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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…

Living in Light of Jesus’ Return: A Turn to God…

The Lord's Day Morning May 20, 2012 “Living Life in Light of Jesus’ Return: A Turn to God from Idols” 1 Thessalonians 1:7-10 The Reverend Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III If you have your Bibles, I'd invite you to turn with me to 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. We’re going to be looking at verses 7 to 10 today but I want to pick up reading in verse 6 so that we're not picking up in the middle of a sentence. And I also want us to connect this passage with the passage we studied last Lord's Day. We looked at verses 4 to 6 in which Paul is giving thanks to God and he's giving encouragement to the Thessalonians for what he sees God doing in their midst. And he's continuing that thought today. In fact, he's specifying one of the things that he is thankful for. You will…

I Have Met the Enemy, and He Is Us

It's hard to sing that song and not go on to the fifth stanza where the resolution comes, but we’ll be able to sing that, God willing, at the end of the service tonight. I love Luther's rendition of Psalm 130. You can sense his own investment in the truth of this psalm even in the way he paraphrases it, in the way that he roots it in the glorious story of Christ's redemption of it. Well we're in Psalm 130 tonight and when you approach this psalm you have to ask yourself a question — Is this a lament or is it a thanksgiving? And there's a translational issue. Do you render “I have cried to you, O LORD,” in verse 1, and then in verse 6, “My soul waited for the LORD,” so that this is looking back on a past experience that the psalmist has had and he's now…

Living in Light of Jesus’ Return: A Gospel with…

The Lord's Day Morning May 13, 2012 “Living Life in Light of Jesus’ Return: A Gospel with Power” 1 Thessalonians 1:4-6 The Reverend Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III If you have your Bibles, I'd invite you to turn with me to 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. We’re going to be looking at verses 4 to 6 together this morning as we continue our way through this wonderful letter of the apostle Paul – the first letter that he wrote; a letter that he wrote to a congregation that he had planted in the course of just a matter of weeks. And last week, even as we were looking at the introduction, we were commenting on one of the themes of this little letter is what a high view of the Word of God this congregation has. Paul's going to congratulate them for that in 1 Thessalonians chapter 2…

Living in Light of Jesus’ Return: A Reason to be…

The Lord's Day Morning May 6, 2012 “Living Life in Light of Jesus’ Return: A Reason to be Thankful” 1 Thessalonians 1:1-4 The Reverend Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III If you have your Bibles, I'd invite you to turn with me to 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. We’re going to be looking at the first four verses together today as we begin a journey in this wonderful letter. Do you remember what you were doing twenty years ago? I can remember some of the things I was doing twenty years ago. I was…

175 and Counting : The Disputed Gospel

The Lord's Day Morning April 15, 2012 “175 and Counting: The Disputed Gospel” Romans 5:8 The Reverend Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III If you have your Bibles, I'd invite you to turn with me to Romans chapter 5, and especially verse 8, although I'd like you to look from verse 6 to 10. We’re going to pick up three other phrases right around Romans 5:8 to help us in the study that we're going to this morning. Last week, when we were in 1 Corinthians 15, we saw Paul's phrase that…

175 and Counting: In Defense of the Resurrection

The Lord's Day Morning April 8, 2012 “175 and Counting: In Defense of the Resurrection” 1 Corinthians 15:1-26 The Reverend Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III If you have your Bibles, I'd invite you to turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. We’re going to read verses 1 to 26 today. I was thinking as we sang the first hymn this morning that, that hymn was a sermon in itself. The first two songs sung to us are sermons in themselves. This Scripture reading is a sermon in itself so the Lord is…

175 and Counting: God, Suffering and Evil

The Lord's Day Morning April 1, 2012 “175 and Counting: God, Suffering and Evil” Genesis 50:20 The Reverend Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III If you have your Bibles, I'd invite you to turn with me to Genesis chapter 50 verse 20. We’re going to be looking at four passages this morning, one in Genesis 3, the one here in Genesis 50, then one in Acts chapter 2, and in Romans 8, but we want to begin with Genesis 50 verse 20, and you’ll understand why in just a few moments. Perhaps you have…

175 and Counting: No other Name

The Lord's Day Morning March 18, 2012 “175 and Counting: No Other Name” Acts 4:12 The Reverend Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III If you have your Bibles, I'd invite you to open them with me to Acts chapter 4 verse 12, although we're also going to look back at verse 11 because it's very important for the topic that we're going to be looking at today. We've been in a series called, “175 and Counting.” I've had a number of you express appreciation for some of the topics…

The Blessed Fear

If you have your Bibles, I'd invite you to open them with me to Psalm 128 and as you do, glance up to Psalm 127, the last of the psalms of ascents that we were in, in this study of the fifth book of the Psalms. And you’ll notice especially from verses 3 to 5 themes there that reappear here in Psalm 128. We’re reminded that “children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man…