Sermons, Articles, and Other Things

This sermon was preached on 13/12/2009 Sometimes a job description can run to several pages and contain all kinds of details required by the employer. In contrast to such examples Jesus’ job description for his apostles is short and straightforward. Another contrast is the sameness of command that was given to each apostle – all were expected to fulfil what was demanded of them. It was not anticipated that one of them would pursue a different agenda from the others. Obviously there is a sense in which this commission was unique to the apostles. Unlike subsequent generations of Christians, the apostles were commanded to go literally into all the world. That expectation does not exist as far as Christian workers today are concerned. Even those who serve Christ in another country don’t usually travel all over the world spreading the faith. Of course, we are not surprised at this because the apostles were laying the foundation of the worldwide church. Today we focus more on local c...

This sermon was preached on 10/12/2009 We saw last time that one aspect of the leading of the Spirit is mortification of sin in the life of a Christian. This makes clear that the leading of the Spirit includes developing a life of holiness by putting to death the attitudes and actions of the sin still remaining within us. But mortification is not all that is meant by the leading of the Spirit and I want to consider some other aspects of the Spirit’s leading. (There is another aspect of the Spirit’s leading that I don’t intend to focus on in this address, and that is the witness of the Spirit which Paul mentions in the next verses. I plan to comment on this aspect in later sermons.) Before I do so, I would point out that Paul’s words indicate that this leading of the Spirit is a common experience of all God’s people. Paul makes this clear by linking the leading with membership of God’s family. There is no such person as a Christian who is not being led by the Spirit. This divine leadin...

This sermon was preached on 6/12/2009 As we read Genesis 3, we are not reading details of a myth that explains in picture language the origins of many of the features of human life. It is not an attempt by an astute observer to illustrate that these details were always part of human experience. Instead, in these verses we read of the effects of sin on our first parents. A sad list is provided of attitudes and outlooks, some of which were initial and others that have continued with us down to the present. In Genesis 3 we have the account of an event which changed everything about human life. The details describe the change in the relationship between God and his creatures, between his human creatures themselves, and between these creatures and their environment. The chapter tells us why we no longer live in Eden, with all its pleasures and delights. It tells us why we live in a world of problems, of frustrations, of disappointments and of fears. The details in the chapter are n...

This sermon was preached on 6/12/2009 The chapters in the Upper Room teaching are very important for Christians, not least because they are the final words of Jesus before he was arrested. In the main Jesus has been teaching his disciples about the various activities that the Father and the Spirit, along with his own actions, would perform on behalf of believers. As he comes toward a close, the Saviour highlights other aspects. In the verse we are going to consider, Jesus reminds his disciples of his great mission, of the stupendous undertaking that he agreed to fulfil. He voluntarily came forth from the Father into the world. This short sentence contains fullness of meaning. His words tell us who he is , that he was the eternal companion of the heavenly Father. Throughout the incalculable eras of eternity the Father and the Son loved in and delighted in one another. There is a marvellous verse in John 1:1, which says that the Word (Jesus) was face to face with God. As they lo...

This sermon was preached on 6/11/2009 In this verse, Isaiah has listed four titles of the future King who would yet appear as the Deliverer of his people. He would initially appear as a child, which may not have been regarded as unusual, although hints are given that he will come as someone’s son. Normally a royal line produced the next ruler, but in the case of Israel their royal line was no longer marked by possession of power. The coming Ruler would be a son, but the son of who? This would remain a mystery until he actually appeared when it was revealed that he was the actually the Son of God. The titles given to a monarch are intended to indicate his uniqueness. If he only had titles that his subjects also had, then it would be very difficult to identify his superiority. We have already considered one such unique title of King Jesus, that of the Wonderful Counsellor, the Ruler who does not need any advice from a group of select advisors, which of course shows that he is far s...

This sermon was preached on 5/12/2009 Our text is verses 14 to 16: ‘And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”’ In these words we have a remarkable insight into the heart of the Saviour. They reveal the priority that he had, what it was that was uppermost in his mind at the time. As we know, it was the evening when he would be arrested, but that arrest was not what occupied his heart. He was about to undergo the wrath of God when he would suffer on the cross, yet he wanted to spend the evening before this happened with his disciples. The desire of Christ The clear reality is that Jesus wants to be with his people. This has been the case throughout his existence, even before he came into the world. In heaven, before he came to earth, he looked forward to when he would become a man....

This sermon was preached on 3/12/2009 Paul comes to a logical conclusion regarding the various points he has been making so far in his explanation of how Christians are to deal with the inherent sinful tendencies of their hearts. He has explained to them that the indwelling Holy Spirit will enable them to keep God’s law, and that he will enable them to be spiritually-minded. Further, because of the work of Jesus in providing a righteousness that covers all the effects of sin in their lives, the Holy Spirit will never leave them, and not even death can bring about a separation. Because of these realities, he can make a logical conclusion that they do not have to live according to the sinful nature. Instead they have an obligation to serve the God who has delivered them from the penalty of sin and given them the Holy Spirit. Mortification is a p aramount activity of every Christian. The idea only specifically occurs twice in the New Testament, here and in Colossians 3:5, although in eac...