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RTS and the Current State of Theological Education

Some of you may have seen this important article over at The Gospel Coalition about the decline and relocation of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) by Collin Hansen, who is a graduate of the school. Reformed Theological Seminary has been friends with TEDS for many years. Over the years, a number of our faculty have done their studies there before coming to RTS, and a number of our graduates have gone on to do doctoral work there. We wish TEDS all the best in this new stage of their institutional life. The last twenty years have been tough for accredited graduate theological education…

Blessing and Blessed

And so with that, let me get you to turn in your Bibles to Psalm 134. We've come all the way from Kedar and Meshech to MountZion. You know, we've been working our way from Psalm 120 here to Psalm 138 in the Psalms of Ascents and the pilgrims have made their way all the way to Jerusalem and we're now coming to the final of the Songs of Ascents. And you hear me say this psalm every Lord's Day evening that I'm in the pulpit leading the service in a slightly different form than the form that you have in the ESV. My form actually harkens back to the King James and Myles Coverdale and some of the old prayer books of the church. That's why you hear some slightly different language. I’ll tell you, for instance, as we work through it, you can see how the ESV translates the…

Living in Light of Jesus’ Return: A Call to…

The Lord's Day Morning June 24, 2012 “Living Life in Light of Jesus’ Return: A Call to Christian Living” 1 Thessalonians 4:1-2 The Reverend Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III If you have your Bibles, I'd invite you to turn with me to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. We’re going to be looking at the first two verses of this chapter. As we've worked through this letter together we've said repeatedly that Paul is teaching the Thessalonians and you and me how to live life in light of Jesus’ return. And as we've looked at chapters 1, 2, and 3, we've said, rather frequently, that Paul is giving an explanation for why he has done what he has done in ministry — for why he's not there, for why he stayed such a short period of time — he's defending the integrity of his…

Living in Light of Jesus’ Return: A Good Report…

The Lord's Day Morning June 17, 2012 “Living Life in Light of Jesus’ Return: A Good Report of Faith and Love” 1 Thessalonians 3:6-13 The Reverend Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III If you have your Bibles I'd invite you to turn with me to 1 Thessalonians chapter 3 as we continue our way through this the first letter of the apostle Paul. As you’re turning there to 1 Thessalonians chapter 3 we're going to pick up in verse 6. I want to say happy Father's Day to our fathers and say I may have a few words for you from this passage because even though we're working straight through a book of the Bible, Paul has some things that are particularly relevant to us as Christian fathers as we consider this His Word. I want you to be on the lookout for three things as we read. First of…

The Joy of Unity

If you have your Bibles, I'd invite you to turn with me to Psalm 133. Psalm 133 has been sung at Presbyterian General Assembly for probably close to five hundred years now and if you've ever been to a Presbyterian General Assembly you’ll know why it needs to be sung there because unity is not something that Presbyterians are known for at their General Assembly. It used to be said that if the Scots couldn't find somebody to fight they’d fight one another and that national…

Living in Light of Jesus’ Return: A Pastor Who…

The Lord's Day Morning June 10, 2012 “Living Life in Light of Jesus’ Return: A Pastor Who Loves His People” 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:5 The Reverend Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III If you have your Bibles, I'd invite you to turn with me to 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. We’re going to read to the end of that chapter and then into the first few verses of 1 Thessalonians chapter 3. You remember the last time we were together in this passage we were saying that Paul has detractors in Thessalonica…

The Lord Swore an Oath

If you have your Bibles, I'd invite you to turn with me to Psalm 132 as we continue our way not only through the fifth book of the Psalms but through the songs of ascent. This psalm recalls several themes together in one compass. First of all, it recalls David's desire to build a temple for the Lord and that takes you back to 2 Samuel 7. You remember in 2 Samuel 7, David expresses to Nathan the prophet, his friend and the faithful prophet of God in Israel, a desire on his part to build a…

Living in Light of Jesus’ Return: A Word at Work…

The Lord's Day Morning June 3, 2012 “Living Life in Light of Jesus’ Return: A Word at Work in You” 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16 The Reverend Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III If you have your Bibles, I'd invite you to turn with me to 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. We’re going to be looking at verses 13 to 16 today as we continue our way through this, perhaps, the first letter of the apostle Paul to the churches, and by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to you and to me. As we read this passage…

Living in Light of Jesus’ Return: A Gospel…

The Lord's Day Morning May 27, 2012 “Living in Light of Jesus’ Return: A Gospel Attested by Conduct” 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12 The Reverend Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III If you have your Bibles, I'd invite you to turn to Paul's letter to the Thessalonians, the first letter to the Thessalonians, chapter 2, and we're going to be looking at verses 1 to 12 this morning. I want to bring to your attention this aspect of what Paul is doing in chapters 2 and 3. Paul is defending his…

Content to Fill a Little Space, if Thou be Glorified

If you’d take your Bibles in hand and turn with me to Psalm 131, we're continuing our way through the fifth book of the Psalms together. And as we're working through the fifth book of the Psalms, we are also working through the psalms of ascents, those songs that were sung by the pilgrims on the way to Jerusalem during the great, holy festivals. And this psalm is a psalm about submission to the Lord's providence, repose, and rest in Him, even when the circumstances of your life are…