more of a Greek word than an English one. In the Greek, it is christos. The Hebrew for this word is mashiach or pronounced messiah in English. Both when actually translated into English mean “anointed one”. And so, while we see various people prophets, priests, and kings anointed in the Old Testament, there is repeated prophecy that God would one day raise up his special anointed one. Peter is thus saying that Jesus is the anointed one of God. Jesus is the long-promised Messiah or Christ that God had repeatedly foretold of his coming. This anointed one of God would especially be God’s king over his chosen people,

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 01/30/2022 in Novato, CA, considering Article 17 of the Belgic Confession.

Sermon preached on Luke 9:1-17 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 01/23/2022 in Novato, CA.

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Each of the three scenes from today’s passage could warrant study on their own. Yet, Luke clearly has woven these three scenes together. The first scene is Jesus sending out the twelve apostles in verses 1-6, but it’s not really until verse 10 that he finishes that scene when he tells us of their return and reporting to Jesus. And so that means that the second section about Herod in verses 6-9 interrupts the story about Jesus’ sending out of the twelve. That gives us reason to consider why Luke does that and how the two scenes relate. And then by bringing up the sending of the twelve at the start of the third section with the feeding of the five thousand, we see its close connection between those two scenes. That also invites comparison between those two scenes. All in all, we’ll see that all three scenes tell us something about the continued proclamation about the kingdom of God.

Let us begin then in the first scene in verses 1-6 of Jesus sending out the twelve apostles. I love how this follows so well from last chapter where we had been showing forth Jesus’s power and authority. Here that continues to be the case as he sends out his twelve disciples to be apostles sent in his name. He endues them not only with the same message of the kingdom that he’s been proclaiming, but he also endues them with the power and authority that he has been exercising. That’s where he’s been curing people of various illnesses and casting out demons. What authority for Jesus for him to not only been doing such miraculous healings, but even able to bestow that same power now on his twelve disciples.

So then, while we read here about Jesus sending out the twelve we can imagine the wonderful things that God will do through their ministry. But we should not lose focus that this scene is still ultimately about Jesus and his ministry. The twelve’s ministry is that of apostleship. An apostle is a “sent one” – someone who is sent and commissioned as an authorized messenger for someone. These twelve are apostles of Jesus. Their endowment with Jesus’ power and authority is proof of their apostleship. Their ministry as apostles is Jesus’ ministry and message.

In terms of that message, we see Jesus instruct them on that in verse 2. They are being sent to proclaim the kingdom of God. Based on what we’ve seen Jesus himself proclaiming of that kingdom in the gospels, we have a pretty good sense of what all Jesus was expecting them to communicate. In it very broadest terms, it’s that God is king over all and we should submit in our hearts to his rule. But more specifically, it’s God’s redemptive kingdom that is coming to save and reclaim God’s chosen people out of their sin and misery and to bring them into a place of blessing and glory under the rule of his anointed Messiah King. In Matthew 4:17, Jesus begins his teaching ministry calling people to repent of their sins in light of this coming kingdom of God. He taught people about how they could be a part of this coming kingdom. He spoke of ways in which that kingdom would be growing and advancing even now before it came in its fullness. He spoke about what that kingdom would be like ultimately. Typically, his various parables were teaching different aspects of the kingdom of God.

Jesus’ message of the kingdom that he wanted his disciples bring would be good news to those who received it. But it would also mean God’s judgment upon those who didn’t receive it. That is reflected in verse 5 when Jesus instructs them to shake the dust off their feet as a sign against any town that doesn’t receive them.

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 01/23/2022 in Novato, CA, considering Article 16 of the Belgic Confession.

Sermon preached on Luke 8:40-56 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 01/16/2022 in Novato, CA.

Sermon Manuscript

Each of the three scenes from today’s passage could warrant study on their own. Yet, Luke clearly has woven these three scenes together. The first scene is Jesus sending out the twelve apostles in verses 1-6, but it’s not really until verse 10 that he finishes that scene when he tells us of their return and reporting to Jesus. And so that means that the second section about Herod in verses 6-9 interrupts the story about Jesus’ sending out of the twelve. That gives us reason to consider why Luke does that and how the two scenes relate. And then by bringing up the sending of the twelve at the start of the third section with the feeding of the five thousand, we see its close connection between those two scenes. That also invites comparison between those two scenes. All in all, we’ll see that all three scenes tell us something about the continued proclamation about the kingdom of God.

Let us begin then in the first scene in verses 1-6 of Jesus sending out the twelve apostles. I love how this follows so well from last chapter where we had been showing forth Jesus’s power and authority. Here that continues to be the case as he sends out his twelve disciples to be apostles sent in his name. He endues them not only with the same message of the kingdom that he’s been proclaiming, but he also endues them with the power and authority that he has been exercising. That’s where he’s been curing people of various illnesses and casting out demons. What authority for Jesus for him to not only been doing such miraculous healings, but even able to bestow that same power now on his twelve disciples.

So then, while we read here about Jesus sending out the twelve we can imagine the wonderful things that God will do through their ministry. But we should not lose focus that this scene is still ultimately about Jesus and his ministry. The twelve’s ministry is that of apostleship. An apostle is a “sent one” – someone who is sent and commissioned as an authorized messenger for someone. These twelve are apostles of Jesus. Their endowment with Jesus’ power and authority is proof of their apostleship. Their ministry as apostles is Jesus’ ministry and message.

In terms of that message, we see Jesus instruct them on that in verse 2. They are being sent to proclaim the kingdom of God. Based on what we’ve seen Jesus himself proclaiming of that kingdom in the gospels, we have a pretty good sense of what all Jesus was expecting them to communicate. In it very broadest terms, it’s that God is king over all and we should submit in our hearts to his rule. But more specifically, it’s God’s redemptive kingdom that is coming to save and reclaim God’s chosen people out of their sin and misery and to bring them into a place of blessing and glory under the rule of his anointed Messiah King. In Matthew 4:17, Jesus begins his teaching ministry calling people to repent of their sins in light of this coming kingdom of God. He taught people about how they could be a part of this coming kingdom. He spoke of ways in which that kingdom would be growing and advancing even now before it came in its fullness. He spoke about what that kingdom would be like ultimately. Typically, his various parables were teaching different aspects of the kingdom of God.

Jesus’ message of the kingdom that he wanted his disciples bring would be good news to those who received it. But it would also mean God’s judgment upon those who didn’t receive it. That is reflected in verse 5 when Jesus instructs them to shake the dust off their feet as a sign against any town that doesn’t receive them.

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 01/16/2022 in Novato, CA, considering Article 15 of the Belgic Confession.

Sermon preached on Luke Sermon preached on Numbers 14:1-38 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 01/09/2022 in Novato, CA.

Sermon Manuscript

I thought it would be fitting given that we have two ordinations scheduled for today to take a break from Luke and bring you a sermon about godly leadership in the church. Today we will have the opportunity to set apart our brother Jim Wright to the office of ruling elder and our brother Rene Tovar to the office of deacon. Those are two different offices with different job descriptions in the new covenant church. Neither of those offices are specifically addressed in this passage. But today’s passage does teach something of church leadership that would apply to all the officers in the church. It speaks to what kind of leaders we need in general. And it also speaks to how we as Christians ought to respond to all our leadership.

Let us begin then today by considering the background to this passage. The book of Numbers is in the aftermath of Israel’s exodus from Egyptian slavery. But let’s go farther back in time than that. Remember, how God began to set apart a people holy to himself back in Genesis through the patriarch Abraham. Of all the peoples on the earth, God called out to Abraham and promised him in Genesis 12 that he would bring forth a great people through him. God also promised Abraham that he would give that people the Land of Canaan. The vision was of a special people that would live holy unto God in that Promised Land. That people would worship God and ultimately bring God’s blessings to all the world.

Yet, these promises seemed slow to be fulfilled at first. Initially, Abraham’s family was small. And while they moved to the Promised Land, the first few generations were really nothing more than sojourners and aliens in the land. So, Abraham had Isaac, who then had Jacob, who then had twelve sons who became the twelve tribes of Israel. Yet, that’s when during a famine they ended up relocating to Egypt. After a number of generations, they then found themselves slaves of the Egyptians, forced to make bricks for them, and unable to leave and return to the land that God had promised then in Canaan. And yet, while they were there in Egypt, one of God’s promises was starting to be fulfilled. Israel had grown to be a large nation of people. Yet, as slaves in Egypt, they were not able to take possession of that land God had promised then in Canaan.

But that is when God raised up the leadership of Moses and Aaron. God used Moses and Aaron to bring Israel out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. Egypt was not willing for Israel to leave, but God worked the ten plagues to bring judgment on stubborn Egypt. Finally, they let Israel go, and we call that the Exodus. But then Israel had to get from Egypt back to Promised Land. So then, the book of Exodus describes the people making their way through the wilderness to Mt. Sinai where God gave them the Ten Commandments through Moses and established his covenant with them, again through the mediation of Moses. The book of Leviticus then describes God instructing them on how they were to be worshipping him, especially through Aaron and his descendants serving as priests. Finally, we get to the book of Numbers and the people set out through the wilderness of Sinai on route to the Land of Canaan which God had promised to give his people. They finally make it all the way back to the edge of the Promised Land.

Israel then sent twelve spies to spy out the land. That is recorded in the chapter just before ours today, in Numbers 13. They spy out the land come back and give their report. They all agree that the land is a good land, a land full of milk and honey.

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 01/09/2022 in Novato, CA, considering Article 14 of the Belgic Confession.