The Semper Reformata Podcast

Paul's Salutation and Signature 2 Thessalonians 3:16-18  These last few verses of Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians are a benediction, – a heartfelt prayer that God would bless the church. It falls into three sections, neatly divided into the three verses. There’s a prayer for peace, a guarantee of the authenticity of the letter, and a final blessing.  Recorded live at Ballymacashon Con...

A Boy Named Shelah? What was happening to the other eleven sons of Jacob, while Joseph was in Egypt? Were THEY trusting God, leading lives of integrity, walking faithfully with Him as Joseph was? To find out we need to go back to Genesis chapter 38, to see an incident set in Canaan while Joseph is in Egypt. So before we begin, read GENESIS 38:1-11 and  Deuteronomy 25:5-10.  Read the NOTE...

Difficulties in Discipline Text: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 Paul has finished his teaching on the end times, but there is one more matter, the practical issue of those who are practising deliberate idleness, to be dealt with, and it will require the application of discipline in the local church, and that’s always a problem area, no less so nowadays. Let’s get a concise working definition of sorts. Let...

How to Survive the Last Days -Final Thoughts 2nd Thessalonians 3:1-5 Christians are certainly to prepare for the last days, – SPIRITUALLY, and now Paul helps them to do that. What will WE stockpile? Read the NOTES HERE . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Apprentice Genesis 39:20-23 and Genesis 40. Joseph’s determination not to betray his earthly master and his heavenly king led to his being thrown in prison – and that is where we find him now. But perhaps God is using all these miserable life experiences to prepare Joseph for his vital role in God's redemptive plan. Are slavery and prison Joseph's apprenticeship? Read the NOTES HERE . 'Am...

Paul’s Didactic Prayer Method. 2nd Thessalonians 2:13-17 Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians are a master-class in dealing with issues in the local church, blending solid doctrinal teaching with comfort and encouragement for the saints in their double distress, directing them to the scriptures alone for their help. And that is the correct model for all who would claim to be leaders and pastors in...

Bible Study Review Philip and Mara discuss some of the sermons and studies from Ballymacashon Church, referring to posts on Bob's Blog including Spiritual Readiness in the Last Days and Living with Integrity When Life Is Manifestly Unfair Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TableTalk – Living in Egypt – Living In Integrity  Text Genesis 39. Life’s not fair, is it? The prophet Jeremiah must have felt this when he wrote  Jeremiah 12:1.  One of those who might have had some right to complain about the unfairness of life, humanly speaking, was Joseph. Yet in the midst of the unfairness of his circumstances, Joseph remembered that even in the worst possible...

Stand Firm On God’s Word Alone 2nd Thessalonians 2:13-15 Paul challenges the Christians, in verses 13-15, to stand fast, and as he explains why they should stand fast, he roots this challenge in doctrine and truth. Let’s see:- Inception .  How  they were made members of God’s kingdom.  Intention . Why they were brought into God's kingdom. Impetus . What is their motivation to s...

The Antichrist - (Part 2) His Chains, His Destiny, His Resources and His Supporters. 2nd Thessalonians 2:3-12 Follow up on the study on 'The Antichrist.' This sermon was preached in Ballymacashon Congregational church and Templepatrick Reformed Church. This recording was made at TRC, and is reproduced here with their kind permission. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Antichrist (Part 1) - The Man of Sin 2nd Thessalonians 2:1-8 s this age draws to a close, there will be a very gradual slide into total chaos, – a falling away. Another feature of this slide will be the progressive rise of evil men, satanically driven, until they find their embodiment in one final man of sin. Who might this ‘Man of Sin’ be?  The Reformed Catechisms are unanimous. For exam...

Blog Summary!  Philip and Mara discuss and summarise Bob's last two posts on the Semper-Reformata.com website, - basically the last two sermons or Bible studies at Ballymacashon. Give it a listen and tell me what you think! Philip and Mara are AI voices generated by WordPress - you can read the transcript HERE Bob Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who Was Joseph? The Coat, the Dreams and the Pit. Genesis 37 We are going to start our look at Joseph with Genesis chapter 37, which is set in Joseph’s teenage years. Think about the content of the chapter. What a dysfunctional, tragic family these people are – beset with favouritism, hatred, conspiracy, betrayal and a father’s broken heart. But when we read this passage we do so from the perspect...

The Great Apostasy 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, One of the features of the end of the age must be a season of great apostasy. The word apostasy, in a biblical sense, is the act of falling away or abandoning the true faith in God (or Christ) after having once known or, (and this is important), having merely professed it.  Hebrews 6:...

Jacob - Love at First Sight! Genesis 29 Genesis 29 is a love story, but it’s more than that, it’s a salutary life lesson for Jacob, who has beat a hasty retreat from Canaan, fearing the anger of his Esau. But it is more than that, for it illustrates a more general principle – that nothing happens by chance or coincidence. God is sovereign and as Christians we should be aware of the guiding provide...

The Day and the Days... 2nd Thessalonians 2:1-3 In our last study we looked at the dangers of over sensationalising the doctrine of the Lord’s return. Paul then begins to explain how certain things must occur, during what we might like to call ‘the last days.’ That raises two important questions that we must investigate before we can proceed. What is ‘The Day of the Lord’ and what do we mean by, ‘...

Warning Against Sensationalism 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3a  Paul’s purpose in both his letters to Thessalonica is to offer comfort to the believers. But hat if the Lord has already come? What if we have been ‘left behind?’  Recorded LIVE at Ballymacashon. Read the NOTES HERE . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Persistent Widow Bonus Episode with Rev Charles Collins Luke 18:1-8 There’s a parable of Jesus in Luke 18, in which the Master encouraged hIs disciples to pray - to keep on praying, seeking the face of God. In the parable the believer is likened to a widow, helpless, dependent and oppressed by an adversary, who continually brings her plea for justice before a judge. But the judge in the parabl...

Living for Jesus in Desperate Times. 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12  We have already learned that the Thessalonians believers in Christ were living with constant stress due to persecution, and that the reason Paul wrote this second letter was to comfort and strengthen them in that stress. So Paul and his fellow workers prayed for the Thessalonians, and kept on praying for them, asking God to gi...

The Last Great Restraint Globalism, Communication and the Final Rebellion LISTENER CAUTION IS ADVISED. A message delivered at Templepatrick Reformed Church, recorded live and reproduced here with their kind permission. Incidental music: "A Safe Stronghold Our God Is Still" - PHJ Piano Solos (P. Joosten) Dalton/South Africa Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Blessings of Judgment Day 2 Thessalonians 1:8-10. For the believer, – the great Day of Judgment will be an unspeakable blessing - for all that shall befall the lost on that day - the direct opposite will be the blessings of the believer in Christ. So at judgment day there will be:- Relief from Oppression 1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gosp...

Special Guest Episode with Rev. Philip Campbell Lessons from David and Goliath 1st Samuel 17 Rev. Philip Campbell was formerly the pastor of Coleraine Congregational church in Northern Ireland, and before that was a worker in the Evangelisation Society. He is the General Secretary of the Caleb Foundation, a Public Morals lobby group, representing a broad range of evangelical churches in Northern I...

The Perfect Justice of God. 2nd Thessalonians 1:5-9   This passage is about the righteous judgement of God. There’s three separate aspects of God’s judgement that we need to look at, ie when will this judgement take place, who will suffer in this judgement and what will be the verdict and the sentence? WHEN will this Judgment take Place? WHO Will Stand in the Dock? WHAT will th...

TableTalk - “Oh God of Bethel” Genesis 28:12-13. Table-Talk, for Tuesday 7th April 2026, Jacob is away from home - for the first time, and alone in the dark. He lay down to rest after a long arduous journey, tired and weary, down on the cold ground V 11  He was sleeping on stones - hardly conducive to a good night’s sleep, never mind sweet dreams - YET, despite Jacob’s discomfort that night,...

The Risen Saviour John 20:19-28 Recorded on the day that the church celebrates the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. We stress that we do this as a remembrance of an historical event. We believe and teach that the resurrection of Jesus is a physical, historical, bodily resurrection, In this short lesson, recorded live at Bay;lymacashon, we consider the procedures of Christ's resurrection, and think...