Sermons, Articles, and Other Things

This sermon was preached on Sunday, 30/11/2009 This prophecy from Isaiah is one that is well-known and often used at this time of the year. Isaiah is predicting the coming of a great King, a prediction that we know concerns our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Perhaps the first detail that we observe is that Isaiah only mentions one name: he says of the King, that ‘his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’ This use of an enlarged name is similar to the way the Godhead is detailed by Jesus in the Great Commission: he says that his apostles are to baptise disciples ‘in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit’. With regard to the Trinity, there is only one God in three Persons; with regard to the predicted Messiah, here he has one name composed of four titles. The King’s name is similar to the way our own monarch is described; she has several names that reveal the extent of her power and the nature of her rule. In a far hig...

This sermon was preached on Sunday, 30/11/2009 Introduction The book of Jonah has been ridiculed by many because of its account of Jonah being swallowed by a great fish. Such an attitude does not believe in a God who can perform miracles. Further, it questions the mentality of Jesus Christ because he believed that a great fish had swallowed Jonah. Jonah is mentioned in one other place in the Old Testament (2 Kings 14:25). That reference informs us that he ministered during the reign of Jeroboam II (793-753 BC), a very prosperous time in Israel’s history when that king restored its captured territory and extended its control over the surrounding nations (it was the most prosperous time since the great days of Solomon). The prophecy of Amos describes the moral state of Israel during this time of national prosperity In Amos 2:6-8, for example, the prophet complains of injustice, immorality and idolatry. Jonah was from Gath-hepher, a village three miles north of Nazareth in Galile...

This sermon was preached on Sunday, 30/11/2009 This chapter has been interpreted by liberal scholars as a myth, primarily because they say it gives the impression that a snake could talk to a human about God. I will not give you the reasons for their opinion, except to say that they lower the content of the passage to the level of pagan mythology. In this sermon I want to focus on the verses that deal with the creature called ‘the serpent’ in verse 1 and see what the passage as a whole says about him. The status of ‘the serpent’ There are different interpretations among Reformed commentators of what is meant by the term, ‘the serpent.’ Robert Candlish, for example, says that what is happening here is that it was not a literal serpent, but the devil in the form of a serpent, and that the devil took this form because the literal serpent was a subtle creature. A slightly different suggestion is made by James Boice. He suggests that this creature, before it was cursed, stood uprig...

This sermon was preached on 27/11/2009 In this chapter Paul continues describing the benefits and responsibilities that come from having the Spirit. We need to bear in mind that Romans 8 is Paul’s answer to the question he raised in Romans 7 about deliverance from the power of sin. He does not mean that Romans 8 replaces Romans 7, as if a Christian ever got beyond being aware of his sin. But he is saying that the Christian needs to be aware of the teaching of Romans 8 in order to make sense of his awareness of sin. Designations of the Spirit Paul uses in these verses two titles of the Holy Spirit: the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ. These indicate that he has been sent by both the Father and the Son. It is difficult for us to work out what the role of the Spirit was before the coming of Christ. No doubt he regenerated God’s people, giving them spiritual life. He also came upon individuals such as the prophets to use them in giving inspired messages for their audiences. Further,...

This sermon was preached on Sunday 1st November, 2009 This saying is the last of the seven sayings of Jesus on the cross and was said immediately after the sixth saying, ‘It is finished.’ Indeed, the final three sayings follow rapidly one another. 1. The importance of final words The final words of dying people are of interest to their families, and if they were famous people they are of interest to others. In the New Testament we have recorded the dying words of Stephen: ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ And when he had said this, he fell asleep (Acts 7:59-60). Martin Luther, the great Reformer, died repeating the words of John 3:16. Samuel Rutherford’s dying words are famous: ‘Glory, glory, dwelleth in Immanuel’s land.’ Of course, not all of God’s people die so triumphantly. Many died repeating the prayer of the tax-collector, ‘Lord, be merciful to me a sinner.’ And some go to sleep in ...

This sermon was preached on Sunday, 1st November, 2009 Some liberal scholars argue that there are two different creation accounts, one in Genesis 1 and the other in Genesis 2. In a strange way, they seem unable to appreciate that an author can give two perspectives of the same event. The account in Genesis 1 is in summary form; the work of each day is presented in that manner. Genesis 2 is concerned with the sixth day, with what God did after he created Adam. The passage mentions a series of divine actions: the formation of a garden, the instructions about Adam’s role in the garden, the naming of the animals, and the provision of Eve. There is also a different name used for God in this passage. In Genesis 1 Moses used the general divine title, God; in Genesis 2 he combines that general title with the personal name, Yahweh, translated as LORD God. In verse 5, there is a reminder that all that was in the earth appeared by God’s word; their existence did not depend on other natural ...

This sermon was preached on Sunday 1st November 2009 The words, ‘It is finished!’, are actually only one word in the Greek. Commenting on this, C. H. Spurgeon said that it ‘would require all the other words that were ever spoken, or ever could be spoken, to explain this one word’. I suspect this is the greatest single word ever spoken by man. Jesus did not say, ‘I am finished,’ but ’It is finished!’ The difference between the personal pronouns ‘I’ and ‘It’ makes the difference between this cry being a cry of defeat and a cry of triumph. It is the same word that is translated ‘fulfilled’ in verse 28. The work that Jesus did at the cross was a success. Luke indicates that this cry was made with a loud voice. Krummacher suggests that Jesus previously asked for the drink so that his parched throat and mouth would be able to shout this saying. The words point to the reality that this saying of Jesus was a cry of triumph, of victory. ‘His shout of accomplishment was the cry for which creatio...