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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…

Gospel Beginnings

The Lord's Day Morning December 7, 2008 Luke 1:1-7 “Gospel Beginnings” Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III If you have your Bibles, I'd invite you to turn with me to the Gospel of Luke, chapter one. We begin today a study through this great Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. I was on the phone on Wednesday in a conference call in which John MacArthur was participating, and he was saying that on this Sunday morning in Orange County, California, at Grace Community Church, he is going to be completing his study of the Gospel of Luke with his congregation. Now, a word of encouragement to you: it's only taken John ten years to get through the Gospel of Luke! Now the encouragement to you is it will not take me that long, Lord willing! It will take a little time, but it won't take that…

Our Story

Amen. If you have your Bibles, I’d invite you to turn with me to Psalm 106. Today we come to the end of our study of the Fourth Book of the Psalms, the Psalms that run from Psalm 90 to Psalm 106, and we come to a great long Psalm which majors on repentance. Lord willing, we will be together in the Gospel of Luke next Sunday morning, but today we turn our attention to this Psalm which teaches us so much about repentance, and so much about the gospel. As we’ve already said this morning, it records for us not simply the story of an ancient people that lived on the shores of the Mediterranean, it records our story. These are our people. This is our story; and their story as recorded to that point in the history of redemption remains our story today, and thus there are things that we can…

The Eyes of All Hope in Thee

“Bless the Lord, O my soul.” So whereas Psalm 103 focuses our attention on God's tenderness and compassion as it's revealed in His grace, especially the grace of forgiveness, Psalm 104 focuses us on the greatness of God especially as it is revealed in His creation and in His providence over creation, the way He provides for His creation — not only man, but even the animals. Psalm 104 celebrates God's creating the world, His providing for the world, His caring for the world, the world's dependence upon Him. It is a Psalm in which we focus on nature as God brought into being the created order. There are about five Psalms in the Psalter that focus on nature, but in contrast from the nature worshipers of the days of the Bible to the nature worshipers in our own time, the…

Hymns of the Faith: God, All Nature Sings Thy Glory

Hymns of the Faith “God, All Nature Sings Thy Glory” A Presentation of First Presbyterian Church Jackson, Mississippi With Dr. Ligon Duncan, Dr. Derek Thomas, and Dr. Bill Wymond Dr. Wymond: Good morning! This is “Hymns of the Faith,” brought to you by Jackson's First Presbyterian Church. The minister of the First Presbyterian Church is Dr. Ligon Duncan. Stay tuned for “Hymns of the Faith.”… And now here with “Hymns of the Faith” is Dr. Duncan. Dr. Duncan: Thank you, Bill…

He Remembers His Covenant

I'd invite you to turn with me to Psalm 105 as we continue our way through the Fourth Book of the Psalms. This psalm is another in a train of psalms of praise. It's a long psalm, but it's outlined fairly simply. The first six verses contain a call to praise God for His wondrous works for His chosen people, and nine different verbs will be used to exhort us to worship God, will instruct us what it means to worship God in those first six verses. The second part of the psalm is found in…

Hymns of the Faith: O Word of God Incarnate

Hymns of the Faith “O Word of God Incarnate” (John 1) A Presentation of First Presbyterian Church Jackson, Mississippi With Dr. Ligon Duncan, Dr. Derek Thomas, and Dr. Bill Wymond Dr. Wymond: Good morning! This is “Hymns of the Faith,” brought to you by Jackson's First Presbyterian Church. The minister of the First Presbyterian Church is Dr. Ligon Duncan. Stay tuned for “Hymns of the Faith.”… And now here with “Hymns of the Faith” is Dr. Ligon Duncan. Dr. Duncan: Thank you…

Hymns of the Faith: Exalt the Lord His Praise Proclaim

Hymns of the Faith “Exalt the Lord, His Praise Proclaim” Psalm 135 A Presentation of First Presbyterian Church Jackson, Mississippi With Dr. Ligon Duncan, Dr. Derek Thomas, and Dr. Bill Wymond Dr. Wymond: Good morning! This is “Hymns of the Faith,” brought to you by Jackson's First Presbyterian Church. The minister of the First Presbyterian Church is Dr. Ligon Duncan. Stay tuned for “Hymns of the Faith.”… And now here with “Hymns of the Faith” is Dr. Ligon Duncan. Dr.…

Cheerful?

The Lord's Day Morning November 2, 2008 Stewardship Commitment Sunday II Corinthians 9:7b-9 “Cheerful?” Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III Dr. Duncan: Lord, Thou hast been our refuge from one generation to another; before the mountains were brought forth or ever the earth and the world were made, Thou art God, from everlasting to everlasting, to everlasting. I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord. I will sing of the lovingkindness of the Lord forever. Let us worship…

Grace

Please open your Bibles to Psalm 103. We've been working our way through the Fourth Book of the Psalms, and this morning and evening we will look at the great 103rd Psalm, one of the most beloved Psalms in all of the Psalter. This morning we’ll look at it especially as a way of preparing for coming to the Lord's Table, and so in doing so we will look only at verses 8-18. Understanding and experiencing God's grace engenders gratitude in our hearts, and that leads us to thanksgiving…