Trinity Presbyterian Church North Bay — Sermons & Sunday School

Sermon preached on James 3:13-18 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 04/11/2021 in Novato, CA

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The book of James is often described as New Testament wisdom literature. This is seen with its emphasis on the importance of wisdom. It is also seen in how it deals with various practical topics that the Old Testament wisdom literature also deals with, like last time with the tongue. Here then we come to a passage that speaks a lot about wisdom directly. Our pew Bibles even give it the heading “Wisdom from Above”. That being said, a closer examination will see that this passage is not so much about wisdom per se, but about wisdom as it relates to peacemaking and the folly of the opposite of peacemaking. Yet, this is also typical to wisdom literature – to see the far-reaching moral and spiritual implications of godly wisdom. That is what this passage is doing. While talking so much about wisdom, it is not giving us a wholistic definition of wisdom. It is rather delving into one specific fruit of wisdom at it relates to how a Christian might interact with others, especially in temptation to conflict and quarreling with others. So then, our actual topic for today will focus on these aspects of biblical conflict resolution and peacemaking, but we will do it in the context of wisdom as James would have us to do.

Notice how he starts off getting us to think this way. He starts with a question. Who is wise and understanding among you? That’s a call to self-examination. The Bible holds out this emphasis on the tremendous importance of wisdom. Wisdom is painted as something more than just one commendable character trait among many. Wisdom is so often described as something that characterizes the whole of someone, like in the book of Proverbs the contrasting labels of the wise versus the fool are repeatedly used. So then, here James asks for some self-evaluation. Do you think yourself wise? Notice then what he calls us to do if we think we are so wise. He calls us to show ours wisdom by our conduct. In case you missed this, this is very similar to what he did back in chapter 2:14 with faith. He called us to examine our claim to faith by seeing if we are showing that we have a true faith by how we conduct ourselves. So, James is doing something very similar here now with wisdom. Do you fancy yourself wise? Well, then there should be certain fruit that comes from that wisdom. Here, he doesn’t go into all the fruit that will come from wisdom. He focuses on the fruit as it relates to promoting peace between people.

By the way, it seems clear that he is focusing on such peacemaking because the people he is writing to are struggling with conflicts and quarrelling. He’s touched briefly on that back in chapter 1. He’s hinted to it earlier in this chapter when he spoke about the tongue. Next passage he will directly speak against such quarreling. So he is addressing this teaching on peace between people because it was a real problem they were having. And this is not an unknown problem today either. May the Lord bless our reflection on it today and find the wisdom from above to implement its counsel.

Let us then in our first point about such wise peacemaking consider the wisdom of meekness versus its alternative. This is in verses 13 and 14. There we find the meekness of wisdom being commended to us if we think we are wise. This is saying that it is wise to be meek. It is saying that this is something the true wisdom brings out in our lives, meekness. If we are wise, we would be meek. Being meek is one of the way wisdom promotes peace in a relationship and seeks to dispel conflict.

What does it mean to be meek? It is to be gentle and mild of character.

Sermon preached on Matthew 28:16-20 concerning the significance of the resurrection to the Great Commission by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the worship service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 4/4/21 in Novato.

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As we consider today the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, we are looking at Matthew’s unique contribution to the accounts of the various appearances of the risen Lord Jesus. After his resurrection, Jesus made appearances to his disciples both in Judea and in Galilee. Prior to the cross, Jesus had given his disciples special direction to meet him in a certain place in Galilee after he was raised. Matthew’s account starting in verse 16 tells us of this initial post-resurrection appearance in Galilee. And how thankful we are that Matthew has preserved this encouraging and comforting record. For it teaches us so much about how to respond to the risen Jesus, of the significance of the cross, and how this all calls the church to be making disciples of all the nations.

Look with me first at how the disciples responded to the risen Jesus by worshipping him. In verse 16 we see the eleven disciples had gone up to Galilee to wait for Jesus to come to them as he promised. This eleven refers to that inner circle of twelve disciples Jesus had, minus Judas Iscariot who had betrayed him. It is possible there were other disciples there also with the eleven, as other disciples often were with Jesus’ inner circle too. Some have wondered if this was the same occasion when Jesus appeared to more than five hundred disciples at once, per 1 Corinthians 15:6. But the attention especially is given to the eleven here.

So then, they behold the risen Jesus there on that mountain in Galilee. And they worship him. This word of worship is one that literally would entail bowing down and laying prostrate before someone in worship and adoration. It’s a wonderful bookend to the book of Matthew which began with the Magi coming to worship the newborn Jesus. Now, at the end of Matthew’s account, these disciples worship the resurrected Jesus, same word for worship in the Greek.

Let us not quickly gloss over this point. This is indeed a fitting response by the disciples here. Remember what had happened. They had followed Jesus for the last few years, receiving his teachings, witnessing his miracles and all the wonders he performed. Through it all they were increasingly coming to the conclusion that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah who would save God’s people from their sins and deliver them to a glorious kingdom. They had finally started to come to that conclusion, but then Jesus told them he would have to suffer and die at the hand of the religious leaders, but that he would also then rise from the dead. This prediction bewildered them, and when Jesus finally was arrested this inner circle of his disciples initially deserted him in the moment, denying him, fleeing for their own lives. But then the reports came in that he was risen. Then they had even seen him, but he pointed them to go to Galilee and meet him there like he had previously instructed. So, they went. And lo and behold, here he is! Here, up from the grave, he stood arose. And so, as he appears to them in Galilee, they bow to the ground. They worship him for the Lord and King and the Son of God that he is. When Jesus had predicted ahead of time this would happen, they had struggled to believe it, not understanding that he had to rise from the dead. But now, it was all coming true, just as he had told them it would. How marvelous, how amazing, how wonderful, how glorious this was! It would have left them in awe and resulted in this response of worship of Jesus! And that is what Matthew recorded.

Interestingly, Matthew also tells us here in verse 17 that whil...

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 04/04/2021 in Novato, CA. This week we continued our series on eschatology.

Sermon preached on Isaiah 53:7 concerning the significance of the resurrection to the Great Commission by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Good Friday worship service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 4/2/21 in Novato.

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May we all behold again this evening the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, even as he opened not his mouth. We reflect specifically this evening on verse 7 of Isaiah 53, that Jesus, “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.” As Philip the Evangelist interpreted to the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8, this word from Isaiah spoke of the good news of the cross of Jesus Christ. Philip’s explanation brought salvation to that Ethiopian eunuch as he opened up Isaiah 53’s fulfillment in Jesus. Let us also feast savingly on this passage of Scripture that reminds us our Lord’s willing going to cross to be the sacrifice to atone for our sins. We’ll think of this from Isaiah 53:7, especially this idea that he “opened not his mouth.”

Notice with me first that Isaiah 53:7 speaks of how Jesus was oppressed and afflicted. For us to consider how Jesus didn’t open his mouth is in the context of him being oppressed and afflicted. Such oppression and affliction had characterized Jesus’ life even from his early days on earth. He had to come into this world being born in a manger because of inconvenient government burdens imposed on his parents. Then he and his family had to flee the heavy hand of King Herod who sought to kill him for no reason other than that he was the righteous one of God. Then during his earthly teaching ministry, he found opponents in the religious leaders of the Jews who envied him for all his wisdom and for how the people flocked to hear him open up the Word of God. At so many points these opponents tested him and tried to trick him so they could find some fault in him and thus find a way to discredit him or get him in trouble in one way or another. But he kept answering all their tests and tricks well and it was they who found themselves silent before his words of truth.

But the oppression and affliction of Isaiah 53:7 especially speaks to these events which we consider at his arrest and ultimate crucifixion. Beginning with one of his close friends betraying him for a bribe, he is arrested without reason. He is then brought before one sham trial after another. He is put under trial before Annas, then Caiaphas, then to Pilate, then to Herod, then back to Pilate again. In those trials he was sinned against by false accusations and false testimony with malicious witnesses who even then their testimony did not agree. He was scourged. He was forced to wear a crown of thorns, and mocked, struck, and his garments stripped from him and divided up. He was forced to carry his cross. Finally, he was crucified, hung alongside actual criminals. There he hung, enduring more mocking from passersby, thirsting, suffering, until he finally gave up the Spirit and died. All this oppression and affliction he endured, when he was innocent of all sin, as the only fully righteous human to ever walk this earth.

Again, just let that sink in. Jesus was oppressed. He was afflicted. By those in power, among both Jewish and Roman people in power. He was oppressed and afflicted. And he didn’t deserve any of it. Yet, in that context, he opened not his mouth.

Notice next with me in Isaiah 53:7 that it describes Jesus as, “Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent.” Just picture the simile here. When the slaughterer is leading the lamb off to be slaughtered,

Sermon preached on James 3:1-12 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 03/28/2021 in Novato, CA.

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Today’s passage develops what James introduced in chapter 1, verse 26, when he said that a person’s professed religion is worthless if someone doesn’t bridle his tongue. Here James expands on this idea of bridling our tongues. He teaches on the seriousness of sins of the tongue. And he teaches how as Christians we should be seeking to have sanctified speech. And so, our passage for today challenges us to put our faith to work in the area of our speech. Our orthopraxy means we need to be serious about controlling our tongues.

Let’s begin in our first point with considering in general the sins of the tongue. This will allow us to define the problem in general and also appreciate its seriousness. In terms of defining the sins of the tongue, James gives us two specific types here. In verse 1, we see this regarding teachers. He warns those who would aspire to be teachers to remember that teachers will be judged with greater strictness. In the context of taming the tongue, we can appreciate that his concern here for teachers is about their speech as teachers. We should all be concerned about what we say and how was say it, but teachers due to their role in shepherding the saints are especially accountable because of its power to affect and direct God’s people. As a pastor, a verse like this is so humbling and hopefully promoting godly fear within me, because I recognize my weaknesses and desire to be faithful in my charge as a teacher and preacher. I pray that in God’s grace he might use my speech to bless and build up and never lead astray in any way.

But James’ point here is clear. One way we can sin with our tongues is in teaching things we shouldn’t be. This point makes a helpful transition from last chapter where James was speaking against those who would teach that our faith has no obligation to seek godly works. I speculated last time if maybe some people had been taking Paul’s teachings on justification by faith alone and misrepresenting in some antinomian way. Remember that being antinomian refers to the error that says that a Christian has no obligation to keep God’s law anymore. But this is a problem people can do today with their speech. They can parrot faithful teachers they appreciate but do so in a defective way. Social media is ripe with examples of such. This is not said to discourage us from sharing our faith and pointing people to sound doctrine. But it is an admonition to great care when doing so. One should certainly not be speaking if they don’t really know what they are saying.

A second type of sin of the tongue that James highlights here is in verse 9 when he mentions people cursing others. Literally, that is the language of calling down divine judgment on someone. But it seems what James is addressing is the idea of sinfully speaking against someone. We could call this most generally as slander. Examples abound of how we could speak in an evil way to someone. I think of how Jesus spoke in the sermon on the mount of how our words could be murderous when we insult people by calling them fools. We should remember here that James addresses quarreling at several points in this book. Quarreling can have several dimensions but almost always it involves using our tongues to sin against another. James will raise the concern that such quarreling even happens among Christians. Again, social media is ripe with examples of such.

These are two types of sins we can do with our tongue: bad teaching and speaking in evil ways against each other. Certainly, we could brainstorm other sorts of sins of the tongue that we find addressed elsewhere in Scriptur...

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 03/28/2021 in Novato, CA. This week we continued our series on eschatology.

Sermon preached on James 2:14-26 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 03/21/2021 in Novato, CA.

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James has been getting us to consider our faith in relation to our practice. As we said in our introductory sermon on James, this letter has us consider the relationship of orthodoxy with orthopraxy. Today’s passage is at the heart of such matters asserting that true, saving faith will have a lively practice that flows from it. Let us be blessed as we consider this important biblical teaching about how one’s true faith is seen their living. This truth also carries with it several important applications, including a call to examine that we are in the faith.

Before we really dig into the details of our text for today, I’d like to begin in our first point by addressing the question of how this passage relates to the Apostle Paul’s teaching on justification. This passage in James has been a challenge to many in trying to reconcile it with Paul’s teaching, especially passages like Galatians 2:16. There Paul says, “We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ.” We can’t help but notice a certain similarity Paul’s language in Galatians with James’ here. They even both use the example of Abraham. Some critics have claimed Paul and James contradict each other and use that to try to discredit the Bible. Others, like the Roman Catholics have tried to use James here to argue against the Protestants, arguing that one is justified by faith and works. Yet I would submit to you that neither things are true. We will see today that there is no necessary contradiction here between James and Paul. We will also see that Paul’s teaching in the technical sense on justification through faith alone is not in any way diminished when we understand what James is actually addressing here when he distinguishes between living faith and dead faith.

So then let me challenge the presumptuous assumption that James and Paul were in conflict with each other. You see an assumption is an assumption. To look at the similarity of these passages and to assume a conflict certainly is not how God would have us to operate when we come to his Holy Word. Unbelievers often approach God’s Word with suspicion and assuming conflicts. However, we should approach God’s Word in faith and look for how passages can be harmonized before just asserting a contradiction. In this case, there are certainly alternative explanations for why Paul and James use some similar concepts here in their writings even while making different points and addressing different concerns. One alternative is that James as one of the earliest books written in the New Testament may have been responding to people who were out misrepresenting Paul’s teachings in some antinomian way, maybe even before James even met Paul. Since there are people today who still misrepresent Paul like that, such is not inconceivable. It is also possible that the similarity in content and language was simply coincidental. But as we’ll see today, the actual content and theological points that James and Paul respectively are making do not contradict each other despite superficial similarities between the two passages.

To further make this point, I refer to what the New Testament tells us about Paul and James’ relationship as it developed. Nowhere is there a recorded conflict between the two. Rather, in Galatians 2:9 it describes how Paul met James and he approved of Paul’s ministry and message. That section of Galatians is so helpful because Paul describes there how his doctrine was against someone trying to be circumcised as a work of the law in order to be justified. Paul’s point in meeting with James and the other “pillars” in Jerusalem was ...

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 03/21/2021 in Novato, CA. This week we began a new series on eschatology.

Sermon preached on James 2:8-13 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 03/07/2021 in Novato, CA.

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Our text for today further develops last week’s passage which spoke against sinful partiality.  It also serves as a transition to the next passage which will call us to be showing mercy to the poor.  Indeed such a call to mercy is raised in this passage as we see so wonderfully summarized at the end with the glorious affirmation, “Mercy triumphs over judgment!”

Our first point then for today will be to talk about this “royal law” mentioned in verse 8.  He describes this royal law in this context of condemning sinful partiality.  He summarizes what this royal law is with the call to, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  We should immediately recall that Jesus taught in the gospels that this was the second greatest commandment, with the first being to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength.  Jesus said that on these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets (Matthew 22:40).  And in a similar way, he at another time spoke of the golden rule as a summary itself of the all law and the prophets – the golden rule being, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Matthew 7:12).  So then, we can see why James might highlight Jesus’ teaching on love for neighbor when summarizing the law.

But what are we to understand from the adjective “royal”?  Why does James call this the royal law?  This is the only place in Scripture that the God’s law is called the royal law.  Some interpreters take the word royal here in the sense of “supreme” or “chief”.  In other words, they think James is simply recognizing that the overarching call for the love of neighbor as of the status of one of the greatest of the commandments.  While that is true in itself, I would want to not miss the immediate nuance of this word “royal”.  In the Greek, this word royal is the same Greek root as the words for king and kingdom.  Like in English, this word “royal” makes you think of king and kingdom.  And so, I wouldn’t want to miss that imagery here.  In fact, the context would encourage us to recognize that.  Just go back 3 verses.  It spoke there of the Christian’s hope that we are heirs of the kingdom.  Jesus himself repeatedly spoke of his gospel message about how to be a part of his kingdom.  So then, James can summarize Jesus’ teaching on righteousness in terms of a royal law.  This is kingdom ethics.  It’s the law of the kingdom to come in King Jesus.

To clarify, I’m not saying that this kingdom law is substantively different than the moral law given under the Old Testament.  It’s not.  But by putting it in such terms it really drives home its relevance for the Christian whose hope is in the coming of the kingdom.  The ethics of the kingdom to come call us to the righteousness of God which can be summarized even in our horizontal obligation to love our neighbor as ourselves.  Indeed, Jesus spoke much on this call to love our neighbor, and even challenged God’s people on whom all we should consider as our neighbor.  As those who are heirs of Christ’s kingdom, this law is our law.  The royal law is kingdom law.  It’s the king’s law.  And thus it’s especially to be the law we embrace as those made citizens of that kingdom in King Jesus.  Let me also say it in these terms.  James has been getting us to think of the ramifications of our faith.  Well, our Christian faith has a law to guide our living.  Our Christian faith embraces this law of Christ given to us for our obedience.

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 03/07/2021 in Novato, CA. This week as an epilogue to our our series on biblical history, we completed a survey of church history, considering the Modern Church.