Sermons, Articles, and Other Things

This sermon was preached on 29/5/2011 Peter had denied his Master three times and had fled from the courtyard of Caiaphas weeping bitterly. Although we are not told where the apostle went, eventually he must have gone to where John was and that the women at the tomb knew about the location, otherwise they would have asked the angels where Peter was. Who were these women that came to the tomb early on the first day of the week? We can work out who some of them were by comparing the Gospel accounts. Mark mentions three women – Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome; Matthew mentions two of them – the two Marys; Luke tells us that Joanna and other women were there; and John focuses on the actions of Mary Magdalene. Both Mark and John stress a connection to Peter. Mark records the instruction of the angel to the women, that they should go and tell the disciples, including Peter, that Jesus was alive from the dead and that they would see him in Galilee. That two words ‘and P...

This sermon was preached on 15/5/2011 Some may wonder why Jesus did not go back to Bethany as he had done on previous evenings during this time in Jerusalem. The probable reason is that it was required by the Jewish ceremonial law that all participants in the Passover should live within the city boundaries during the time of the feast. This then raises the question as to why Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane. One answer is that he was a poor man, unable to pay the cost of staying in a house in the city, which may have been the case during previous visits there for the annual feasts, but unlikely on this occasion because he could have remained in the upper room where he had washed the feet of his disciples. Another suggestion is connected to the undisturbed location of the Garden of Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives. One can go to Jerusalem today and visit the suggested location and see some of the olive trees that were there at the time of Jesus. It was a place that ...

This sermon was preached on 12/5/2011 As we have seen in previous studies, Paul in this section of his letter is dealing with various aspects of the behaviour expected of the members of the new humanity composed of believers in Jesus Christ. The apostle has used the illustration of putting of and on clothes to depict the necessity of disposing of sinful attitudes and replacing them with godly ones. In addition, he has reminded the Colossians that their King provides an environment of peace within their hearts which has to be worked out as they interact with one another. And one way by which they do so is by using psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to teach and admonish one another. In verse 17, he further clarifies how this new life is worked out and gives two general features that must mark all that the Colossians say and do. The first feature is that all must be done ‘in the name of the Lord Jesus’ and the second feature is that all must be accompanied by ‘giving thanks to God the ...

This sermon was preached on 19/5/2011 As we have seen in recent studies, Paul has been describing life in the new humanity that has been formed through sinners believing the gospel. Paul has described three basic features of this new society – they wear the garment of love (expressed in different ways as mentioned by Paul), they enjoy the blessing of inner peace in their hearts (by submitting to the authority of Jesus), and they engage in mutual edification, often by singing together the inspired songs of scripture. Paul continues by dealing with a question that would have arisen in the minds of his readers, which is: ‘Paul, it is all very well to speak about a new humanity. But we are living in relationships connected to the old humanity, especially has exemplified in the basic feature of first-century life, that of households. How can we live as members of the new humanity in everyday life?’ So applies his teaching to the three areas of household life – husbands and wives,...

This sermon was preached on 15/5/2011 I suppose it was difficult for the person(s) who divided the books of the Bible into chapters always to find appropriate places to end a chapter. It looks to me as if 2:1-3 are dealing with similar matters as 1:22-25 because both sections deal with how people use the Word of God. Further both passages are concerned with brotherly relationships – the relationship begins because of new birth through the word of God and develops as each person continues to absorb the word of God. So it is possible to deduce that Peter here is stressing the necessity and centrality of the word of God in the lives of his people. The permanence of the Word of God In verses 24 and 25, Peter contrasts the important messages of humans with the message of the Word of God. Peter lived in a time when many ideas were circulating about life, and the vast majority of people would have been very surprised at his assessment of such ideas. The apostle did not expect them to last ...

This sermon was preached on 15/5/2011 Some may wonder why Jesus did not go back to Bethany as he had done on previous evenings during this time in Jerusalem. The probable reason is that it was required by the Jewish ceremonial law that all participants in the Passover should live within the city boundaries during the time of the feast. This then raises the question as to why Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane. One answer is that he was a poor man, unable to pay the cost of staying in a house in the city, which may have been the case during previous visits there for the annual feasts, but unlikely on this occasion because he could have remained in the upper room where he had washed the feet of his disciples. Another suggestion is connected to the undisturbed location of the Garden of Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives. One can go to Jerusalem today and visit the suggested location and see some of the olive trees that were there at the time of Jesus. It was a place that ...

This sermon was preached on 12/5/2011 As we have seen in previous studies, Paul in this section of his letter is dealing with various aspects of the behaviour expected of the members of the new humanity composed of believers in Jesus Christ. The apostle has used the illustration of putting of and on clothes to depict the necessity of disposing of sinful attitudes and replacing them with godly ones. In addition, he has reminded the Colossians that their King provides an environment of peace within their hearts which has to be worked out as they interact with one another. And one way by which they do so is by using psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to teach and admonish one another. In verse 17, he further clarifies how this new life is worked out and gives two general features that must mark all that the Colossians say and do. The first feature is that all must be done ‘in the name of the Lord Jesus’ and the second feature is that all must be accompanied by ‘giving thanks to God the F...