Sermons, Articles, and Other Things

The eleventh chapter of Hebrews is one of the best-known chapters in the Bible. It lists several Old Testament characters who lived by faith. Unexpectedly, the author does not begin with Adam and Eve in his list of names. In fact, the Bible says little about the lives of Adam and Eve after Genesis 4 (apart from how Adam was the covenant head of the human race ). The Bible says nothing about the eternal destiny of Adam and Eve, so it is not wise to insist either way about where they are. Where the Bible is silent, it is best for us to be silent as well. Having said that, this chapter says nothing about Seth, the replacement son that was given to Adam and Eve and who led the godly seed, nor it does not mention Phineas who was a loyal priest when the children of Israel were going through the wilderness, nor does it mention Othniel, who was a devout judge who led the Israelites after the death of Joshua. Absence from the list of names in Hebrews 11 is not in itself a sign of divine disappr...

The Lord Jesus has been describing life in a faithless church in the prosperous city of Laodicea in Asia Minor, and it makes sad reading for us when we consider the other New Testament references to it. How had that church begun? The church there was connected to the church in Colosse and was planted in the AD50s at the same time by Epaphras (Col. 2:2; 4:3) when Paul was living in Ephesus. In that letter, sent to the Colossians several years after the founding of the church, Paul reminded them that he was praying for the Laodiceans and he also indicates there that he had never met them (Col. 2:2) and had written a letter to them (Col. 4:17), a letter that has not survived. But things had declined over the next three decades in that church and life in it was now quite different from what it had been. Maybe none of the present church members were truly converted – after all, that problem was in some of the other seven churches that Jesus addressed. Yet the Lord of the church also desc...

‘As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.’ The Song of Solomon has been a precious book for the Lord’s people because of its wonderful portrayal of the love of Christ. In astonishing ways, it has led believers in their times of private meditation into the riches of fellowship and it has also when preached been a clear proof of the power of God’s Word to bring about living spiritual interaction with the exalted Saviour. Every passage in it has something precious to say to a hungry soul searching for Jesus as the bread and water of life and many believers have testified to profound experiences of spiritual enjoyment through this book. Hopefully, we can have such a time as we consider this verse. Communion In the verse previous to the one we are considering, the man encourages the woman by highlighting her distinctive identity in comparison with other ‘young women’. ...

There are three or four speakers in this psalm, depending on how one divides the contents. In verse 1, an individual describes a very secure place, that of living in the presence of God. In verse 2, another individual responds by stating that he intends to speak about his personal security to God. Then in verses 3-13, an individual, perhaps the first speaker, lists how God will protect the second speaker (note his use of the second person; we can see also from verse 9 that this speaker trusts in God); it is possible that this part of the psalm would have been sung by a temple official to a worshipper. Finally, in verses 14-16, God himself speaks about his ongoing commitment to help the speaker in verse 2. As we look at the structure of the psalm, we see a marvellous description of spiritual communion between two believers, a communion that God delights to share. The order is no doubt important – speak first to one another, and expect God in some way to take part, often in our cases...

‘And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.’ Paul’s letter to the Galatians is one of the earliest letters of the New Testament. He wrote it after a gathering of church representatives known as the Council of Jerusalem which had met to deal with a destructive issue that had arisen in the churches of Galatia, an issue that threatened the peace and growth of all churches at that time. Yet from one point of view, the issue was an attempt to answer a question that occurs in all periods of time. The question is, ‘How does a person live the Christian life?’ I wonder how we would answer that question. The answer given in Galatia, because of the influence of false teachers, was that in addition to faith in Jesus a true disciple had to keep the Jewish ceremonial law. Although answer is not likely from anyone today, answers like it happen. The answers involve faith in Jesus plus something else. We could have Jesus plus a li...