Trinity Presbyterian Church North Bay — Sermons & Sunday School

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 08/15/2021 in Novato, CA. This week we started a series through the Belgic Confession, starting with article 1 on God.

Sermon preached on Luke 3:21-4:13 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 08/08/2021 in Novato, CA.

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This might seem like a strange place to put a genealogy. In comparison, Matthew’s gospel puts it right at the start, which might seem to make more sense in general. But what we find here is that Luke places this genealogy into the center of a passage about the beginning of Jesus ministry. He seems to do so in such a way to further bring out how the truth that Jesus is both Son of Man and Son of God. In other words, as Jesus starts his ministry, Luke reminds us that it was important for Jesus to both God and Man. So then, today we will look at the beginning of Jesus ministry and how Luke highlights Jesus as both Son of Adam and Son of God. Jesus is indeed our perfect mediator of a new, better covenant between God and Man.

So then, let’s begin in our first point for today to briefly observe how Luke is telling us about the start of Jesus ministry in this section. Verse 23 uses this language, speaking of Jesus “when he began his ministry”. He says this to introduce the genealogy, but right before it was his baptism and right after is his wilderness temptation which he then immediately begins to teach in Galilee. Luke is explaining to us that Jesus’ baptism and wilderness temptation are key events in the start of his earthly ministry. And Luke includes Jesus’ genealogical record here to further complement what he is teaching us about this start of his ministry. Namely, we see how at the start of Jesus’ ministry there is reference to Jesus both in terms of the Spirit and the flesh. This is intimately related to Jesus being both Son of God and Son of Man.

So then, as Jesus begins his ministry, notice what Luke notes about Jesus according to the flesh. Verse 23 he tells us that Jesus was about thirty years old. We are not given a precise date, which tells us not to over think the specific age. But when we read this, we should remember back to chapter 2 and what we saw of Jesus in the temple at Passover when he was twelve years old. There too, we mentioned how Luke brought out aspects of both Jesus’ humanity and divinity. There, we saw the text emphasize how according to the flesh, Jesus was growing up, and that growing up involved learning and maturing, even though he was the Son of God. As the Son of God, he possessed all knowledge and wisdom and was already perfect. But as a human, as a Son of Adam, he had to grow up and go from a boy to a man. Already back in chapter 2, we saw how perfectly he was growing up. But he wasn’t yet ready to begin his ministry, despite his great beginnings. Then he was still just a boy. But now he had grown up. He had learned and matured. Now, as a human adult he would begin the ministry which God had called him unto. And so, this reference here to Jesus being about thirty years old reminds us of his humanity by which he had to grow up before officially beginning the ministry God had given him to do. Of course, the fact that there is the genealogical record right here, also reminds us of the humanity of Jesus – but we’ll delve more into that in a moment in our second point.

But then, as Jesus begins his ministry, notice what Luke also notes about Jesus according to the Spirit. To initiate his ministry, Jesus is baptized in verse 22. But it’s not just an outward baptism. He is baptized by the Holy Spirit to equip him for ministry. Jesus, while being a human Son of Adam, was endowed with the Spirit for such a ministry. We can thus appreciate why his baptism is a key marker here to the start of his ministry. But notice in verse 22 what goes along with that demonstration of the Spirit. God the Father speaks forth from the heavens and declares Jesus is the Son...

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 08/08/2021 in Novato, CA. This week we completed our series on eschatology.

Sermon preached on Luke 3:15-22 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 07/25/2021 in Novato, CA.

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Today we have part two about the ministry of John the Baptist in preparing the way for Jesus Christ. Here we see John’s humble service to fulfill his God-given role and ministry. But it is a ministry, like our passage for today, that ultimately gives the focus and spotlight to the Son of God and Messiah in whom God the Father is well pleased. As we study this passage for today, we’ll see how John’s good news about the coming Jesus is still good news for us today.

Let us begin by looking at verses 15-16. There we find a comparison between how John’s baptizes and how Jesus would baptize. This comparison of baptisms is in the context of a question found in verse 15. There, we see that the people had begun to wonder if John was the long-awaited Messiah. John’s ministry had attracted a lot of attention in Israel. Even the non-Christian Jewish historian Josephus describes the popularity and great influence of John in his book the Antiquities of the Jews. Even long after John’s death, we find in the book of Acts there were some people who yet considered themselves his disciples (c.f. Acts 19). So then, we are not surprised to see here that some were hoping that John might be the Christ. It is a wonderful thing, in general, to see in verse 15 that the people were in eager expectation for the coming Messiah. And it is thus understandable that they might have thought someone like John, who lived such a notable life in the wilderness as a prophet and who spoke with such authority and who instituted such a new thing as a baptism even for Jews, that he might be the Christ.

But, John was adamant that he was not the Christ, verse 16. In no uncertain terms, he unequivocally denied that he was the coming Messiah. Notice how he humbles himself in comparison to the Messiah. In verse 16, he explains that he is so inferior to the Messiah that he is not even worthy to untie the strap of his sandal. Realize, that such would have been a servant’s job for an important person, and one of the lowliest servant’s job — this is not an armor-bearer or cup-bearer position, for example. But John says he’s not even worthy enough to be such a lowest of personal servants for the Messiah. Running with that analogy, you can imagine that a prestigious and powerful king doesn’t have just anyone be his servants. He has the best of the best as his servants. John’s saying that compared to the glory and honor of the coming Messiah, he in comparison isn’t worthy to serve such a king even in such lowliest of a position. That’s biblical humility in light of the great glory and worthiness of the Christ.

John further makes his point then by comparing his baptism versus the kind of baptism Jesus would bring. In verse 16, John says he baptizes with water. He compares that with how the Christ would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. Ultimately, John’s comparison brings out the external component of his baptism and its function as a sign, whereas he brings out the substantive component of how Jesus baptizes. Let me explain what I just said. Think of John’s baptism. He uses water. What is water effective for when used to baptize? Well, the only thing it intrinsically does is wash dirt off a body. But of course, we know that is not why John the Baptist baptized people. He didn’t baptize with water for the remission of dirt. No, he baptized people for the remission of sins. But ultimately, this baptism with water was as an expression of their repentance and seeking God to forgive them of their sins. It expressed their plea to God for mercy in an expression of turning from sin. But you see,

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 07/25/2021 in Novato, CA. This week we continued our series on eschatology.

Sermon preached on Luke 3:1-14 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 07/18/2021 in Novato, CA.

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Too often today Christians present the gospel in a way carefully crafted to make it as least offensive as possible to the unbeliever. Don’t misunderstand me, I am all for a winsome gospel presentation. Nor should we look to be offensive in our sharing of Christ with others. In fact, people can sometimes present Christ in rather unnecessarily offensive ways. Yet, in our pluralistic coexist culture of so-called tolerance, we can be especially tempted to make our gospel presentation as lease offensive as possible to the hearer. That is fine as long as you don’t change the message in the process. You see, there is an element in the gospel that is inherently prone to cause offense to the sinner. And we see that here today with the ministry of John the Baptist. He calls people to repent of their sins in light of the coming judgment day of God. That language has offended many over the centuries. But we must not remove that part of the gospel message because it is part of the message. It was so much part of the gospel message that even before Jesus began his gospel ministry on earth, it was part of John the Baptist’s preparatory ministry in light of the coming imminent ministry Jesus. Indeed, while the gospel means good news, to really appreciate the good news we have to hear this bad news that we are guilty sinners that need to repent of our sins. That is what John’s ministry draws our attention to today.

Let us begin then in our first point with observing that John here proclaims the coming wrath of God. To modern people this is probably the most offensive teaching in the Bible. But it’s not our message, it’s God’s message that he has repeatedly given to humanity through his prophets. Here it is again in verse 7. There, John the Baptist says there is coming a day where the wrath of God will fall on this world. He recognizes there that this is something to flee ahead of time. His words imply that the people who have gathered there in the wilderness to hear his prophesying know that this wrath is coming. Of course they do. John was not the last prophet to speak of this. The Old Testament is full of major and minor prophets that spoke of God’s coming wrath. Often their prophecies put it in terms of the day of the Lord. Joel 1:15 said, “Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is near, and as destruction from the Almighty it comes.” Obadiah 1:15, “For the day of the LORD is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head.” Those are two examples of many the describe the day of the LORD as the day when God comes to bring judgment upon the wicked for all their evil deeds.

We see John the Baptist further describe this coming wrath in verse 9 with an analogy. There he speaks of the analogy of an axe being laid to the root of the trees. It imagines God as lumberjack felling all the worthless trees – trees that haven’t borne good fruit. As someone who has an apricot tree that virtually bears no fruit each year, I’m not sure why I’ve not cut it down yet. But God’s day of wrath will be like that lumberjack who chops down a fruitless tree. In case it is not obvious, it is saying that human sinners are the worthless trees that get chopped down for lack of good fruit.

As we observe this language about the coming of the day of the Lord, it is important to recognize that the prophets spoke of two aspects of this day. Yes, it would be a day of God’s terrible judgment upon the wicked. But it would also be a day of great salvation for God’s people whom he will come to save from all the wicked of this world who have afflicted them. In fact,

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 07/18/2021 in Novato, CA. This week we continued our series on eschatology.

Sermon preached on Luke 2:40-52 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 06/27/2021 in Novato, CA.

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Luke alone among the canon of Scripture tells us about this adolescence period of Jesus. Later on, some of the heretical and inauthentic gnostic gospels surfaced that delved into various fanciful accounts of Jesus’ boyhood. Yet, in comparison to what we have in the Bible, they come across as but a perverted picture of Jesus’ childhood. More so, those gnostic fabrications of Jesus’ youth present an unbiblical Christology, an unbiblical description of the person of Jesus. Yet, what we have here in Luke fits so wonderfully with biblical Christology. Here we learn some important things about the humanity of Jesus. Here we also have a subtle reminder of the divinity of Jesus. And together we realize the importance for Jesus to be our mediator that he be both human and divine, two natures, united in the one person. So then, our passage for today will help us to delve into some Christology to learn more about the person of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We’ll have opportunity to think a little further on what it means for Jesus to have these two different natures yet united in one person.

Let us begin in our first point by observing what we can learn here about the humanity of Jesus. Start by noticing how our passage starts and ends. It brackets this material about Jesus when he was twelve years old with a statement about his growth. Verse 40, “And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.” Verse 52, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.” We can notice in those verses physical growth. In Jesus’ humanity, he began as a baby, and had a real body that grew just like we grow. When it says that he grew, our most natural way to read that would refer to physical growth. When it describes in verse 52 that he grew in stature, it is especially a reference to the growth that comes with age. Jesus had a real body and at this age of twelve, he would have surely been going through puberty which maybe some of our youth right now can identify with. He surely tripped over his own feet at times, scraped his knee or elbow at times, got a bruise here or there, etc. This is important to understand because it is too easy to make that mistake that because he also had a divine nature that somehow his humanity was lost or swallowed up by his divinity. But his going through life as the second Adam was as a human man, with all that entails. Yes, because he is the God-man that has certain ramifications like that he won’t actually ever fall into sin. But the fact that he was the God-man was not such that took away his humanity. That humanity includes his physical growth that we see described here.

But it also includes his internal growth. Dare I even suggest that he grew in a spiritual sense. I mean things like how verse 40 speaks of him growing in wisdom. We also see him in verses 42 and 43 learning theology from the teachers at the temple. In terms of his humanity, Jesus was not omniscient, all-knowing. In terms of his humanity, he wasn’t born into infinite wisdom. Those are qualities of the divine. And, yes, sometimes by the Holy Spirit we see moments where Jesus is given a gift of special knowledge. But in general, Jesus according to his humanity did not have all knowledge and wisdom. He had to grow in knowledge and wisdom. Even later, when he began his ministry, we see that there were things he didn’t know according to his humanity. For example, in Matthew 24:36, he doesn’t know the day or hour of the end of this present age. Or in Mark 5:30 he realizes someone touched him and power went out from him, but he looked around not knowing who specifically had ...

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 06/27/2021 in Novato, CA. This week we continued our series on eschatology.

Sermon preached on Luke 2:1-39 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 06/20/2021 in Novato, CA.

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From Nazareth and back again, a Savior’s story. This is how Luke has framed this memorable and beloved account of the birth of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Verses 1-4 open with the setting that resulted in the relocation from Nazareth in Galilee down to Bethlehem in Judea. Our passage ends with verse 39 recording their return to Nazareth. What also is paired and contrasted in these framing verses is the decree of Caesar with the Law of the Lord. It is the decree of Caesar in these opening verses that bring Mary and Joseph and Jesus in utero. In contrast, we see our passage ending in verse 39 that describes how the Law of the Lord kept them for a time there in Judea, before returning to Nazareth. Joseph and Mary’s attention to both the decree of Caesar and the Law of the Lord become the context for these events here in Judea.

Let me pause for a quick side note. As we find this material so framed by Luke, I do point out that Matthew’s account of these events gives us various other details that Luke did not record for us. While Matthew’s account can be easily harmonized with Luke’s account, my goal today is to focus on what Luke draws to our attention and not in providing a harmonization of the gospels on these events. In fact, that will be my practice in general as I preach through Luke. I want to preach you Luke’s account and not just teach a consolidated summary of all the data we have on Jesus. If, along the way you have harmonization questions, please feel free to ask me. But in general, I will try to focus my Luke sermons on what Luke has chosen to draw our attention to and his specific emphases and perspective. So then, Luke draws our attention on Joseph, Mary, and Jesus in a story of their going from Nazareth and back again in the context of them looking to heed both the decree of Caesar and the Law of the Lord.

In our first point, then, let us spend some time considering this decree of Caesar and its implications for the events of our passage. Starting in verse 1 we find that Caesar Augustus issues this decree for a registration. This Emperor Augustus, also known as Octavius, was the first official emperor of the Roman Empire, following the dictatorship of his uncle Julius Caesar. He reigned from 30 BC to AD 14. He put an end to the civil wars among Rome and is credited for ushering in the Pax Romana, an era of international peace within the Roman Empire for some two hundred years. It is often noted how the providence of God chose such a time as this for Jesus to be sent into the world. This time of such peace, along with its efficient system of roads, a common language, and more, made for a great environment for the gospel to rise up and begin to be spread to the world. In God’s providence, he picked such a time to initiate the accomplishment of his plan of redemption in the sending of his son into the world.

So then, not only in general, but even in the particulars of this registration, we see the hand of providence to fulfill God’s promises. Long before, through the prophet Micah, God foretold that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Yet, as we saw last chapter, Mary was living in Nazareth of Galilee, but Bethlehem was in Judea. If you remember your geography, Judea was the region in the south, then north of that was the region of Samaria and then north of that was the region of Galilee. That’s roughly 100 miles between Nazareth and Bethlehem. Yet God desired the Messiah to be from Nazareth yet born in Bethlehem. And so, God then providentially made use of Caesar’s decree to bring pregnant Mary with Joseph down to Bethlehem.