Sermons, Articles, and Other Things

In the previous set of verses, Paul had reminded the Philippians of the importance of living in a manner suitable for representatives of the heavenly city as they contact those outside the church. Now, in the next section, he challenges them as to how they live within the church and how they should interact with one another and bring him great joy. The   beauty   of unity   What does one say to a healthy church ? We may imagine it would be easier to say nothing apart from commending them for what they had.   Or maybe we could do what Paul does here, which is to   list   the features he would like to see .    What ideas come to our mind as we look at   the four items   listed by Paul? We could suggest that Paul was looking for balance   in the way they lived, that he wanted them to be a blessing to others, that he wanted them to   engage in expressions of brotherly love , and that overall he wanted them to be marked by ...

Prophecy has a fascination for people and that was the case with the four disciples of Jesus mentioned here. On this occasion, they were intrigued by what Jesus had said about the destruction of the temple. So they asked him when that would happen and what would be the sign of his second coming. Their questions indicted that they had now accepted that he would have a future coming that would affect the world, even although they still did not fully understand what was yet to happen to him in the next few days – his death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead.   Jesus answered their questions, but also provided other information. We can see from the length of his reply that Jesus regarded the questions as very important. His answer extends to the close of chapter 25 and includes several parables that highlight individual responsibilities in light of the Day of Judgement. Chapter 24 is more concerned with literal occasions and events connected to his return, although it a...

The period in which Malachi lived and ministered is roughly the same time as Nehemiah was working to rebuild the ruined city of Jerusalem. Therefore, it is useful for us to read the books of Nehemiah and Malachi together because they will give us a bigger picture of the problems that each faced and the messages that God sent to his people at that time.   The provision of a politician (Nehemiah) and a prophet (Malachi) is also a reminder to us of God’s grace to his people in that he caters for all that is necessary for spiritual restoration to occur. This grace of God is further enhanced when we realise that there had been another attempt at restoration a couple of decades before through the work of Ezra and Zechariah the prophet. Malachi describes his message as a burden given to him by the Lord. In calling it a burden, the prophet is saying that he did not find his message an easy thing to bear. Just as we are aware when we are carrying a load, so Malachi was aware of this we...

Having dealt with the various questions that were asked by the Pharisees and other groups, and also in asking a question to them about his own identity, Jesus now warns the crowds and his disciples about the Pharisees. Why would he have done so? Here is one suggestion. He could have warned the crowds because they were being deceived by the Pharisees and he could have warned his disciples of the danger about becoming like the Pharisees. The Pharisees Literally, the Pharisees were the separated ones and regarded themselves as the guardians of the laws given to Israel through Moses and how they should be interpreted and practised. They were highly regarded by the people in general because they seemed to be so devout and filled with a desire to honour God. They lived very strict lives according to their own rules. Yet we know that Jesus did not give to them a place in his kingdom. This is his longest condemnation of the Pharisees. What does he say? When the Pharisees speak the tru...