Living in Light of Two Ages
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Saturday, October 31, 2015 at 10:53AM 
Mike Horton addressing the question of whether or not the Reformation is over
I offered a number of reflections on Christ Reformed Church's twenty years of ministry
Here's the White Horse Inn crew (Shane Rosenthal, me, Mike). Yup, we've been on the air twenty-five years now. We are not getting older, we are getting better older.
Tuesday, October 27, 2015 at 09:57AM 
The Fifty-Second in a Series of Sermons on the Gospel of John
Their evening together is now over. The hour has come. Jesus must leave the Upper Room, cross the Kidron Valley, and go to an olive grove on the Mount of Olives, where he will be arrested by members of the Sanhedrin (the Jewish ruling council). But in the moments before Jesus departs to accomplish his work of redemption, Jesus stops just long enough to pray: for himself, for his disciples, and for all those who will believe in him throughout the centuries yet to come after his ascension into heaven. Known as the “High-Priestly Prayer,” in the seventeenth chapter of his gospel, John reveals to us the heart of Jesus in the form of a prayer which Jesus offers to the Father in his final private moments with his disciples before together, they head out to Gethsemane. In this prayer (which is as much a “farewell” prayer as anything else) Jesus reveals much about the nature of his messianic mission, as well as the Father’s intention to save all those whom he has chosen, and whom he has given to the Son to redeem. This is the longest prayer of Jesus revealed anywhere in Scripture, and it comes at that critical moment between the end of his messianic mission, and the beginning of his Passion. In this prayer, we see that Jesus seeks nothing more than to bring glory to his Father, and in turn, to realize that glory he has known with the Father from all eternity.
One of the difficulties a preacher faces when preaching through John is that this Gospel contains lengthy discourses from Jesus which ideally should be covered in a single sermon to understand the overall flow of thought–so as not to miss the forest for the trees. Unfortunately, we do not have time to cover passages like John 17 in a single sermon without skipping over the Old Testament background, which is extensive, and which is necessary to fully understand what Jesus is saying and why. Furthermore, this passage is loaded with doctrinal significance and is just too rich in content and too important theologically to simply skim in a single sermon.
So, we will break up Jesus’ high priestly prayer into three sermons, each of which dealing with the particular focus of that section of the prayer. In John 17:1-5, Jesus prays to the Father that he (Jesus) will be glorified through his suffering and death which he is about to undergo, so as to bring the Father glory through his own obedience to the Fathers’ will. Then, we will devote a sermon to Jesus’ prayer for the disciples (vv. 6-19), before we conclude with that section of the prayer (vv. 20-26) in which Jesus prays for us–as Jesus puts it in verse 20, “those who will believe in me through . . . [the disciples’] word.” Once we complete the high priestly prayer, we will have completed the Upper Room Discourse, and we will then move into the final section of John’s Gospel (chapters 18-21) dealing with Jesus’ Passion.
John 17 is a truly remarkable passage because in it we witness the eternal word and Son of God pray to his Father on behalf of those for whom he is about suffer and die. There is much to learn about Jesus’ person and work as covenant mediator from studying the content of his prayers–especially this one. Jesus’ prayers are really one of the few hints we have of Jesus’ direct interaction with the Father, in the presence of whom and the Holy Spirit, Jesus has enjoyed an eternal bliss and fellowship. In the so-called “High Priestly Prayer” of John 17, Jesus seeks to bring glory to the Father and to himself, and he also prays that his disciples will be protected from the evil we will inevitably face in the world.
To read the rest of this sermon, Click Here
Monday, October 26, 2015 at 11:30AM 
Mike Horton, Mrs. Riddleblogger with our youngest, Mark, and yours truly, yucking it up about something . . .
Our alumni include a US Senator (from Nebraska) and his wife, the current pastor of the "other" Christ Reformed Church in Washington, DC. (with his then future wife in the front row) and the producer of the White Horse Inn. The picture was taken in Mike Horton's backyard in Anaheim in 1995 after one of our first services.
Monday, October 26, 2015 at 11:09AM 
The weekend of October 30-November 1st we will be celebrating our 20th anniversary. We will begin our celebration on Friday, October 30 at 7:00 p.m. with Dr. Michael Horton and Dr. Kim Riddlebarger. Come and enjoy a wonderful evening of music and presentations by Dr. Horton and Dr. Riddlebarger. Refreshments to follow.
The picture is from our first service in Mike Horton's living room as I explain our order of service.
Sunday morning, November 1: Dr. Horton will be preaching at the morning worship service with Dr. Riddlebarger leading the service. We hope that you can join us for this wonderful day as we look back at God’s faithfulness through the years with old and new friends at church. A potluck luncheon will follow immediate after the service.
Sunday Afternoon: We will return to our study of the Heidelberg Catechism, and will be discussing Lord's Day 3 (Q & A 6-8), which deals with sinful human nature. Our catechism service begins @ 1:15 p.m.
Wednesday Night Bible Study (October 28): We are working our way through Paul's letter to the Galatians, and we are in chapter 5.
The Academy: On Hiatus (TBA)
For More Information on Christ Reformed Church you can always find us here (Christ Reformed Info), or on Facebook (Christ Reformed on Facebook).
Sunday, October 25, 2015 at 04:30PM 
Pop Culture, Technology, and Worship
On this edition of the White Horse Inn, Michael Horton sits down with media ecologist and professor, T. David Gordon. He is the author of Why Johnny Can't Preach and Why Johnny Can't Sing Hymns. In this program we ask the question, how does the medium affect the message? This perennial question brings us back to the church and the mediums used on the Lord’s Day. How might altering the Divine Service affect the gospel itself? Broadly speaking, what is the impact of technology on the way we live and think as Christians? How has popular culture changed the way we worship on Sunday mornings? Join us this week on another edition of the White Horse Inn as we discuss these perpetual difficulties of culture, technology, and worship.
Wednesday, October 21, 2015 at 11:56AM 
Pastors are always more than a little apprehensive during weddings. Why? Because even though the couple you just married are thrilled that after months of preparation they have finally been pronounced man and wife, that moment is immortalized on film.
There in the background, behind the obvious joy of the moment, is pastor buzzkill-caught with a disapproving scowl on my face even as the newlyweds express their heart-felt joy.
I'm glad this charming couple has found humor in this photo--they teased me with it--and I'm sure they know there was nothing about that day of which even remotely I disapprove.
Here is yet another reminder that the camera catches all, including my lunch backing up, or that moment when I started to relax, or even when my thoughts began to turn to what it is that I was to do next in the ceremony.
Whatever I was thinking or digesting, here I am, pastor buzzkill in all my glory! The moral to the story, "smile!" Even when it hurts to smile!
And don't eat fast food in a rush before conducting a wedding . . .
Tuesday, October 20, 2015 at 02:37PM 
My new book on B. B. Warfield, The Lion of Princeton, has sold out twice, but is back in stock again at Amazon.
You can check it out here: (Lion of Princeton Info)
You can buy it here: The Lion of Princeton at Amazon
Tuesday, October 20, 2015 at 09:57AM 
The Fifty-First in a Series of Sermons on the Gospel of John
The Passover celebration is over, and the time has come for Jesus to depart from the upper room. Throughout his last moments with his disciples, Jesus has been preparing for them what he knows is sure to come–his crucifixion, death, and burial. In the famous words of John 3:16, John describes Jesus’ messianic mission as the chief sign of God’s love for a lost and fallen world. God will save all those who trust in Jesus. Several verses later John declares that Jesus brings the light of God (the truth) into the world. Sadly, however, the world rejects this light (Jesus) because people prefer to remain in darkness (unbelief) rather than have their sinful deeds exposed. In fact, Jesus warns his disciples that the world (which in John’s Gospel refers to the way non-Christians think and act) will hate them, because the world hated Jesus first. And so before Jesus departs, he reminds the disciples that even though the world will hate them, and that in the world they will experience many difficult trials and tribulations, nevertheless, Jesus has overcome the world, and that he will indeed cast out its ruler (who is Satan). Jesus will overcome the world not through the manifestation of raw supernatural power. Jesus will overcome the world and cast out its ruler by dying upon a cross and then being raised from the dead on Easter Sunday.
We are continuing our series on the Gospel of John, and we now come to the end of that section of the Upper Room Discourse (chapters 13-16) in which Jesus gives his final instructions to his disciples. Jesus’ time with the disciples is nearly up, as Jesus’ three-year long messianic mission now draws to a close. Because his disciples are struggling with the news of Jesus’ imminent departure, as well as questions raised by the new information given them by Jesus, Jesus has delayed his fateful walk across the Kidron Valley to an olive grove known as Gethsemane as long as he can. Jesus knows that after he arrives in Gethsemane, he will be confronted by Caiaphas (the Jewish high priest), who will be led to Jesus’ location by Judas, one of the twelve who will betray him. Jesus will be arrested, and then he will face trial before the Sanhedrin, then before Pilate (the Roman governor), before being put to death the next afternoon as the Passover draws to a close with the slaughter of the Passover lambs.
Throughout the Upper Room Discourse so far, Jesus has alluded to the events soon to come using the language of an Old Testament prophet–his words are packed with echoes from Israel’s prophets (especially from Isaiah). In the closing section of chapter sixteen (vv. 25-33), we find Jesus’ final words of exhortation to the disciples, this time centering in his promise to overcome the world which hates him enough to put him to death, and which will hate all those who follow him (those who trust in Jesus). Jesus encourages his discouraged disciples by informing them that he “has overcome the world.” Accepting this truth will require great require faith on the part of the disciples. Before Jesus overcomes the world, it looks very much like the world has overcome him.
Having given them all the information they can process, the time has come for Jesus to do the single most important thing he can do for his struggling disciples–offer what is known as the high priestly prayer on behalf of the disciples, and all those who will come to faith in him. Our Lord’s high priestly prayer (found in John 17) is truly remarkable, and much like the prologue to the Gospel (vv. 1-18), Jesus’ prayer very effectively summarizes the major themes of entire gospel. Lord willing, we will spend several sermons working our way through John 17 and the details of our Lord’s prayer on our behalf.
To read the rest of this sermon, Click Here
Monday, October 19, 2015 at 10:03AM 
Sunday Morning (October 25): This coming Lord's Day we continue with our series on Ezra-Nehemiah (chapters 7-8) and that great moment when Ezra reads the law to the people of Israel. Our Lord's Day worship service begins at 10:30 a.m.
Sunday Afternoon: Rev. Chris Coleman will be conducting our catechism service which begins @ 1:15 p.m.
Wednesday Night Bible Study (October 21): We continue our study of Paul's letter to the Galatians, as we work our way through chapter 5.
The Academy: On Hiatus (TBA)
Christ Reformed's Twentieth Anniversary Celebration: Join us Friday night, October 30, and Sunday November 1, as we celebrate the Reformation and the twentieth anniversary of our congregation. Mike Horton will be our special guest for both events.
For More Information on Christ Reformed Church you can always find us here (Christ Reformed Info), or on Facebook (Christ Reformed on Facebook).
