The Semper Reformata Podcast

Catechism Class: Forgiveness Lord’s Day 51 Text: Psalm 51:1-7 In this catechism class lesson we shall examine the fifth petition of the Lord’s Prayer.   The Catechist asks us… Q126. What is the fifth petition? A. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. That is: For the sake of Christ’s blood, do not impute to us, wretched sinners, any of our transgressions, nor t...

The Doxology Ephesians 2:20-21 When we think upon the love of God for sinners, when we marvel at its magnitude, does it make our hearts overflow with praise, or does that love still leave us cold and unresponsive? Let’s see how Paul concludes his prayer in praise, and in doing so learn some more about the nature of God. This sermon was preached at both Ballymacashon and Templepatrick Reformed Chur...

Unlike anything in this world, Christ's kingdom will last forever - Bob's Christmas Day antidote to the King's Speech! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Lord's Handmaiden Luke 1:46-56 One of the most beautiful songs of praise to Almighty God, - sometimes called the 'Magnificat' the song of Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus, What does it teach us? This sermon was preached at Ballymacashon and at Templepatrick reformed Church and was recorded at TRC. It is used here with their kind permission. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more infor...

Catechism Class: LD 50 Our Daily Bread Lord’s Day 50 Q125 Text:  Proverbs 30:7-9 What’s the best way to learn to trust God for everything in life, from the smallest problems, to the most basic human necessities? Could the answer be found right here in the Lord’s Prayer? Right here in this petition, where we are taught to ask God for the most basic essential of all, bread! ...

Filled with God’s Fulness . Text Ephesians 3:18-19 …that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Read Col 1:9-19 – 2:1-10 In this study, we will explore what Paul means when he writes  …that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God,  To properly understand what Paul means, we will need especially to look at two or three very common, but very important words, espec...

Catechism Class: LD 49 Q124 Obeying the Will of God Text: Matthew 16:24-26 The catechist is still teaching us how to pray, using the Lord’s Prayer as a model for our prayers, and reminding us that when we pray these petitions there is far more underlying truth than we sometimes think. We should mine that truth! So we come to the third petition in the prayer: “ Thy will be done in ea...

Catechism Class: LD48 Praying About the Kingdom of God The catechist is teaching us about the Lord’s Prayer. We MUST consider carefully every line of the Lord’s prayer, so that we can use it as a tool, a model prayer, to shape the petitions of our daily prayers, to teach us how we should pray.   Luke 11:1  The Heidelberg Catechism asks, "What is the second petition?" The a...

God's Boundless Love How wonderful is Christ’s love for us, vile sinners, that he would bring us from death to life? Let’s try to grasp its magnitude… This sermon was preached at Ballymacashon and Templepatrick Reformed Church It was recorded at TRC and and is reproduced here with their kind permission. Read the NOTES HERE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Catechism Class: Lord's Day 47, Really Knowing God. Jeremiah 9:23-24   We continue our examination of the Lord’s Prayer looking at the first petition – and it IS a petition – not a declaration. It is us asking ‘May your name be hallowed.’ Read the NOTES HERE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ready for War? Sometimes war is thrust upon us. War is horrific. More horrific than we civilians can know, and today we seem to be standing on a precipice, looking into a great chasm of conflict, perhaps even World War 3. Faced with the prospect of an escalation of violence, what are we do do? Let’s see, how God prepared David for war. Read the NOTES HERE . This sermon was preached at Ba...

Catechism Class: LD46, Q120-121 Our Father, who art in heaven. When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, He told them exactly how they are to approach him, what they are to say and how they are to address him. The Heidelberg catechist instructs us on what we should say when come to God in prayer… https://saltyscrivener.uk/2021/01/19/catechism-class-lords-day-46-q120-121/ Hosted on Acast. See a...

Catechism Class: LD45 Q119 The Purpose and Structure of the Lord’s Prayer. Lord’s Day 45 - Q119  The catechist has introduced us to the Lord’s Prayer, which is the model prayer for all our prayers. So we move on now to look at the model prayer itself, and before we begin to examine the petitions in the prayer, let’s make a few important general observations about it. Read the NOTES...

The Four Horsemen Text: Revelation 6:1-8 You must not think of Revelation as linear history, – history written in advance for us. It is unlikely that’s the case. Revelation is not a history book, it is apocalyptic literature, and it is a series of scenes, overlapping in time, moving in parallel through the church age, and out into eternity to come, each scene revealing to us something more of God’...

Lord's Day 45C – What should We Ask God For When We Pray?  Q118. What has God commanded us to ask of him? “All the things we need for body and soul, as included in the prayer which Christ our Lord himself taught us. James 1:17.” So there is a very simple answer to the catechist’s question. We are pray for and about EVERYTHING. How difficult then is our task! How impos...

Israel’s Future Romans 11 Throughout chapters 9-11 Paul says repeatedly that the Gospel is for both the Jew and the gentile, and that there is no difference in Christ, for all have sinned, and there is only one way of salvation. This is a theme which predominates in chapter II, and again Paul approaches the subject by a series of questions and answers… Read the NOTES HERE .  This sermon was r...

Israel’s Present Romans 10 In Romans 9, we found that Israel had rejected the prophets, rejected the true religion of the Lord, and had finally rejected the Messiah himself. Paul gives two reasons for this, the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of mankind. What about Israel’s present state? The thesis of chapter 10 is that despite Israel’s rejection, salvation is possible fo...

Israel’s Past Romans 9 In Romans chapter 9, Paul admits that Jewish unbelief, resulting in the crucifixion of their Messiah, has caused him great grief and even bewilderment. Of all men, the Jews should have known and recognised their Messiah, so Paul explains their lack of faith in the light of two great parallel concepts; the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man. He also ma...

Lords Day 45 Q117 – The Marrow of our Prayers.  Psalm 145:18-20  In the last catechism class, we looked at WHY God wants us to pray. So, having answered that most basic question of all, the Catechist teaches us about what God wants to hear from us when we pray, what pleases him, and what he pays regard to.  Q.117, What belongs to a prayer which pleases God and is heard by...

Love Within Text Ephesians 3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, READ 1 Corinthians 13. We come to Ephesians, chapter 3, verse 17, And I think the key words in understanding what Paul is saying in verse 17 are the words HEART and LOVE. The heart is the seat of our emotions, where the deep emotion of love is seated.… Read the NOTES...

Catechism Class: Lord’s Day 45A Why Do We Need to Pray ? Read Matthew 6:5-15.  In Lord’s Day 45 the catechist is still dealing with our grateful response to our salvation. When we enter a relationship with someone it is natural that we communicate with them. Of course, everyone is different, some people are more ‘chatty’ than others andI suspect that the same applies to prayer.&nbsp...

The Inner Man Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians has begun. Notice what he prays about, " That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man. " He prays that God would give them inner strength! This sermon was preached at Ballymacashon and at Templepatrick Reformed Church. It was recorded at Templepatrick, and is used here with...

Catechism Class: Lord's Day 44 Q114 and 115. "Can We Keep the Law?" Can we perfectly keep the commandments, and if not, why are we required by God to Preach the Law? The Catechist has walked us through the Ten Commandments explaining and expounding upon their meaning, comparing them with other Biblical passages and applying them in a very practical manner to our own lives. But before we can l...

Catechism Class: Lord’s Day 44A Q113 Covetousness . Text. Exodus 20:17 “You shall not covet your neighbours’ house; you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbour’s .” Catechism Q.113. What is required in the tenth commandment?  A. That not even the slightest thought or desire c...

Paul Bows His Knees Paul bowed his knees in humble submission before God. Here's why I think You should emulate him... Because of the OBJECTIVE work of God. Because of what God has done FOR us, and for you and me as individuals. Because he created us, sustains us, and gave his son to die for us, because of what God has DONE. Because of the SUBJECTIVE work of God. Because of what God has done IN us...