Sermons, Articles, and Other Things

This sermon was preached on 27/9/2009 ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise’ (Luke 23:39-43) A lot of people were at Calvary that day who would not have written it in their diaries as a day to enjoy. The soldiers were there because they had work to do, the Jews were there because they had malice to show, the disciples were there because they had sorrow to bear, the crucified were there because higher powers had arranged for their deaths. It is on those who were crucified that we will focus, although we may mention the others. When I said that these three men were there by the arrangement of higher powers, I don’t mean that their deaths were authorised by the civil authorities. They were involved, and no doubt they imagined that they had arranged it, yet the higher power that arranged what was taking place was God. The primary reason why Jesus and the two criminals were on crosses was because God had arranged it. This is an important perspective for us to have, ...

This sermon was preached on 27/9/2009 The Conversion of Andrew (John 1:35-42) Many who are old enough can recall what they were doing when President Kennedy was assassinated. A more recent event which individuals can remember what they were doing when they heard about it is the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers on September 11, 2002. For what it is worth, I remember what I was doing when Margaret Thatcher announced her resignation – I was driving along a street in Edinburgh. These were events of public significance. But it is also the case that we can remember when certain things happened to us individually, and that was true of Andrew and his friend mentioned in our text, for they remembered the time of day when they met Jesus Christ. It was about 4 pm (the tenth hour). Four conversions are recorded in this chapter: Andrew was helped by a preacher (John the Baptist), Peter and Nathaniel were witnessed to by other disciples of Jesus, and Philip was found by Jesus without...

This sermon was preached on 20/9/2009 1 Prayer for Forgiveness (Luke 23:34) The cross of Jesus is the most important happening in human history. Yet when we look at the people who were there, we see that, initially at least, it did not affect them as it should have done. The soldiers were indifferent, the Jewish leaders were hostile, the crowd was antagonistic, the crucified criminals were spiteful, his friends were distraught. We will see various attitudes and responses by these different groups as we think about the events that took place at Calvary. Through the hours that Jesus was on the cross, some of the members of these groups began to think differently. Yet interesting as their reactions are, it is more important for us to understand what was going on in the mind of Jesus when he was on the cross. How can we discover what he was thinking? One way of doing so is by considering what he said when he was on the cross. In the Gospels are found seven sayings that Jesus uttered on the...

This sermon was preached on 20/9/2009. Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52) This incident took place towards the end of Jesus’ life on earth. He was on his way to Jerusalem and during the following week he would be arrested, tried, condemned to death and crucified. On this stage of his journey he was accompanied by a great crowd of people, most of whom would have been going to Jerusalem to keep the Passover, one of the annual feasts of Israel, which celebrated an important historical event, the Exodus from Egypt when their national life began centuries before. We can ask a fairly obvious question to begin with: why give this amount of detail about an individual most people would not have met and about whom we know nothing else? After all, it would have been accurate merely to say that Jesus, in his ministry, gave sight to the blind. Two answers can be given to this question. First, the account is a reminder that God is interested in all kinds of people – his love is not limited to th...

This sermon was preached on 17/9/2009 as part of a series on Romans 8. ‘There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’ (Rom. 8:1). As we begin a study of Romans 8, perhaps some of us are wondering why we are doing so. Obviously there are verses in the Bible that are more important doctrinally than other verses. Similarly there are verses that give more insight into practical Christian living than other verses. In addition to verses having such content, there are passages and chapters about which the same could be said. Most Christians know that Isaiah 53 is a chapter that gives great insight into the work of Jesus on the cross. They know also that the Sermon on the Mount contains important teachings on Christian living. Or they can read Revelation 2 and 3 to discover the ways by which Jesus assesses his church. Among such important chapters is included Romans 8. James Boice considered Romans 8 to be the greatest chapter in the Bible. John Murray wrote tha...

Sermon preached on 13th September 2009 as part of a communion season in congregation. We have enjoyed the communion season that concludes with this service. It has been like an oasis at which travellers through a desert are refreshed before continuing on their journey. The world through which we are travelling is often like a spiritual desert and we need oases where we receive spiritual encouragement. In a sense, every Sunday should be a spiritual oasis where we meet with God and receive from him. A communion season is like an enlarged oasis because we receive so much from God during it. There are many biblical passages which speak of spiritual refreshment and go on to give guidance as to how we can profit from it. One of the best known passages is Psalm 23. Although the psalm is known as the Shepherd Psalm, it is possible that there are three separate images used in it: the sheep and the heavenly Shepherd (vv. 1-2); the traveller and his heavenly Companion (vv. 3-4); the guest a...

Sermon preached on 11th September 2009 as part of a communion season in congregation. The prophet Zephaniah ministered in Judah during the days of King Josiah (1:1). Zephaniah had been born during the reign of Josiah’s grandfather, Manasseh, but in the amazing grace of God the future prophet had been reared in a godly line, perhaps even descending from King Hezekiah himself. This is a reminder to us that God is preparing his servants even in the darkest of times for future service in his kingdom. As we know, the days of Josiah were days of reformation and revival and it is possible to trace the influence of Zephaniah’s messages in the activities of the godly king. No doubt, these messages were of great encouragement to the king as he made his reforms. Yet, as was often the case in Israel’s history, the period of reform and recovery only lasted a short time and eventually the nation of Judah was banished by God into the Babylonian exile. Only a small remnant would be left in the land. T...

Sermon preached on 10th September 2009 as part of a communion season in congregation. It is not possible to say which period in his life is described by David in this psalm. What is clear is that he was going through a time of spiritual trouble, trouble so strong that it affected his body as well as his soul. There are similarities in his experience here and his spiritual state recorded in Psalm 32. Furthermore, his current spiritual decline is not only accompanied by physical distress; also he is going through various difficulties in providence that cause others to question his position and shun him in response. The psalmist is aware of his state, and also is sure of the basic reason why God is acting in a hostile manner towards him – the basis reason is failure to confess his sin. While we cannot say when David wrote the psalm, it is possible to deduce from its title why he wrote it. The ESV says that it was written for the memorial offering. As the psalmist of Israel and one o...