Sermons, Articles, and Other Things

This sermon was preached on 28/4/2013 In our previous study, we noted how one of the marks of modern society is restlessness and how this problem is handled by the author of Hebrews in this chapter. The answer to restlessness and unease is Jesus. In verses 12 and 13, we can that the author is dealing with another contemporary problem, the lack of truth. We live in a cosmetic age, in which the truth is hidden by all kinds of things. The term ‘ cosmetic ’ means superficial, and that is what a society becomes when it loses truth. One of the saddest features of postmodernity is its use of words to hide the truth. We call it ‘ spin ’ , but spinning is not limited to politicians. What our society needs is a source of truth, a source that will not only detail the truth in general, but which will also tell me the truth about myself. Here, our author tells us that the source of truth is here, the word of God. A great deal of discussion has taken place as to who or what...

This sermon was preached on 28/4/2013 It is obvious from a reading of 1 Corinthians that there were severe problems in the church in Corinth. One of the faults that marked them was the practice of some, if not all, of identifying themselves with prominent Christian leaders – Paul here mentions four claims that were common in Corinth. No doubt, there were various reasons for the people doing so. One reason was a preference for a particular style of preaching (Apollos seems to have been a powerful preacher) and another reason was closeness in time to the public ministry of Jesus (Cephas, or Peter, had been with Jesus from the onset of that period). Others followed Paul, no doubt because he had been instrumental in their conversion when he had planted and established a Christian church in the city (as described in Acts 18). Perhaps the group of believers we are most surprised at being corrected by Paul was those who claimed not to follow any human leader but instead said t...

This sermon was preached on 11/4/2013 Last week Mrs. Thatcher passed away. Whatever we think of her politics we are aware that her policies will influence our country, indeed the world, for years to come. From her perspective, she found Britain in an economic mess and had a vision on how to lead us out of it and restore our position in the world. Whether she did or not, we cannot say. But one thing we can say is that as a leader h er own limitations prevented her from achieving all of her goals (for example, she made mistakes in her assessments of things and misjudged the responses of people to her policies). Further her own followers eventually rebelled against her and so prevented her from achieving her aims. She was a leader who could have done more but was prevented from doing so by factors beyond her control. Yet she remains for many an example of effective leadership. But is she the kind of leader that the church needs? Throughout history, there have be...