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Hume and the question of miracles

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For many of today’s sceptics, David Hume clinched it: miracles don’t happen.  Miracles (if they occurred) would be violations of the laws of nature, and we know from experience that the laws of natures are not violated.

There are a number of problems with this argument, popular though it is.  For one thing, Hume was himself inconsistent regarding the ‘laws of nature’.  He argues elsewhere that even though we have observed the sun to rise every morning for thousands of years, we cannot infer that it will rise again tomorrow morning.…

Martin Luther King’s Dream

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Fifty years ago today (28th August, 1963) Martin Luther King, a Christian minister committed to non-discrimination and non-violence, led a march of 250,000 people, three-quarters of whom were African-American, to Washington DC.  There he shared his dream:-

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice and sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

…

Desiring Christ

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The Puritan John Flavel invites us to ask the following questions about our desires for Christ:-

‘Are they ARDENT? Has Christ the supreme place in our hearts? Do we esteem all things but dung that we may win Christ and be found in him?

Are they UNIVERSAL? Is everything about Christ desirable in our eyes? The hypocrite is for a divided Christ. The believer loves his government and his grace, his sovereignty and his mercy, his Lordship and his priesthood.…

The gospel is the story of Jesus

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Many Christians feel a tension between the teaching of Jesus in the Gospels and that of Paul in his Epistles.  The central theme of Jesus, it would appear, was ‘the kingdom of God’, and the main focus of Paul was ‘justification by faith’.  These themes are so different that any attempt to reconcile them seems futile.  We then allow Jesus and Paul to be set up in opposition to one another, and end taking sides in favour of one or the other.…

Eph 2:11-18 – From alienation to reconciliation – sermon notes

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In South Africa, Nelson Mandela lies in hospital on life support. While he does so, his family are feuding over his legacy and his money.

In Egypt, just one year after that country’s first democratic elections, its prime minister is in detention. The country is in turmoil, its population sharply divided between supporters of the ex-prime minister and those who forced him from office.

In Syria, more than 90,000 people have died in 2 years of conflict.…

Mt 27 – The Kingdom dies? – sermon notes

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(This was part of a series on the Kingdom of God.)

The theme of God’s kingdom is prominent in Matthew’s Gospel:-

1:1 – ‘the son of David’
2:2 – “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?”
3 – John and Jesus announce, ‘The kingdom of heaven has drawn near.’
5 – The kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor in spirit and to those who are persecuted.
6 – ‘Your kingdom come…Seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness.’…

50 Ways To Tweak Your Preaching

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Peter Mead has put together a collection of 50 ways in which preaching might helpfully be tweaked.  Here’s a summary, in a mixture of his words and mine:-

  1. Be mastered by one book of the Bible.
  2. Invite others into the preparation process.
  3. Use notes less.
  4. Focus more on the passage you are expositing; use fewer cross-references.
  5. Craft the main idea a bit more.
  6. Target relevance in your introduction.
  7. Use REF (review, encourage, finish) to conclude.
  8. Make sure your transitions are slow enough and clear enough so people can follow you.
…

H.E.L.P. in suffering

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In the light of a recent tragedy, Doug Wolter, pastor in Humbolt, Iowa, shared the following with his congregation as a simple giving real help to those who were hurting.  This is a summary.

H – Offer hope.  We may not be able to offer any explanation of why this has happened, but we can point to Jesus, who has uniquely entered into our pain and suffering.

E – Enter into the other person’s pain. …

Rev 6,7 – The Seven Seals – sermon notes

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Revelation has suffered at the hands of both its critics and its friends.

  • Understand that everything is symbolic
  • Realise that no one symbol paints the complete picture
  • Compare scripture with scripture
  • Appreciate its purpose:-

to strengthen God’s people, especially in times of adversity and persecution, and to reassure them of Christ’s ultimate victory and their ultimate safety.

Rev 4 – a vision of the throne

At the centre of the universe there is a throne. Our God reigns.…

The art of sermon application

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Ask any preacher what they think is the weakest part of their sermon, and ask any sermon hearer what aspect of preaching is in greatest need of improvement, and the answer is likely to be the same: application.

Indeed, it can seem so difficult to get from text to application that some preachers are tempted to give up on expository sermons and offer topical messages the seem to speak more directly to contemporary issues and to people’s felt needs.…