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, 02 Feb 2012 18:45:42 +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/2011/02/13/rejoice/ http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/2011/02/13/rejoice/#comments Mon, 14 Feb 2011 00:14:37 +0000 Pastor Reid Hankins http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/?p=1233 http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/2011/02/13/rejoice/feed/ 0 0:36:30 Sermon preached on 1 Peter 1:3-9 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 2/13/2011 in Novato, CA. Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div. 1 Peter 1:3-9 2/13/11 “In This You Rejoice” Last’s w[...] Sermon preached on 1 Peter 1:3-9 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 2/13/2011 in Novato, CA. Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div. 1 Peter 1:3-9 2/13/11 “In This You Rejoice” Last’s week’s message from 1 Peter reminded us that we live as pilgrims and sojourners right now on earth. Last week’s focus was on the sojourning. This week’s passage takes up that topic again. It describes the trials and the tests of faith that we may go through in this short pilgrimage of life. But it also draws us into the hope beyond this life. A real and certain hope of a heavenly inheritance. That hope will require faith. The trials in this life will challenge that faith. But it will also refine that faith. All of this will be a reason to find joy in the midst of the grief brought by the trials of life. This sojourning, our lives on earth, will have difficult times. But this passage reminds us that we are growing in faith, hope, and joy in the midst of all of these. That’s basically our message for today. But let’s dig into this passage and see how Peter brings this out. Let’s begin first this morning by considering what this passage describes as our living hope in verse 3. In the midst of living lives as pilgrims, sojourning on this earth, we have a living hope in front of us. Verse 3 says that according to God’s abundant mercy he has caused us to be begotten again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus. Our hope is called a living hope. In other words it’s not a dead hope. It’s a hope that’s alive. A hope that grows. A hope that is sure. It a hope that we can count on as true and genuine. What is this living hope? Verse 4 spells it out. It’s the hope of a heavenly inheritance. An inheritance safeguarded in heaven; kept by God for you. And what is this heavenly inheritance like? Verse 4 says it’s imperishable, it’s undefiled, it’s unfading. Hearing those adjectives probably makes you think of Jesus’ words about heavenly treasure. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told us not to set our hearts on earthly treasure. He said that earthly treasure is something that can be lost. Thieves can break in and steal it. Moth and rust can destroy it. Instead Jesus said to pursue heavenly treasure. Well, this passage talks about this living hope in similar terms. This heavenly inheritance can’t perish, can’t be defiled, won’t fade away. This heavenly inheritance is what Jesus was talking about. It’s the Christians’ hope that in Christ they receive such heavenly treasure. And yet to be precise, Peter doesn’t use the word treasure here. He doesn’t speak in terms of heavenly treasure. He speaks of heavenly inheritance. I do think both descriptions essentially get at the same thing. Yet, Peter’s use of the word inheritance is something we don’t want to miss. Peter is a Jew, and even as a Christian Jew, the idea of an inheritance from God, has a rich history. For a Christian Jew to talk about an inheritance from God, something specific is going to come to mind. You’re going to think about the Promised Land. As a church we just finished a study going through Deuteronomy. Repeatedly, we saw that God described the Promised Land as an inheritance he was giving to Israel. Deuteronomy 4:21, as just one example of many. The Promised Land was the inheritance for God’s people in the Old Testament. That’s the language Peter chooses to use here to describe our living hope. But he’s obviously not talking about the Promised Land. Describing our living hope as an inheritance, makes us think back to the Promised Land. But describing this inheritance as something reserved in heaven for us, makes us look beyond the earthly Promised Land. Peter draws a subtle comparison between our living[...] Rev. W. Reid Hankins no no http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/2011/01/09/bible-survey-class-%e2%80%93-james/ http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/2011/01/09/bible-survey-class-%e2%80%93-james/#comments Mon, 10 Jan 2011 01:29:54 +0000 Pastor Reid Hankins http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/?p=1160 http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/2011/01/09/bible-survey-class-%e2%80%93-james/feed/ 0 0:41:41 Adult Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 01/09/2011 in Novato, CA. This week we discussed James. Adult Sunday School class led by Rev. W. Reid Hankins at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 01/09/2011 in Novato, CA. This week we discussed James. 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/2008/05/05/do-you-still-not-have-faith/ http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/2008/05/05/do-you-still-not-have-faith/#comments Mon, 05 May 2008 16:01:12 +0000 Pastor Reid Hankins http://www.novatoopcsermons.org/?p=59 http://www.trinityopcnovato.org/2008/05/05/do-you-still-not-have-faith/feed/ 0 0:35:47 I want us to consider today in this passage the importance of Jesus being able to control the wind and sea by the very word of his power.  I want us to consider what it means for Jesus to have this power and authority.  What does this tell us about [...] I want us to consider today in this passage the importance of Jesus being able to control the wind and sea by the very word of his power.  I want us to consider what it means for Jesus to have this power and authority.  What does this tell us about who he is?  Well, certainly, it points to his divinity.  We’ll see how this event shows forth that Jesus is indeed who Scripture presents: the eternal Son of God who has come in the flesh.  But I also want us to consider the significance of this fact.  If Jesus is God in the flesh, able to control wind and water, and every aspect of creation, what should that do to our faith?  How should that affect our faith and how we respond to the trials that come in our lives? Passage: Mark 4:1-34 Author: Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div. Sermon originally preached during the Morning Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 05/05/2008 in Novato, CA. Other Scripture Readings: Proverbs 30:4; Romans 8:28-39 Click here for the manuscript. Mark Rev. W. Reid Hankins no no