Author: Nate Harlan
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Finding Joy in Giving God Joy — Philippians 4:14‑20
What pleases God? The Apostle Paul tells us that the acceptable sacrifice that pleases God is being generous as He is generous, and this generosity is expressed in tangible ways.
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Why logic depends on God
After a caution to not let the study of the topic to cause us to swell in pride, Pastor Nate Harlan addresses the question: Why does the existence of logic depend on the existence of God? Listen above or download the audio file here.
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Christ Our Strength — Philippians 4:10‑13
We are all prone to be discontent. That’s why the Apostle Paul wrote these words in his letter to the Philippians. But we’re not to try to find contentment in our circumstances. We must find our contentment, and our strength, in Christ.
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The Necessity of Logic
Follow along with our family study as Pastor Nate Harlan continues our study about logic and how it is not merely a creation of the Western mind, but is universal, eternal, and unchanging.
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The Three Laws of Thought
Follow along with our family study as Pastor Nate Harlan walks us through The Three Laws of Thought: The Law of Identity, The Law of Non-Contradiction, and The Law of the Excluded Middle.
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The Peace of God — Philippians 4:2‑7
God as our heavenly Father does not want us to worry. He wants us to have His peace. Just like any decent earthly father does not want his kids to be filled with anxiety, our Father wants us to rest in Him.
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Pressing On — Philippians 3:12‑16
Since perfection is impossible this side of the grave, perfectionism leads to either self-delusion or despair. Instead, Pastor Nate Harlan exhorts us to think like mature Christians who are honest about our sins and yet are always pressing on toward what lies ahead.
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Equip Yourself for Evangelism — Our Justifiable Faith
Our belief in Jesus Christ is not a leap in the dark — it is an entirely justifiable belief, philosophically speaking. Listen in to Pastor Nate Harlan’s session during our family study.
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In Christ Alone — Philippians 3:1‑11
The doctrine of justification is crucial in understanding the gospel — and in loving our savior. The realization that our righteousness depends entirely on what Jesus has accomplished for us on the cross should fan the flame of our love for Him.
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Equip Yourself for Evangelism — Presuppositions
In our beginning discussion on evangelism, Pastor Nate Harlan brings up presuppositions, which are inescapable no matter what you believe. As he says, “Whenever an unbeliever raises as objection to the faith, he is appealing to some other authority besides God and His Word.”
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Two Exemplary Men — Philippians 2:19‑30
We need to recapture the notion of Biblical friendship. In this sermon on Philippians, Pastor Nate Harlan shows us that Timothy and Epaphroditus put Christ’s interests above their own by being genuinely concerned for the church, Christ’s primary interest.
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Why We Need To Repent from Discontent — Philippians 2:14‑18
Complaining and arguing may seem like small sins to us, but Scripture treats them very seriously. They are the children of discontent, which itself is the gateway to idolatry. In this sermon, Pastor Nate Harlan tells us two ways to put discontent to death.
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The Heidelberg Catechism — Penal Substitutionary Atonement
We wrap up our study of the atonement with penal substitutionary atonement, the term that describes the Biblical view of what Christ accomplished on the cross. Listen as Pastor Nate Harlan teaches on the concept in our family study.
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God Working in You — Philippians 2:12‑13
God does all that pleases Him and it is God’s good pleasure to work in us. And the power that brought Christ from the grave is the same power at work in His people, despite our weakness, emotions, and sin. Hear Pastor Nate Harlan apply these truths to the Christian life.
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The Heidelberg Catechism — The Governmental View of the Atonement
In today’s family study, Pastor Nate Harlan works through another theory of the atonement: The Governmental Theory as taught by the Arminian jurist Hugo Grotius.
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The Glorification of the God-Man — Philippians 2:9‑11
Why did God exalt Christ? Jesus was not seeking glory for himself. He was already equal to the Father before suffering the humiliation of His incarnation. Instead, everything Christ did was for his people’s benefit. Listen to Pastor Nate Harlan’s encouraging sermon on the glorification of Jesus.
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Part Two: The Humiliation of Christ — Philippians 2:1‑11
How we live flows directly from how we believe. And one of the most important beliefs we have is the doctrine of Christ: Who is Jesus and what does that mean for us? Pastor Nate Harlan shows how important it is that Christ became a man just like us in every respect.
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The Heidelberg Catechism — Theories of the Atonement
As we consider the questions in the Heidelberg Catechism that concern the atonement, Pastor Nate Harlan ledas us through a conversation about theories about the atonement: Ransom Theory, Moral Influence Theory, and Penal Substitutional Atonement.
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Part One: Christ’s Example of Humility — Philippians 2:1‑11
John Calvin said that strife and vain-glory are the “two most dangerous pests for disturbing the peace of the Church.” How does the church battle these sins? By looking to Christ’s example of humility and striving for true unity.
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The Heidelberg Catechism — We Daily Increase Our Debt
Pastor Nate Harlan leads the family study through Questions 12 and 13 of the Heidelberg Catechism, in which we affirm that we are all incapable of paying our debt to God and deserve the punishment of Hell.
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Standing Firm in One Spirit — Philippians 1:27‑30
Christians need courage for we live a life of conflict in a cosmic battle against the powers of darkness. But in this message by Pastor Nate Harlan, we hear that the secret to living a fearless life is to stand side by side in one spirit and with one mind with your brothers and sisters…
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To Live Is Christ, and To Die Is Gain — Philippians 1:19‑26
No one likes to think about dying. Death is loss and separation. But the Apostle Paul flips the narrative by saying death is gain because through it, he gains Christ. If we also see death as deliverance, we, like Paul, can live lives of fearlessness.
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The Heidelberg Catechism — Christ and His Inheritance
Pastor Nate Harlan and the Trinity family study take a short detour from the Heidelberg Catechism to consider the inheritance of Christ and the doctrine of Hell.
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Speak Without Fear — Philippians 1:12‑18
In our politically correct culture, where it is impolite to call out wickedness, Christians are tempted to be shamed into silence about the gospel. But the Apostle Paul says we don’t get to play it safe. We are called to be fearless in speaking the truth.
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The Heidelberg Catechism — Everlasting Punishment of Body and Soul
The study finishes up Question 11 of the Heidelberg Catechism which addresses God’s mercy and justice. But why is there a Hell? As Pastor Nate Harlan says, “There is a direct correllation between our appreciation of the work of Jesus and the severity of the punishment that we deserve.”