"Caring for God's Church" -- 1 Timothy 3:1-17

Here's the audo from this morning's sermon for the occasion of the ordination and installation of deacons and elders:  Click here

"Signs of the End" (Part One) -- Academy Audio Posted

Here's the audio from Friday night's Academy lecture:

Click here

This Week's White Horse Inn

The Book of Galatians (Pt 5)

What does it mean to walk by the Spirit? How does our sanctification relate to our freedom in Christ and justification? The hosts discuss these issues and more as they conclude their five part series through Paul's letter the to the Galatians.

http://www.whitehorseinn.org/

Tonight's Academy Lecture -- Amillennialism 101 Returns

Join us tonight at 7:30 PM when I continue my series on Amillennialism 101.

Lecture Title: "The Signs of the End - Part One."

Lecture Contents:  The New Testament gives us three signs of the end: The universal preaching of the gospel; the conversion of Israel; and the revelation of a final antichrist.

Instructor:  Dr. Kim Riddlebarger

Textbooks:  A Case for Amillennialism (Baker 2003), The Man of Sin (Baker, 2006)

About the Academy:  The Academy meets at Christ Reformed Church in Anaheim.  The lectures begin at 7:30 p.m., are free of charge, and are followed by a time for questions and answers, as well as a time for fellowship and refreshments.

For More Info:  Click here

Our Only Mediator

Q. But who now is that Mediator, who in one person is true God and also a true and righteous man?

A. Our Lord Jesus Christ, who is freely given unto us for complete redemption and righteousness. 

(Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 18)

Christians believe that the human race is fallen in Adam. It is not as though the human race is sick and faces imminent demise because of the effects that sin will have upon us if we do nothing about it; rather, Scripture teaches that we are already dead in sins and trespasses (Rom. 5:12–19; Eph. 2:1). This means that we do not need a cure for the disease of sin before that disease kills us — it is too late for that. Instead, we need someone to pay for our sins, resurrect us from the dead, and give us new life. Unless and until this happens, we remain dead in sin, unable to do anything to help ourselves.

The Bible does not tell us how much time elapsed between the time God created Adam and the first man rebelled against Him in Eden. But the Bible does say that as soon as the human race fell into sin and received its wage, which is death (Gen. 3:14–19), God immediately promised to send a redeemer who would save His people, crush the serpent (Satan), and yet suffer in the process (v. 15). This wonderful promise is called the proto-evangelium (the first gospel announcement), and it is the basis for all of what follows in the Bible. In fact, from the third chapter of Genesis forward, all of what follows in redemptive history is the unfolding of God’s plan to save His people from both the guilt and the power of sin in fulfillment of this very promise.

To read the rest of this article, Click here

"To the Praise of His Glory" -- Ephesians 1:3-14

The Second in a Series of Sermons on Ephesians

If you want to draw a blank stare from someone, tell them that you are a Calvinist.  Those who actually know what the word means are often taken aback by the realization that there are still people around who believe such things.  In evangelical circles, the term “Calvinist” provokes several common reactions.  A).  You believe in predestination, so you must hold to some sort of fatalism.  B).  Because you believe in predestination, you cannot possibly engage in evangelism or effective prayer.  C).  Because you’ve aligned yourself with of one of history’s most notorious spoilsports, John Calvin, it must be your life’s mission to make sure that no one enjoys themselves.  All of these are gross misconceptions, but they arise so often because Calvinism seems so completely out of step with contemporary ways of thinking and doing.  But there are reasons why many Christians still identify ourselves as “Calvinists.”  One reason is found in our text, Ephesians 1:3-14, where it is the Apostle Paul, who sets forth with great power and clarity those very same doctrines most often associated with Calvinism, namely predestination and particular redemption (or as it is commonly known–limited atonement).

We are resuming our series on Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians.  In our first sermon, I set forth a basic case for Pauline authorship of this letter, and identified some of the circumstances under which Paul wrote this epistle while he was imprisoned in Rome at some point early in the 60's of the first century.  We saw how the Book of Ephesians was likely a circular letter which eventually became associated with the church in Ephesus.  The letter has an impersonal tone to it–a bit odd since Paul had been in Ephesus for several years and no doubt knew many people in the church.  This indicates that this letter was probably sent to more than one congregation.  Furthermore, Ephesians does not address any specific doctrinal controversy, as is typical of most of the letters we know to have come from Paul, but its themes and content are the “quintessence of Paulinism.”  This is quite evident in our passage this morning, where Paul takes us from eternity past, to the doing and dying of Jesus, to that time when each one of us comes to faith in Jesus Christ, and then to the resurrection of our bodies at the end of age.  Paul lays all of this out in panoramic form to show us that from beginning to our end, our salvation is the work of a gracious God in the lives of those whom he has chosen to save because he is a gracious God who saves sinners.

Nothing upsets Americans more than to be told “no”–that they cannot do something.  In this section of Ephesians, Paul tells us “no”–we cannot save ourselves.  This is why people hate Calvinism.  This is why people will always hate Calvinism.  This kind of a gripe has little to do with Calvin, but with the apostle Paul.  In fact, Paul will make it crystal clear that it is God who saves us when we could do nothing to save ourselves.  God does this by choosing a vast multitude to be saved before time begins, by sending Christ to die at just the right time for those whom the Father has chosen, and then by calling all those whom the Father has chosen, and for whom the son has died, to faith in Jesus, through the means of the preaching of the gospel, people who are now indwelt and sealed by the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption.  In these opening verses of Ephesians, we are not only given a “big picture” of God’s purposes in saving sinners (the box top of the puzzle, if you will), but we are also given the means as to how those sinners will be saved–the preaching of the gospel.

To read the rest of this sermon, Click here

URC Church Plant in the Ventura Area (Update)

As I mentioned in December, there is a Bible study group meeting in the Ventura area, interested in starting a new URC.

The study group is now officially under the guidance of the Ontario URC, and they are meeting at 6 p.m. on Sundays. 

If you are interested, or know someone who is, here's the contact information:

Phone: 805 415 6301  Website:   http://venturarsg.wordpress.com/

"The Foundation" -- 1 Corinthians 3:1-15

Here's the audio from Sunday's sermon, the sixth in a series on 1 Corinthians

Click here

Who Said That?

"God created us in His own image to have an abundant life. He did not make us as robots to automatically love and obey Him. God gave us a will and a freedom of choice.  We chose to disobey God and go our own willful way. We still make this choice today. This results in separation from God."

Leave your guess in the comments section below.  Please, no google searches or cheating.  Answer to follow in one week.

Update on Saturday, February 13, 2010 at 05:41PM by Kim Riddlebarger

This is "Step Two" of the "Steps to Peace" posted on the website of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.  This is about as watered down as it gets.  Sin "lite."

This Week's White Horse Inn

The Book of Galatians (Pt 4)

On this edition of the program the hosts discuss Paul's allegory of two mountains, and two mothers in Galatians chapter 4. Why does the apostle argue that the present city of Jerusalem corresponds with Hagar, rather than Sarah? Why are the children of Mt. Sinai born in "slavery?" Though it may take a little work, understanding this allegory may be one of the best ways to understand the entire Bible.

http://www.whitehorseinn.org/