Notes from Sunday Afternoon's Sermon (Joel Beeke)

Dr. Joel Beeke in the pulpit of the RPCLA

This past Lord's Day, my family and I, and a friend from Communion Presbyterian Church drove up to Los Angeles to attend an afternoon Psalm sing and worship service at the Reformed Presbyterian Church of L. A. where Dr. Joel Beeke would be preaching (due to traffic, we arrived too late for the Psalm sing, and just as the worship service was beginning--Life in Los Angeles!). It was a blessing to be able to worship with my Covenanting Presbyterian brethren. The sermon by Dr. Beeke was on the topic of "Running the Good Race." His text was Hebrews 11:37-12:3. It was an encouraging word and I appreciated being able to hear a man I respect preach in person. Below are my notes from the sermon, which I hope are useful to you.

I should add that after the service, I was able to meet Dr. Beeke (who graciously signed a couple of books for me) and Rev. Nathan Eshelman, the pastor of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Los Angeles.

Dr. Joel Beeke
RPCNA Los Angeles
February 26, 2012
Hebrews 11:37-12:3

"Keep on keeping on."
"Remaining a Christian is as much a miracle as conversion."

Running The Race:

1. The Mission (what we are to do)
2. The Manner (how we are to do it)
3. The Motives (what is to move us to do it)

Mission:

- Living antithetically
- To continue under pain without flinching

Manner:

- Run the race by not sinning
- Don't desensitize your conscience
- A Christian has NO BUSINESS sinning!
- Sin is a foreign intruder in the home (heart) of the Christian
- Bunyan's example of Mr. Sin knocking at the door.
- (To open the door and see sin, and then slam the door in Sin's face is no sin. To invite Mr. Sin into your home IS sin.)
- Romans 7 struggle
- Set aside the sins that so easily besets us--even if it's not something sinful (Dr. Beeke's example of basketball taking up too much of his time when he was converted).
- Deny those things that hinder our progress in Christ. Deny ourselves.
- Sin is spiritual insanity
- No race is only negative

- The positive of the Christian race is looking to Jesus.
- Jesus is uniquely qualified as our savior, author, finisher alpha, omega, etc.
- Old Christians are beautiful (Dr. Beeke's mother. Dr. Beeke's father--a Ruling Elder for 40 years!)

Motivation (Be motivated by...):

1. What Christ endured (the cross)
2. What Christ rejoiced in (the resurrection/ascension/victory of Christ). Christians have the best of both worlds: joy in this life, true joy in eternity. We will no longer see Jesus through a glass dimly lit but face to face.
3. What He despised (v 2). The shame. What does God think of you? Despise the fear of man! "The smile and frown of God is of more weight than the smile and frown of men." John Brown of Haddington
4. The cloud of witnesses! Hebrews chapter 11. By faith Abel being dead yet speaks! Enoch walked with God. Has Enoch ever motivated you? David in the Psalms. 2000 years of church history!

Words have meaning. And by "words" I mean...

When someone tells me "I believe in ______, just not the way you define it." I feel like saying, "I believe in cars, just not the way you define it. I believe cars have four hooves instead of four tires, a tail instead of a bumper, reins instead of a steering wheel, and instead of making a VROOM noise, they say NAAAAY. But I totally believe in cars."

Words have meaning, folks!

(PS: This first appeared as a status update on The Ruling Elder's Facebook page. If you haven't already done so, you can "Like" The Ruling Elder by clicking on the Like button on the right-hand side of this page.)

ARP Memorial ("Resolution") on the Historicity of Adam and Eve

The Aquila Report is reporting that the Session of Midlane Park ARP in Louisville, KY has adopted a memorial (the ARP term for "resolution") affirming the historicity of Adam and Eve. This is an important issue throughout the Reformed and Presbyterian world right now, as the report points out: two Presbyteries of the PCA have adopted very similar statements and it will come up to the General Assembly of the PCA this year. If the Mississippi Valley Presbytery of the ARP adopts Midlane Park's memorial, then it would be passed up to the Synod of the ARP this summer, as well.

Read the entire story, including the text of the adopted memorial, here. And, well done Midlane Park Session!

Ordination Exam Study Guide

The Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church has a helpful study guide posted on their website for men preparing for ordination in the ARP. Although some of the study questions are specifically related to ARP history and distinctives (for example: "Discuss Gairney Bridge in terms of its significance for the Church today."), most of the guide applies to any Reformed denomination. Are you preparing for a Presbytery Exam? Are you training men in your congregation to serve as elders? Would you just like to enrich your knowledge of the Bible, Theology, and Church History? Then have a look at the study guide, here. I think it is a great tool!

Why So Many Denominations? (Radio Show)

The podcast of my recent appearance on the Apologetics.com Radio Show is now posted at their web site. You can download it here. We didn't get to talk about as many denominations as I would have liked, but hopefully the show is still beneficial to some.

About to Go on the Air!

In about 10 minutes, I'll be on the air on the Apologetics.com Radio Show with host Lindsay Brooks to discuss "Denominations". Where do they come from? What makes them all different? You can listen live at KKLA.com!

On the Radio This Friday Night

This Friday night/Saturday morning (Midnight to 2:00am, Pacific Time), I will be on the Apologetics.com Radio Show in Los Angeles to discuss "Denominations" with host Lindsay Brooks. You can tune in to KKLA 99.5 FM if you are in the area, or listen online at http://www.kkla.com. A podcast of the show will also be available at http://www.apologetics.com.