Trinity Presbyterian Church North Bay — Sermons & Sunday School

Sermon preached on 2 Kings 4:1-7 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 04/26/2020 in Novato, CA.







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We enter a distinct section in 2 Kings where we find a series of miracles performed through the prophet Elisha. In some ways, these miracles look back on similar happenings under Elijah. That shows how Elisha is the successor of Elijah. For example, our passage today has echoes back to Elijah’s miracle with the widow at Zarephath in 1 Kings 17 whose jar of oil and jar of flour did not run out until after the drought ended. Yet, there are important differences when we make these comparisons. One difference is that there is a greater number of these miracles recorded by Elisha. Another difference seems an emphasis in ministering these miracles among the faithful living in Israel.



God’s presence and power is being manifested to this remnant through Elisha. Elisha’s miracles would bring blessings from God upon the faithful. These miracles would solve their immediate needs and help to lift some of the effects of God’s curses that he had put upon the wayward nation as a whole. But much like the miracles Jesus would later do, they look beyond to something better. God’s curses upon Israel at that time were part of the larger plan of God to form a special people holy and righteous unto himself. That work has continued even today as God builds that people through the ministry of the new covenant church. But the light of the New Testament has shown us that this will not be completed until Christ’s return. Then Christ will usher a perfected people into the eternal glory of the age to come. Then, finally, God’s people would no longer experience any curses. Instead we will only know God’s blessings in the full. Elisha’s miracles here bring a foretaste of those final blessings that await God’s people in glory. God used Elisha’ ministry to bring his blessed presence and power among Israel.



In today’s passage, we find this foretaste of divine blessing with regard to dealing with the debt of a widow and her two fatherless sons. It’s a story of how God brings them redemption from that debt and more. Let’s dig into the passage by looking first at the widow’s plea for help. Beginning in verse 1, we see that she was the wife of one of the “sons of the prophets.” We mentioned previously that the “sons of the prophets” referred to disciples of the prophets, possibly pursuing being prophets themselves. We saw before that Elijah had been the spiritual father of these groups of the “sons of the prophets.” We’ve seen how Elisha had then taken on that role. So then, this widow comes to her deceased husband’s spiritual father and mentor for help.



Notice that as she presents her family’s current dilemma, she points out to Elisha something that he already knows. She says to Elisha, “You know that your servant feared the LORD.” She points out what he already knows to highlight this fact in the context of the request. On the one hand, she may be making the case of why God should help them. Her husband had been a faithful follower of the LORD. On the other hand, she may also be expressing the challenge God’s people face when they experience great trial. Being a faithful follower of God doesn’t exempt you from the trials of this life. We might expect that it would. And if any time in history you might expect it to be the case, it might be under the Mosaic Covenant. Remember, God held out under the Mosaic Covenant material blessing for obedience and material curse for disobedience. Yet, an overly simplistic approach to that has not proven to be accurate. First, none of them were as faithful in the full that God would require. Second, there was aspects of those blessings and curses for both an individual and corporate le...

Sunday School class led by Elder Jeff Hibbitts at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 04/26/2020 in Novato, CA. This week we continued our series on biblical history, covering the time period from Jeremiah to the Fall of Jerusalem.

Sermon preached on 2 Kings 3 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 04/19/2020 in Novato, CA.







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We now return today to our regularly schedule programming here in 2 Kings 3. I am not referring to the fact that last week we took a week of for an Easter sermon. I mean that 2 Kings took 2 chapters off from its main story line to tell us who would succeed King Ahab and the prophet Elijah. If you go back to the start of 1 Kings, in chapter 1:1, we are told “After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel.” That line would make perfect sense if today’s chapter started out like that. In fact, that line is here – verse 5 of our chapter says the same thing. And so, 3:5 and 1:1 bracket that material about who would replace King Ahab and prophet Elijah. Ahab at first was replaced by his firstborn son Ahaziah who was very much like his father Ahab and his mother Jezebel – in terms of being a flagrant worshipper of Baal. That is specifically said at the end of 1 Kings 22:52. Likewise, Elijah was replaced by his spiritual firstborn son Elisha who was very much like his spiritual father Elijah. But for Ahaziah, to be like his father and mother was a bad thing, while Elisha’s resemblance to his spiritual father Elijah was a good thing. So then, God quickly removes Ahaziah not allowing his lineage to continue, and his brother Jehoram is given the throne instead.



Apparently Jehoram had seen how things went for his father Ahab and his brother Ahaziah, because we are told how he was not like them nor his mother Jezebel. That’s verse 2. So then, Jehoram began religious reform in Israel. He put away the pillar of Baal that his father had made. That is a very important first step. He turned away from false religion. Yet, his religious reform did not go far enough. He continued in the sin of Jeroboam, a reference especially to the idolatry of the golden calves. This partial reform was important, but still majorly lacking because we see in verse 2 that Jehoram is still described as doing evil in the LORD’s sight. The passage recognizes rightly that there are degrees of evil. Not all sins are as equally heinous in the sight of God. Jehoram here fixes a first commandment violation but leaves a second commandment violation. Unfortunately for Jehoram, this second commandment violation was still very heinous in God’s sight.



Nonetheless, stepping back, we see that the aside of the first two chapters in 2 Kings was to reflect on the next generation of leadership in Israel. While the office of prophet was doing well with Elisha, this next King of the house of Omri only made partial improvements. We will have a chance to see how that plays itself out in this chapter and in the coming ones for Israel. And for some starting application, it reminds us that each new generation comes with a call for reflection on the past and consideration of how we will live. Will those who follow faithful fathers continue in such ways? Will those who follow faithless fathers turn from such ways? That’s a question for us all to ask in our day. But for now, then, we are brought back to the regularly scheduled programming, so to speak. We are brought back to the concern of 1:1 and now 3:5 – the issue with the King of Moab rebelling from Israel.



You might recall that Moab is a distant relative to Israel. Moab’s ancestry traces back to Lot, nephew of Abraham, Israel’s patriarch. Because of this family connection, long before God told Israel through Moses not to harass or go to battle against Moab or to try to take their land because God had given it to Moab. Despite this, Israel and Moab had been repeatedly in conflict over the generations. Moab was often the aggressor and instigator in such conflicts,

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 04/19/2020 in Novato, CA. This week we continued our series on biblical history, covering the time period from Manasseh to Josiah.

Sermon preached on Ephesians 1:15-2:10 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 04/12/2020 in Novato, CA.







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As we celebrate today Jesus Christ’s victory over death, we are paying tribute to the supreme power of God. Verse 19 in our passage draws us to consider this. There it describes the immeasurable greatness of God’s power. That word “immeasurable” in the Greek is hyperballo, which happens to be origin for the English word hyperbole. Of course, in English, the word hyperbole has come to means something so exaggerated that everyone knows it. But this Greek word wasn’t used to express exaggeration. It was used to express the surpassingness of something. This colorful word only appears a few times in the Bible because it describes such extraordinary things. It describes something that is beyond comparison and that goes beyond all measure. This passage has us to consider not only about how great God’s power is, but how immeasurably great it is! And in case that was not enough to bring out this theme, Paul in verse 19 goes on to use several more synonyms for power when he says “according to the working of his great might”; the words “working”, “great”, and “might” are all more terms of power in the Greek. So then, today’s passage has us to think on God’s great power. And it would have us to think of this power first as it relates to Christ and then as it relates to us as believers.



We begin then first to think of this power of God manifested in the life of Christ. To do that, we must start by thinking not of the life of Christ, but of the death of Christ. When verse 20 begins to speak of God’s power that he worked in Jesus, it assumes this fact. Christ was dead. He had died on the cross to atone for the sins of us his people. On the cross he bore our griefs and carried our sorrows. There, he was stricken, smitten, and afflicted for our sake. He was pierced through for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. God’s wrath of hell was poured out upon him in our place and he died there hanging on the cross. The Roman soldiers verified his death by stabbing him in the side with a spear. There was no doubt that Jesus was dead. Let me borrow a line from Charles Dickens. “This must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come of the story I am going to relate.” There Dickens was speaking of the certain death of his fictional character Jacob Marley. But I’m speaking not of fiction, but of history. Jesus Christ, in a real historical event, died on the cross at Calvary. This was true history and this was a true death. “This must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come” of what “I am going to relate.” Jesus had died.



That is when verse 20 refers to the immeasurable power of God to Jesus Christ. For it speaks first of that power raising Jesus from the dead. We celebrate then today the resurrection of Jesus. After Jesus’s death he was buried in a tomb. He remained under the power of death until the third day. That is when by his supernatural, all-surpassing power and might, God rose Jesus from the dead. The lifeless body void of spirit came back to life. Jesus’ spirit returned to his body which was quickened unto new life. We can only begin to understand the full nature of his resurrected body. On the one hand, his disciples could see the marks on his side and hands from his ordeal on the cross. On the other hand, Paul in Philippians 3:21 speaks of Christ’s body as a glorious body in contrast to our bodies which he describes as lowly. Surely, Jesus’s resurrection body had been changed from what it was. In a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, he was raised immortal and imperishable.

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 04/12/2020 in Novato, CA. This week we continued our series on biblical history, covering the time period from Jotham to Nauhm.

Good Friday Sermon preached on 1 Peter 1:13-25 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 04/10/2020 in Novato, CA.







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There is something interesting about celebrating Good Friday as we are all sheltered in place. We are sheltered in place as a society to try to prevent death. But then we come on Good Friday to think about the cross of Christ, which inherently confronts us with death. It points us to the death of Jesus. It also inherently reminds us of our own mortality. Yet, that’s why we celebrate Christ’s death. Christ died, so that though we die, we may yet live evermore. Our passage from 1 Peter confronts us with both the reality of human frailty and the surpassing value of Christ’s death on the cross for us.



Let us begin our reflection tonight by acknowledging that this life is full of perishable things. And we are not talking “perishable” simply in the sense that something is able to perish, as in something that might perish. We are talking about things that inevitably perish. This life is full of things that at one point or another do perish. Chief among such perishable things is our human flesh. Verse 23 speaks of perishable seed. That’s what we’ve come from. When we were born from our mother’s womb, we were born with perishable seed. Verse 24 goes on to develop this thought. Quoting Isaiah 40:7, it says, “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls.” Peter describes this human perishability with an analogy. The grasses of the field grow up. At the height of their glory, they bear beautiful flowers. But what happens to that beauty? It’s lost. The flower falls off and dies. The grass itself withers. In other words, the vegetation is temporary, and its glory is fleeting and fading. So too for us. Like the grass that withers, so the human flesh of man. It grows old, it wrinkles, it breaks down, and it dies. And the glory of man is like that beautiful flower. We can see that in our heights of physical prowess in our youth – it doesn’t last and our strength wanes until we die. And we can see that even in the fruits of our labors. The best human achievements, are temporary. You might amass a glorious empire here on earth, full of fame and riches. But it will one day all come to an instant end. Even if you leave it to your heirs to enjoy, for yourself it immediately comes to an end. The glory of each human being in this earth, like our lives, is temporary. While our society is taking so many efforts right now to preserve life, we soberly realize that at best we can only delay death.



The certainty that we will one day die is especially important in light of what verses 16-17 record. We see there a call to live holy lives like the LORD. We remember that from the very beginning of creation, God made man different than the rest of flesh. We are not amoral beasts that live off of natural instinct. No, we were created in God’s image with the requirement that we were to live holy, righteous lives. But mankind, long ago, fell from that state of holiness and original righteousness. That is what introduced human death into our existence. But that is also what should make us fear what is described in verse 17. There, Paul reminds us of the final day of judgment. This is what will follow our deaths. We will face our maker as the judge “who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds.” As, Hebrews 9:27 says, “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” And the Bible mentions that every human save Jesus Christ is guilty of sin before the all-holy God and deserving his wrath and curse. Such wrath will involve an eternal damnation where the fire is not quenched and the worm does not die.

Sermon preached on 2 Kings 2 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 04/05/2020 in Novato, CA.







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We all know good leaders are hard to come by, in general. But that is particularly the case when you have a religious leader like Elijah who was so powerfully endowed by the Holy Spirit as an agent of God on earth. There have been few people on this earth like Elijah. God worked so powerfully, so supernaturally, through Elijah to a generation that so desperately needed the prophetic word God gave through him. Yes, his ministry included much chastening and judgment declared upon the house of Ahab specifically, and all Israel in general. Yes, he did have many victories in ministry, though surely not in the degree he wanted. In fact, as we come to this chapter today, we see a picture of hope compared to the early days of Elijah’s ministry. Yet, surely there was much work to be done. Therein lies the problem. For we come to the chapter where God would take Elijah from this earth. The question behind this passage is, “Who will replace Elijah?” There was yet evil to confront, yet ministry to carry on. How would the remnant of God’s people carry on without such a leader as Elijah?



So, let’s start with exploring that as a question. Who will replace Elijah? The text makes it very clear as you go through this passage that Elijah is soon to depart. The narrator clues us onto this fact right at verse 1. Then we see Elisha has two different companies of prophets ask him about this, verses 3 and 5. Both groups ask Elisha, “Do you know that today the LORD will take away your master from over you?” Both times he acknowledges to them that he knows this. Then in verse 9, we see that Elijah himself tells this to Elisha. Even after Elijah is taken, verses 16-18 show a company of prophets who go look for him which only emphasizes what Elisha already knows – Elijah is gone. This text goes out of its way to emphasize that Elijah was going away and even afterwards that he did go away.



So, we could say that this is the problem presented in this passage. What to do with Elijah leaving? That seems to be behind why the prophets keep asking Elisha if he knows Elijah is leaving. They seem to be looking to Elisha for direction, maybe hopeful that Elisha might be the one to replace Elijah. But at that point in the chapter, it serves to raise the question: What will we do without Elijah?



That concern seems implied even by Elisha himself when he sees Elijah being taken up into heaven. Look at verse 12. Elisha sees Elijah taken and cries out, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” Elisha reacts with great concern to Elijah’s leaving. We can understand why Elijah would be a father figure to Elisha. He had been Elisha’s mentor and discipler since Elijah called him to follow him back in 1 Kings 19. Since then, Elisha had served Elijah and learned from him. But Elijah had been a spiritual father not only to Elisha, but to the whole nation! Likewise, when we hear Elisha say “the chariots of Israel and its horsemen” we might mistakenly think he’s referring to what he sees in verse 11. There he sees chariots of fire and horses separating him from Elijah. But likely Elisha is not referring those when he says, “the chariots of Israel and its horsemen.” Likely Elisha is referring to Elijah himself. That he’s calling Elijah “the chariots of Israel and its horsemen.” That interpretation seems confirmed later in 2 Kings 13 when Elisha himself is called the same thing just before he dies, and in that case, there were no chariots of fire or heavenly horses on the scene. So, what Elisha is saying here is that Elijah has been Israel’s chief weapon. As the psalm says, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses,

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 04/05/2020 in Novato, CA. This week we continued our series on biblical history, covering the time period from Uzziah to the Fall of Samaria.

Sermon preached on 2 Kings 1 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 03/29/2020 in Novato, CA.







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What a timely passage of Scripture. As we live in a time of a pandemic, we see an apostate king fall sick who foolishly didn’t call upon the one true God for help. Surely there are applications to us today to call upon God for help.



This passage has a rhetorical question raised three times. God asks Ahaziah three times through Elijah, “Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub?” The heart of the rhetorical question is if there is a God in Israel. The answer should be obvious to us. Of course, there is a God in Israel! But he wasn’t asking us. He was asking the son of Ahab. Ahab, who himself repeatedly rejected the prophetic word for the prophets of Baal, apparently raised a son to do the same. That son is now reigning, King Ahaziah. He was a wicked Baal-loving king as we read about last week. And so, we can appreciate that, while it what technically a rhetorical question, the answer might not be as obvious to someone so evil at Ahaziah. For him this rhetorical question comes across as a stern rebuke. Yet, actually, if we think about the question a little more, we should recognize the great mercy of God. After such wicked and apostate leaders, after such widespread turning toward idols, maybe it shouldn’t be taken for granted that the one true God would still be among Israel. If in last chapter we saw Jehoshaphat ask Ahab if there was yet a prophet of the LORD in Israel, it might in fact be a fair question if there is yet the LORD himself in Israel. But, in the manifold grace of God, in fact, there was yet both the LORD and a prophet of the LORD among wayward Israel. This passage displays such mercy of God even as his Word comes in such judgment.



Let’s begin then today by looking first Ahaziah’s injury and inquiry. Verse 2 alerts us to the fact that somehow Ahaziah fell from his upper chamber through the lattice. Recall that the law required Israel to have parapets – some sort of low protective barrier on things like roofs, balconies, etc. This lattice that he fell through was probably some sort of barrier that was unfortunately for Ahaziah probably more decorative that functional. And so, somehow, he falls through and gravely injures himself. He is so injured that he’s afraid he won’t recover. We aren’t sure the exact nature of his injury and related sickness from it. But it was apparently so serious that he wanted to call upon a god for help. Even today hardened atheists sometimes turn to prayer when they encounter something life-threatening. I suspect the coronavirus pandemic has increased prayer in our world today. As the proverbial statement goes, “There are no atheists in foxholes.”



But Ahaziah was no atheist. His problem was false religion. And so, in his hour of need he calls out to the false god Baal-zebub who was worshipped by the Philistines in their city of Ekron. For whatever reason Ahaziah’s religion of choice at this moment was to worship the Philistine Baal in Ekron. We don’t know much about such a Baal-zebub in Ekron at that time. This is the only place in the Old Testament that the word appears. The name Baal-zebub literally means Lord of the flies. Some have thought this was the actual name used by the Philistines and that it meant that their god had power to dispel the common nuisance of flies. Others have thought this was an intentionally derogatory misspelling of the name Baal-zebul which would mean Lord of the heavenly dwelling; that God’s people picked a derogatory parody of the pagan god’s name. This is also presumably the same reference to what we find in the New Testament under the Gr...