These are some of my favorite preacher/professors and they are all solid and highly regarded in Christian circles. Click the toggle to open for their bios and links to sermons.
Dr Kim Riddlebarger
Dr. Kim Riddlebarger is an author, podcaster, and blogger. He is pastor emeritus of Christ Reformed church in Anaheim (URCNA), and for over twenty-five years was a co-host of the White Horse Inn radio program and podcast. Kim has also served several terms as visiting professor of systematic theology at Westminster Seminary California.
***Mom note: Kim is outstanding and one of my very favorite preachers, but he’s very professorial. Great for background and context.
Colossians 1:1-2 “To the Saints and Faithful Brothers in Christ at Colossae”
Dr. Kim Riddlebarger, The 1st in a Series on Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, November 13, 2016
Colossians 1:3-14 “He Has Delivered Us”
Dr. Kim Riddlebarger, The 2nd in a Series on Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, November 20, 2016
Colossians 1:15-23 “The Image of the Invisible God”
Dr. Kim Riddlebarger, The 3rd in a Series on Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, November 27, 2016
Colossians 1:24-2:5 “Christ in You, the Hope of Glory”
Dr. Kim Riddlebarger, The 4th in a Series on Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, December 4, 2016
Colossians 2:6-15 “In Him”
Dr. Kim Riddlebarger, The 5th in a Series on Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, December 11, 2016
Colossians 2:16-23 “The Indulgence of the Flesh”
Dr. Kim Riddlebarger, The 6th in a Series on Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, February 5, 2017
Colossians 3:1-11 “Set Your Minds on Things That are Above”
Dr. Kim Riddlebarger, The 7th in a Series on Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, February 12, 2017
Colossians 3:12-17 “Let the Word of Christ Dwell in you Richly”
Dr. Kim Riddlebarger, The 8th in a Series on Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, February 26, 2017
Colossians 3:18:4:1 “From the Lord You Will Receive the Inheritance”
Dr. Kim Riddlebarger, The 9th in a Series on Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, March 5, 2017
Colossians 4:2-18 “Continue Steadfastly in Prayer”
Dr. Kim Riddlebarger, The 10th and Final in a Series on Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, March 12, 2017
Dr Kevin DeYoung
Kevin DeYoung is the senior pastor of Christ Covenant Church in Matthews, NC. He has been preaching full time since the age of 25, including thirteen years at University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan. He also serves as an associate professor of systematic theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte. Kevin enjoys reading and studying, and has authored more than twenty books. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and received his PhD in history at the University of Leicester, where he focused on one of America’s founders, the Scottish pastor and Princeton president, John Witherspoon.
***Mom note: I love KDY and he’s another one of my favorite preachers. Great mix of exegesis and application.
Colossians 1:15-20
That In Everything He Might Be Preeminent
Colossians 2:1-2:5
How to Help Hurting People
Colossians 4:12-13
Wrestling in Prayer
Alistair Begg, Truth For Life
Alistair Begg served two churches in his native Scotland before answering the call in 1983 to become senior pastor at Parkside Church in suburban Cleveland, OH. A graduate of the London School of Theology, he has written several books and is heard daily on the national radio program Truth For Life.
***Mom note: sweet sweet Alistair – he’s a Scottish hug in your ears. He is solid and a good exegete but his strength is common sense application with pastoral understanding. He’s preached extensively on Colossians and he’s so easy to listen to. You’ll find yourself pulling up his sermons as you go about your day, and that’s a good habit to get into!
Tip on navigating Truth For Life: go to the ESV Bible page (More > ESV Bible) and then choose a book and chapter of the Bible. Click on the Sermons tab for the list for that chapter, and the Series tab to see the full list. VERY helpful and easy to navigate once you know the trick.
Here are a few helpful facilitator resources:
- Four Types of Questions NOT to Ask in Your Small Group Bible Study, by Melissa Kruger (TGC article)
- Asking Better Questions in Small Group Discussions, by Melissa Kruger (TGC article, follow-up to above)
- Asking Better Questions (downloadable) – I share this a lot and keep a copy handy when I prepare.
- Attributes and Names of God, by me (one-page PDF download, a compilation of resources over the years)
Here are a few of the things I share with our facilitators:
Most passages either comfort, correct, or convict and often it’s a combination. It also teaches us about:
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- God’s character
- Our sinful nature
- Our need for Christ, and often how He perfectly obeyed or embodied whatever you studied.
Looking for that is a good habit to form and it can help keep the discussion on track.
When the discussion starts going off the rails I’ve found it helpful to say something like this:
“This is interesting, but we’re getting into the weeds a bit and we need to be mindful of our time. I’ll make a note and maybe we can circle back to it next week.”
Then summarize the main point and move on as you can.
If there’s a lag in the conversation and you’re nearing the end, this is a good question to bring the discussion to a close:
What have we learned about God in this passage?
The attributes and names PDF is handy for helping you think through some points, but this helps people get the hang of looking for God’s character in the passage and seeing their need for Christ and the Holy Spirit’s working in their lives. Once they start thinking in these terms it will be amazing the insights they have and how much more they’ll get out of the lesson!