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James 2:14-26 – Is your faith in good working order? – sermon notes

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We ensure that our cars, our central heating boilers, and our teeth are in a healthy condition.

But what about your faith?  Is your faith in good working order?

What do we mean by ‘faith’?

  • The sceptical view. Dawkins: ‘Faith is belief in spite of, even perhaps because of, the lack of evidence.’
  • The popular view. In the movie Miracle on 34th Street, Santa Claus says: “Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to.”
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Radical faith – sermon notes

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Text: Romans 4

There is much concern about ‘radical’ religion these days.  But what does radical Christianity look like?

Previously (3:21-31): humanity’s perilous plight – ‘all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’, v23; God’s drastic solution, v24f – ‘God presented Christ Jesus as sacrifice of atonement’; and the means by which we experience this: v28 – ’a person is justified by faith apart from observing the law.’

Justification by faith is

1.

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BBC’s ‘The Ark’ – better than the cute animals version

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Last night, the BBC screened its 90-minute drama ‘The Ark’.

It was a re-telling, by Tony Jordan, of the celebrated biblical story of Noah (variations of which circulated in other ancient cultures).

Those who confuse the ‘traditional’ children’s version of this story with the biblical version complain that we don’t get to see the animals go into the ark.  I was surprised to see Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali being (mis?)quoted as seemingly objecting to the animals being ‘banned’ from the ark in this film.…

The church and the glory of God

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In relation to the church, the glory of God in Christ,

  1. is still seen and reflected by the church, 2 Cor 4:3-6
  2. is the glory of the new covenant, 2 Cor 3:7-11
  3. is shared both now, 1 Pet 4:14, and hereafter, Rom 8:18 by those who suffer with Christ
  4. is to be manifested by the church, as she witnesses to God, Rom 15:9, shows his deeds, Acts 4:21, practices holy living, 1 Cor 6:20, and honours Christ, Rom 16:27.
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Why preachers cannot ignore the New Perspective on Paul

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To talk of a ‘New Perspective on Paul’ (NPP) is to imply that there is an ‘Old Perspective’ that has now come under scrutiny.

It might be tempting to respond by saying, “A curse on both your houses! I shall ignore them both and simply read and preach the text itself.”

An understandable aim, no doubt, but one that would be unwise to attempt, and impossible to achieve.

Unwise to attempt, because we would then be elevating what we think the Holy Spirit is telling us about what God’s word means, above what others, possibly more insightful than us, think he has told them.…

The law in Romans

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According to Paul’s letter to the Romans, God’s law

  1. reveals sin, Rom 3:20.
  2. incites sin, Rom 5:20; 7:8.
  3. “law brings wrath” Rom 4:15.
  4. is provisional and temporary, Rom 7:1–3; 1 Cor 7:39.
  5. is “spiritual” and of divine origin, Rom 7:14.
  6. is fulfilled by the indwelling of the Spirit in believers Rom 8:4; Gal. 5:16.

See James Edwards: Romans (UBCS)…

Praying with right motives

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‘When we pray for things pertaining to this life, we must desire temporal things for spiritual ends; we must desire these things to be as helps in our journey to heaven. If we pray for health, it must be that we may improve this talent of health for God’s glory, and may be fitter for his service; if we pray for a competency of estate, it must be for a holy end, that we may be kept from the temptations which poverty usually exposes to, and that we may be in a better capacity to sow the golden seeds of charity, and relieve such as are in want.…

Idolatry today

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The word ‘idolatry’ has a remote, archaic, feel to it.  Ancient people, and primitive people, are idolatrous, aren’t they.  But us…?  The command ‘You shall have not other Gods before me’ (Exodus 20:3) seems to be quite irrelevant.

Tom Wright, in his recent book Surprised by Scripture, shows that idolatry is alive and well in our modern, supposedly secular, society.  The ancient gods are alive and kicking.

Today’s Western world hardly needs reminding about the place of Mammon, the worship of money, in our society.
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Toolbox for Skillful Shepherding

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Member Condition Spiritual Danger Proper Response Scriptural Support
Living fruitfully Failing to Continue Encourage; Praise 1 Thess 4:1; Phil 2:29
Lacking information Doctrinal Ignorance Teach; Instruct 1 Cor 12:1; 1 Thess 4:13; Acts 18:26
Needing to get moving Laziness; Neglect Exhort; Spur On; Urge Heb 5:11-12; 6:12; 10:24; 2 Cor 9:4-5
Suffering Trial Discouragement Comfort; Console 2 Cor 1:4; 7:6
Starting to Go Astray New Sin Pattern Warn; Correct; Admonish Titus 3:10; 1 Cor 4:14; Luke 9:54-55; Matt 16:23
Determined to Wander Habitual Sin Rebuke Rev 3:18-19; Titus 1:12-13; Gal 2:11
Stubborn Unrepentance Apostasy Excommunicate Matt 18:17; 1 Cor 5:5

Andrew M.…