Mike Horton on WSC's "Office Hours" Discussing His New Book, "Ordinary"

Here's the link to the Westminster Seminary California "Office Hours" interview:  Mike Horton on "Ordinary"

Pre-Order Mike Horton's new book Ordinary

This Week at Christ Reformed Church (September 22-28)

Sunday Morning (September 28):  We have come to chapter 3:1-7 in our series on 1 Peter.  We will be considering Peter's discussion of husbands and wives.  Our Lord's Day worship service begins at 10:30 a.m.

New Members Class (9:00 a.m.):  Our Fall new members class continues with a discussion of the history the Reformed churches.  Inquirers welcome!

Sunday Afternoon:  Prof. Ken Samples will be leading our afternoon catechism service which begins @ 1:15 p.m.

Wednesday Night Bible Study (September 24): Our Bible study continues with a look at the closing chapters of the Book of Revelation, before we take up a study of the Book of Romans in the coming weeks.

Friday Night Academy (September 26):  The Academy continues our four-week reading/discussion format centering on the life and times of John Calvin.  This week, we'll be discussing Mike Horton's book, Calvin on the Christian Life, (Crossway, 2014).

Special Academy Guest Lecture:  On Friday, October 10th, Dr. Rod Rosenbladt will be our special guest, lecturing on the doctrine of the Trinity and the Nicene Creed.

For more information and directions, check out the Christ Reformed website:  Christ Reformed Church

“Live As People Who Are Free” -- 1 Peter 2:13-25

Here's the audio from this morning's sermon:  Click Here

This Week's White Horse Inn

"Feasting with God"

Throughout our series on Divine Hospitality, we’ve been exploring the feasting themes in Scripture. On this program the hosts continue their discussion as they consider how this theme is addressed throughout Luke’s Gospel. Here we meet with a God who exhibits such a lavish hospitality that he invites even strangers and foreigners to become co-heirs of the everlasting estate. Join Michael Horton, Kim Riddlebarger, Justin Holcomb, Steve Parks as they unpack this theme of feasting with God in the Gospel of Luke.

Click Here

Audio from Friday Night Academy Authors Forum with Dr. W. Robert Godfrey

Here's the audio from Dr. Godfrey's discussion of his biography of John Calvin (9/19/14):  Authors Forum with Dr. Godfrey

Audio from Dr. Godfrey's 2005 lecture on Calvin in his "Heroes of the Faith" series.  John Calvin, Heroes of the Faith #4

Here's the link to purchase Dr. Godfrey's book, John Calvin, Pilgrim and Pastor

Friday Feature -- The Antichrist Drives a Cadillac, but the King of Cool Drives a Mustang!

Steve McQueen in his 1968 Ford Mustang 390 GT 2+2 Fastback, chasing the two "hoods" in their 1968 Dodge Charger 440 Magnum.  Great scene!

The Other September 11th

One of the darkest chapters in American history is the brutal slaughter of nearly 150 members (including women and children) of the Baker-Fancher wagon train at Mountain Meadows, Utah, at the behest of Brigham Young.

Dr. Alvin Schmidt of Illinois College was a recent guest on Issues, Etc., discussing the Mountain Meadows Massacre, on September 11, 1857.  Mountain Meadows Massacre

You can read more about the massacre here:  Wikipedia Mountain Meadows Massacre

"O LORD, My Rock and My Redeemer" -- A Sermon on Psalm 19

A Sermon on the 19th Psalm

Psalm 19 is well-known for the sheer beauty of its Hebrew poetry.  C. S. Lewis once said of Psalm 19:  “I take this to be the greatest poem in the Psalter and one of the greatest lyrics in the world.”  One commentator argues that the beauty of this particular Psalm puts the Psalmist’s artistic skills on a par with such great creative geniuses as Goethe, Haydn, and Beethoven.  While this particular Psalm is indeed beautiful poetry, the 19th Psalm’s literary beauty does not (or at least should) not obscure the fact that this particular Psalm is packed with important biblical-theological themes.  The 19th Psalm speaks directly to the two ways in which God reveals himself–through the created order in which he shows forth his glory, and in his law, through which he demonstrates his divine perfections.

The self-revelation of God–the two ways in which God reveals himself to all his creatures–is such an important topic that article two of the Belgic Confession (the confession of faith of the Reformed churches) deals with these two ways  (or two books) immediately following a discussion of the nature of God in article one.  The Confession speaks of these two books of revelation–the natural order and Holy Scripture–as follows:
                
    We know God by two means:  First, by the creation, preservation, and government of the universe, since that universe is before our eyes like a beautiful book in which all creatures, great and small, are as letters to make us ponder the invisible things of God: his eternal power and his divinity, as the apostle Paul says in Romans 1:20.  All these things are enough to convict men and to leave them without excuse.  Second, he makes himself known to us more openly by his holy and divine Word, as much as we need in this life, for his glory and for the salvation of his own.

In addition to quoting from Paul (Romans 1:20), the chief biblical proof-text underlying article two of the Belgic Confession is Psalm 19:1-4.  In fact, in our New Testament lesson (Romans 1:18-25), Paul repeatedly alludes to the 19th Psalm as Paul makes his case that there is no such thing as a true atheist–although there are many who call themselves atheists, from a biblical point of view these are people who sinfully suppress the truth in unrighteousness.  Despite the fact that God’s self-revelation gets through to them–Paul is clear that it does, and the Psalmist also makes this point–people do not want to accept those things which God reveals.  If they acknowledge God, then they owe him faith and repentance, which is the last thing such people wish to do.  The reason why people inevitably reject the two books of revelation is because, as Jesus says, “people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil” (John 3:19).

To read the rest of this sermon:  Click Here

Great Article on Ben Sasse

Anyone interested in Ben Sasse's senate campaign in Nebraska will enjoy Mark Hemingway's recent article on Ben in the Weekly Standard

This Week at Christ Reformed Church (September 15-21) -- A Special Guest and New Members Class Begins

Sunday Morning (September 21):  We are continuing our series on 1 Peter, and this coming Lord's Day, we'll be looking at how we relate to the civil authority in light of our status as exiles and sojourners (1 Peter 2:13-25).  Our Lord's Day worship service begins at 10:30 a.m.

New Members Class (9:00 a.m.):  Our Fall new members class begins with a discussion of the history and distinctives of Christ Reformed Church.  All inquirers welcome.

Sunday Afternoon:  As we continue our study of the Canons of Dort, we are currently in the 3rd/4th head of Doctrine, and will be considering faith as a gift from God (article 14).  The catechism service begins @ 1:15 p.m.

Wednesday Night Bible Study (September 17): Bible study resumes this week with a study of Revelation 21, before we take up a study of the Book of Romans.

Friday Night Academy (September 12):  On Friday evening September 19, Dr. W. Robert Godfrey, Professor of Church History and President of Westminster Seminary California, will be our special guest, discussing his book John Calvin:  Pilgrim and Pastor.

For more information and directions, check out the Christ Reformed website:  Christ Reformed Church