Christ the King Presbyterian Church

In this lesson we discuss why friendship is as C.S. Lewis says, "The greatest of wordly goods."

Text: Nehemiah 9:1-37 | Speaker: Levi Bakerink | Description: The people continue their covenant renewal process. After hearing the Word read and preached, and celebrating the festivals as commanded, they now offer up their full prayers of repentance and confession. We too must remember that God has redeemed us, and we should celebrate that always. But because he has redeemed us, therefore we must...

In this lesson we examine a contemporary alternative to biblical friendship and what it produces.

Text: Nehemiah 8:1-18 | Speaker: Levi Bakerink | Description: After the wall was finished and the people finally had rest from the attacks of their enemies, they turned to another rebuilding effort. This time it wasn't the external structures of their city, it was the internal affections of their hearts. As they gathered together to hear God's Word read and preached, revival broke out. The people...

In this lesson we sketch out a biblical framework for friendship from the created order found in Genesis.

Text: Nehemiah 6:1-7:73 | Speaker: Levi Bakerink | Description: We return to the common theme of suffering and adversity as Nehemiah faces a continued onslaught from Sanballat and company. Yet he and the people persevered through all the deception and temptation and finally, after 52 grueling days, the wall was finished and they had rest. How did they withstand so much suffering, and how can God's...

Is friendship important? What is the state of friendship in our culture? What even is a friend and what are some modern barriers to friendship?

Text: Nehemiah 5:1-19 | Speaker: Levi Bakerink | Description: All was not well within Jerusalem as the walls were being rebuilt. Not only did enemies surround them on the outside, but from within God's people also began to exploit and harm one another. Nehemiah did not participate in the extortion and exploitation; he put an end to it "because of the fear of God" that he had (Neh. 5:15). We all mu...

Text: Nehemiah 2:17-4:23 | Speaker: Levi Bakerink | Description: Under Nehemiah's leadership the people began the difficult work of rebuilding the city walls, and they immediately faced opposition. They were met first with ridicule, then with violent threats, until finally they were able to build in relative peace. From their responses in each moment, we learn how we too should respond in both adv...

Text: Romans 5:1-11 | Speaker: Chris Taylor

Text: Genesis 1:26-27 | Speaker: Lucas Lawrence Lucas is an intern at Gospel Fellowship PCA in Springfield. Along with his intern duties, he leads a young adults Bible study on Saturday evenings with his wife of six months, Sarah. Lucas is beginning his Masters work with Birmingham Theological Seminary this spring.

Text: 2 Timothy 3:16-17 | Speaker: Levi Bakerink | Description: God's Word alone is our only rule for faith and life. In it, we learn everything that we need to believe about God, and what he requires of us. The Bible teaches us all of it. Not just what to believe, but what to do. Doctrine and Duty; Creed and Conduct. In this passage, Paul reminds Timothy to keep this high view of Scripture. And w...

Text: Matthew 3:1-17 | Speaker: Levi Bakerink | Description: As we conclude our advent series, we jump thirty years ahead to the adult Jesus as he comes to John to be baptized. John protests at first, but Jesus tells him "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness" (15). In Jesus' baptism, we see our sinless Savior identify himself with his sinful people, and secu...

Text: Matthew 2:13-23 | Speaker: Levi Bakerink | Description: We tend to think of Jesus' suffering in connection to the cross. Yet, the Bible shows us that Jesus suffered many things throughout his entire life—even when he was still a newborn. Not soon after the wise men leave, Joseph brings his family to Egypt to avoid the murderous rage of Herod. Even after the massacre is over, their plans chan...

Text: Matthew 2:1-12 | Speaker: Levi Bakerink | Description: A star appeared over Bethlehem as Mary nursed the infant Christ. This star guided wise men from the East who came to bring gifts to worship this newborn child. Their gifts—gold, frankincense, and myrrh—reveal aspects of this child's identity. He is the newborn king of the Jews. He is God in the flesh. And he is also a man of sorrows, des...

Text: Matthew 1:18-25 | Speaker: Levi Bakerink | Description: At the center of God's plan of redemption is the birth of His eternally begotten Son, of the virgin Mary. Yet, in Matthew's gospel, he tells the story from Joseph's point of view. Joseph receives the news of Mary's pregnancy, and assuming her to have been unfaithful (really, what other conceivable possibility could there be?), he plans...

This lecture covers Book 3, chapters 10 of Calvin's Institutes, which corresponds to the fifth and final chapter of his little book On the Christian Life. In this chapter, Calvin discusses how we can properly use the good gifts that God gives us in this present life, without overindulging in them on the one hand or despising them on the other.

Text: Matthew 1:1-17 | Speaker: Levi Bakerink | Description: Is there a more boring way to start a book than with a list of names no one knows? That's how Matthew begins his account of the gospel of Jesus. But if we skip over these names, we miss vital truths about who Jesus is and what his ministry accomplished. That's why Matthew begins here, because he wants us to see that Jesus is the fulfillm...

This lecture covers Book 3, chapter 9 of Calvin's Institutes, which corresponds to the fourth chapter of his book On the Christian Life. This chapter is a continuation of the same subject of the previous chapter on self-denial. In this chapter, Calvin discusses the importance of meditating on the life to come. Our present lives are filled with trials and sufferings of all kinds. These ought to lea...

Text: Ezra 9:1-10:44 | Speaker: Levi Bakerink | Description: The final two chapters of Ezra contain a shocking story of covenant unfaithfulness and difficult decisions. Ezra finds out that many men in the community have broken God's law by marrying foreign, pagan wives. Ezra then weeps, pleads for God's forgiveness, and then leads the people through true and full repentance, including the process...

This lecture covers Book 3, chapter 8 of Calvin's Institutes, which corresponds to the third chapter of his book On the Christian Life. This chapter is a continuation of the same subject of the previous chapter on self-denial. In this chapter, Calvin describes how we are each called to bear our own cross as part of denying ourselves and following Jesus. As he bore his cross, so do we bear the suff...

Text: Ezra 8:1-36 | Speaker: Levi Bakerink | Description: As Ezra is about to lead the second return from exile, he takes inventory and notices a problem: there are no Levites returning with him. Thankfully, God provides them, as well as the finances they need to support the Temple work. Even more than that, God protects the people across their entire journey home. He does this by his powerful, pr...

Text: Ezra 7:1-28 | Speaker: Levi Bakerink | Description: At the middle point of the book we finally meet Ezra himself. He is a priestly descendant of Aaron and a Scribe trained in the law of Moses, and he leads a second wave of exiles back to Jerusalem. Through this journey back, we see Ezra's motivation, which is his heart dedicated to God and his Word.

This lecture covers Book 3, Chapter 7 of Calvin's Institutes, which corresponds to the second chapter in his treatise on the Christian Life. In this chapter, Calvin discusses the outward call of the Christian life which is to deny oneself. Only through self-denial can the Christian fulfill the law, to love God and love neighbor.

This is the first lecture in a series on Calvin's book On the Christian Life. This short book contains five chapters from the Institutes (Book 3, chapters 6-10), in which Calvin discusses what it means to be a Christian. The first chapter contains the scriptural mandate for living a holy and righteous life, and the remaining chapters discuss the outward means of accomplishing this calling. On the...