The Semper Reformata Podcast

Be GodlyEphesians 5:1-2This follows on from chapter 4:32, And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. Christians will be LIKE CHRIST, – in that they practice kindness, out of compassionate hearts, and that will be worked out in the way they readily forgive others, – as we have been forgiven. Therefore, he goes on, – Be GODLY PEOPLE! Be followers of God!Read the NOTES HERE.

AMOS – Survey #1. Text. Amos 1-3.Amos' Background, his Preaching and his Call.Now we come to a larger book, and one of the better known prophets, AMOS. We’ll look at the book over three separate studies, but remember these are just SURVEYS. Let’s start at our usual point, and begin with finding out the basic facts.So we being with the usual questions, WHO, WHEN and WHERE.Read the NOTES HERE

ObadiahObadiah is only 1 chapter, and 21 verses, and most people avoid it! Let’s explore it, and see if we can find out its purpose, and what lessons we can learn from it?Read the NOTES HERE

Why Jesus Rose from the DeadA sermon preached at Ballymacashon and Templepatrick Reformed Church. It was recorded at TRC and is reproduced here with their kind permission,Read the NOTES HERE.

The Minor Prophets - JonahJonah has four chapters, and unlike many of the other prophets, it is mostly narrative. Jonah is ‘the son of Amittai’ who also was a prophet.of course, when we speak of Jonah, the part of his story that comes to mind is that he was swallowed by a fish. "Jonah and the Whale" is a popular children's bedtime story...Some people will ask, ‘How can a man be swallowed by a fish, survive inside it for three days, and then be spewed up unharmed onto dry land? This simply can’t be true, so the story must be a myth." In this podcast we look at Jonah, seek to understand why the book is an accurate account of God's dealings with the prophet, fish and all, and see the real message of the book, - that the opportunity to repent of sin and be forgiven extends to every nation, not just to the Hebrews. But Jonah’s not altogether on board with the message... Read the NOTES HERE.

Joel and the ChurchThere are two major sections of Joel that are fulfilled in the Church. God only ever had one church, one people, redeemed by grace through faith alone. The OT church, led by the patriarchs and to whom the prophets ministered, and the NT church, of which we are part, is in fact just ONE CHURCH. Galatians 3:29  Hebrews 11:39 Let’s see Joel’s two specific prophecies about the people of God, fulfilled in the NT. Read the NOTES HERE.

Life in the Lord’s ChurchEphesians 4:31-32 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:Christians who live like the world, grieve the Holy Spirit, who indwells us. Now, Paul brings this all together in a conclusion. Returning to the issue of speech, what comes out of our mouths, reflecting what is going on in the inner man, he examines the motives of our hearts that underlie our words and deeds, and shows us how we can change our attitudes, how we can put off the old, and put on the new…Read the NOTES HERE.This sermon was preached at both Ballymacashon and Templepatrick Reformed Church, and recorded at TRC, - used here with their kind permission.

Imprecatory Psalms - Praying For and Against Our Enemies.Read: Psalm 139:17-24 The psalmist sees no contradiction between intensely hating the enemies of God, and living a humble repentant life, in the presence of God. Such is the nature of the imprecatory psalms. - The word imprecation simply means a ‘curse.’ In this lecture, delivered and recorded at Templepatrick Reformed Church, on Friday 15th March 2014, we consider,How to READ the imprecatory psalms,An exegesis of Psalm 137:7-9,A New Testament perspective,and we ask, in the contemporary world, "Who are our enemies - the enemies of God?"Read the NOTES HERE.

Joel – THE DAY OF THE LORDText  Joel 1-2:27The book of Joel is just three chapters long.  ”Joel” means “Jehovah is God”, all we know about him is that he is “the son of Pethuel” (1:1), The first chapter of Joel brings us face to face with a great natural disaster in the land. But is it symbolic of a much worse disaster, a terrible judgment for sin and rebellion?Incidental Music for this series is: 'Triste' by Ori Vidislavski, Published by Lynne Music licensed from www.Neosounds,comRead the NOTES HERE.