resurrection

The God of the Living

In our passage for today, a question about marriage comes up.  And yet marriage was just the focal point of a bigger issue.  That bigger issue in our passage is about the resurrection.  Jesus tells us that our marriages are temporary, while telling us that our lives are eternal.  So let’s look at what this passage has to say about both marriage and the resurrection.

Passage: Mark 12:18-27
Author: Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.
Sermon originally preached during the Morning Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 11/16/2008 in Novato, CA.

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Do Not Be Afraid — Only Believe

Are you too proud to ask for help? Sometimes success and prestige can make us so prideful, that when we need help, we are often reluctant to ask for it. If you are use to being a leader or a person of influence, it can be hard to admit that you need help. And yet, sometimes, no matter how hard we try to act tough, no matter how strong we might try to stand in the face of adversity, sometimes the trial is too much. Sometimes we find ourselves broken and hurting, unable to do anything about it.

This morning we’ll look at this account of Jairus and the miraculous resurrection of his daughter. We’ll see how Jairus in this difficult trial in the life of his family, had to cast away his fears and find help and hope in Jesus. As a leader, he was not immune to the trials that go on in life, but when the trial came, he had the wisdom to get help. He placed his faith and trust in Jesus. And as we look at this faith of Jairus, we’ll see how we too need to fix our faith on Jesus, finding hope in him, even when things seem hopeless.

Passage: Mark 5:21-43
Author: Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.
Sermon originally preached during the Morning Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 05/18/2008 in Novato, CA.
Other Scripture Readings: 2 Samuel 12:13-23; 2 Corinthians 4:7-18

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If Christ Is Not Risen – A Defense of the Resurrection

In the words of verse 1 from 1 Corinthians 15, I “declare to you the gospel;” this very gospel which has been preached from the apostles, recorded in the Scriptures, and handed down through the centuries.  The gospel that was foretold in the Old Testament; the very gospel which declares that Christ died for our sins on the cross, was buried, and then raised from the dead on the third day!  And yet as we look at this passage in 1 Corinthians 15, we are reminded that the fact of the resurrection has not always been well received, even in the church.  Paul in this letter is confronting an issue in the Corinthian church.  Evidently some in the church had been teaching that there is no resurrection of the dead.  In other words, people who claimed to be Christians, were saying that there is no resurrection of the dead!  And so Paul instantly responds by showing that such a view is not consistent with the Christian faith.  Paul hypothetically considers what it would mean for Christians, if Christ had not been raised.  His ultimate conclusion comes in verse 19.  He concludes by saying that if Christ had not been raised, then we of all people, as Christians, would be most to be pitied.

Passage: 1 Corinthians 15:1-19
Author: Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.
Sermon originally preached during the Morning Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 03/23/2008 in Novato, CA.
Other Scripture Readings: Psalm 16; Matthew 28:1-15; 1 Peter 1:3-9

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