Sermons, Articles, and Other Things

This sermon was preached on 29/3/2012 Great men sometimes live in the shadows. The shadow may be cast by a greater family member, and that was true of Aaron because he lived his great life under the shadow of Moses, the primary leader of the nation of Israel. Even Aaron’s high experiences, such as when he had fellowship in a wonderful way with the God of Israel (Exod. 24:1-11), was overshadowed by the more intimate experience that Moses was given at that time by the Lord (Exod. 24:12ff.). Or the shadow may be cast by a failure that is so big it is always there and again Aaron had this type of shadow ever since he had agreed to participate in the formation of the golden calf when his brother Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments from the Lord (Exod. 32). Yet although he lived in the shadows, he also lived a useful life, serving the Lord in a privileged and prominent position as the first High Priest of Israel, as one who was a type of the Great High Priest yet to ...

This sermon was preached on 11/3/2012 Time has moved on a couple of years from the time recorded in Daniel 9 when he prayed about the return of his people to Jerusalem and received an answer from God. In the situation in chapter 10 Daniel is with some friends near the River Tigris for a form of spiritual retreat. They have been fasting for three weeks and at the end of it Daniel experiences a divine visit (10:5-9), followed by angelic information about the current and future situation of his people (10:10-20). 1. The benefits of spiritual retreats The first item to note is that Daniel is participating in a form of spiritual retreat which has lasted for three weeks. This surely is a reminder to us that such a practice is very beneficial for our souls. The reasons for such an occasion will vary, and we will consider why Daniel was involved in one shortly. No doubt, the most common form of spiritual retreat is conferences and they can be very helpful for our souls in that...

This sermon was preached on 4/3/2012 Becoming a Christian (Romans 10:9-10) In this chapter, Paul first reveals his loving concern for his countrymen. It was his heart’s desire and prayer that they would be saved. The reason why he was so concerned was because they were pursuing a wrong path for salvation. He acknowledges that they are devout and determined, eager to be saved by God. But as long as they went on their selected path they would not be saved. What was their self-chosen path? It was to find salvation by keeping the commandments of God. Their mistake is a very common one. Many people think that the way to find favour with God is by obeying him. The range of their obedience can be very broad. They may engage in spiritual activities such as reading the Bible and praying and they may also do all kinds of good works for their neighbours. Obviously such behaviour is good, but it is not the way of salvation. It is possible to become a very religious person and n...

This sermon was preached on 4/3/2012 In the previous part of Daniel 9, we have the remarkable prayer offered to God by Daniel. It is an example of a prayer that was responded to immediately by God. It was not answered straightaway; the answer would come when the details mentioned in verses 24-27 would be fulfilled. What happens in this section of Daniel 9 is that he is given assurance that his prayer has been heard. There are three details that I want to highlight about this divine response. First, it is obvious that this type of divine response is not given to everyone, which raises the question as to why this is the case. One answer is that God only gives it as he sees fit, which is true, but this explanation can be given in such a way as to make God seem arbitrary. We can almost use this explanation as an excuse for not having another reason as to why all don’t receive it. I would suggest that the reason for this divine response is found in the description given of Daniel by...

This sermon was preached at a baptismal service on 4/3/2012 Was baptism significant in the life of Saul of Tarsus? There are significant events in Paul's life. Which one had great significance for us? Was it his experience on the Damascus Road when the risen Saviour stopped him in his journey to arrest Christians? Or was it when he was caught up to the third heavens and saw and heard matters that he could not reveal? Or was it when he was imprisoned in Rome and had the opportunity to write letters now found in our New Testament? Or was it when he died a martyr’s death outside Rome and went to heaven?  Perhaps we should rephrase the question and ask, ‘What was the event in the life of Saul that has brought most benefits to the church of Jesus Christ, including ourselves?’ Which event had to take place before he would be accepted as a preacher or as a writer of Scripture? His conversion, although very important for himself personally, would not have benefitted us to a gre...