http://www.trinityopcnovato.org Serving Novato, Marin County, California and the World Wide Web. This site provides information about the Christian ministry of Trinity Presbyterian Church, OPC. This site also broadcasts the latest sermons and Sunday schools from Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Novato, CA. Our sermons seek to exposit Scripture, preaching Christ and the cross, and understanding the impact and demand of the Word on our lives. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:54:18 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Copyright © by W. Reid Hankins and Trinity Presbyterian Church, 2011 info@trinityopcnovato.org (Rev. W. Reid Hankins) info@trinityopcnovato.org (Rev. W. Reid Hankins) Religion & Spirituality:Christianity 1440 http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/wp-content/plugins/podpress/images/tpc-vertical144.jpg http://www.trinityopcnovato.org 144 144 http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/?feed=podcast Sermons and Sunday Schools Serving Novato, Marin County, California and the World Wide Web. This feed broadcasts the latest sermons and Sunday schools from Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Novato, CA. Our sermons seek to exposit Scripture, preaching Christ and the cross, and understanding the impact and demand of the Word on our lives. Church, Novato, Marin, Hankins, Sermon, Christian, OPC, San Rafael Rev. W. Reid Hankins Rev. W. Reid Hankins info@trinityopcnovato.org no no http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/2010/12/19/blessed-is-the-fruit-of-your-womb/ http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/2010/12/19/blessed-is-the-fruit-of-your-womb/#comments Mon, 20 Dec 2010 04:38:23 +0000 Pastor Reid Hankins http://www.novatoopcsermons.org/?p=991 http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/2010/12/19/blessed-is-the-fruit-of-your-womb/feed/ 0 0:33:10 Sermon preached on Luke 1:26-45 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 12/19/2010 in Novato, CA. Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div. Luke 1:26-45 03/14/10 Blessed is the Fruit of Your Womb It’s tha[...] Sermon preached on Luke 1:26-45 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 12/19/2010 in Novato, CA. Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div. Luke 1:26-45 03/14/10 Blessed is the Fruit of Your Womb It’s that time of the year again. This week we celebrate Christmas and especially remember the birth of Jesus. It’s typical at this time to remember all the praise and worship of Jesus at his birth. We probably think first of the angels who sang, “Glory to God in the highest,” and the shepherds who quickly spread the word. We also are probably quick to think of the wise men who came and worshipped Jesus and presented him with presents. And yet even before all of that, and even before he was born, people were praising and acknowledging the life of Jesus. We see that here today. Here in this passage you have praise abounding for Jesus while his human body was just beginning to be knit in his mother’s womb. In this passage you see John the Baptist, himself in the womb, leaping in praise for the unborn Jesus. You have Elizabeth, John’s mother, confessing and proclaiming this unborn child as her Lord. The angel Gabriel here comes down before any of later angels who meet the shepherds in the field, and here he heralds the coming of Christ. He heralds the virgin birth, the incarnation, and the glory of the messianic ministry of Jesus. Mary, takes this all in, responding in faith submitting herself to obedience. Months before the larger world would celebrate the birth of Jesus, here we get a snapshot of four people already celebrating, John, Elizabeth, Gabriel, and Mary. Let’s spend a few moments thinking about the roles of various people we see here in this passage. Let’s think first about the role of John the Baptist and Elizabeth here in this passage. What role do they serve in this passage? Their role is a confirming role. A confirming role. Mary is essentially sent to go visit them, with the purpose that what the angel said would be confirmed to her. We too have this record to find confirmation about Jesus. Look at verse 39. After Mary met with the angel Gabriel, she pays a visit to her relative Elizabeth. This is the mother of John the Baptist, who is also on the way, though about 6 months farther along in her pregnancy than Mary. Verse 41 tells us what happened when Mary arrived. Mary shows up and the fetus who is John the Baptist leaps inside Elizabeth’s womb! Now, it’s quite normal for babies at that point to move around inside the mother’s womb. It’s quite normal for the mother’s to feel them. And yet this is more than just a big kick. The text tells us otherwise. Twice we’re told the reason here. First the narrator tells us the fact. Verse 41. As soon as Mary greeted Elizabeth, the baby John the Baptist leaped inside her. After that Elizabeth gives us her inspired interpretation of this leaping. Read verse 44. She tells Mary, “As soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.” I mention that this is an inspired interpretation by Elizabeth because verse 41 tells us that Holy Spirit entered Elizabeth upon Mary’s arrival. And what you have going on here with Elizabeth and John the Baptist is that they are essentially confirming the identity of Jesus. They are identifying the baby within the womb of Mary, as the Lord. That’s actually Elizabeth’s words in verse 43. She’s calls Mary the mother of her Lord. That means that she’s saying that that little unborn baby inside Mary is Elizabeth’s Lord. Baby Jesus was probably just a small little bundle at the time… maybe not even big enough to see, if you could peer insider her womb. Mary might not even have been showing at that time. And yet Elizabeth, inspired by the Holy Spirit, gives her confession of faith. She confesses and[...] Christmas, Deuteronomy Rev. W. Reid Hankins no no http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/2009/12/24/christmas-eve-2009-the-coming-of-the-incarnate-word/ http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/2009/12/24/christmas-eve-2009-the-coming-of-the-incarnate-word/#comments Fri, 25 Dec 2009 05:49:41 +0000 Pastor Reid Hankins http://www.novatoopcsermons.org/?p=570 http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/2009/12/24/christmas-eve-2009-the-coming-of-the-incarnate-word/feed/ 0 0:26:45 Sermon preached on John 1:1-18 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Christmas Eve Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 12/24/2009 in Novato, CA.  This special service was held at Atria Tam Creek Retirement Community. Manuscript: The Coming [...] Sermon preached on John 1:1-18 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Christmas Eve Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 12/24/2009 in Novato, CA.  This special service was held at Atria Tam Creek Retirement Community. Manuscript: The Coming of the Incarnate Word Christmas, John Rev. W. Reid Hankins no no http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/2009/12/20/glory-to-god-in-the-highest/ http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/2009/12/20/glory-to-god-in-the-highest/#comments Mon, 21 Dec 2009 07:47:58 +0000 Pastor Reid Hankins http://www.novatoopcsermons.org/?p=562 http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/2009/12/20/glory-to-god-in-the-highest/feed/ 0 0:32:02 Sermon preached on Luke 2:8-20 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 12/20/2009 in Novato, CA. Manuscript: Glory to God in the Highest Sermon preached on Luke 2:8-20 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 12/20/2009 in Novato, CA. Manuscript: Glory to God in the Highest Christmas Rev. W. Reid Hankins no no http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/2008/12/21/the-genealogy-of-jesus-christ/ http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/2008/12/21/the-genealogy-of-jesus-christ/#comments Mon, 22 Dec 2008 06:57:43 +0000 Pastor Reid Hankins http://www.novatoopcsermons.org/?p=218 http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/2008/12/21/the-genealogy-of-jesus-christ/feed/ 0 0:36:17 This year for our Christmas sermon I want us to reflect on the genealogy of Jesus Christ.  When we look at the Bible, we see lots of genealogies throughout.  And that is fitting.  Right from the fall of mankind God had made a promise to Adam and Eve[...] This year for our Christmas sermon I want us to reflect on the genealogy of Jesus Christ.  When we look at the Bible, we see lots of genealogies throughout.  And that is fitting.  Right from the fall of mankind God had made a promise to Adam and Eve.  God promised that the seed of the woman would one day crush the seed of the serpent.  That meant humanity had to be on the lookout for the promised child.  Family trees were then recorded.  Genealogies passed down.  But for generation after generation, the promised seed still hadn’t come.  And then we find God renewing that promise along the way through other men as well.  And so the records kept building until one day they found their fulfillment in Jesus. Passage: Matthew 1:1-17 Author: Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div. Sermon originally preached during the Morning Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 12/21/2008 in Novato, CA. Click here for the manuscript. Christmas, Matthew Rev. W. Reid Hankins no no