Social Network Links
Powered by Squarespace
Search the Riddleblog
"Amillennialism 101" -- Audio and On-Line Resources

 

Living in Light of Two Ages

____________________________

Entries by Kim Riddlebarger (3928)

Monday
Apr012019

This Week at Christ Reformed Church (April 1-7)

Sunday Morning, April 7:  This coming Lord's Day we begin a new series on Paul's letters to Timothy and Titus.  This week we'll introduce these letters and discuss their importance.  Our worship service begins at 10:30 a.m.

Sunday Afternoon:  We have come to Lord's Day 4 in our study of the Heidelberg Catechism (Q & A 9-11).  We'll address the question of that which God requires of us.  Our afternoon service begins at 1:15 p.m.

Wednesday Night Bible Study: (April 3 @ 7:30 p.m.).  As we make the case for Christianity, we will take up the question of Jesus' claims about himself--his self-attestation

Friday Night Academy: (Friday, April 5 @ 7:30 p.m.).  We are discussing Michael Horton's theology text, The Christian Faith.  We are now in chapter twelve, "Being Human," and talking about the Imago Dei (p. 393).

For more information on Christ Reformed Church you can always find us here Christ Reformed Church, or Christ Reformed on Facebook.

Sunday
Mar312019

"The Great and Awesome Day of the Lord" -- Malachi 4:1-6

Here's the audio from this morning's sermon, the last in our series on Malachi, and the final sermon in our series on the Minor Prophets:  Click Here

 


 

Friday
Mar292019

Apologetics in a Post Christian Age (Audio) -- Making the Case for Christianity (External Evidence for the Reliability of the New Testament)

Thursday
Mar282019

"Transgressions of Israel" -- Amos 1:3-2:16

Sermons on the Minor Prophets:  The Book of Amos (2)

Amos was a cattle herder and a fig harvester.  He was from Judah–a nation still estranged from Israel.  YHWH calls Amos to his prophetic office in order to proclaim to the people of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) that God’s judgment in the form of covenant curse is drawing ever nearer.  But Amos’ preaching catches Israel completely off guard.  The people of Israel are experiencing a time of great economic prosperity.  The nation is producing large amounts of olive oil and wine, and shipping it across the region bringing great wealth to merchants and to the royal house.  King Jeroboam II defeated Israel’s nearest enemy, the Arameans, and extended Israel’s kingdom as far north as Damascus (in modern day Syria).  God’s people had experienced nothing like this since the days of Solomon.  The people kept up their religious obligations toward YHWH, setting up several shrines with golden calves (representing YHWH) and where priests offered sacrifices.  Surely, these were signs that all was well with the people of Israel and their relationship to YHWH, their covenant Lord.  And then comes Amos about 760 B.C., preaching about impending judgment.  All is not what it seems in Israel as Amos is about to reveal.

Amos is the first of three of the so-called Minor Prophets sent by YHWH to Israel.  Jonah and Hosea are soon to follow before Israel is swept away in 722 B.C., by the powerful Assyrian empire.  Through a vision God revealed to Amos what cannot be seen by the human eye.  This vision provided the contents  which Amos was to preach throughout Israel to that generation living before disaster finally comes.  By preaching that which YHWH has revealed, Amos’ words will penetrate beyond mere outward appearances to recesses deep in the human heart.  

Yes, Israel has grown rich–the apparent fruit of God’s covenant blessing.  But these blessings never made their way to the vast majority of those living in the ten tribal lands which now made up Israel.  Wealth was hoarded by the ruling class, ostentatiously displayed by the king’s courtesans, and flaunted by  wealthy land owners.  The nation’s wealth was earned at the expense of the poor and the laborers who did the back-breaking work of producing the oil and wine, folk who never saw the fruit of their labors, even though living in the shadow of those who filled their estates with ivory, imported couches and beds (the luxury items of the day), and who treated their workers as though they were slaves.  The wealthy show contempt for the poor and feel no need to help them.  But YHWH hears them when they cry to him.

Yes, Israel was at peace–relatively speaking.  They defeated the Arameans and had grown strong enough to ward off their traditional enemies, the Moabites and the Ammonites.  Jeroboam II, they thought, was a strong leader who carried them to victory while keeping their enemies at bay.  What the people of Israel did not know was the Assyrian empire to the north was growing in power and would soon exercise an aggressive military campaign against its neighbors to the south, Syria and Israel.  Israel’s military success and the peace the nation enjoyed were illusory.  Neither could the people of Israel foresee that Jeroboam II would die before 750 B.C., (soon after the ministry of Amos).  Jeroboam’s  son and successor to the throne (Zachariah) would rule only six months before being murdered by Shallum, an army officer who reigned for a month, and who, in turn, was killed by one his own captains, Menahem, who likewise claimed the throne.  Whatever peace was enjoyed under Jeroboam II, it was short-lived.  

The religious shrines in Israel were full of worshipers of YHWH on the Sabbath.  There were priests and plenty of sacrifices offered, along with ceremonial acts of devotion and religious feasts.  By all appearances, Israel maintained some level of devotion to the Lord.  But as YHWH will reveal to Israel through the mouth of Amos (5:21-24), “I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.  Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them.  Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen.  But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”  Israel’s priests were not Levites.  The worship they conduct was anything but heart-felt. or grounded in a desire to be faithful to YHWH’s word.  Completely overlooked is the fact that YHWH is not to be worshiped in the form of images (as made clear in the second commandment).  Animal sacrifices were to made because the people felt the weight of their sin and the need to satisfy YHWH’s holy justice, not because the sacrifices were just another religious obligation, like going to church on Easter and Christmas.

To read the rest of this sermon:  Click Here

Monday
Mar252019

This Week at Christ Reformed Church (March 25-31)

Sunday Morning, March 31:  This coming Lord's Day we will conclude our time in Malachi and in the Minor Prophets.  Our text is Malachi 4:4-6 and we will discuss the "Elijah to come."  Our worship service begins at 10:30 a.m.

Sunday Afternoon:  We are working our way through Lord's Day 3 of the Heidelberg Catechism.  Our question this week is "what are the consequences of Adam's Fall?"  Our afternoon service begins at 1:15 p.m.

Wednesday Night Bible Study: (March 27 @ 7:30 p.m.).  We are continuing to make the case for Christianity.  This week, we'll look at the external evidence for the reliability of the New Testament text.

Friday Night Academy: (Friday, March 29 @ 7:30 p.m.).  We are discussing Michael Horton's theology text, The Christian Faith.  We are now in chapter twelve, Being Human," and talking about the Imago Dei (p. 385).

For more information on Christ Reformed Church you can always find us here Christ Reformed Church, or Christ Reformed on Facebook.

Sunday
Mar242019

"My Treasured Posession" -- Malachi 3:6-4:3

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

Thursday
Mar212019

Apologetics in a Post Christian Age (Audio) -- Making the Case for Christianity (Internal Evidence for the Reliability of the New Testament)

Thursday
Mar212019

"The Lord Roars from Zion" -- Amos 1:1-2

Sermons on the Minor Prophets:  The Book of Amos (1)

"The Lord Roars from Zion,” “He has spoken against you the people of Israel,” “An adversary will bring you down,” “I will send you into exile,” “I will send a famine of the word upon the land,” and then “I will restore the fortunes of my people.”  These are just some of the words of blessing and curse YHWH declares to his people through the Prophet Amos.

Whenever we take up the study of a new book of the Bible it is important to take the time to consider who wrote this book and when.  We should also ask why the book was written, as well as identify the specific issues it addresses.  Because the books of the Minor Prophets are God’s word, they speak powerfully to us today.  But we are not the original audience.  If we do not take the time to do ask and answer these questions, it becomes all too easy to use the ancient text as a springboard for any number of moralistic object lessons: “what does Amos teach us about how to be better people?” “Dare to be an Amos.”  Or, we can turn his message into a political diatribe about the evils of wealth and materialism.  

The latter is an especially strong temptation in the case of the Minor Prophets because they do speak truth to power.  Yet unlike political figures seeking reform and change, these prophets speak God’s words to power in a particular redemptive-historical context, a context which we’ve spent the past few weeks working to establish.  If we take up each of the books of the Minor Prophets without considering the background questions, “who?” “when?” and “why?” these books were written to the original audience, we risk falling into one of the previously mentioned misuses of the text, and then we likely miss the message these prophets bring to God’s people.  We will briefly answer these questions and conduct a fly-over survey of the contents and issues raised in Amos’ prophecy.  

Who was Amos?  Like Elijah, Amos suddenly appears in Israel (the Northern Kingdom), during the reign of Jeroboam II, about 760 B.C.  Jeroboam II is the twelfth king of Israel, taking the name of one of those from whom he descends, Jeroboam I.  Jeroboam II’s reign is approximately 130 years after Jeroboam I, and nearly one hundred years after God sent Elijah to confront king Ahab and his successor, Ahaziah.  Jeroboam II is likely the most successful of the kings of Israel.  He defeated Israel’s nearest enemy (the Arameans–2 Kings 14:25-28) and extended his kingdom as far north as Damascus (in Syria).  As a benefit of relative peace, Israel’s economy grew strong through international trade–making land owners wealthy, while their servants suffered terribly because of the demands of a greatly increasing harvest.  The population of Israel had grown to more than 350,000, and archaeological evidence demonstrates significant olive oil and wine production during this time, even, perhaps horse breeding.

Israel’s spiritual heath in this period does not match its economic prosperity.  YHWH was still officially worshiped at Israel’s chief ancient shrines at Dan (in the north) and Bethel (to the south).  But it was also likely that such worship was tied to the use of statues and/or images of golden calves representing YHWH (as instituted by Jeroboam I).  This practice becomes the subject of much of the prophetic activity in Israel, as YHWH sends forth his messengers to condemn all such idolatrous use of images throughout Israel and Judah.  Those priests conducting services in Israel’s holy places continued to renounce Judah, Jerusalem, and the temple.  Israel’s heart toward YHWH had grown increasingly cold and distant after the days of Elijah and Elisha.  Many have come to believe their apostate form of Judaism is actually the true religion to be practiced by God’s people. 

To read the rest of this sermon,  Click Here

Monday
Mar182019

This Week at Christ Reformed Church (March 18-March 24)

Sunday Morning, March 24:  Malachi speaks of a God who does not change and who considers his people to be his treasured possession.  This Lord's Day, we will tackle Malachi 3:6-18. Our worship service begins at 10:30 a.m.

Sunday Afternoon:  We've come to Lord's Day 3 in our study of the Heidelberg Catechism.  Our question this week is "did God create us sinful?"  Our afternoon service begins at 1:15 p.m.

Wednesday Night Bible Study: (March 20 @ 7:30 p.m.).  We are continuing to make the case for Christianity.  This week, we'll look at the internal and external evidence for the reliability of the New Testament text.

Friday Night Academy: (Friday, March 22 @ 7:30 p.m.).  We are discussing Michael Horton's theology text, The Christian Faith.  We are now in chapter twelve, Being Human," and talking about the Imago Dei (p. 381).

For more information on Christ Reformed Church you can always find us here Christ Reformed Church, or Christ Reformed on Facebook.

Sunday
Mar172019

"The Messenger of the Covenant" -- Malachi 2:10-3:5

Here's the audio from this morning's sermon on Malachi from our series on the Minor Prophets