Sermons, Articles, and Other Things

In the previous section (2:1-12), Paul had been rehearsing the manner in which his gospel team had worked in Thessalonica, all with the aim of his listeners coming to serve God in a manner worthy of him. Now he proceeds to state how that aim had been realised in these Thessalonians, and in what way he and his colleagues Silas and Timothy responded to the changed life of the Thessalonians. Thankfulness Paul returns to the theme of thanksgiving in verse 13. He has just described the way that he and his colleagues had served God during the few weeks they were in Thessalonica. Their time there had been very successful, yet it is important to see that they acknowledged that the success in winning converts was due to God alone. Faithfulness to God in Thessalonica required that they lived holy lives there as they served him; faithfulness to God after Thessalonica required that they freely and thankfully confess that all the praise must be given to God alone. This is the secret of ongoing ...

The details of this chapter are very important from the point of view of biblical revelation because they detail what could be described as ‘A New Beginning’. Before we look at some details of this new beginning, I want to make some brief comments on the sin of Noah that is detailed in this chapter. We are familiar with the command that Oliver Cromwell gave to the artist that was painting his portrait: ‘Warts and all.’ Noah is a biblical hero, but the biblical writer does not hide his failings. God wants us to notice this and take warning from it. 1. Lessons from the sin of Noah The most obvious lesson from this incident is that previous grace does not prevent future failure. We see Noah falling into sin. He is an example that experiencing great blessing from God, of performing a crucial role in the development of his purposes, does not ensure that such recipients and role-players will not fall into sin. ‘Sometimes those who, with watchfulness and resolution, have, by the grace of ...

This sermon was preached on 24/1/2010 Paul, in this passage, recollects what took place when he and his colleagues (Silas and Timothy) came to Thessalonica. He describes the atmosphere they found in the city, the attitudes and actions engaged in by the three men, and the aims they had for those in Thessalonica who listened to their message. The atmosphere in the city In verses 1 and 2, Paul reminds his readers that there was a hostile response to the gospel. This hostility was not a new experience for Paul; in fact, they had gone through a similar one in the previous location they had visited – Philippi. The record in Acts 17 states the source of the hostility in Thessalonica – the Jews. But the account reveals that others became involved, including the rough element among the inhabitants and eventually the civil government. The intention of those behind the hostile response was to hinder, indeed stop, the spread of the gospel. Perhaps they thought that such actions would fri...

This sermon was preached on 24/1/2100 In our studies in Genesis we have noted several details that should help us understand why things are the way they are today. While Genesis 1–11 contains historical details it is not a record of history in the usual sense of that term. Rather it is a record of spiritual events that we need to know in order to make sense of life in God’s world. We have seen that God created the world as a location for humans to exhibit what it meant for them to be made in the image of God. Sadly, through the temptation of Satan, the first human pair rebelled against God and brought about a change in themselves, their environment and their descendants. They became sinful, their environment was cursed, and their descendants would all be sinners subject to death. Nevertheless, the Lord, in his mercy, informed Adam and Eve that Satan would be defeated by one of their descendants called ‘The Seed of the Woman’. Very quickly, the effects of sin were seen, climaxin...

This sermon was preached on 24/1/2010 The calls described in this section are not the conversions of Peter, Andrew, James and John. Peter, Andrew and John had already met Jesus in Judea, shortly after he was baptised by John the Baptist. Andrew and John had spent an evening with Jesus and such was their discovery that they went and told their brothers that they had found the Messiah. They had spent some time with Jesus, as recorded in John 1–4 before returning to Galilee. Jesus had engaged in a preaching throughout Galilee since then, but it looks as if his initial disciples returned to their families and occupations. So this is not their conversions, but their calls to Christian service. Right away we can see a very important principle of Christian service – a person cannot serve Jesus properly until he or she has been converted. This requirement should be obvious because we know that before a person trusts in Jesus he or she does not live by faith in Jesus. Before such can serv...

This sermon was preached on 17/1/2010 The report that Paul and Silas received from Timothy gladdened their hearts. His report focused not only on what he saw in Thessalonica, but also on what he had been told about the activities of the Thessalonian church as he passed through various communities. Timothy had discovered that the gospel had spread throughout the country, even during the months that Paul and his colleagues had been concerned about what had happened to the church in Thessalonica. As we read this short description of the outreach of the Thessalonian church, we may not realise that Paul is describing an ideal aspect of church life – in this activity the Thessalonian church was a model one for all other Christian communities. Of course, since Paul applies their evangelistic endeavour in this way, he is telling all other churches that read his letter that they also should engage in similar spreading of the gospel. So it is important for us to ask this question. ‘What was...

This sermon was preached on 17/1/2010 Mark has already provided his readers with details about the ambassador of the King (John the Baptist) and about the arrival of the King (the baptism of Jesus and his forty days in the desert). One question that many readers would be asking is, ‘What would the King have to say once he arrived?’ Mark provides the answer to this question in verses 14 and 15: ‘Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’ Readers may assume that the events described in verse 14 comes immediately after those mentioned in the previous verses. Yet when we look at details recorded in the other Gospels, we will see that several months have passed. Mark chooses to ignore what took place during those months, and these incidents are recorded in John 2–4. So if we want to know what Jesus was doing during that period, we can read these...

This sermon was preached on 21/1/2010 At first glance at this verse, we could conclude that Paul was a stranger to suffering when he said that it was not comparable to the glory that believers would experience. Yet we know that was not the case. In 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 he contrasts his experience to the false apostles who were influencing the church in Corinth and says: ‘Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one — I am talking like a madman — with far greater labours, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleeples...

This sermon was preached on 10/1/2010 It is common in Paul’s letters for him to follow his greeting with information about his prayers for this reader. Although his prayer here is depicted as thanksgiving, we should not imagine that his prayers for the Thessalonians were limited to gratitude. Thanksgiving is highlighted because of the wonderful report brought back to Paul and Silas by Timothy, but before they received the news they interceded for the church there. Of course, we should not separate the faithfulness of the Thessalonians from the prayers of Paul and his colleagues. Yet since this particular prayer is one of thanksgiving, we will make some comments about it as our first point. 1. The Thankful Prayer (vv. 2-3) As we noticed, the team in Corinth did more than send Timothy to Thessalonica – in addition they prayed for their friends there. We can admire their commitment, but we must do more than approve of it. The required response by us is imitation. We should have the ...