No one wants to be hated, so the temptation for the Christian is to compromise with the world so the world won’t hate us. But as Pastor Nate Harlan says, simply by your example of following Jesus, you are exposing the wickedness of the unbelievers around you. We cannot cave in to the pressure to make peace with the world.

https://trinityreformed.us/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/trinity-sermon-1_21_18-10-07-pm.mp3

Listen above or download the audio file here.

The post Be Not Surprised — 1 John 3:11‑18 first appeared on Trinity Reformed Church.

Are you a child of the devil or are you a child of God? Can you know for sure?

What the Apostle John tells us in this passage is that you can discover the answer. But the process is uncomfortable because it requires deep self-examination: Do you practice sin or do you practice righteousness? Hear Pastor Nate Harlan on this passage.

https://trinityreformed.us/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/trinity-sermon-1_14_18-7-04-pm.mp3

Listen above or download the audio file here.

The post Who Is Your Father? 1 John 2:28‑3:10 first appeared on Trinity Reformed Church.

Hope has a central importance in the Christian’s life. Just like faith, hope by itself is useless. Hope must have an object. Moreover, you cannot follow Jesus faithfully without having hope. Pastor Nate Harlan digs into the purifying aspect of hope in the first of a series of sermons on this particular passage.

https://trinityreformed.us/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/trinity-sermon-2018-1_7_18-8-11-pm.mp3

Listen above or download the audio file here.

The post Purifying Hope — 1 John 2:28–3:10 first appeared on Trinity Reformed Church.

We are not saved by sound doctrine. But we cannot be saved apart from it.

Pastor Nate Harlan shows us from 1 John that we should be concerned with doctrine because we want eternal life. And to have eternal life, we need to abide in the truth of the gospel and abide in Christ.

(Our apologies for the poor sound quality in this recording.)

https://trinityreformed.us/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/trinity-sermon-1_1_18-12-22-pm.mp3

Listen above or download the audio file here.

The post Abide in Christ — 1 John 2:24–28 first appeared on Trinity Reformed Church.

The teaching of the Incarnation, that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, is viciously attacked today. This is an old lie; the Apostle John himself also faced this lie among the heretical Gnostics of his era. But as Pastor Nate Harlan preaches on 1 John 2:18–23, we discover  that if the Incarnation is false, then Christianity collapses. We must hold onto this truth against any “false christs” who would claim otherwise.

https://trinityreformed.us/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/trinity-sermon-12_24_17-6-06-pm.mp3

Listen above or download the audio file here.

The post Why Christmas Matters — 1 John 2:18–23 first appeared on Trinity Reformed Church.

The Apostle John warns us to love not the world. But what is the antidote to loving the world? It’s remembering who you are in Christ and being thankful. Pastor Nate Harlan preaches on 1 John 2:12–17 and encourages us, especially if we are little children, fathers, or young men.

https://trinityreformed.us/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/trinity-sermon-2018-12_17_17-11-33-pm.mp3

Listen above or download the audio file here.

The post Love Not the World — 1 John 2:12–17 first appeared on Trinity Reformed Church.

The theme of brotherly love is a fundamental concern of this epistle. In order for you to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ, you will show love for your brothers in Christ. There is more to being a Christian than having mere knowledge. We also must love the church.

https://trinityreformed.us/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/trinity-sermon-12_10_17-11-17-pm.mp3

Listen above or download the audio file here.

The post The Light of the World — 1 John 2:7–11 first appeared on Trinity Reformed Church.

Do you want assurance for your salvation? Do you want to know that you are in Christ and that God has redeemed you from your sins?  Then ask yourself this question: Do I love my brothers and sisters in Christ? What is my attitude toward the church?

There is no such thing as a Christian who loves Jesus and hates the church.

https://trinityreformed.us/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/trinity-sermon-12_3_17-7-39-pm.mp3

Listen to the audio above or download the file here.

The post Keeping Christ’s Commandments — 1 John 2:3‑6 first appeared on Trinity Reformed Church.

One sin is enough to sever your relationship with God. One act of disobedience in the garden made Adam into God’s enemy, because through that act, Adam called God a liar. One sin leaves us with no excuse and no defense.

But we have an advocate in Christ who promises to preserve his sheep.

Hear Pastor Nate Harlan preach on these verses in 1 John that warn us but also give us great hope.

https://trinityreformed.us/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/trinity-sermon-11_26_17-9-05-pm.mp3

Listen above or download the audio here.

The post Christ Our Advocate — 1 John 2:1–2 first appeared on Trinity Reformed Church.

Who is foolish? Who is wise? We open the Word to Proverbs 10:23–25, where we find three proverbs with “antithetic parallelism”: a contrast between opposites. Where does God draw the line between wisdom and foolishness? A wise man listens to the Word of God; the fool does what is right in this own eyes.

https://trinityreformed.us/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/trinity-sermon-11_19_17-4-59-pm.mp3

Listen above or download the audio file here.

The post The Desire of the Righteous and the Fear of the Wicked first appeared on Trinity Reformed Church.