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/2011/04/24/unbelieving-believing/ http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/2011/04/24/unbelieving-believing/#comments Mon, 25 Apr 2011 01:56:56 +0000 Pastor Reid Hankins http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/?p=1324 http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/2011/04/24/unbelieving-believing/feed/ 0 0:37:13 Sermon preached on John 20:24-31 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 4/24/2011 in Novato, CA. Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div. John 20:24-31 04/24/10 “Do Not Be Unbelieving, But Believing[...] Sermon preached on John 20:24-31 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 4/24/2011 in Novato, CA. Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div. John 20:24-31 04/24/10 “Do Not Be Unbelieving, But Believing” Jesus Christ is risen! This is what the Christians church affirms on Easter. It is what we affirm all year round. And let me make this clear. The church affirms that this was a historical event. The resurrection really did happen in history. And the church affirms this was a physical, bodily, event. We affirm that Jesus really did die on the cross. We affirm that he physically was raised from the dead on the third day. That on that first Easter morning, Jesus went from being dead, to being alive! In other words, Easter is not just a nice story with a moral message at the end. Easter is not just about some spiritual feel-good message or concept, without a historical basis in reality. It actually happened. Easter was a historical event that was verified by a number of eye-witness accounts. The Christian faith is especially about faith in this event. Faith in the resurrection. If you don’t have a real resurrection, then you don’t have a biblical faith. The faith we have is in a savior who died for our sins and overcame death in the resurrection. This gives us the hope that we who are sinners can be forgiven of our sins because of the cross. Because Christ paid the price in our place. And we can have then the hope of resurrection because Christ himself rose from the dead. This is our hope; that this world is not the end. That even though we die, we know we will rise again to eternal life. The historical fact of Easter is where we find our trust that we will actually rise again one day ourselves. Every year at Easter I think about how so many people today don’t want to believe in this. They think it sounds foolishness to think of someone rising from the dead. Liberal Christianity has indeed spiritualized Easter. Even worse, the unbelieving world, doesn’t believe it at all. They come up with all sorts of theories to try to explain Easter away. But we still affirm it. And yet in our passage for today, we are confronted with something very personal. This passage acknowledges a real subject in our lives as Christians. Doubt. This morning we’ll spend our time reflecting on doubting Thomas, and verses 24-31. Thomas at first doubted the resurrection. This unbelief wasn’t coming from the outside. This was Thomas, one of the twelve. This doubt wasn’t coming from a liberal wing of the church. No, it was Jesus’ inner circle; those who knew his teachings intimately. Thomas doubted. At first he couldn’t believe that Jesus actually rose from the dead. This is a real subject for us today. Many Christians experience doubt in their faith from time to time. Surely, Thomas had believed in Jesus. He had vowed to follow him to the death. He had confessed him as the Christ. But now his faith was faltering. He doubted the resurrection. Christians can experience doubt in their faith from time to time. Of course Thomas is real about it. He boldly admits it. He doesn’t pretend he doesn’t have any doubts. Most Christians today probably wouldn’t admit their doubt, even if they have it. But God gave us this passage for a reason. It addresses the issue of doubt head on. It’s my prayer that it can encourage you whenever you are finding doubts in your own hearts. And what a wonderful thing to consider in Easter, about growing our faith in the certainty of the resurrection. So let’s think about Doubting Thomas. Let me set the context. On the first Easter, in the evening, the risen Jesus appeared to the twelve disciples. That was verses 19-23. Well, we pick up the action in verse 24. There we find that one of the twelve wasn’t present for this encounter with Jesus.[...] Easter, John Rev. W. Reid Hankins no no http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/2009/04/12/he-is-risen/ http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/2009/04/12/he-is-risen/#comments Mon, 13 Apr 2009 05:23:39 +0000 Pastor Reid Hankins http://www.novatoopcsermons.org/?p=343 http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/2009/04/12/he-is-risen/feed/ 0 0:38:55 Today we conclude our series in Mark just in time for Easter.  Consider the resurrection account according to the eye-witness testimony of three women. Sermon preached on Mark 16 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Service at Trinity Presbyte[...] Today we conclude our series in Mark just in time for Easter.  Consider the resurrection account according to the eye-witness testimony of three women. Sermon preached on Mark 16 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 04/12/2009 in Novato, CA. Manuscript: He Is Risen! Mark Rev. W. Reid Hankins no no http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/2008/11/16/the-god-of-the-living/ http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/2008/11/16/the-god-of-the-living/#comments Mon, 17 Nov 2008 01:53:36 +0000 Pastor Reid Hankins http://www.novatoopcsermons.org/?p=191 http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/2008/11/16/the-god-of-the-living/feed/ 0 0:34:41 In our passage for today, a question about marriage comes up.  And yet marriage was just the focal point of a bigger issue.  That bigger issue in our passage is about the resurrection.  Jesus tells us that our marriages are temporary, while telling [...] In our passage for today, a question about marriage comes up.  And yet marriage was just the focal point of a bigger issue.  That bigger issue in our passage is about the resurrection.  Jesus tells us that our marriages are temporary, while telling us that our lives are eternal.  So let’s look at what this passage has to say about both marriage and the resurrection. Passage: Mark 12:18-27 Author: Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div. Sermon originally preached during the Morning Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 11/16/2008 in Novato, CA. Click here for the manuscript. Mark Rev. W. Reid Hankins no no http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/2008/05/19/do-not-be-afraid-only-believe/ http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/2008/05/19/do-not-be-afraid-only-believe/#comments Mon, 19 May 2008 17:57:25 +0000 Pastor Reid Hankins http://www.novatoopcsermons.org/?p=65 http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/2008/05/19/do-not-be-afraid-only-believe/feed/ 0 0:35:43 Are you too proud to ask for help? Sometimes success and prestige can make us so prideful, that when we need help, we are often reluctant to ask for it. If you are use to being a leader or a person of influence, it can be hard to admit that you ne[...] Are you too proud to ask for help? Sometimes success and prestige can make us so prideful, that when we need help, we are often reluctant to ask for it. If you are use to being a leader or a person of influence, it can be hard to admit that you need help. And yet, sometimes, no matter how hard we try to act tough, no matter how strong we might try to stand in the face of adversity, sometimes the trial is too much. Sometimes we find ourselves broken and hurting, unable to do anything about it. This morning we’ll look at this account of Jairus and the miraculous resurrection of his daughter. We’ll see how Jairus in this difficult trial in the life of his family, had to cast away his fears and find help and hope in Jesus. As a leader, he was not immune to the trials that go on in life, but when the trial came, he had the wisdom to get help. He placed his faith and trust in Jesus. And as we look at this faith of Jairus, we’ll see how we too need to fix our faith on Jesus, finding hope in him, even when things seem hopeless. Passage: Mark 5:21-43 Author: Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div. Sermon originally preached during the Morning Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 05/18/2008 in Novato, CA. Other Scripture Readings: 2 Samuel 12:13-23; 2 Corinthians 4:7-18 Click here for the manuscript. Mark Rev. W. Reid Hankins no no http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/2008/03/23/if-christ-is-not-risen-%e2%80%93-a-defense-of-the-resurrection/ http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/2008/03/23/if-christ-is-not-risen-%e2%80%93-a-defense-of-the-resurrection/#comments Sun, 23 Mar 2008 21:07:28 +0000 Pastor Reid Hankins http://www.novatoopcsermons.org/2008/03/23/if-christ-is-not-risen-%e2%80%93-a-defense-of-the-resurrection/ http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/2008/03/23/if-christ-is-not-risen-%e2%80%93-a-defense-of-the-resurrection/feed/ 0 0:41:12 In the words of verse 1 from 1 Corinthians 15, I “declare to you the gospel;” this very gospel which has been preached from the apostles, recorded in the Scriptures, and handed down through the centuries.  The gospel that was foretold in the Old Tes[...] In the words of verse 1 from 1 Corinthians 15, I “declare to you the gospel;” this very gospel which has been preached from the apostles, recorded in the Scriptures, and handed down through the centuries.  The gospel that was foretold in the Old Testament; the very gospel which declares that Christ died for our sins on the cross, was buried, and then raised from the dead on the third day!  And yet as we look at this passage in 1 Corinthians 15, we are reminded that the fact of the resurrection has not always been well received, even in the church.  Paul in this letter is confronting an issue in the Corinthian church.  Evidently some in the church had been teaching that there is no resurrection of the dead.  In other words, people who claimed to be Christians, were saying that there is no resurrection of the dead!  And so Paul instantly responds by showing that such a view is not consistent with the Christian faith.  Paul hypothetically considers what it would mean for Christians, if Christ had not been raised.  His ultimate conclusion comes in verse 19.  He concludes by saying that if Christ had not been raised, then we of all people, as Christians, would be most to be pitied. Passage: 1 Corinthians 15:1-19 Author: Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div. Sermon originally preached during the Morning Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 03/23/2008 in Novato, CA. Other Scripture Readings: Psalm 16; Matthew 28:1-15; 1 Peter 1:3-9 Click here for the manuscript. Easter Rev. W. Reid Hankins no no