Sermons, Articles, and Other Things

This sermon was preached on 20/4/2014 I suppose that if there is one verse that highlights the contrast between the Bible’s view of life and what the opinion of the world is about how to live it is this verse. No one in the world would ever regard sadness as the road to gladness. If they had the ability, they would try and avoid sadness altogether and attempt to live a life in which sorrow was absent. But it is worth asking ourselves if we would like that kind of experience, a life without sadness and sorrow. Of course, Solomon here is commenting on the only kind of life we can have on this earth, or under the sun as he calls it. He is not asking us to want another form of life that is impossible for us to experience here on earth – the word for such an outlook is escapism. I would say the two options open to us here on earth are to have a life with sadness that does not include gladness or to have a life with sadness that does include gladness. The fact is, all of us are goin...

This sermon was preached on 13/4/2014 As we can see from the preceding verses, Jesus has been speaking about heaven, including the eventual arrival of his people there. In response to his statement that his band of disciples should know how to get there, Thomas speaks for them and indicates that he has not understood that Jesus was referring to heaven and therefore does not know how to get there. In reply, Jesus indicates that he is the way, the truth and the life. His reply also equates reaching with coming to the Father. There is a well-known summary of this verse found in Thomas a Kempis’ book, the Imitation of Christ : ‘ Without the way there is no going; without the truth there is no knowing; without the life there is no living. I am the way which thou must follow; the truth which thou must believe; the life for which thou must hope. I am the inviolable way; the infallible truth, the never-ending life. I am the straightest way; the sovereign truth; life true, life-bless...

In the previous sermon in this series we considered the communion that believers have with the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit, fellowship that is vertical as they ascend in a spiritual manner to meet with their God. Such communion is wonderful, but it is not the only kind of fellowship that believers can have. In addition they can, and should, have fellowship with one another on the horizontal level. A verse that describes such interaction is Acts 2:42: ‘And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.’ What had happened that caused such a display of togetherness? The preaching of the gospel by the apostles had been blessed in Jerusalem and large numbers had been converted. Many of these converts were from other countries and eventually they would have returned home. It is not possible to know if any of them are included in the description of church life given in Acts 2:42, although the presence of such...

In this verse, Solomon stresses two things that are better than what most people would regard as very valuable. The two valuable things are precious ointment and the day of one’s birth. The two better things are a good name and the last day of one’s life. In other words, Solomon says that it matters how you live and it matters how you die. So we can explore these two better things and see what he has in mind about them. A good name Often when we want to show that a thing is better we will contrast it with something bad or something that everyone regards as inferior. Seldom will we risk comparing it with something good and valuable, yet that is what Solomon does here when he contrasts a good name with precious ointment or rich perfume. In Proverbs he says that a good name is better than riches. Why does he contrast ointment with a good name? What was precious ointment a sign of? It could be a sign of wealth because only the rich could afford to buy it. Or it could be a si...