"Through the Gospel" -- 1 Corinthians 4:1-21

Here's the audio from today's sermon, the eighth in a series on 1 Corinthians:

Click here

This Week's White Horse Inn

How Does God Reveal Himself?

Can we discover truth about God outside of the Bible, or is Scripture the only true source of heavenly knowledge? On this edition of the program the hosts will outline the distinction between general and special revelation. In the former, God reveals himself through creation, and in the latter he reveals himself in the pages Scripture and in the person of Christ. Though we can know many things about God by the things he has made, only Scripture reveals his good will toward us in the Gospel.

http://www.whitehorseinn.org/

Welcome to a Reformed Church

Rev. Danny Hyde, who is the pastor of the Oceanside URC, has a new book soon to be released (March 15).

Here's the blurb from the publisher (Reformation Trust--a division of Ligonier Ministries).  This is a very helpful book and highly recommended for anyone considering attending a Reformed/Presbyterian Church.

“Who are these guys?” That was the question the teenage Daniel R. Hyde posed to his father when he first encountered “Reformed” believers. With their unique beliefs and practices, these Christians didn’t fit any of the categories in his mind. 

Not so many years later, Hyde is now Rev. Daniel R. Hyde, a pastor of a Reformed church. Recognizing that many are on the outside looking in, just as he once was, he wrote Welcome to a Reformed Church: A Guide for Pilgrims to explain what Reformed churches believe and why they structure their life and worship as they do. 

In layman’s terms, Rev. Hyde sketches the historical roots of the Reformed churches, their scriptural and confessional basis, their key beliefs, and the ways in which those beliefs are put into practice. The result is a roadmap for those encountering the Reformed world for the first time and a primer for those who want to know more about their Reformed heritage.

For ordering information, Click here

The Blessed Hope -- Tonight's Academy Lecture

Lecture Title:  "The Blessed Hope -- Part One"

Lecture Contents:  The most important eschatological event in the New Testament is the second advent of Jesus Christ, our blessed hope.  In this lecture we will discuss those events associated with Christ's return:  The resurrection, the judgment, and cosmic renewal.

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 information, click here



Samples' Series on Issues, Etc.

Here's the next installment from Ken's series on answering tough questions about the Christian faith which has been running on Issues, Etc.

On Wednesday's program, Ken dealt with common objections to the Christian faith.

Here's the link:  Click here

"The Immeasurable Riches of His Grace" -- Ephesians 2:1-10

The Fourth in a Series of Sermons on Ephesians

Ephesians 2:1-10 is one of those great passages of Scripture with which most Christians are well-familiar.  This passage contains important and well-known proof-texts for the doctrine of sola gratia (grace alone), as well as for the doctrine of total depravity.  Most of us have memorized Ephesians 2:8.  “For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”  Many are familiar with the opening verse of this chapter which reminds us that “we are dead in sin.”  Our familiarity with this chapter is both good and bad.  We may already know the details of the passage–which is good.  But the downside is that we must not concentrate upon the well-known proof-texts to the exclusion of the other important points Paul is making.  As we make our way through Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians we need to understand this passage as part of a larger discussion.  In this section of Ephesians (chapters 1-3), Paul sets out his overall purpose in writing–to remind believers of our glorious inheritance in Jesus Christ so that we understand our role in God’s new society, which is the church of Jesus Christ.  This, in turn, becomes the basis for the applicatory section of the letter, in chapters 3-6.  A proper understanding of how God saves us from our sins, is the only proper basis for living the Christian life.

As we continue our series on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, we make our way into the second chapter as Paul continues to describe how it is that God saves us from our sins, and how we as Christians are to understand the course of human history (in general) and our place in that history in particular.  In verses 3-14, Paul has already given us a Trinitarian panorama of redemptive history.  Paul’s “big picture” (as we have been speaking of it) begins in eternity past when the Father chose a vast multitude of those whom he would redeem from their sins in the person of his Son.  Paul moves on to recount that the Father sent his beloved son to die for all of those whom the Father had chosen.  It was the shed blood of Jesus which redeems and secures the forgiveness of our sins for those given him by the Father.  And then, Paul says, at a particular moment in time, the Holy Spirit called us to faith.  We heard the word of truth, we were included in Christ, and we were then sealed until the day of redemption.  Here we have the famous Reformed mantra–redemption decreed, accomplished, and applied.  Paul has given us a redemptive historical panorama which takes us from eternity past to until that day when Jesus Christ returns to judge the world, raise the dead, and make all things new at the end of the age.

Whenever we look at the “big picture,” we see the love of God in saving sinners who truly deserve his wrath.  We also see that Jesus not only took to himself a true human nature, but he came to earth to suffer and die to secure redemption for those whom the Father had chosen.  But when God raised Jesus from the dead and Jesus ascended on high to take his place at the Father’s right hand, Paul says, it is clear that God has the power to do what he has promised.  In the cross of Christ, we see God’s love and justice.  In the resurrection, we see God’s power.  In Christ’s ascension, we see Christ’s on-going rule over all of human history in his priestly, kingly, and prophetic offices.  And this, Paul says, is the basis of our hope.

To read the rest of this sermon, Click here

Samples on Issues, Etc.

Ken was on Issues, Etc., again on Tuesday, continuing his series "Answering Tough Questions."  His subject, "Faith in Jesus"

You can listen here:  Click here

One of My Favorite Days . . .

The New York Yankees play the Pittsburgh Pirates today @ Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.

Not only is this the opening game of spring training--a sign that winter is almost over--but it also marks the beginning of the quest for World Series victory # 28!

Let's go Yankees!!!!

Ken Samples on "Issues, Etc." -- Answering Tough Questions (On Faith)

Ken Samples is on Issues, Etc., doing a series on his book Without a Doubt.  He is answering some tough apologetics questions.  The first installment can be found here:  Click here

"Who Said That?"

"God has been preparing me for 2010 and has given me a very special direction."

You know the drill.  Leave your guess in the comments section below.  Please no google searches or cheating.  Answer to follow next week.

Update on Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 03:33PM by Kim Riddlebarger

This is the first line from a page on Benny Hinn's ministry website predicting a "mighty annointing" in 2010.   To bad that "anointing" fell on Suzanne Hinn's divorce attorney.  Not quite what Benny claims the Spirit was leading him to do in 2010.  Click here