Have a Blessed Thanksgiving!

The Riddlebargers will celebrate Thanksgiving this year by attending Christ Reformed's Thanksgiving service at 10:00 a.m. (led by Rev. Andrew Compton), and then we are off to my mother-in-law's house for traditional Thanksgiving fare.

Friday, however, is another story.  It is garage cleaning day.  A necessary part of life in a fallen world!

I wish you all a very blessed Thanksgiving!  Enjoy the feast and family!

The words of the Psalmist are certainly appropriate (Psalm 107:1-9)

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!

2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble

3 and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.

4 Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in;

5 hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.

6 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.

7 He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in.

8 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!

9 For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.

"Crowned With Glory" -- Hebrews 2:1-9

The Third in a Series of Sermons on the Book of Hebrews

Although we do not know which church received the letter we now know as the Epistle to the Hebrews, we do know that a number of people in that church had renounced their profession of faith in Jesus Christ and returned to Judaism (the religion in which they had been raised).  Apostasy among professing Christians was a real issue facing this church, and the subject raises a number of important questions which the author of Hebrews must address.  Can a Christian lose their salvation?  What is the status of those who make a profession of faith, are baptized, but then fall away?  Having established in the opening chapter that Jesus Christ is the creator and sustainer of all things, the author now exhorts his readers to consider the greatness of that salvation which Jesus has earned for us through his death and resurrection, before Jesus ascended on high, and took his place at God’s right hand.  It is a serious thing to neglect so great a salvation!

As we continue our series on the Book of Hebrews, so far we have discussed the problems surrounding the authorship, destination, and date of the writing of this epistle, and we have covered the author’s principle argument in opening chapter for the superiority of Jesus Christ to Moses, to Israel’s priesthood, and to the angels.  Since it is likely that most of the members of the church receiving this letter were Hellenistic Jews (Greek in culture, Hebrew in theology) who had recently become Christians, as such, they fully accepted the LXX as the word of God.  So, in order to respond to the questions raised by those who had made professions of faith in Jesus Christ and were baptized, but then renounced both, the author cites seven passages from the Old Testament (predominantly from the Psalms) which prove that Jesus is the son of God, and possesses a glory equal to that of the Father.

An undue interest in angels (and even the worship of angels) was a problem in Hellenistic Judaism, and there are hints throughout the New Testament that this was an issue in some of the first Christian churches (Galatians 1, Hebrews 13, Colossians 2).  While acknowledging that angels are God’s messengers, and that they have played a significant role in redemptive history, the author of Hebrews turns to the Old Testament to prove that angels are Christ’s servants, and therefore inferior to the eternal Son of God.  From the pages of the Old Testament, the author demonstrates that Jesus is the creator of all things.  And having created all things, Jesus holds them together, directing them to fulfill their appointed ends.  Jesus is worshiped by the angels, Jesus gives these invisible creatures orders and directives, and Jesus alone sits as God’s right hand.  The author has already made a very impressive case for the deity of Jesus Christ.

As we move into Hebrews chapter two, the author issues his first admonition to this congregation in verses 1-4.  Although angels played a role in Old Testament revelation, given the superiority of Jesus Christ, it is vital that Christians not neglect due consideration of all that Jesus has done for them to save them from the guilt and power of sin.  Then, in verses 5-9, the author reminds believers of Jesus’ humiliation and exaltation, and how both were necessary for Jesus to secure our salvation.

To read the rest of this sermon, Click Here

Thanksgiving Week at Christ Reformed Church (November 25-December 1)

Sunday Morning (12/01/13):  On the first Sunday in Advent, we continue to work our way through John's Gospel.  We have come to Jesus' discussion of his departure, and the gift of the Holy Spirit in John 14:15-31.

Sunday Afternoon:  I will be teaching our afternoon catechism service which begins @ 1:15 p.m.  This Sunday, I will be discussing Messianic prophecy in articles 17-18 of the Belgic Confession.

Thanksgiving Service (Thursday 11/27/13):  Join us at 10:00 a.m. for our annual Thanksgiving service.  Rev. Andrew Compton will be preaching.  

No Wednesday Night Bible Study this week

No Friday Night Academy this week

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

"I Am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life" -- John 14:1-14

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

Audio from Ken Samples' Academy Lecture (11/22/13)

Here's the audio from Ken Sample' fifth and final lecture in his series on Islam which deals with Ideology.  "How Do We Win the War of Ideas?"    

Click Here

This Week's White Horse Inn

The Big Picture of the Bible

What is the Bible all about? Though this may sound like a basic question, it’s actually one that many people overlook in our day. It’s common in Christian circles today for pastors and Bible study leaders to lose sight of the forest for the trees. In other words, we need to better see how all the books of the Bible fit together and proclaim one big overarching narrative. That’s the focus of this edition of White Horse Inn as we continue our series on reading the Bible.

Click Here

I Feel Old Today and Some Other Things to Complain About

I really feel old today--especially on the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy Assassination.  That I remember this event so well, and that it made such an impact upon me (see my discussion of this with Ken Samples in the link below) means that I am quickly nearing the status of "old man."  Nevertheless, I am very thankful to be approaching sixty, and that I can actually remember things quite well which happened fifty years ago!

I can't help but wonder why celebrity psychic Ms. Browne did not know that she was going to die . . .  She could have told her husband and children while they still had time a get huge life insurance policy on her! And no, she's not having a party on the other side.  Hollywood psychic

I don't know about you, but if I found a black widow spider in a bunch of grapes, I don't think I'd follow the advice mentioned in this news story.  Take it outside and let it go?  You gotta be kidding me!  How about smashing it with a brick?  A black widow in your grapes

The Kennedy Assassination -- Fifty Years Later (Part Two)

I was recently a guest on Ken Samples' podcast "Straight Thinking" (of Reasons to Believe) and we talked about lessons to be learned from the Kennedy assassination fifty years later.  We think Oswald did it, acting alone, and the way in which people embrace conspiracy theories apart from evidence and critical thinking tells us a great deal about American culture--then and now. 

Here's the first part:  Click Here

Here's the second part: Click Here

Who Is This?

Any guesses?  Leave yours in the comments section below.

Update on Wednesday, November 20, 2013 at 10:02AM by Kim Riddlebarger

This is Wyatt Earp in his home in Los Angeles in 1925

"Sit At My Right Hand" -- Hebrews 1:1-14

The Second in a Series of Sermons on the Book of Hebrews

We may not know who wrote the Book of Hebrews, but the unknown author’s opening declaration is crystal clear.  God has spoken through the prophets–the Old Testament.  But in these last days (the present era) God has finally and definitely spoken in and through the person of his son, Jesus Christ.  Since Jesus is creator and sustainer of all things, Jesus is superior to Moses. Since Jesus has completed his work of redemption, he is superior to Israel’s priesthood.  Since Jesus now sits at the right hand of God, he possesses a greater name and a greater authority than any angel.  Given the fascination with angels typical of many first century Hellenistic Jews, the author of this epistle must deal with the role of angels in redemptive history, and in doing so, make his case that Jesus Christ is superior to all angelic beings.

This is the second sermon in our new series on the Book of Hebrews.  Last time , we addressed the difficult questions surrounding he authorship, destination, and date of this epistle–so I encourage you to listen to or read the first sermon which is now posted on the church website, or my blog.  We don’t know who wrote this epistle, nor do we know when it was written.  We don’t even know to which church this epistle was originally addressed.  But based upon the contents of the Epistle to the Hebrews, we do know a great deal about the original recipients. 

The author very likely knew the people to whom he is writing, and he was quite familiar with their current situation.  The recipients were Greek-speaking Jews (Hellenistic Jews), who believed that the Old Testament was God’s self-revelation.  They lived in a large city (most scholars think Rome or Alexandria), and probably were a small group meeting in someone’s home.  Many in the church which received this letter were recent converts to Christianity from that type Judaism found throughout the major cities of the first century Mediterranean world.  Not as legalistic as the Judaism found in Palestine (closer the temple, Jerusalem, and home to many Pharisees), the Judaism in which the recipients of this letter were raised and the synagogues in which they worship were probably as much Greek in ethos, as they were Jewish in theology.  This form of Judaism focused upon speculative topics like angels, and made Moses (not Abraham), the center of Old Testament religion.  This kind of Judaism would be as distant from traditional Judaism as mainline Protestant liberalism is from the Protestant Reformation.

To read the rest of this sermon: Click Here