LigonDuncan.com

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…

Are you Laughing or Amazed?

The Lord's Day Morning December 27, 2009 Luke 8:40-56 “Are You Laughing or Amazed?” Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III If you have your Bibles I'd invite you to turn with me to Luke chapter 8 as we continue to make our way through the gospel together. This is the next set of miracles in a series of miracles that Luke has been telling us about since at least chapter 5. There are three things in particular I want you to note about the passage before we read it. The first thing is this — you need to understand, as a background to the two miracles that are recorded in this passage, the laws of uncleanness in Israel. In Israel, if you came into contact with someone with a skin disease, especially leprosy, or into contact with someone with a discharge, a bodily discharge, especially a…

The Man Jesus Renamed

The Lord's Day Morning December 13, 2009 Luke 8:26-39 “The Man Jesus Renamed” Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III If you have your Bibles I'd invite you to turn with me to Luke chapter 8 and this great story of the man who was possessed by demons, liberated by the Lord Jesus Christ. Derek Thomas was reminding me this morning that Ridderbos, in his famous book, The Coming of the Kingdom, records seventeen different interpretations that he had found of this particular parable. Now I must say that that really boggles my mind because Luke's main point is so crystal clear and it's set in the context of three other stories that are crystal clear. We said the last time that we were together that in Luke 8 you begin four miracle stories, all of which either happen in Galilee or in Gentile…

The Winds and Waves Still Know

The Lord's Day Morning December 6, 2009 Luke 8:22-25 “The Winds and Waves Still Know” Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III Luke tells groups of miracle stories in his gospels. It's obvious when you read them and then you compare them side by side that he has different things in mind that he wants to emphasize to you about these different miracle stories. For instance, if you look at an earlier group of miracle stories in the gospel of Luke they are focused upon occasions when Jesus does these miracles in front of the multitudes. Clearly He does it in an evangelistic context, to reach out to those who don't know Him, to reveal Himself to them as the Savior, and to draw them savingly to trust in Him. But in these miracle stories, the next set of three or four stories that Luke tells…

Take Care How You Listen

The Lord's Day Morning November 29, 2009 Luke 8:16-21 “Take Care How You Listen” Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III If you have your Bibles I'd invite you to turn with me to Luke chapter 8. We’ll be looking at verses 16 to 21 today. As you turn to that passage I would remind you that this exhortation of Jesus to you and me, to His disciples, is on the heels of His parable of the sower and the essence of His parable of the sower in Luke 8:1-15 may be discerned in and distilled from verse 15…

Have You Heard the Word

The Lord's Day Morning November 15, 2009 Luke 8:1-15 “Have You Heard the Word?” Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III If you have your Bibles, I'd invite you to turn with me to Luke chapter 8. We’re going to be looking at the first few verses of this chapter and you may want to sneak a peek back to the last few verses of chapter 7 because something that happens in verses 2, or 2 and 3, in Luke chapter 8, or something that is described in Luke 8, 2 and 3, relates to the story of the woman, the…

She Loved Much

The Lord's Day Morning November 8, 2009 Luke 7:36-50 “She Loved Much” Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III If you have your Bibles I'd invite you to turn with me to Luke chapter 7 as we make our way through the gospel. I need to tell you that this is one of my favorite passages in all of the gospels. It is like other stories that Jesus tells. The story of the two debtors that He tells in this passage is not unlike the story that He tells of the prodigal son. Some of you are studying that story…

Godliness with Contentment Is Great Gain

The Lord's Day Morning November 1, 2009 Stewardship Sunday 1 Timothy 6:6-8 “Godliness with Contentment is Great Gain” Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III This morning we will look at 1 Timothy chapter 6, verses 6 to 8 this morning. This is the passage that our deacon-stewardship committee has chosen as the theme, or to draw the theme, of our stewardship season this year — “Godliness with Contentment is Great Gain” — so we're going to consider this passage. Now, T Dale gave us an…

Are You Sure About Jesus?

The Lord's Day Morning Luke 7:18-35 “Are You Sure About Jesus?” Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III If you have your Bibles, I'd invite you to turn with me to Luke chapter 7. We’re going to be looking at verses 18 to the end of the chapter, verse 35, as we continue to make our way through the gospel of Luke together. Let me show you four parts to this passage before we read it. The first part you’ll see is in verses 18 to 20. John, in this passage, sends two disciples to ask Jesus a very…

God Has Visited His People

The Lord's Day Morning October 18, 2009 Luke 7:1-17 “God Has Visited His People” Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III If you have your Bibles, I'd invite you to turn with me to Luke chapter 7 as we continue our way through the great gospel of Luke. In this passage, Luke is telling us two stories that are designed to help us and his original readers appreciate more fully who Jesus is. Throughout Luke's gospel and the other gospels, the gospel writers are driving home the point that Jesus is…