Sermons, Articles, and Other Things

This sermon was preached on 13/5/2012 Sometimes the church of Jesus Christ has periods of persecution and at other times it has periods of popularity. In Acts 9 a period of opposition comes to an end with the conversion of Saul of Tarsus and a period of popularity begins. We can see the popularity described in verses 35 and 42. One feature that marked the period of popularity was spiritual power and I would suggest that is what Luke is stressing in these verses. Some aspects of the power were limited to the people at that time whereas other aspects should mark the church at every stage. It is at this point in his story that Luke returns to what Peter was doing for Jesus. Luke gives a beautiful description of the spiritual environment in which Peter laboured for Jesus in verse 31. He says that the church was healthy (it was being built up and growing in stature as well as in numbers). Two details are highlighted: they walked in the fear of God and they enjoyed the comfort of the...

So the unexpected day came in the small town in Judea where Zechariah and Elizabeth, the devout old couple, lived and she gave birth to a son. It was unexpected for many of the neighbours because Elizabeth had not advertised the fact that she was expecting a child. They may not have believed her in any case, even if she had told them. We can imagine what they would have said if she had. No doubt, some would have suggested she was losing the plot. But once the baby was born, it was public news and others could get involved. Perception on life It is not surprising that Luke informs us that Elizabeth’s neighbours and relations shared her joy at the birth of John. But it is interesting how Luke describes the birth – he says it was an act of great mercy by the Lord on behalf of Elizabeth. We might prefer to call it a great miracle, which undoubtedly it was. Yet there is something noteworthy in looking at the birth as an expression of divine mercy. Firstly, divine mercy is a ...

This sermon was preached on 22/4/2012 The Gospel writer who tells us about the father of John is Luke who tells us that his name was Zechariah, and that he and his wife Elisabeth were aged and childless. Further he informs us that Zechariah was a priest of the line of Abijah. Zechariah was a devout man, careful to walk in the Lord’s commandments. It is important to note that he was a good man in an evil time. Luke points out that evil Herod was on the throne and we know from the Gospels that evil practices were prominent both in the Jewish and the Gentile worlds at that time. Yet similar to how God had a remnant of faithful people in the days of Elijah, so he had them in these days as well. The circumstances he was in The first detail to note about Zechariah is that he was an old man who wanted to serve the Lord. I suppose he could have opted out of this activity in Jerusalem because of his age, and no-one would have found fault with him. Instead they would have acknowled...

There is only one person called Elizabeth in the Bible and her story is told in different stages by Luke in the first chapter of his Gospel. He begins with her marriage to Zechariah the priest (1:5-7), perhaps several decades before; then he describes the conception of John (1:24-25); third, he recounts the visit of Mary (1:39-45); and fourth he tells about the birth of John (1:57-61). What makes the story of Elizabeth important is her connection to Jesus Christ. 1. Her background revealed In the first passage, Luke mentions three details about Elisabeth. He refers to her family tree, to her husband, and to her character. Perhaps we may be puzzled as to why Luke tells us about her ancestry when he identifies her as a daughter of Aaron. I would suggest that this indicates she treated with respect the faith of her forefathers and was therefore careful to preserve that faith, which she did by marrying a priest, also a descendant of Aaron. She had the eye of her soul on covenant bless...