TRC Chattanooga Podcast

People look for comfort in all kinds of places. Most of them are worthless. But since we all have troubled hearts, where can the Christian turn for respite and know that their anxieties will be soothed? In John 14, Jesus has a command and a comfort for his disciples - and for us. Our ultimate help and source of solace is not to be found in this world. Listen as Elder Wes Keene preaches this week’s sermon at TRC Chattanooga.

Singing praises to God is good. Very good. And Christ’s church is to bring the message of the Gospel to all people so that they would also sings praises to God. But singing isn’t the only way to praise God and it’s not the only way we can bring the Gospel to those outside the church. Listen as Elder Wes Keene exhorts the congregation at TRC Chattanooga, based on Psalm 66:8.

Jesus models what good shepherding looks like in John chapters 9 and 10. Jesus is angry with the religious leadership because of how they are shepherding His sheep and tells them so to their faces. Jesus calls the scribes and Pharisees thieves and robbers in the context of the celebration of the Feast of Dedication. The religious leadership knows that Jesus is referring to the theft of the office of High Priest and this infuriates them. Jesus invites everyone of every age to follow him to heaven. Listen as Fred Thompson preaches the homily to TRC Chattanooga.

The Apostle Peter gives us a sober confidence when it comes to living the Christian life in the face of foolish and ignorant people. This fits very well with our current context here in the American South, as we continue to see more and more foolishness as many Christian nations decline in the West. Listen as Elder Glenn Jones exhorts the congregation of TRC Chattanooga with 1 Peter 2:15-16.

When Jesus appears unbeknownst to two disciples on Easter Sunday, their eyes are unable to discern who he may be. They have closed eyes. But while Jesus explains all of Scripture to them, and their hearts even burn within them while he does so, something else is yet needed in order for their eyes to be opened. Listen as Elder Wes Keene preaches this week’s sermon at TRC Chattanooga.

Some people get confused by Acts 2. It’s understandable how someone could reach the conclusion that some kind of collectivism is called for in Scripture. But this is not correct. While Christians are absolutely obligated to be charitable, first of all, to other Christians - there is no biblical command to abandon property rights. Listen as Elder Wes Keene exhorts the congregation at TRC Chattanooga on Acts 2:44-45.

The second Sunday of Eastertide always includes the story of doubting Thomas as an option for the Gospel reading. This is because the Gospel of John tells us that it happened on the original second Sunday of Easter, one week after the resurrection. The story of Thomas is not simply a story about doubt, but a story about our confession of faith and what it means to gather together on the Lord's Day for worship. Listen as Elder Glenn Jones preaches the homily to the congregation of Trinity Reformed Church from the text of John 20:19-31.

None of the Gospels, including John's, tell us anything about how the resurrection actually happened. Rather, they focus on the fact that it did happen. The Gospels don't feed our desire for endless details. How does this inform how we should witness to other people about the resurrection of our Lord? Listen as Elder Wes Keene preaches this week's sermon at TRC Chattanooga.

Maundy Thursday commemorates the night of Christ's final supper with his disciples. It is also the night in which he gave the New Commandment and the night on which he was betrayed. As we listen to the Apostle Paul's application of this event and the institutional function of Holy Eucharist, we come to see that all these things are tied together in the life of the Church and the administration of the Lord's Supper. Listen as Elder Glenn Jones preaches the sermon on 1 Corinthians 11: 27-34 for our special Maundy Thursday service.

Palm Sunday is one of the most explicit moments in Jesus' ministry where he kept from no one who he was and what he was coming to do for the house of Israel. In these events recorded in Matthew's Gospel, we find that Jesus' triumphal entry and his cleansing of the temple were all part of the great fulfillment of the Old Covenant types and shadows and they teach us richly still today. Listen as Elder Glenn Jones preaches the sermon on Palm Sunday from Matthew 21:1-17.

Jesus came to us in the name of the Lord and we, as his house, his church, are called to bless his name and give him all the praise and glory he is due. Listen to this exhortation from Psalm 118:26 on Palm Sunday as Elder Glenn Jones reminds us of who we are as Christians in the New Covenant.

In Ezekiel 37, the Lord shows his prophet a very morbid scene - a field of dead bones. Then Ezekiel is tasked with prophesying to the dead bones to tell them that they will live. A scene filled with hopelessness and despair is turned by the Lord into a mighty army. In this week’s sermon, listen as Elder Wes Keene explains how it is that it happens, and what its implications are for us as Christians.

In Romans, Paul asks us to consider to whom we submit ourselves as slaves. And the effect of that rhetorical question is staggering. Is there no way to avoid slavery? And if we submit ourselves to something, what does it mean? It turns out we have all submitted ourselves to sin which leads to death many times. Paul’s remedy for it is simple. Listen as Elder Wes Keene exhorts the congregation at TRC Chattanooga based on Romans 6:16.

The church calendar began to be formulated practically the moment Christ was crucified and rose again. In this second installment of our trip through the church’s calendar, we lay things out in the order they are practiced today and take note of regional variations in the observance of church holidays. The church catholic has always looked for ways to observe and celebrate the life of Christ, but the form it takes today in the West took time to reach its current state. Listen as Elder Wes Keene guides the class on the portion of the church year from Ash Wednesday through Trinity.

There are worse things that can happen to you that being born physically blind, you could be spiritually blind. We are all born blind and in need of a recreation through baptism, thereafter sanctification improves our vision. If you want the kind of undiminished vision Moses had in old age – serve the Lord.

Psalm 23 is a very well known and beloved Psalm, but many times it is used in the context of death, rather than life. The ending of this Psalm gives us great insight into God's hospitality toward us as we live our lives, even in the midst of our enemies. Listen as Elder Glenn Jones exhorts the congregation at TRC Chattanooga with Psalm 23:5-7.

The church calendar began to be formulated practically the moment Christ was crucified and rose again. In this first installment of our trip through the church’s calendar, we lay things out in the order they are practiced today and take note of regional variations in the observance of church holidays. The church catholic has always looked for ways to observe and celebrate the life of Christ, but the form it takes today in the West took time to reach its current state. Listen as Elder Wes Keene guides the class on the portion of the church year from Advent to Epiphany.

The Scriptures warn all Christians against hardening their hearts against the Lord. While it is still called today, there is opportunity to repent and to put away bitterness and hatred and all forms of sinful deeds. King David teaches us in the Psalm how to not harden our hearts and so in the homily we consider exactly how the Psalm of the day guides us to avoid this temptation. Listen as Elder Glenn Jones preaches on Psalm 95 to the congregation of TRC Chattanooga.

Along with today's baptismal liturgy (led by Elders Wes Keene and Glenn Jones), an exhortation was given to remind us of God's work in Baptism and to put away any latent gnosticism in our Christian thinking. Gnosticism not only hated the physical world, but it also prized hidden and secret things among its adherents. Listen as Elder Glenn Jones exhorts the congregation of TRC Chattanooga with Titus 3:5-7.

The Christian Calendar and Church Year has a rich history, dating back to the earliest days of the Church. The Old Testament also records for us that God's people have always had signs and seasons for festivals and celebrations of all that God has done for them. God's people in the New Covenant era should be no different. In today's TRC Sunday School class, we consider how the Bible informed and guided the early Church to establish church year seasons and feast days based on the life of her Lord, Jesus Christ. Listen as Elder Glenn Jones leads an introductory study on the Church Year.

Sometimes we have to tell someone that the work they just completed was either unnecessary, or was done improperly. It’s an unpleasant conversation to have. In Romans 4, Paul discusses how it is that Abraham was made righteous. And contrary to what the listener expects to hear, it was not because Abraham lived a perfect life and pleased God in that way. No, rather Paul tells us Abraham was justified because of his faith. This is crucial for us to understand. Listen as Elder Wes Keene preaches this week’s sermon at TRC Chattanooga. 

The Law of Moses spends a lot of time with the Lord explaining the sacrificial system to us, in all its intricacies. That makes it surprising when we find Psalm 40:6 and David says, writing in the Spirit, "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire". So what does that mean? Is there something God desires more than sacrifices? Listen as Elder Wes Keene exhorts the congregation at TRC Chattanooga.

Jesus' temptation in the wilderness not only shows us that Jesus Christ avoided sin where we could not, it also shows us a typological fulfillment. Not only did he do what we cannot do individually, he did what the sons of Israel could not do collectively. Jesus is the true Israelite. Listen as Fred Thompson preaches this week's sermon at TRC Chattanooga.

The doctrine is original sin is under attack, as it has always been. But scripture everywhere speaks of the corruption of the flesh preceding any overt, external sinful actions. Let's listen to what David says on the subject. Listen as Elder Wes Keene delivers this exhortation based on Psalm 51:5.

One the happy occasion of our first wedding at TRC Chattanooga, we meditate on the glory of marriage - how it not only glorified the first man, Adam, but the God-man, Jesus Christ, who came into the world to suffer and die in order that he too might obtain a bride, the Church, for his glory. Listen as Elder Glenn Jones preaches on marriage and glorification to the congregation at TRC Chattanooga.

In the three-year lectionary, this week is dubbed the 2nd To Last Sunday Of Epiphany. But it is also called “World Mission Sunday”. Unfortunately, while that should evoke great joy within us, it probably doesn’t. We have seen missions abused, money wasted, and all manner of corruption. But Christ’s mission will not stop, and his will for even distant nations to call upon His name, will not change. How can we understand World Mission Sunday, and what can we do about it? Listen as Elder Wes Keene preaches this week’s sermon at TRC Chattanooga.

When Jesus tells his disciples not to leave Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit comes on them, they have an unexpected question: “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” The disciples were expecting something different from what would happen at Pentecost. They wanted a physical kingdom. In this exhortation, Elder Wes Keene focuses on Jesus’ response to them and how that should shape our desires for a Christian kingdom.

Holy Scripture is the infallible and inerrant Word of God. We can trust in it, whatever it says. But that doesn’t mean different inspired authors don’t come at the same situation from subtly different perspectives. This is true of when Jesus calls his first disciples. In Matthew’s Gospel, we see a different perspective. Listen as Fred Thompson preaches this week’s sermon at TRC Chattanooga.

Christians are used to getting beat over the head with Romans 13 and their obligations to the government under God’s law. But something that is less often considered are the prescriptive roles Paul assigns to the government. What does he say a good government ought to do? And does our government actually do those things? Listen as Elder Wes Keene exhorts the congregation based on Romans 13:3-4.

King David wrote Psalm 37 to the people of God, teaching them how to respond in the face of evildoers prospering and going unpunished for their wicked deeds. When we consider the wickedness that abounds in our own day, we too need to hear his counsel. Listen as Elder Glenn Jones preaches the sermon to TRC Chattanooga from Psalm 37:1-11.

John the Baptist began to proclaim at the time of Jesus' Baptism that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah, the Lamb of God, sent into the world to save the world from sin. This title of Christ as the Lamb of God derives from the Old Testament Exodus events and goes on to be the glorious name of Jesus Christ in the final book of the Bible, the book of Revelation. Listen as Elder Glenn Jones preaches from John's Gospel and expounds the meaning and glory of John's revelation of Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God on this the second Sunday of the season of Epiphany.

The Apostle Paul regularly opens his letters with thanksgiving, even giving thanks as he wrote the first letter to the Corinthians with all their divisions and troubles. Given this pattern in the Epistles, it is good and right to conclude that all Christians should be thankful, even if they and their local congregations are not perfect people. Listen as Elder Glenn Jones exhorts the congregation of Trinity Reformed Church from 1 Corinthians 1:4.

Today’s Gospel lesson shows us Jesus’ baptism according to St. Matthew’s account. We need to understand the distinction between John’s baptism and Christian Baptism. But we also must understand why it is that John initially refuses to do so. Finally, we need to ask ourselves what the significance of this text is. It’s kind of easy to gloss over certain accounts and miss the point. This text might be one of them, but it should not be! This Gospel is a powerful witness to the access we have to God through Christ Jesus our Lord. And Satan absolutely hates hearing it. Listen as Elder Wes Keene preaches this week’s sermon at TRC Chattanooga.

Isaiah 42:4 is part of the “Suffering Servant” passages. In it, we learn that Jesus will not be discouraged (or perhaps crushed) until he has established justice in the earth. This means we need to understand the sort of justice Jesus is establishing here. It’s controversial and misunderstandings abound. But it also imposes an obligation on us. Using Christ as our example, it means we also ought not be discouraged. We are in a spiritual war, and we must not shrink back from our calling. Listen as Elder Wes Keene delivers this week’s exhortation as TRC Chattanooga.

The old Christian hymn - We Three Kings Of Orient Are - reminds us of the great tradition of Christian interpretation surrounding the wise men and how it came to be that they knew to look for a star of Israel that would mark the coming of their Messiah and King. These royal travelers from the East came bearing royal gifts from afar and when they found baby King Jesus, they fell down and worshipped him. Listen as Elder Glenn Jones recounts the story of the wise men and how it ties the threads of Matthew's Gospel together in all its glory, teaching all of us how we should come before Jesus for worship every Lord's Day.

January marks the beginning of 2026 and with it comes new goals and expectations for the twelve months ahead. Many Christians make plans every year to read their Bibles and this year should be no different. Listen as Elder Glenn Jones exhorts the congregation of TRC Chattanooga to take up and read the Word of God every day, making it the habit of their lives.

St. John begins his Gospel with a prologue. Riding on top of, and magnifying, themes found in his Gospel, this prologue makes devestating points against the Hellenistic world. The Word was in the beginning, and he was with God. We also learn that the Word tabernacled among us. But what does all of it mean? If the Word/Logos is something foundational to all of existence, understanding that the same Word came and dwelled among us is critically important. But the real center of John’s prologue is in verse 12. We need to know the rights we have been given by God. Listen as Elder Wes Keene explains how John structured his prologue and what it means to us in this week’s sermon at TRC Chattanooga.

St. Paul tells us in Galatians 4 that we are no longer slaves but sons. That is very good news indeed. But there must be more to the story, because everywhere Paul refers to himself as a slave, or a servant. By examining other writings from Paul, we begin to get a clearer sense of how exactly Jesus Christ has saved us, and we can make sense of Paul’s good news in Galatians 4:7. We are free. We are free to live as sons of God. Listen as Elder Wes Keene delivers this week’s exhortation at TRC Chattanooga.

Merry Christmas from the saints of Trinity Reformed Church to all those listening to this year's Christmas homily. God sent his Son to become a citizen of our earthly kingdom, so that we might become citizens of his heavenly kingdom. The story of the birth of baby King Jesus has been told time and time again over two millennia and this year was no different on December 25th. Listen and remember that first Christmas morning as Elder Glenn Jones gives this year's Christmas Day message to the members of TRC Chattanooga.  

Isaiah prophesied about the coming birth of Christ long before it actually happened. Then when it did happen, Matthew's Gospel referenced Isaiah's writing. For about 2,000 years, we were all pretty happy with that explanation. Until some historical critical theologians got ahold of it and made a mess of things. What should we know about the prophecy concerning Jesus Christ's incarnation? Listen as Rev. David Beckmann preaches at TRC Chattanooga.

The fourth week of Advent has the theme of Love. As Christians, there is no greater example of love than God himself in Christ Jesus. Listen as Elder Glenn Jones exhorts the congregation from John's gospel and first epistle to believe the full scope of God's love for the world and how it will one day make the whole world Christian.

We’ve all had people and institutions who have let us down over the years, or at least failed to meet our expectations. When two disciples are sent by John the Baptist to Jesus to ask him whether he is the coming one, Jesus asks them to observe what they see around them and draw their own conclusions. Did John the Baptist have his own Doubting Thomas moment? Or does it really matter, anyway? What is Holy Scripture attempting to tell us through Matthew 11? Listen as Elder Wes Keene preaches this week’s sermon at TRC Chattanooga.

The theme for the third Sunday in Advent is: joy. Paul tells us in both Philippians and Romans that Christians ought to be joyful…always. This is the expected biblical disposition of the Christian’s emotional and mental state. The problem is that we’re not always joyful. The world loads us down, especially in Advent, when calendars get more full than we might like. But if Christians have a God who saved them, then Christians must rejoice…always. Listen as Elder Wes Keene exhorts the congregation at TRC Chattanooga.

What exactly was John the Baptist's ministry all about? What kind of a man was he? The message that a prophet of God brings us isn't necessarily always what we want to hear - it might not even be pleasant. John was not a soft man. He was desert-tested, and he thundered! Listen as Pastor James Durham delivers this week's sermon at TRC Chattanooga.

The theme for the second week of Advent is peace. In Isaiah 53:5, we learn that Christ's chastisement brought us peace. It was our sin that brought us into a state of war with God. The only way that peace could be brokered was by the suffering and death of the only begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ. Through his stripes, we are fully reconciled to God. Listen as Elder Wes Keene exhorts the congregation at TRC Chattanooga.

A new Church year is upon us and that means that we must prepare our minds and hearts to celebrate and remember how Christ came into the world at Christmas. But before we get to the Christmas season, it is always helpful to gain a deeper understanding of the season of Advent as a whole, especially in how Jesus' coming into the world is a unified whole - Christ has come, Christ is coming, and Christ will come again. Listen as Elder Glenn Jones explains why we follow the Church calendar and what that means for us as we start a new Church year with the season of Advent. In the middle, there is also a brief excursus on Matthew 24 and what Jesus means about being 'left behind.'

The season of Advent begins every Church year with week one as a reminder of the Christian's hope. Just as the Old Testament saints looked forward to the birth of Christ, we as Christians today look forward to the return of Christ to consummate all things. Listen as Elder Glenn Jones exhorts the congregation at TRC Chattanooga to continually put their hope in Christ.

The Gospel text for Christ the King Sunday is a bit of a surprising selection for the uninitiated. We find Luke’s account of the crucifixion of our Lord, and that doesn’t exactly seem like a King reigning on his throne. That’s the problem for us: things often seem upside down to us. But reigning is exactly what he is doing. Christ has put all his enemies under hit feet. And at the throne of his cross, he puts sin, death, and the devil under his feet. Listen as Elder Wes Keene preaches this week’s sermon at TRC Chattanooga.

Christ is the image of the invisible God. No one has ever seen the Father, but we have seen Christ. And if you have seen Christ, you have seen the Father. So it is fitting for us, on the last Sunday of the church year, to consider the lordship of our Savior Jesus Christ. Today is Christ the King Sunday. How does St. Paul help us to understand what that means? Listen as Elder Wes Keene exhorts the congregation at TRC Chattanooga, based on Colossians 1:15-16.

Through poor theology, misuse, disuse, and modernism’s warm embrace of rationalism, the church is at risk of missing the full value of her sacraments. Rather than letting the church get robbed blind, we need to embrace the plain words of Christ written right in the New Testament, and truly believe them. In this lesson, we follow the scriptural warrant for the Eucharist, as well as the many misunderstandings that have arisen over the years. Then we ponder the question: How should we view the Eucharist? Listen at Elder Wes Keene teaches this week’s Sunday School entitled “Communion in the New Testament”.