The Semper Reformata Podcast

They Were Saved. 1st Thessalonians 2:13-20 Paul has declared that they were BOLD IN THE GOSPEL. They were REAL in their ministry, for unlike the travelling professional philosophers and preachers of their day, they truly loved their people, they longed for their people, they lived for their people, they laboured for the people and they lead the people. See what a dramatic effect that consistent, s...

HB7 Can a Person Change Sex? To 'change sex' – let’s call it ‘transgenderism’ – requires a complete denial of human biology – and last time I checked biology was still a science. So, since we have already established that the biblical belief is that God made us as we are, male or female, man or woman, let’s just do some science. Let’s think about some of the branches of science where transsexualis...

Monday Extra - 27th October 2025 That BAPTISM Thing Talking to some friends on Thursday 23rd October, the subject of Baptism arose, - again - and it reminded me of a sermon I had preached in 2022 - in a church that is by its constitution, Reformed Baptist - subscribing to the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith. Part of the sermon addressed the subject of Baptism, and I extracted that section for a p...

They Were Real 1st Thessalonians 2:5-12 Amos 7 Paul has been verbally attacked by some of his enemies in Thessalonica. To those accusations Paul insisted that they were BOLD in the Gospel. He had also been accused of being deceitful. To prove the point that he was not a charlatan, he embarks on a series of distinctions, to differentiate between a professional philosopher and a passionate...

The Gent With The Godly Gait. Read Genesis 5:18-23, Hebrews 11:5-6, Jude 14-15. Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “ and was not found, because God had taken him ” Enoch had a godly walk, in communion and fellowship with God, and as someone once said, - he was so much in the company of God, that at the end of his life, he didn’t die, he just walked straight into heaven! That’s Enoc...

Human Brokenness - Lesson 6. Sex and Gender - Are They The Same Thing? Before we begin, please read Psalm 100, and spend a few minutes meditating on verse 3, where the psalmist writes, Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture .  Find the notes at www. Semper-Reformata.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privac...

They Were Bold 1st Thessalonians 2:1-4 These first believers prayed for boldness, right from their earliest days…  Acts 4:29-31  When Paul and Silas preached at Thessalonica, they preached with great boldness. One of our great needs in the visible church today, is BOLDNESS IN THE GOSPEL. Recorded at Templepatrick Reformed Church, and reproduced here with their kind permission. Hosted on...

TableTalk, 14th Oct 2025 Read Genesis 3:13-21. Welcome to this week’s digital version of TableTalk. The Reading is from Genesis 3:13-21  In our last TableTalk I left you with a puzzle of sorts; a bit of a teaser, - the question, “Will we meet Adam in heaven?”  Is there any hope in eternity for Adam? How could such a man ever be in heaven? And of course, we have a similar situation with E...

Human Brokenness - Lesson 5 How Do Christians Relate to People with Gender Issues? New Ref. Catechism on Human Sexuality? 4. Q. What does God require of us in making us in his image? A. God requires that we love him as he created us, male or female, with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and our neighbour as ourselves.   In the Bible Christians are told, over and over again, that they...

Monday Extra This week my motivation for putting pen to paper, and switching on the recording equipment has been different and a bit unusual. I was listening to an audiobook - a reading of a novel! I had been driving down to Belfast in the car, listening to a book, when one of the characters mentioned a particular artist, Tom Waite, and it brought back memories of a song that the artist had perfor...

We Would See Jesus John 12:20-26 This is set in the very last week in the earthly ministry of Jesus – just before He went to Calvary, and just after His triumphant entry into Jerusalem. It is the feast of the Passover, and this passage is just at the start of John’s account of Jesus’ last days on earth with His disciples, a week which takes up about 8 chapters of John’s gospel. Sermon from Ballyma...

How Many Genders? Read Genesis Chapters 1 & 2 please! In today’s post-truth western world, identity is no longer a matter predetermined by God, but something YOU get to decide, usually based on your feelings, rather than on physical reality.  And of course, gender is no longer a case of man and woman. In modern society, just how many genders are there? A simple internet search revealed th...

Harvest Reflections - The Great Thirst John 7:37-39. Cf Isaiah 12:3. Jesus is at the feast of Tabernacles, appointed to begin on the 15th day of the 7th month, and lasting 7 or perhaps 8 days. This was the harvest festival, and one of the ceremonies of the feast was connected with water. Jesus used that unusual ritual as an illustration, - to show that He is the Well of Salvation , that...

Repentance 1st Thessalonians 1:9-10, Acts 14:8-15 Something drastic had happened within these Thessalonians believers. They had been saved by grace, converted to Christ. Now Paul explains another part of that process of conversion, in  1 Thess. 1:9-10   He is speaking of something which is an essential part of every true conversion, and that is REPENTANCE! In this sermon, preac...

Human Brokenness Our Identity in Christ  Christian Identity is. Being made all over again, to be in the image of Christ!  Only because of God’s grace Jesus has delivered us from Satan's lie in Eden. And now,  Christ protects us! Before you listen, read John 8:44, and 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. Read the NOTES HERE . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Digital ID - A Biblical Warning and Response Revelation 13:17, A warning to the sleeping church - wake up, for the tyranny of digital ID's is drawing ever closer... This message was preached at Templepatrick Reformed Church and is used here with their kind permission. Read the NOTES HERE . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Echoes of Grace 1st Thessalonians 1:6-10 The Thessalonians had RECEIVED the Word of God  –  not just listened to it, or heard it, but had actively accepted it into their hearts and lives, through the work of the Holy Spirit. The Greek word for ‘having received’ is based on the root amen. They had heard the word, and in their hearts they had said AMEN. So be it Lord, and what a marvellous...

Human Brokenness - Identity - Creation and Fall. Laying the groundwork for who we are, in God's eyes. Before you play this episode, please read Colossians 1:16, Psalm 100:3, Revelation 4:11, Psalm 8:3-6 and Psalm 139:13-16 . We're starting with a short introduction to 'Identity' - considering the basics, who made us, how he made us and why, and bringing that right down to the individual level, lea...

Gospel Preaching 1st Thessalonians 1:4-5 Paul is writing to remind his readers of the events of Acts chapter 17.He reminds them of the events of their conversion, in  1 Thessalonians 1:6 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost : how he had preached the Gospel, and they had been saved. His words give us a glim...

TableTalk, 16th Sept 2025. -  Facing Up To Our Shame  Read Genesis 2:7-8 and Genesis 3:9-12. Adam is hiding in the Garden. It was customary, in the cool of the evening for God to come down into this garden paradise, and to walk in fellowship with Adam. But why was Adam so ashamed? What had Adam squandered when he surrendered to sin? Has Adam's shame brought shame upon all of us, and how...

Human Brokenness, Healed, redeemed and Forgiven In this season, running throughout Autumn and winter 2025-26, we’re going back to our studies in Biblical Ethics, with short weekly lessons, as the Lord permits, on Human Sexuality. The series title will be Human Brokenness - Healed, Redeemed & Forgiven. In each lesson, which will be shorter than before, maybe just 10 or 12 minutes, in the hope t...

Prayer, Practice and Predestination. 1st Thessalonians 1:2-4 In this passage of Scripture, we can learn three valuable lessons. A Lesson in Christian Devotion. A Lesson in Christian Demeanour. A Lesson in Christian Doctrine Paul teaches the Thessalonians about Prayer, Practice and Predestination. This sermon was recorded live in Ballymacashon - Please forgive the poor sound quality. Read the NOTES...

TableTalk - An On-Line Mid Week Meeting Being aware of Satan's Tactics Genesis 3:1-8 As Christians we need to be aware of the tactics of the devil, who would try to distract us from the straight and narrow way, to divert us into by-paths and cause us to stumble. The Apostle Paul writing to the Corinthian Christians, in  2 Corinthians 2:10-11  We should not be ignorant of Satan’s devices....

What is a Church? ist Thessalonians 1:1 When Paul greeted the congregation at Thessalonica, he began the letter with a recognition that he was writing to a really good church. We cannot attain perfection, but Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians can help our local assembly to be a great church too! A church that is singleminded in pursuing its goal, to love and serve the Lord. In Paul’s greeting we...

The Disciples' Authority and Support Matthew 10:40-42 We have been working our way through Matthew chapter 10, where we find the names of the twelve disciples, and where Jesus commissions them and trains them to go out into the world to serve him, as his ambassadors, his representatives. Let’s see how Jesus concludes this lesson by giving them AUTHORITY and SUPPORT. Recorded live at Ballymaca...