Sermons, Articles, and Other Things

In verse 1 we are told when Micah ministered and about what he spoke. His ministry overlapped with that of Isaiah and the focus of his message concerned both the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah (there is no hint that he actually went to the northern kingdom of Israel, but issues concerning it were of interest because they belonged to the same people as Judah). The reigns of the three kings of Judah that he mentions covered a period of decline in national power and the Assyrian empire had become dominant. But the rise of Assyria did not diminish the power of God or his ability to rule the world in his providence. His messages came from God through visions (Micah saw them). Micah came from a small town about twenty-five miles from Jerusalem. This verse is an example of what the author of Hebrews says about the different ways by which God gave messages to his prophets to convey to their listeners. It is also a reminder that God can raise up spokesmen in days o...

What do we think Jesus would speak about to his disciples after he has told them that he is going to provide for all their needs in this life and also give eternal life to them in the next world? We don’t have to wonder what Jesus spoke about because we are told what he said by Luke. But while we don’t have to ask what he said, we could ask why he said what he did. Would it have something to do with Peter’s focus on the sacrifice that he and others had made for the kingdom? Could something be bigger than that sacrifice of some physical possessions? The resolve of Jesus As we look at the reminder that Jesus gave them, we can see, first of all, his focus on the Bible. Many things happened to Jesus at the time of his death that are not mentioned in the Old Testament. Some of those encounters were very good for the people who had them. Jesus would have known that they were going to happen, but he did not mention them here. He could have told the disciples that a man called Simon would he...

It would be true to say that Christians want to be filled with the Spirit. Many books have been written about the topic, and when we read them we find that there is a diversity of opinion about what us meant. Some say that the filling of the Spirit occurs when one is baptised in the Spirit, while others insist that they don’t happen at the same time, and even then there can be diverse opinions as to whether the filling is an emotional experience. The filling of the Spirit has been connected to several post-conversion experiences ranging from occasions of surrender to the will of God, perhaps at a conference for deepening the spiritual life, to moments of spiritual ecstasy when a person spoke in tongues or prophesied about a matter. It is possible to conclude from some biblical references to people such as Elisabeth when meeting Mary, Zechariah when stating that his son would be called John, and Peter at Pentecost being filled with the Spirit that the experience only comes occasionally....

There is an obvious contrast here between the rich ruler and the children in the previous section. For example, the disciples tried to hinder the children, but they did not try to stop the ruler. Jesus welcomed the parents and their children but while he loved the ruler he did not embrace him wholeheartedly but asked him very probing questions. Moreover, the children were obviously dependent on their parents whereas the ruler was capable of being independent of human help. The ruler (v. 18) Mark tells us that the ruler ran up to Jesus with his question, which indicates his eagerness at getting an answer. Having a man of such status in the community acknowledging the importance of Jesus would have been regarded as very important by the disciples because at that time they were keen on status. So far, there had been little sign that the ruling classes had time for Jesus. But here was a man who was different, or at least seemed to be. What does the ruler’s question say about him? First, ...

Ephesians 1:3-14 has been recognised as an amazing statement summarising important aspects of the divine work of salvation as the apostle Paul details activities connected to each of the persons of the Trinity. He mentions that the Father elected sinners and adopted them into his family, that the Son redeemed them and will share his inheritance with them, and that the Spirit is a seal for them as well as a foretaste or guarantee of what they will experience in the world to come. Paul describes the Holy Spirit in these verses as the promised Holy Spirit. What does the apostle have in mind by the word ‘promised’? More than one option can be suggested. One is that Paul is referring to the predictions of Jesus himself when he said that the heavenly Father had promised to give him the Holy Spirit so he could send the Spirit to his people on earth. We can read about that arrangement in what Jesus said in the upper room (John 13–16). Another option is that the coming of the Holy Spirit in a n...

We have seen Jesus say several surprising statements in this chapter of Luke. He has spoken of a widow pestering a judge and likened her persistence to prayer; he told a story of a Pharisee and a tax collector, in which the Pharisee was the bad guy, and the tax collector the good guy. In this next incident, he is not only going to say something different, but he is going to do the unexpected with regard to children. Unexpected at least by his disciples. The disciples would get it wrong in the next incident as well regarding what Jesus said to the rich young ruler. So it should comfort us when we misunderstand the Bible to know that the first disciples of Jesus had this experience quite often with regard to what Jesus said and did. John Calvin says of this incident involving the children: ‘This narrative is highly useful; for it shows that Christ receives not only those who, moved by holy desire and faith, freely approach to him, but those who are not yet of age to know how much they ne...

Who is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is a divine person, one of the three persons of the Trinity, as described in the well-known benediction which affirms that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit can be ours. The Holy Spirit possesses the same attributes as the Father and the Son. The three persons act in harmony together, although each of them has different roles. When is the Spirit first mentioned in the Bible? It used to be common to say that the first mention in the Bible of a topic gives insight into how we should understand it. I cannot say if that is always the case. If we consider the first mention of the Holy Spirit, we will see some important emphases. The Holy Spirit is first mentioned in the second verse of the first chapter of Genesis where he is likened to a bird hovering over her young, except that he is hovering or brooding over the waters that cover the earth.  Right away we can see that the Holy ...