The Semper Reformata Podcast

TableTalk - “Who was Melchizedek?”READ Hebrews 7, Genesis 14:17-24.This episode is about a strange encounter that Abraham had with two kings in Genesis 14. Beor, the now defeated King of Sodom appears in the text first, in Genesis 14:17. But there was a second king, in 14:18. His name was Melchizedek and he was the ruler of a town called Salem, which means ‘peace’ or ‘righteousness.’ Most scholars think that the town referred to was Jerusalem, which before David conquered it was a Canaanite city. Little is known about this man. We don’t know his ancestry or what became of him after this incident. He just appears on the page of Genesis over a few verses and vanishes again. Hebrews 11:3.Read the NOTES HERE.

The Dead in Christ1st Thessalonians 4:13-17Death is a common experience for us all. For a Christian it is essential that their approach to death should be totally different from the pagan attitudes and beliefs of the world.  So Paul teaches the Thessalonians four great truths about the death of the Christian...Recorded live at Ballymacashon Congregational church, 78 Saintfield Road, Killinchy, Co.Down, BT23 6RNRead the NOTES HERE.

2025 Review - Darkness and LightIsaiah 9:2We live in dark days. It’s a deep spiritual darkness, and it’s covering these western nations and plunging many people into despair. We are walking in a deep Satanic darkness and people are wallowing in hopelessness. Yet there is Light...

Rev. Hugh McKail, the Indulged Presbyterians and the Conventicles.Another short history podcast, looking at Hugh McKail, a brave Presbyterian minister who was martyred at Edinburgh in 1666, and whose testimony in the face of torture and a cruel death is now legendary. McKail’s death brought the government of King Charles II to the realisation that a new tactic would be needed if they were to crush the Covenanter cause, and enforce the king’s rule, through the established hierarchy of bishops, priests and curates. That new tactic was a ‘divide and rule’ measure, - the Acts of Indulgence of 1669, which allowed compliant Presbyterian ministers to return to their pulpits. The covenanters were divided, and the remaining few ‘fanatics’ could be mopped up by the armed forces. But the Covenanters, still locked out of their meeting houses, took to the fields and the Conventicles, field meetings, began…Read the NOTES HERE, and HERE.

Great Joy in Times of SadnessLuke 2:8-17 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.we are in December, the darkest time of the year, and for many, this time is all darkness and gloom. people sometimes become depressed and downcast. They’ve even got a name for it, - they call it ‘Seasonal Affective Disorder’ - with the appropriate acronym ‘SAD.’ But for the believer reading the account of the birth of Christ there is the story of the angels and the shepherds, and the wonderful message - behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy! Great joy at the darkest time, the very opposite of SAD. A message that the world really needs to hear.Read the NOTES HERE.

Gifting SolutionsBob's Christmas Day Message

Who Was Lot?Welcome to this digital version of Table-Talk, and our topic this week is “Who was Lot?” Open your Bible at Luke 17:28-33, and put a bookmark there, then turn back to Genesis, chapter 19:1-30. Pause the recording, and read the story of Lot, in Genesis 19:1-30. We’ll go through that chapter together. When you have read the story of Lot, start the recording again. Read the NOTES HERE.

Human Brokenness, Lesson 14 What on Earth is Concupiscence? WARNING: This lesson contains explicit language and sexual terms and it may not be suitable for children and younger teenagers. Begin with reading Colossians 3:1 Pay particular attention to verse 5.Paul is speaking to Christians, - who have been given new life in Christ John 11:24-25 If such a wonderful change has taken place, then surely we cannot continue to live as though nothing at all has happened! We keep one eye upon eternity, knowing that the pleasures that this world offers us are momentary, - and soon will be gone forever. V2 And in eternity - in heaven, we shall be without sin - glorified bodies! V4 Before we met the Lord, we lived in ignorance of our sin, but now, we know better! V10 Paul gives us, in verse 5, a list of those old sins and immoral ways in which we walked before conversion, and which we need to be aware of, and deal with as Christian believers, seeking to be Christlike in our lives. Read the NOTES HERE.

REPRISE: Christmas Trees in Worship – An Idolatry?First recorded in 2022.Should we allow a Christmas Tree to be displayed in a place where the worship of God is taking place? It’s a question recently asked by a Christian friend. It’s important to remember, firstly that this question is ‘adiaphora’ – it is not a matter of saving faith, it is something over which Christians can disagree with each other without being disagreeable! Is there a specific verse that says, “You shall not have a Christmas tree…” NO! And having, or not having a Christmas Tree in church will not result in eternal loss, neither are those who take one position or the other in any way apostate or heretical.Read the NOTES HERE.