Sermons, Articles, and Other Things

The previous section in Micah describes a time of trouble for Israel, culminating in an experience of humiliation for their king when a conqueror would show his contempt for the king by smiting him on his face with a rod. Such an action showed the utter weakness, the complete powerlessness and inability of the king of Israel. One obvious feature is that he would be unable to deliver his people.    If that was all that Micah had to say, then there would not be any hope for Israel. The collapse of the monarchy in this way would lead to the demise of the nation. There would be no national future. Instead they would be numbered in the list of conquered peoples that can be found in history books.  Yet Micah did not stop with his message of judgement and humiliation. Instead, he went on to describe a very bright future for God’s kingdom. But he cautioned it would have this recovery and prosperity at a time when another king would come, and there would be unusual features about ...

The book of Isaiah contains numerous prophecies about Jesus, both about his birth and his death, but also about many other details connected to his life and work. I have never seen a book that classified them all, although someone is bound to have done so. It is a very profitable task to go through the book of the evangelical prophet and take note of the many amazing things he says about Jesus. And among them is the set of verses from Isaiah 9 describing great blessings that would come to Gentiles after he was born.   His arrival Isaiah says three things in this section of the verse. Two of them are about Jesus and one is about the recipients, the ones called ‘us’. What is said about Jesus? Isaiah says that he is a child born  for  us and he is a son given  to  us. We can see that he is born to be a king, and as a king he is the son given to us. How can he be both  for  us and given  to  us? Obviously, the Father is the one who has given his ...

Why did Jesus redeem and cleanse his people? Several answers could be given to that question, such as he loved them eternally, that he was sent by the Father to redeem them, and that he wanted them to be with him forever. Another answer is that he wanted them to live devoted lives for the glory of God, and Paul has this answer in mind when he says to Titus that the Christians in Crete, who had been converted recently, should be zealous for good works. Of course, there are certain qualifications that must be made regarding zeal. It is obvious that merely being zealous by itself could be dangerous. There must be both right motives and right goals in doing whatever we are zealous about. Therefore, we must concentrate on what is right and Paul here says that what we should be zealous about is good works. He does not mean only acts of charity, which is how the term ‘good works’ is often used today. Good works are the opposite of sinful activities.    Definitions of Christian z...

This section of the psalm describes how the psalmist coped with an affliction (v. 50), probably connected to derision received from those he describes as the indolent (v. 51).    How to pray (v. 49)   ‘Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope.’   It is good to know how to pray. The Bible shows how to do so in many ways, and we have one such method in verse 49. We can see from the section the value of memory – indeed he asks God to remember a word he gave to the psalmist in the past. This does not mean that God has forgotten what had taken place at that time.   As he brings the matter to God, the psalmist shows us how to approach the Lord. Obviously, we have to do so humbly. Whoever the psalmist was, he is content to see himself as a lowly servant. But he also knows that he is God’s servant who has known divine blessing in the past. Since God does not change, and since his word does not change, the psalmist realises that he can remind Go...

Sometimes we discover a person is much greater than we actually thought when we first saw that individual. The subsequent discovery of his dignity not only changed our estimation of his person, but also enabled us to assess his previous activities in a new light. This can happen in the world of business when a person from a poor background becomes wealthy and uses his wealth for the benefit of others; it can happen in the world of sport when a person with little advantage becomes a champion and reveals the steps he took to become as competent as he did.   There are different ways of considering the greatness of Jesus. We can start with his eternal dignity and work forwards and recognise that who he is gives authenticity and quality to his life on earth. Or we can begin with his second coming and look back and realise that his glory which will be revealed when he returns is connected to what happened when he was crucified, when he redeemed and purified his people. And becoming aware...