Trinity Presbyterian Church North Bay — Sermons & Sunday School

Sermon preached on Luke 8:26-39 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 01/02/2022 in Novato, CA.

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Last week I mentioned we had started into a new section that went through the rest of the chapter. It’s a section showing the power and authority of Jesus. Last week we saw Jesus’ power and authority over nature as he calmed the storm. This week we see his power and authority over demons. This again reveals something of the identity of Jesus as God come in the flesh. It also reminds us of the reality that continues to be for us – the reality that there are spiritual forces of evil in this world who are at work against us. We ought not to turn a blind eye to this reality. Yet, as Christians we are also reminded that we have one entirely more powerful than them in our hearts. So then, let us dig into today’s passage as we consider such things.

We begin in our first point to consider the state of this demon-possessed man. The setting from last week’s passage was that Jesus and his disciples were on a boat crossing the Sea of Galilee. Now, in our passage they land on the opposite side of the lake, in the land of the Gerasenes, opposite of Galilee. Remember, Galilee was the northern territory of Israel. Israelite territory at that time was the region of Judea in the south, with the region of Galilee in the north, with the Samaritans in between in the region of Samaria. But all that Israelite land would all have been west of the Jordan River. At that time, the Jordan River would have been the eastern border of the Israelite regions. The Jordan River flows through the lake in the north known as the Sea of Galilee. And so then, Jesus and disciples had started on the west side of the lake in the Galilee area and taken it to the east side of the lake. This is my long-winded way of noting that they are no longer among Israelite territories. Now, they are in the broader region known as the Decapolis that ran roughly along that eastern side of the Sea of Galilee, including the land of the Gerasenes. This was an area full primarily of Gentiles. Not only does the geography tell us that, but the fact that there was such a herder of pigs here does too, as pigs were were ceremonially unclean to Jews.

So then, Jesus right away encounters this man who was so afflicted and demon-possessed. Notice the poor man’s estate caused by this demon somehow inhabiting him. He was naked. Of course, God had given us clothes after our fall into sin and in our shame and we realized we were naked. So, this man is left uncovered and exposed by the demon. He was also not living in a home but among the tombs. In other words, he is habitating among death. How fitting for a demon to want him to dwell there. It says that this man had been repeatedly seized by the demon in some way, verse 29, which may mean that it was causing him to have some seizures or go into some frenzied fits. He apparently was then giving cause for concern when this happened, either for himself or for others, because it says that they then bound and shackled the man. Yet, in amazing strength he would break the bonds and would run out to the harsh desert or wilderness. So, this man was in a bad place!

So, then we find out that the man’s demon is actually many demons. Jesus asks him his name in verse 30. The demon answers that his name is Legion and then we are told him that many demons were actually entering him. The term of legion was actually a Roman military term. A legion in the Roman army was a force of roughly 6,000 soldiers and 120 calvary. I don’t think the name of Legion for the demons means that the number of demons was exactly 6,000. But surely this is an analogy that there was a mighty force of demons possessing and afflicting this ma...

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 01/02/2022 in Novato, CA, considering Article 14 of the Belgic Confession.

Sermon preached on Luke 8:22-39 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 12/26/2021 in Novato, CA.

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We enter into another new section in Luke. We just finished a section dealing with hearing and heeding the Word of God. Today’s section returns to Luke developing the power and authority of Jesus, something he deals with throughout the rest of this chapter. Today’s passage will show Jesus’ power and authority over nature. Next passage will show it over the demons, and then after that, his power and authority over illness and even death. So then, today, we see Jesus’ ability to control even the wind and water. And as we study this power of Jesus, we see that it also speaks to questions of fear and faith. Let’s dig in.

We begin then with recognizing the danger that they were in on that boat. The background is given in verse 22. Jesus wants to go with his disciples across the lake. This is surely the lake known as the Sea of Galilee, which was a common setting for Jesus’ ministry. This is fairly good-sized lake, about 64 square miles in area, roughly 13 miles long and 8 miles wide. By comparison, it is just slightly smaller than Clear Lake in Lake County just north of us. So, it is a good-sized lake, with plenty of room to get yourself in trouble if a big storm developed.

And that is exactly what we find here. Verse 23 says that a windstorm came down on the lake. Now let me say that if you read commentaries, they like to point out that the topography of the lake makes it so that such windstorms are not uncommon. While I appreciate that windstorms in general might be common on that lake, I don’t think that comment does justice to what we read here. People were on that lake in boats quite regularly, and to my knowledge it was not that common to have a boat lost on the lake due to a storm. But, here you find that this windstorm was of such violence between the wind and the waves that it caused that boat to be in great in danger. This is told to us explicitly in verse 23. It says the boat was taking on water. It literally says they were in danger; that they were in jeopardy of sinking on that large lake. Their danger is also told us to implicitly in verse 24. That’s when we see how concerned Jesus’ disciples were when they woke him and told him that they were perishing. Realize four of the twelve disciples were previously professional fisherman who fished on this lake. They knew the conditions. They knew a bad storm when they saw one. They obviously had survived any previous storms they had encountered when on the lake. But this time, the urgency and seriousness of the disciples’ words show they fear that this time they won’t escape with their lives. Storms may be normal on that lake, but this storm was not normal.

I think it is important to understand that they were in real danger here. You know, when the professional sailors are worried about the storm, that’s when I would get worried too! Luke’s gospel is the only one to report in their words the twice call to Jesus, “Master, Master.” That surely reflects their panic and terror. It’s easy to look back at their fear and panic and find fault with them after the fact. But in the moment, under ordinary circumstances, their great concern seems like a very understandable and natural reaction.

And yet in contrast to the panic and concern of the disciples, you have Jesus. The wind and waves were raging and tossing the boat around. The disciples in their panic seemed to look a lot like those wind and waves. But in contrast, Jesus is asleep. He is calmly asleep with everything going on. I don’t know how you could sleep at a time like that, but Jesus was fast asleep through it all.

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 12/26/2021 in Novato, CA, considering the Lord’s Prayer.

Sermon preached on Isaiah 9:1-7 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Christmas Eve Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 12/24/2021.

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We’ve seen Isaiah prophetically announce Christmas in advance. His oracles especially emphasize the kingdom and kingship of the coming Messiah who would be born into this world. It is that kingdom I would like to further consider from this verse of Isaiah 9:7. Isaiah 9:7, “Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.” There are three things I’d like to point out about this kingdom that this baby Jesus would ultimately usher in. It is an abundant kingdom. It is a kingdom of peace. And it is a kingdom that will never end.

First then, Isaiah foretells the abundance of this kingdom. This is what the word “increase” in the Hebrew means here. It is a word that means abundance. It speaks of the great magnitude and wide breadth of the kingdom. The Greek translation (LXX) translated it as “greatness”. In other words, in English we might hear the word increase and think it refers to ongoing growth, as if to mean Christ’s kingdom will just always be expanding bigger and bigger. But the Hebrew seems to be better understood as referring to the fact that his kingdom will be big and abundant. In other words, it seems to be describing how the final outcome of Christ’s kingdom will be huge and expansive. The NASB translates it as “His dominion is vast”.

Think about this from the Old Testament vantage point, from the heights of David’s kingdom. This prophecy speaks about how Jesus will enjoy the kingdom of his forefather David. Under David and then Solomon, the kingdom was pretty expansive, in a relative sense. Compared to other kings of Israel, the kingdom of God’s people reached its geographical heights under David and Solomon. This was in fulfillment to God’s promises to Abraham, patriarch of Israel. God had promised Abraham and his offspring wide reaching geographical borders in the land of Canaan. Such was enjoyed under King David and especially King Solomon. And so, when Isaiah prophesies that the Messiah’s kingdom will be abundant, it will certainly not be less expansive than in David and Solomon’s days.

Yet, what we find in additional prophecy, is that the expansiveness of Jesus’ kingdom will actually be significantly larger. For example, Daniel 2 speaks of how the Messianic kingdom will grow to fill the whole earth. And in Daniel 7, it speaks of how the Messianic kingdom will break apart all the kingdoms of this world and be over all. And so additional prophecy tells us that Jesus’ kingdom is so expansive and vast that it will be worldwide.

And yet, Jesus would also later tell us an additional aspect of the abundance of his kingdom. He would say that his kingdom is not of this world, and that is why his disciples don’t use physical swords to fight for his kingdom here. That is an amazing and wonderful revelation. Jesus’ kingdom is a heavenly one that transcends the kingdoms of this creation. Before Jesus left this earth to return to heaven, he said he was going to prepare a place for us and would come back to bring us to that place. Then in the book of Revelation we are told that such would come to pass at the end, when God makes new heavens and a new earth, that then Jesus would usher in a New Jerusalem out of heaven and place it down here on a new earth. There, we will reign with Jesus in his kingdom which will be a kingdom that is worldwide in that new creation. This is the full extent of the vast and abounding kingdom that Isaiah speaks of here.

Sermon preached on Isaiah 9:1-7 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Christmas Eve Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 12/24/2021.

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We’ve seen Isaiah prophetically announce Christmas in advance. His oracles especially emphasize the kingdom and kingship of the coming Messiah who would be born into this world. It is that kingdom I would like to further consider from this verse of Isaiah 9:7. Isaiah 9:7, “Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.” There are three things I’d like to point out about this kingdom that this baby Jesus would ultimately usher in. It is an abundant kingdom. It is a kingdom of peace. And it is a kingdom that will never end.

First then, Isaiah foretells the abundance of this kingdom. This is what the word “increase” in the Hebrew means here. It is a word that means abundance. It speaks of the great magnitude and wide breadth of the kingdom. The Greek translation (LXX) translated it as “greatness”. In other words, in English we might hear the word increase and think it refers to ongoing growth, as if to mean Christ’s kingdom will just always be expanding bigger and bigger. But the Hebrew seems to be better understood as referring to the fact that his kingdom will be big and abundant. In other words, it seems to be describing how the final outcome of Christ’s kingdom will be huge and expansive. The NASB translates it as “His dominion is vast”.

Think about this from the Old Testament vantage point, from the heights of David’s kingdom. This prophecy speaks about how Jesus will enjoy the kingdom of his forefather David. Under David and then Solomon, the kingdom was pretty expansive, in a relative sense. Compared to other kings of Israel, the kingdom of God’s people reached its geographical heights under David and Solomon. This was in fulfillment to God’s promises to Abraham, patriarch of Israel. God had promised Abraham and his offspring wide reaching geographical borders in the land of Canaan. Such was enjoyed under King David and especially King Solomon. And so, when Isaiah prophesies that the Messiah’s kingdom will be abundant, it will certainly not be less expansive than in David and Solomon’s days.

Yet, what we find in additional prophecy, is that the expansiveness of Jesus’ kingdom will actually be significantly larger. For example, Daniel 2 speaks of how the Messianic kingdom will grow to fill the whole earth. And in Daniel 7, it speaks of how the Messianic kingdom will break apart all the kingdoms of this world and be over all. And so additional prophecy tells us that Jesus’ kingdom is so expansive and vast that it will be worldwide.

And yet, Jesus would also later tell us an additional aspect of the abundance of his kingdom. He would say that his kingdom is not of this world, and that is why his disciples don’t use physical swords to fight for his kingdom here. That is an amazing and wonderful revelation. Jesus’ kingdom is a heavenly one that transcends the kingdoms of this creation. Before Jesus left this earth to return to heaven, he said he was going to prepare a place for us and would come back to bring us to that place. Then in the book of Revelation we are told that such would come to pass at the end, when God makes new heavens and a new earth, that then Jesus would usher in a New Jerusalem out of heaven and place it down here on a new earth. There, we will reign with Jesus in his kingdom which will be a kingdom that is worldwide in that new creation. This is the full extent of the vast and abounding kingdom that Isaiah speaks of here.

Sermon preached on John 1:14-18 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 12/19/2021 in Novato, CA.

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I’ve spent a lot of time in this passage over the years when thinking about the birth of Jesus. Yet, the theme that I’d like to focus on in this morning’s sermon is an area that my sermons on this passage haven’t delved into too much. I’d like to spend a little time thinking of the fullness that is mentioned of Jesus, particularly in verses 14-18. The language of full or fullness is used in verses 14 and 16. Verse 14 speaks of his divine fullness that has come to us as he is God come in the flesh. Verse 16 speaks of how from his fullness we have grace and truth. And so, we learn here of some of the wonderful things the Jesus’s birth has brought to us from his fullness. And its these same verses that describe this in comparison to Moses. The great, true religion was brought to much light to the world through Moses. What Moses brought humanity was wonderful and amazing and sufficiently served God’s people for many centuries. But with the birth of Jesus, one greater than Moses has come bringing things even greater than what Moses brought. As we again reflect on Christ’s birth, let us reflect on what he has brought us in his divine fullness.

Let us first consider how Jesus brings us the fullness of God, both of his glory, and of his revelation. This is the basis for what we speak today when we speak of his fullness. Verse 14 describes Jesus as the Word that became flesh. This passage began in verse 1 by telling us that this Word was both with God and was God from the very beginning. This passage ends in verse 18 by telling us that this Word is the Only-begotten God, the eternal Son of the Father, who is at the Father’s side. So, we find the wonderful mystery that the one we call Jesus Christ is God come in the flesh. The name of Jesus isn’t even mentioned in this passage until almost the end, in verse 17, which is really more of a reference to his humanity than anything. But Jesus is the eternal God, one of the three persons of the Holy Trinity, who came to this earth in the divine fullness and became man. He didn’t lose his divinity when he became man, but added a divine nature to his person. So then, in the person of Jesus, the fullness of the deity dwelt in bodily form, as Colossians 2:9 also teaches.

This is beautifully described in a word that is almost always lost in English translations in verse 14. The word for “dwelt” is literally “tabernacled” or “pitched a tent”. The Son of God tabernacled among us, and we have seen his glory, glory of the only begotten from the Father. Here, in our passage, even before Moses’ name is mentioned, we have a contrast with Moses. Moses brought, so to speak, the glory of God to the world when he pitched a tent in the wilderness. God showed Moses a picture in heaven of a tabernacle which Moses then used to build an earthly approximation. In that tabernacle and later the temple that Solomon built, the Shekinah glory of God dwelt among his people. Such was wonderful and glorious. But now with Jesus, that fullness of God’s glory was manifested not in a fixed tent or building, but in the human body of Jesus. Wherever Jesus went, the fullness of God’s glory was present right there. And when Moses had built that tabernacle, Exodus 40:34 speaks of how at first the glory cloud of God filled the tabernacle. But what resulted of that was Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle when that glory cloud was so settled upon the tabernacle, Exodus 40:35. But Jesus, as one better than Moses, had within him the fullness of God’s glory. And we’ve seen that glory; that fullness of divine glory in the person of Jesus!

Sermon preached on Luke 8:16-21 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 12/12/2021 in Novato, CA.

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Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.Luke 8:16-2112/12/21

After Lighting a Lamp

Today’s passage is very much a part two from last week’s passage. Remember, that’s when Jesus went around preaching the word from town to town and city to city, verse 1. His word was the good news of the coming kingdom of God. We then heard Jesus give that famous Parable of the Sower that described the differing responses to the word of God. Jesus then explained to his disciples that the parable teaches how only some people have been given by God to know the secrets of the kingdom. He said that only some people have been given the ears to truly hear and the eyes to truly perceive these truths. As Jesus said in verses 8, those who do have ears, are indeed commanded to hear the word. So then, today’s passage continues to develop these ideas. Jesus gives a parable about a lit lamp to teach how we need to make use of what God gives us in his word. And then the interchange with Jesus’ mother and brother further illustrates this point.

So then let us begin to consider this parable of the lamp. In our first point, we’ll see how it calls us to make use of the revelation God gives us. So then, the parable is there in verse 16. Jesus describes a lamp that has been lit. Jesus points out the obvious, that you don’t light a lamp and then cover it up or hide it. Maybe before it is lit, it might be covered up or put away somewhere. Maybe before it is lit, you keep it stored under the bed. But once you light the lamp, you will make sure to put it somewhere out in the open so that the light can shine forth. Why? Because that’s the purpose of a lit lamp. You light the lamp so as to make light. It’s the function of a lit lamp. You need to illuminate something and so you can use the lit lamp to do so. It would make no sense to activate the usefulness of the lamp and then not use it. You just wouldn’t do that.

In verse 17, Jesus then makes a bit of connection between the lit lamp and the word that he’s been giving his disciples. Back in verse 10, Jesus describes how he had not only given them the word in general, but has explained it to them so as to reveal the secrets of the kingdom of God to them. Now, in working with this parable, Jesus speaks about secrets being made known and hidden things being revealed and coming to light. Jesus had brought the word to them and he has brought it to them for a purpose.

But here’s where Jesus really applies the idea of the lit lamp to them. It’s the exhortation he gives them in verse 18. “Take care then how you hear.” The point of the parable here is that things have a right use and you should use what you have the way it was made to be used. The lit lamp has a right use. If you have a lit lamp, you need to put in a place where it can shine. Well, Jesus’ disciples have been given the word. That word has a right use. It is meant to be used in accordance with its purpose. I might note that that application might be a little different than what you were expecting to hear here. Elsewhere, such as in Matthew 5:16, Jesus speaks of not hiding a lit lamp as a way to exhort his disciples to shine their good deeds before others. Well, that’s a different passage making a different point. Here, in Luke’s account it’s very clear he is making a point about utility. Things have a use and a purpose and you need to make use of that use and purpose. The analogy of the use of a lit lamp is to getting them to think about how to rightly use the word of God. There is a right way to use the word of God, even as there can be a wrong way to use it.

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 12/12/2021 in Novato, CA, considering the Lord’s Prayer.

Sermon preached on Luke 8:1-15 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 12/05/2021 in Novato, CA.

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Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.Luke 8:1-1512/05/21

The Secrets of the Kingdom of God

Today we get to talk about some of the secrets of the kingdom of God. May we all have ears to hear and eyes to see and minds to understand the wonderful truths God has revealed in his Word! And may those truths bear much fruit in our lives.

Let’s begin then in our first point to consider the proclamation Jesus was doing through the cities and villages. This is verses 1-3. We see that Jesus along with his twelve disciples and a number of women were with him as he went to town and city with his important message. I want us to notice two things about this.

First, Jesus’ message was a gospel message, specifically regarding the kingdom of God. This is what verse 1 says, and the Greek there translated as “bringing the good news” is just one word in the Greek. It’s where we get the word in English of evangelizing. Evangelizing is to bring the good news. We talk all the time about doing evangelism as Christians. And what is that good news that we bring when we evangelize? Well, we probably say something about being forgiven of our sins because of Jesus’ death on the cross so that we can be saved from the punishment of hell and have eternal life through faith in Jesus. But notice in verse 1 that the description of the good news is put in terms of the kingdom of God. To clarify, Jesus’ here doesn’t have a different gospel message than what we have today. It’s not that he is talking about different good news than what we are talking about. It’s all a part of the complete announcement of this good news that we call gospel. But I like to point out in cases like this that the way Jesus tended to describe this gospel is in terms of the kingdom. The gospel and the kingdom were intimately connected. One way we can talk about the gospel is about how we come into a glorious and everlasting kingdom of peace and righteousness through faith in Jesus. It is good news to herald the coming of this kingdom and king, especially when there is a way to be a part of such a wonderful kingdom through turning to Jesus in faith. This is the message Jesus was proclaiming everywhere he went. He clearly was on a mission to spread this news far and wide, here, there, and everywhere. He announced the coming of the kingdom. And he taught about what this kingdom would be like and how to be a part of it.

The second thing I want you notice about Jesus’s proclamation here is the people that were with him. He was not out here there preaching all by himself. In the one group, you had the twelve whom Jesus was teaching and training and preparing for their future apostolic ministry. They would carry on the official proclamation of the kingdom after Jesus’s later ascension back to heaven. For now, they were primarily students, learning the secrets of the kingdom so they could one day be the ones to preach this good news themselves on behalf of Jesus.

But then you also have these various women who play an important role here in providing for Jesus materially as he went on this itinerant preaching ministry. Some names are given to us. This Mary Magdalene is mentioned in all the gospels. She would become a witness to where Jesus was buried, and a witness to his empty tomb, and in fact, the risen Lord Jesus first appeared to her before anyone else. That was quite an honor bestowed upon her. The Joanna mentioned here is also among the women who were the first eye-witnesses to the empty tomb, Luke 24:10. Regarding this Susanna,