Pastor Reid Hankins

Rev. W. Reid Hankins was born and raised in Bellflower, CA. He received his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, with a minor in Classical and Medieval European Studies, in June 2000 from the University of California, San Diego. In February 2003, Pastor Reid started Hankins Consulting, Inc., a web development consulting company. He continued to operate his business throughout his seminary training at Westminster Seminary California, graduating in June 2007 with a Masters of Divinity (M.Div.) degree. During his seminary studies, Pastor Reid was distinguished to receive the Samuel and Ann Van Til Scholarship Prize in Biblical Studies and the Arthur Forest Wells Memorial Scholarship. He has been married to his wife Kim since January 2001, and they have two children, Will and Zoe. In his free time, Pastor Reid enjoys ice hockey, hiking, camping, fine dining, and playing board games.
Rev. W. Reid Hankins was born and raised in Bellflower, CA. He received his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, with a minor in Classical and Medieval European Studies, in June 2000 from the University of California, San Diego. In February 2003, Pastor Reid started Hankins Consulting, Inc., a web development consulting company. He continued to operate his business throughout his seminary training at Westminster Seminary California, graduating in June 2007 with a Masters of Divinity (M.Div.) degree. During his seminary studies, Pastor Reid was distinguished to receive the Samuel and Ann Van Til Scholarship Prize in Biblical Studies and the Arthur Forest Wells Memorial Scholarship. He has been married to his wife Kim since January 2001, and they have two children, Will and Zoe. In his free time, Pastor Reid enjoys ice hockey, hiking, camping, fine dining, and playing board games.

But Their Heart is Far From Me

People are great at appearances.  We do everything we can to make a good first impression.  No matter how many times you were told growing up, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” the reality is that people do all the time.  We live in a world where appearance can be everything.  Society tells us that the outward and external is so very important.  And yet, even society can tell a fake.  You’ve probably met someone before who had the outward appearance of being rich, famous, and smart, the appearance of being a “somebody”, but really wasn’t.  Once you got to know them, you realized that they were a fraud. 

This is the issue that Jesus is dealing with from a religious perspective in our passage.  Jesus is confronted with the Pharisees and scribes who in the name of religion outwardly adorn their every action, but their hearts were hard and defiled.  We’ll look at how Jesus calls us to be concerned first and foremost about the condition of our hearts.

Passage: Mark 7:1-23
Author: Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.
Sermon originally preached during the Morning Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 06/29/2008 in Novato, CA.

Click here for the manuscript.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Share

They Supposed It Was a Ghost

If you go to an optometrist, it’s to help you see better.  The disciples in our passage, had trouble seeing.  They had trouble recognizing Jesus.  When they saw him in the waters, they thought he was a ghost.  Did they need to see an optometrist?  Well, no.  That wasn’t their problem.  It wasn’t their physical sight at the end of the day that kept them from recognizing Jesus.  Because at the end of the passage, they will physically see that it is Jesus.  He will call out to them, and then even get into the boat with them.  But even when that happens, and they see with their eyes that it is indeed Jesus, they seem to still have trouble truly recognizing him.  They saw him with their eyes, but they didn’t understand him with their hearts.  That’s what verse 52 tells us.  Their hearts were hardened.  So if they didn’t need an optometrist, does this mean that they needed a cardiologist?  No, their problem with recognizing Jesus was not something that any earthly doctor could solve.  They did need their hearts to be worked on, but that was something only Jesus, the Great Physician could do.  Not with craft of human hands, of course, but by the working of his spirit inside them.  And this is the same sort of heart surgery that each of us needs.

Passage: Mark 6:45-56
Author: Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.
Sermon originally preached during the Morning Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 06/22/2008 in Novato, CA.

Click here for the manuscript.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Share