Calvary Church of Amwell

A Congregation of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church

Holding fast to Christ, the head of the church, through whom we seek the growth that is from God

 

Did you know there are Two Ways to Live?  Find out more here.

 

Serving Hunterdon County with the Gospel in Ringoes Since 1936

 


Sermons

For an explanation of Redemptive-Historical Preaching, see below sermons!
For Lectures on Union with Christ, scroll below the explanation of Redemptive-Historical Preaching. . .

Martin Luther Preaching the Word

History of Calvary Church of Amwell - Danny Olinger 2012-01-08 Sunday School

OPC and Singing - Danny Olinger 2012-01-08 AM

The Angel and the Scroll - Pastor Cassidy 2012-01-08 PM

The Servant Lord (Luke 2:1-7) - Pastor Cassidy 2011-12-24

Bring Them In! (1 Cor 9:19-27) - Pastor Cassidy 2011-12-18 (AM)

Liberty, License, and the Gospel (Gal 5:13-15) - Pastor Cassidy 2011-12-11 (PM)

The Deacons of Christ's Church (Acts 6:1-7) - Pastor Cassidy 2011-12-11 (AM)

Reading the Bible, Jesus Style (Luke 24:13-28) - Pastor Cassidy 2011-12-4 (AM)

The All-Sufficient, Sure Word (2 Peter 1) - Pastor Cassidy 2011-12-4 (PM)

Prayer and Thanksgiving 1 (Col 4:1-4) - Pastor Cassidy 2011-11-20 am

Prayer and Thanksgiving 2 (Php 1:3-11) - Pastor Cassidy 2011-11-20 pm

Prayer and Thanksgiving 3 (Rom 8:26-27) - Pastor Cassidy 2011-11-27 am

Prayer and Thanksgiving 4 (Php 4:6) - Pastor Cassidy 2011-11-27 pm

Knowing Christ - Part 1 Philippians 3:2-11 (11/6/11) - Rev. Cassidy

Knowing Christ - Part 2 Philippians 3:2-11 (11/6/11) - Rev. Cassidy

"No Useless Gift"  Ephesians 2:8-10 (October 30, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"Lost in Translation" Genesis 10-11 (October 23, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"The First Four Trumpets" Revelation 8:6-13 (October 16, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"The Naked Man of Rest" Genesis 9:18-29 (October 16, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"Silence and the Prayers of the Saints" Revelation 8:1-5 (October 9, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"A Grace Common to All" Genesis 8:20-9:17 (October 9, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"Our True Kinsman Redeemer" Ruth 4 (October 2, 2011) - Rev. Waddington

"Jesus: Our Way to the Throne of Grace" Hebrews 4:14-16 (Sept 18, 2011) - Rev. Waddington

"A New Earth" Genesis 8:1-19 (September 18, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"Evil and Salvation" Revelation 6 (Spetember 11, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"I Have Purposed" Isaiah 46:8-11 (September 11, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"The Worthy One" Revelation 5 (September 5, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"Hidden with God" Genesis 7 (September 4, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"Worship That is Just Heavenly" Revelation 4 (August 21, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"A New Creation" Genesis 6:9-22 (August 21, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"Are You Lukewarm?" Revelation 3:14-22 (August 7, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"A Royal Pain" Genesis 6:1-8 (August 7, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"Rapture and Rest" Genesis 5 (July 31, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"The Christian and Culture" Genesis 4:17-28 (July 17, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"Night of the Living Dead" Revelation 3:1-6 (July 17, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"Don't Just Do Something, Sit There" Revelation 2:17-28 (July 10, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"The Great Divide - Part I" Genesis 4:17-28 (July 10, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"Pigging Out" Revelation 2:12-17 (July 3, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"A Better Sacrifice" Genesis 4:1-16 (July 3, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"Filthy Rich!" Revelation 2:8-11 (June 26, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"The Covering" Genesis 3 (June 26, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"Christ in the Midst" Revelation 1:9-20 (June 5, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"The King Greets His People" Revelation 1:4-8 (May 29, 2011 - PM) - Pastor Cassidy

"The First Wedding" Genesis 2 (may 29, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"Open to All" Revelation 1:1-3 (May 22, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"The Covenant of Works" Genesis 2:4-25 (May 22, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"Entering God's Rest" Genesis 2:1-3 (May 8, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

Man, the Crown of Creation  Genesis 1:26-31 (May 1, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"Kingdom Benefits" Psalm 16 (April 24, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"Come, Thou Almighty King" Genesis 1:1-2:3 (April 17, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"Of Kings and Kingdoms" Genesis 1:1-2:3 (April 10, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"From Generation to Generation" Genesis 1 (April 3, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"Harmonies and Variations" 1 Chronicles 23 (March 27, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"True Grace" 1 Peter 5:12-14 (March 27, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"Lion Watching" 1 Peter 5:8 (March 6, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"Anxiety and Humility" 1 Peter 5:5-7 (February 20, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

"The Resolve of Christ - Part I" 1 Peter 4:1-6 (January 9, 2011) - Pastor Cassidy

 

Officer Training Course

Officer Train - July 27 - Part 1

Officer Train - July 27 - Part 2

What is Redemptive-Historical Preaching?

A method of preaching that was forged in the fires of debate in the Reformed churches of the Netherlands in the early 1940s. The debate concerned itself with the question, "how are we to preach the historical narratives of the bible"?

On one side of the question were the proponents of "exemplaristic" preaching. This method of preaching taught that the biblical narratives in general, and the Old Testament stories in particular, were to be preached as examples of how Christian today should (or should not) live their lives. Old Testament believers were held up as examples (or anti-examples, as the case may be) of how we should conduct ourselves.

On the other side of the debate were the advocates of "redemptive-historical" (the term used to translate the Dutch heilshistorisch) preaching. The proponents of this kind of preaching argued that Old Testament narratives are not given – primarily - to us by God to be moral examples, but as revelations of the coming Messiah. The narratives, the stories, of the Old Testament served as types and shadows pointing forward in history to the time when Israel’s Messiah would be revealed in the person and work of Jesus Christ. In support of this view, the advocates of redemptive-historical preaching drew heavily upon the text of Luke 24:27 (where Jesus is teaching the disciples on the road to Emmaus), "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself." (English Standard Version). Along with this verse, also invoked was v. 44 of the same chapter where Jesus says, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled."

 

In this way, then, the bible is seen not as a collection of abstract moral principles, but rather as an anthology of the events of God’s great works in history. The bible is dynamic, so the Redemptive-Historical advocate claim, and it progressively unfolds revealing more and more of Christ to us as it progresses through salvation history. This, then, is to be the way in which the narratives are to be preached – preached with a view towards showing how the text points towards Christ.

This approach to preaching has its roots, however, in a movement which preceded the 1940s. The Biblical-Theological movement originated in Germany under the liberal teaching and writing of Johann Philipp Gabler in the late 18th century, who emphasized the historical nature of the bible, over against an overly dogmatic reading of it.

Nearly a century later Princeton Theological Seminary inaugurated its first professor of Biblical Theology, Geerhardus Vos (1862-1949). Vos was instrumental in taking the discipline of biblical theology in more conservative direction, using it to vindicate the Reformed faith and historic Christianity over against theological liberalism.

Today, in America at least, the Redemptive-Historical method of preaching has been carried forward through the work of Westminster Theological Seminary (both in Philadelphia and California) and Kerux: The Journal of Northwest Theological Seminary.

Bibliography

Clowney, E.P. Preaching and Biblical Theology. Philipsburg: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, 2002.

Greidanus, S. Sola Scriptura: Problems and Principles in Preaching Historical Texts. Doctoral dissertation, Kampen.

Johnson, D.  Him We Proclaim.  Philipsburg: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, 2007.

Trimp, C. Preaching and the History of Salvation: Continuing and Unfinished Discussion; trans. N.D. Kloosterman. Copyright by author, 1996.

Vos, G. Biblical Theology: Old and New Testaments. Edinburgh; Banner of Truth Trust, 2000.


 

Fall Seminar on Reformed Theology

"Alive in Christ: Saving Union with Christ"

With Dr. Richard B. Gaffin and Dr. Lane G. Tipton

2011 November 12 & 13

 

  1. A Biblical Overview: Dr Richard Gaffin
  2. Regeneration: Dr Lane Tipton
  3. The Good Work Begun: Dr Richard Gaffin
  4. Sanctification: Dr Lane Tipton
  5. Questions and Answers
  6. The Gateway into Fellowship with the Triune God: Rev. Jeff Waddington (Sunday School)
  7. The Gospel: Dr Lane Tipton (Sunday morning service)
  8. Glorification: Rev. James Cassidy (Sunday evening service)