Sermons, Articles, and Other Things

When I was young, there used to be times when a preacher would come along and his messages would impress people and they would gather to listen to him, sometimes night after night. He seemed to address the hour, to call people to reflect on where they were, and call for a response. Then, after a while, he would go away. Did his words have a longterm effect? They always did have, although the effect might not always be positive. As Paul says, a sermon is either leading to life or leading to death. Something like that happened with Amos. He appeared with a message for Israel and they did not know how long he would stay. Yet his sermons would have longterm effects and indeed he was aware of that as he spoke to the Israelites in the passage we shall think about together. Our approach will be to consider under several headings what he said to them, and then focus on some applications to ourselves. Calling of witnesses to observe No doubt, we all like an innovative preacher who st...

We can see from the psalm that David was facing many problems. He does not indicate when he wrote it, although we can see from verse 10 that his parents were still alive. Not that they were much comfort to David at that moment because he says that they had forsaken him (the phrase could mean that David was supposing this possibility, and even if they did forsake him, he would still know God’s help). Perhaps this happened under pressure from Saul when he was hunting for David, because he does say that an army surrounded him (v. 3). Probably, the point of mentioning this detail about his parents is that David felt utterly alone.   What was the goodness that he wanted to see? We get an answer to that question in verse 4: ‘One thing have I asked of the  Lord ,   that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the  Lord   all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the  Lord and to enquire in his temple.’ The Lord was his hope in hi...

In this chapter we have either Amos’ application of his sermon recorded in the previous two chapters or another address that he gave to his listeners. Whichever it is does not really affect how we should understand what he says, because he is still addressing the same topic. In the verses we will focus on, there are three matters that we can consider. First, Amos mentions the consequence for the Israelites of having divine privileges (3:1-2); second, Amos uses a set of questions in order to get his listeners to think (3:3-6); and third, Amos describes his own ministry (3:7-8). Then we will consider some applications. The consequence of privilege (3:1-2) Amos reminds the people that the only reason for their current existence was that the Lord had redeemed their forefathers from slavery in Egypt. We are familiar with how he did so, sending ten plagues that eventually subdued Pharaoh and his hosts. Then he had parted the Red Sea in order for them to escape from the pursuing Egypti...

In this passage from the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is teaching his disciples about how they should live for him in difficult situations. In the context he is showing them how to deal with anxiety (v. 22ff.). Anxiety can be hard to avoid, and there are numerous reasons that can cause anxiety and worry. There is no doubt that anxiety has increased greatly throughout this time of pandemic. One reason for the anxiety is that no one can provide guaranteed blessings in the middle of the concern and at the end of the trouble. Apart from one person, that is, and he is Jesus.   Without really thinking about it, we often tell someone that they should not be worried, because words often can be easy to say. But Jesus never used pointless words. Indeed, all that he said about anxiety was based on his work on the cross when he purchased innumerable blessings for needy people. The description of believers In this verse, Jesus describes his disciples as a ‘little flock’. Why does he do so? ...

In the first two chapters of the book of Amos, we are given a list of judgements that God was going to bring on eight nations in what we call the Middle East. The messages begin Syria on the north of Israel, then Philistia and Tyre on the west of Israel, then Edom, Ammon and Moab to the east of Israel, before moving into Judah and Israel. There is no suggestion that Amos went to all those countries with a message for each. Instead he was providing information to God’s people in Israel why certain judgements were to fall on those countries.   At that time, the people of Israel had been divided into two kingdoms for about two hundred years. Both of those kingdoms are addressed by Amos. Judah is the Southern Kingdom and Israel is the Northern Kingdom. As we read these chapters, one way of appreciating them is to imagine that they are like a report on the evening news when it deals with what is happening in the surrounding area. We can imagine headings such as ‘Prophet Announced I...