Trinity Presbyterian Church North Bay — Sermons & Sunday School

Sunday School class led by Mr. Jim Wright at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 02/16/2020 in Novato, CA. This week we completed a two week miniseries on Baptism.

Sermon preached on 1 Kings 19:9-18 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 02/09/2020 in Novato, CA.







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When I first began ministry here at Trinity back at the end of 2007 a lot of church members kept coming up to me and saying that they hoped I don’t get discouraged. Of course, I understood what they meant. Ministry here in Marin county is hard. This is rocky soil. There are so few churches here, so few people who go to church, and generally an attitude among the population that they don’t need the LORD. I would imagine those church members were concerned that I might get discouraged because they too have struggled with discouragement as Christians in this area. I think most of us are here in a church like this because we are excited for the LORD and our jealous for the Lord’s Word and want to see our community here embrace it. It can be discouraging – even lonely — when so many around us reject, ridicule, or even disparage our faith.



Well, I hope you see how we can relate to the prophet Elijah here. He had such high hopes for ministry in Israel. After that climactic victory on Mt. Carmel he surely expected major revival in the land. But then in last week’s passage we saw his hopes dashed as King and Queen Ahab and Jezebel redouble their efforts to persecute Elijah and the faith. It left Elijah discouraged and despairing even unto death. But then God sent an angel to minister to him. Ultimately Elijah journeys to where he is at here in our passage for today. He came to Mt. Sinai, aka Mt. Horeb, back to where God began everything in terms of covenanting with Israel as a nation. Why did Elijah come in such circumstances back to Mt. Sinai? That is what we’ll have a chance to consider today.



Let’s begin by observing that a lot of this should look familiar. It should remind us of Moses at Mt. Sinai so long before. We should not be surprised to find a prophet in the future look like Moses and in so many ways resemble Moses’ ministry. Moses himself predicted that one day God would raise up a prophet like himself to minister to God’s people. Surely, Elijah was the greatest candidate to date to be the fulfillment of that promise. Elijah seems to have had such a personal and revelation-rich relationship with the LORD like Moses. And Elijah’s ministry also came in power with signs and wonders like how Moses had done, not only in confronting Pharaoh, but even afterward in leading the people through the wilderness to here at Mt. Sinai. God’s supernatural workings through Elijah likewise served to not only confront an oppressive king, but even most recently ministered supernaturally to him in the wilderness on his own personal journey to Mt. Sinai.



Then, like Moses, Elijah went 40 days without food in conjunction with meeting the LORD on Mt. Sinai. That’s verse 8 of last week’s passage as Elijah journeyed to Mt. Sinai. It contrasts with Exodus 34:28 where we see that Moses fasted for 40 days while on Mt. Sinai receiving the law from God. Of course, the fact that Elijah is on the mountain at all meeting the LORD looks like Moses. Remember, back at Moses’ day the everyday Israelite was instructed to not go up the mountain, not even to touch it, Exodus 19:12. The reason why, of course, was because of the Lord’s awesome presence on the mountain. And it is that presence that is again seen on this mountain, with Elijah, in Moses-like role, experiencing God’s presence there on the mountain.



The connection with Moses might also be intended to be brought out in verse 9’s reference to a cave. While translators seem to universally translate that as “a cave” that Elijah came to, commentators like to regularly point out that the literal Hebrew i...

Sunday School class led by Mr. Jim Wright at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 02/09/2020 in Novato, CA. This week we began a two week miniseries on Baptism.

Sermon preached on 1 Kings 18:41-19:8 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 02/02/2020 in Novato, CA.







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I’ve always been struck by how James in the New Testament points to Elijah’s example of prayer as a way to encourage our prayer life. In James 5:17 it says that Elijah was a man with a nature like our own. It says he prayed fervently that it might not rain and it didn’t rain – for three and a half years! And then James says he prayed again and it rained! Well, here in today’s passage we have the record in 1 Kings of Elijah’s fervent prayer for the rain to come back. And so, I think it will be appropriate for us to consider today’s passage in light of the theme of prayer. I must admit that I’m running the risk in doing so of betraying good hermeneutical practices. Normally you don’t use another passage to impose a structure or theme on the passage you are preaching. Rather, you want to start with the passage and let its message speak for itself. Yet, as I reflect on James’ point about Elijah’s prayer here, I’ve come to appreciate that there is a point about prayer here that we don’t want to miss.



Let us then begin in our first point by considering Elijah’s prayer for rain. Notice how this starts out. Before Elijah prays for the rain, he tells Ahab to eat and drink for rain is coming. We should see all this in light of the rest of chapter 18. Remember, the chapter began with God commanding Elijah to go show himself to King Ahab because he was going to send rain again. But then Elijah has this dramatic confrontation with the prophets of Baal. Ahab and many Israelites witnessed on Mount Carmel that decisive faceoff. There it was shown that Baal was no god and the LORD was the real, one true God. That was part one in God’s confrontation with Baal. The prophets of Baal had touted Baal as the God of the storm, but it was the prophet of the LORD who declared no rain for three and a half years. The showdown on Mount Carmel only further highlighted that Baal was indeed powerless. But now the final act remained – to show that the LORD God could turn the rain back on because he, and not Baal, was the real God of the storm.



So then, while Ahab goes up to eat and drink, Elijah goes up to the top of Mount Carmel with his servant and he begins to pray. He prays in humility and he prays fervently. Notice his posture. He bows himself down; he puts his face between his knees. There is no one posture required for prayer in Scripture, but posture in prayer can communicate something about one’s demeanor in the prayer. This is a prayer where Elijah is crying out to the LORD for mercy. He’s interceding on behalf of a people who were guilty of much sin against the LORD. But now he prays on their behalf after their apparent return to the LORD when they saw the fire from heaven consume the sacrifice. The people had been living in the uncleanness of the worship of false gods; but now they had returned to say that the LORD, he is God! Elijah now then prays for the LORD’s mercy to them to return the rain upon them. That’s how these things were to work. The people were to turn back from their sin and call to God that he might lift the covenant curses and return the people to a state of blessedness.



Well, Elijah prays. And he prays. And he prays some more. Seven times he prays and seven times he sends his servant to check the horizon for rain. Finally, on that seventh time the servant reports that a rain cloud is on the horizon. It’s in the shape of a man’s hand – clearly a sign of God’s work in answer to Elijah’s prayer. Elijah then sends a message to Ahab to get in his chariot and head out quickly before the rain hits.

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 02/02/2020 in Novato, CA. This week we continued our survey of the history recorded in the Bible, focusing on the positive upward spiral of King David during his reign.

Sermon preached on 1 Kings 18:20-40 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 01/26/2020 in Novato, CA.







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Reformed theology – Christian theology – has long emphasized that we need God to save us. No man, on their own, would ever turn toward God. We need God to change our heart, to make us born again, and if he does, then we will certainly come to him in faith. This is a long-held position of our faith. Though, it has had its opponents. An ancient and infamous critic of this doctrine was someone known as Pelagius. He believed man could choose God and come to God by his own free will, without any need for God to work in his heart. Well, Pelagius and his teachings were officially declared heretical by the church in 431 AD at the third ecumenical council. Of course, this doctrine that we need God to change our hearts is what Jesus explained to the religious leader Nicodemus in John chapter 3. Jesus told him that unless one is born again from above he cannot see the kingdom of God. Jesus explained that this was a sovereign work of God’s Spirit who works when and where he wishes. Jesus rebukes Nicodemus for the fact that he was a religious leader among Israel and should have already known this. Well, how could Nicodemus know such doctrine? How could he know that it is God who changes people’s hearts and turns them to himself? Well, one way that Nicodemus could know this is by reading our passage for today in 1 Kings.



We begin our passage for today by observing Elijah’s challenge to Israel. Recall from last week that God sent Elijah back to Ahab since God was about to lift the long three-year drought. Recall that God had sent that drought on Israel as a covenant curse because they had begun to worship the false gods of Baal and Asherah. King Ahab at the inciting of his wife Jezebel had introduced this pagan worship into the ten-tribe nation of Israel. For three years, God allowed the people to suffer without rain or even dew. Their false god Baal was supposed to be the god of the storm, the god who sent rain upon the earth – that was at least the claim by Baal worshippers. In actuality, it was the LORD, the one true God, who sends rain, or in this case, withholds rain. Three years into the drought that Elijah had declared in the name of the LORD, you would hope that the people of Israel had finally come to their senses. You would hope that they would have repented of their Baal worship and had back to wholehearted worship of the LORD. But at the start of our passage we see that is not the case.



You see, Elijah had King Ahab gather the nation and all the Baal prophets to Mount Carmel for an epic faceoff between Baal and the LORD. That’s when he offers this challenge to all the people in verse 21. Notice that it says that Elijah draws near to the people. He had called for them and now he draws near to them and speaks to them in the name of the LORD. He confronts them for limping between two positions: between the LORD and Baal. This language of limping refers to someone being lame in their feet and thus unable to walk normally. Elijah’s point is that by trying to worship both the LORD and Baal they aren’t able to walk in service to either well. But Elijah goes on to clarify his bigger point. Elijah says that what the people need to do is determine who really is God. If Baal is the real God, then sure, worship him and him alone. But if the LORD God is really God, then worship him and him alone. Notice how the people respond then to Elijah as he puts this question to them. Verse 21, “And the people did not answer him a word.” They are silent in light of his probing challenge to them. So, at the start of this passage, this reflects the state of the people’s hearts.

Sermon preached on 1 Kings 18:1-19 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 01/19/2020 in Novato, CA.







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One thing Ahab and Elijah agreed upon here is that it was troubling times for Israel. This was more than three years into the extreme drought which God had declared through Elijah – a drought that would not be lifted until God spoke through Elijah to lift it. But the drought was only a symptom of the underlying trouble during that time. The false religion of Baal and Asherah worship had spread throughout the nation, especially advocated by the government. Meanwhile there was a systematic effort under way at the same time to try to destroy the worship of the one true God. These were troubling times indeed in Israel, and such times especially call for discernment and prudence. Some among the faithful went into hiding, while others found a way to stay and serve God covertly. All the while, the ungodly continued to advance in wickedness. Let’s explore then these troubling times for Israel while also thinking about our own troubling times today.



Let’s begin then by looking at Ahab’s pursuits during these troubling times. Recall that Ahab is King over the northern kingdom of Israel. He’s the second king from the influential house of Omri. In chapter 16, we read that Ahab held the record of being the most evil king in the history of the ten-tribe nation of Israel. His infamy included marrying the evil pagan princess from Sidon, namely Jezebel. A wife has the opportunity to really bring out the best in her husband. Well, Jezebel brought out the best of Ahab’s evil. That evil included introducing Baal worship and Asherah worship as official state sponsored religion. These things come together as Ahab’s wife Jezebel not only was major advocate for this pagan worship, she also was the leader of persecuting the prophets of the LORD.



So, by this point three some years into the drought, we are told of one of Ahab’s pursuits. Surely, this was not all that he was about at that time. But it’s what makes the record of Holy Scripture. When there is great drought and therefore famine throughout the land, he’s concerned about his livestock, verse 5. So, he sets out on a pursuit to try to find them food. He literally takes matters into his own hands. He calls this Obadiah who was the head person in charge of Ahab’s whole household. That’s like a top position in Ahab’s court. Ahab instructs Obadiah to head out one direction in the land, and he’ll personally head the opposite direction. He hopes one or both of them find some amount of grass or vegetation to be able to feed the animals. He doesn’t want his animals to die.



Maybe if you belong to PETA, you’d be encouraged to hear Ahab having this great concern for his flocks and herds. But let us remember that Ahab is king over the whole nation. It would be nice to see that maybe he’s concerned for everyone’s animals in the country – but no, this is surely about Ahab’s own animals. And more than that, it would be good to see King Ahab showing some concern here about the people in the nation. Surely if the animals were starving then the people of Israel were starving during this severe famine. I understand this is somewhat an argument from silence. He may have had some concern about the people too. But the text chooses to emphasize here his concern about the animals and say nothing about any concern for the people.



In fact, this lack of concern by Ahab is brought out in the text in two ways here. One, Jezebel’s said in verse 4 to be pursuing “cutting off” the prophets of the LORD, i.e. killing them. Well, it’s the very next verse that says Ahab is pursuing to not lose his animals.

Sermon preached on 1 Kings 17 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 01/12/2020 in Novato, CA.







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Being in denial of the truth is never helpful. Even if you don’t like the truth, you might as well learn it and accept it and do your best to move forward in light of it. As we begin a journey through this section of confrontation between the wicked King Ahab of Israel versus the prophet Elijah, who came in the power of the Lord, we are reminded the truth of God’s Word. And that truthful Word of the LORD can especially be hard to hear when it unveils our sin. Yet, it is truth we need, even as it was a truth Ahab and all Israel needed.



We begin our story by being quickly introduced to Elijah the prophet as he confronts King Ahab of Israel. In the name of the LORD that prophet declares to Ahab a drought upon the land. Elijah’s words in verse 1 speak of a drought so great that not only rain but even the dew would be held back! We know from the Bible that this drought would last for three and a half years. But at this point, Ahab is only told one thing about how long the drought would last. It would last until Elijah the prophet speaks to lift it.



Why would God send a drought upon his people? Well, it was one of the many covenant curses that God had threatened through Moses back in Deuteronomy 28:23-24 if the people forsook the LORD God. King Ahab and almost all Israel with them had begun to worship the false god Baal and the false goddess Asherah. They had violated the chief of commandments given by God in their law by having other gods before God. And so, Elijah as a prophet of the LORD was serving as a covenant lawyer to declare the terms of the covenant. They were in violation of the covenant and so Elijah was declaring that the sanctions of the covenant were coming upon them. But why of all the covenant curses that God threatened did he send drought? Well, it seems especially fitting in light of Israel’s major defection to Baal worship. You see, Baal was worshipped by pagans especially as the god who sent rain. This drought would show such reverence in Baal to be misplaced – Baal wouldn’t be able to send rain because he was not real. Elijah, the prophet of the LORD, would be able to send rain – or withhold it – because he was serving on behalf of the one true God over all creation.



So then, Elijah here declares no more rain or dew until he speaks to lift it. But then notice verses 2-3. The word of the LORD comes to Elijah and calls him into hiding. Now, often it’s assumed that this was to protect Elijah from persecution. Surely there would be good reason to think that. By next chapter it’s very clear that Queen Jezebel had been trying to kill all the prophets of the LORD as part of her efforts to establish Baal worship and destroy the worship of the LORD. And yet while there may be truth that God’s calling Elijah into hiding does keep him out of Jezebel’s reach, it seems that’s not the primary point here. Again, when would this drought be lifted? Only when Elijah speaks to lift it. If there is no Elijah to be found, then there is no one who can lift the drought. Next chapter we’ll learn that during this time of the drought, Ahab has searched every nation and kingdom to try to find Elijah. When Ahab finally sees Elijah again, next chapter, Ahab will call Elijah the “troubler of Israel” because he knows that Elijah spoke this drought upon the land. But Elijah will in turn reply that it is Ahab who has troubled Israel by turning form the LORD unto the worship of Baal.



But in the meantime, this passage records Elijah’s time in hiding. It’s a time when Ahab and Israel should be remembering their sin and mourning over it and looking...

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 01/05/2020 in Novato, CA. This week we continued our survey of the history recorded in the Bible, focusing on King Saul.

Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 12/29/2019 in Novato, CA. This week we continued our survey of the history recorded in the Bible, focusing on the rise of a united kingdom under King Saul.