Trinity Presbyterian Church North Bay — Sermons & Sunday School

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 01/03/2021 in Novato, CA. This week as an epilogue to our our series on biblical history, we continued a survey of church history, considering the Reformation era.

Sermon preached on 2 Kings 25 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 12/27/2020 in Novato, CA.

Sermon Manuscript

Today is our sixty-ninth and final sermon in our series through the book of 1 and 2 Kings. The book began with such a high point in the history of God’s people, with Solomon building the house of God in Jerusalem and establishing the kingdom in rest and peace and prosperity. More importantly, God had blessed that house that Solomon had built and placed his holy presence there and it was a light and a lamp among Israel for several centuries. Yet, beginning even with Solomon, our trek through 1 and 2 Kings found a history of God’s kings leading their people to turn away from God in different ways. Despite some noteworthy and commendable exceptions, too many forsook God. After the kingdom split into two, the northern kingdom more quickly and more severely fell into wide scale apostasy, resulting in God bringing the covenant curses upon them first with their fall to the Assyrians in 722 BC. But now the remnant of God’s people in Judah and Jerusalem come to the same sort of fate here in 587 BC, falling to the Babylonian empire. As we sang from Psalm 79 earlier in the service, “God, the nations have invaded.”

We begin first then today considering King Zedekiah’s rebellion against Babylon. Recall, last chapter ended with King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon coming down against Jerusalem because King Jehoiakim had rebelled against him. King Nebuchadnezzar not only killed Jehoiakim but then shortly thereafter Jehoiakim’s successor son, King Jehoiachin, surrendered himself to Nebuchadnezzar who then took him prisoner back to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar then placed Zedekiah on the throne of Jerusalem as his new vassal king. But last chapter ended in verse 20 with Zedekiah rebelling against the King of Babylon. We might note that Jeremiah had specifically prophesied before that happened to King Zedekiah to submit to Babylon and live, otherwise they would be destroyed. That was in in Jeremiah chapter 27. Sadly, Zedekiah did not heed the prophetic word of the Lord and see the outcome of it in today’s chapter.

So, then our chapter today picks up with King Zedekiah’s rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar with Babylon again coming down against Jerusalem, verse 1. This will be the last straw. Nebuchadnezzar besieges the city for a little over a year. Of course, what you are typically trying to do in a siege like that is to starve the people and weaken them before they either give up or you attempt to overcome its fortifications and take the city by military force. Verse 3 shows that the siege was indeed working. As Jeremiah had prophesied to Zedekiah, Jerusalem would experience famine if they rebelled against Babylon. And verse 3 says that was the case, that they ran out of food. The Chaldeans (that’s the name of the peoples of Babylon) then seized the opportunity and the city wall was breached, and they begin to try to take the city.

But that’s when Zedekiah and his soldiers attempt to escape. Jeremiah 39:4 records that there was some sort of way out of the city near the king’s garden that Zedekiah and his men took. They flee from the city, apparently hoping to survive so that they can later regroup to live to fight another day. They head north and west toward the Arabah, which is basically the whole valley up and down the Jordan River. But they don’t make it that far. The Chaldeans overtake them in the plains of Jericho. Recall that Jericho was the first city in the Promised Land that Israel had conquered. Now there they meet their final defeat. There, the Chaldeans capture Zedekiah and his army is scattered.

So then, Zedekiah is hauled up in chains north to Riblah where the Nebuchadnezzar h...

Sunday School class led by Mr. Jim Wright at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 12/27/2020 in Novato, CA. This week we completed a two-part series on the Lord’s Supper, considering the confessional standards’ teaching on the topic.

Sermon preached on Luke 1:68-79 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 12/20/2020 in Novato, CA.

Sermon Manuscript

As Luke’s gospel opens its first two chapters to tell us about the birth of Jesus Christ, it is full of songs. This is one of them – Zechariah’s prophecy put in the form of poetry. Traditionally this has been referred to as the Benedictus after the first word in its Latin translation, or sometimes simply as the “Song of Zechariah.” Luke’s gospel is a reminder that there were many songs sung at Jesus’ birth, and God’s people continue to sing of Christ’s birth. Indeed, as the Psalter commands us to sing a new song at God’s key redemptive actions in history, the birth of Jesus Christ is worthy of such songs. Today then we get to consider one of those new songs given by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit through the priest Zechariah.

Before we dig into the song, recall the context. Zechariah was the father of the newly born John who becomes later known as John the Baptist for his forerunner baptism ministry for Jesus. Prior John’s conception, Zechariah had been visited by the angel Gabriel while serving in the temple. Gabriel had told Zechariah that his wife who had been barren would conceive and bear a son. They were to name him John, and he would be the long-prophesied forerunner to the Messiah. Zechariah asked the angel how such a thing could happen given their old age. In response, Gabriel rebuked him for his lack of faith and said he wouldn’t be able to speak until these things took place. So then, John had just been born and Zechariah had written down that he was to be named John. As soon as that happened, Zechariah’s speech was restored and he began to praise God, verse 64. What a great growth in faith happened in Zechariah through his period of speechless chastening, such that his restored speech is used to immediately praise God. This song and prophecy then records the formal praise that Zechariah gives. This prophecy is both a blessing unto God and a blessing bestowed upon his son John, which also contains praise for God. That’s how this song is divided up. The first two-thirds is verses 68-75 and is a blessing unto God. The last third is verses 76-79 which is a blessing upon John.

Let’s dig into the song. The first and larger section contains Zechariah’s blessing unto God. Verse 69 uses that language, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel.” We tend to think of superiors blessing inferiors, like how God bestows blessings upon us each week when we gather for worship. But Scripture does sometimes use the language of God’s people blessing God. Such is the language of praise. And so, this first section is Zechariah’s formal praise of God.

And yet notice what Zechariah’s praise is about. It’s basically about Jesus. We see that in verse 69 because Zechariah praises God for raising up a horn of salvation in the house of David. That’s a reference to Jesus. Zechariah and his son John are from the house of Levi – they are Levites. It’s Jesus who is of the house of David. And so, Zechariah is basically praising God for how he is finally saving his people through the arrival of the Davidic Messiah. Pause and think about that. Zechariah and Elizabeth, finally, miraculously, have a baby born to them. We might expect Zechariah’s first words of praise to God to be because of that. “Praise God you gave me a son! Praise God that we finally have had a child after so many, many years!” But that’s not what this first section is praising God for. Even in the other section of this song, when he turns to bless John, Zechariah still is not praising God for John. No, this whole song is about praising God for Jesus. But this makes sense. If this was just another story of God opening up a barren womb,

Sunday School class led by Mr. Jim Wright at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 12/20/2020 in Novato, CA. This week we began a two-part series on the Lord’s Supper, considering the confessional standards’ teaching on the topic.

Midweek study led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 12/16/2020 in Novato, CA. This week we continued a series on Lamentations, looking at 3:25-48.

Midweek study led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 12/09/2020 in Novato, CA. This week we continued a series on Lamentations, looking at 3:1-24.

Sermon preached on 2 Kings 23:1-30 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 12/06/2020 in Novato, CA.

Sermon Manuscript

In Chapter 21, we saw that King Josiah’s father and grandfather, Manasseh and Amon, caused the people to forget the LORD. In contrast, here, Josiah causes the people to remember the LORD. Josiah causes the people to remember their covenant with God and how he had mightily redeemed them. Josiah causes them to remember the law that God had given them which was supposed to govern them. We see here such a wonderful record of repentance and reformation under the leadership of King Josiah.

This is especially wonderful when we remember the context from last chapter. Remember that they found the book of the Law in the temple and Josiah realized they had not been keeping it. It’s that recovered Scripture that spurs Josiah on to such repentance and reformation that we see in today’s chapter. And yet, Josiah last chapter also received that prophecy that while there would be peace in his day, there would be downfall and destruction for Judah after that. Yet, that future doesn’t keep Josiah from seeking massive reformation and renewal. If anything, it appears to spur him on. I can’t help but wonder if Josiah was thinking like his forefather David, that who knows that maybe the LORD will yet be gracious, despite the prophecy of judgment. And so we see a mighty turning back to the LORD in this chapter under this great reformer-king Josiah.

This repentance and reformation begins first with national covenant renewal. This is our first point, to see Josiah’s leadership to renew God’s covenant with the nation at Jerusalem. This is in verses 1-3. And so, we see King Josiah call for a massive assembly. He gathers all the people, small and great. I especially appreciate how he gathers the leaders. Not only does he bring the elders, but we see that this is an assembly that includes prophet, priest, and king. The whole nation is being renewed in the national covenant with the LORD.

I really get excited when I see the involvement of prophet, priest, and king here, in this covenant renewal ceremony. Something we’ve noted recently in our Wednesday night study is how perverted the offices of prophet, priest, and king had become. At the final downfall of Judah and Jerusalem to Babylon that was especially the case. But here, these leaders who really should be the advocates for the covenant among the nation, are being renewed themselves in that covenant. True reformation needs to include all the people, and it should especially include the leadership!

So then, we see that King Josiah is the one leading them in this covenant renewal. The setting for this assembly is not only in Jerusalem, but there in the temple as he himself stands by a pillar in the temple. As Moses and Joshua had in the past served as covenant mediators between God and the people, so here the Messiah King Josiah functions in that role. And notice how the Word of God features in this covenant renewal ceremony. Josiah reads the Book of the Covenant in the presence of this holy assembly. This is the same Scripture that had been found neglected in the temple. Here, we see him doing something that was supposed to be done every 7 years according to Deuteronomy 31 – a formal reading of the law. The covenant law was supposed to be regularly before them as a people in different ways. Posted to their doorposts, on their lips, taught to their children, etc, etc. Here, in formal covenant renewal ceremony King Josiah publicly reads these important Scripture texts that detail the law and the covenant.

We can note that that in verse 3 it says that Josiah then “made” a covenant before the LORD.

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 12/06/2020 in Novato, CA. This week as an epilogue to our our series on biblical history, we continued a survey of church history, considering the medieval church.

Listen to a brief message from Pastor Reid to the congregation on this Thanksgiving 2020.