The ‘sluggard’ in the book of Proverbs is, writes Derek Kidner, a figure of tragi-comedy, with animal laziness, Prov 26:14 (a bad habit solidifying into a trait) and preposterous excuses, 26:13; 22:13. He speaks of, and to, the lazy in any and every age:-…
Acceptance by God is a matter of grace from beginning to end. This was the message that Paul himself had brought to these former pagans. And they had believed the message, received the Holy Spirit, entered into a living relationship with God in Christ. But some time later, some Jewish people had arrived at the Galatian churches saying, “Faith in Jesus Christ is fine; but in order to be accepted by God you must also be circumcised and observe the law of Moses.”…
The problem we have with the resurrection is the mirror-image of that experienced by the first disciples. It was a problem to them because it was all so new. It can be a problem to us because it is all so familiar.
Let’s try to see it from their point of view. Let’s imagine it is you and I trudging down that road that leads from Jerusalem to Emmaus.
As we walk, we reflect on the tragic events of the past few days. …
First and Last Things. Look at the first thing that Jesus said to his disciples, Mt 4:19. Look at the last thing he said to them, Mt 28:16-20. What is similar about these?…
[These are the notes of a sermon I preached at Holy Trinity, Norwich, in June 2007. It was one in a short series in which we sought to address some of the issues raised by Prof Richard Dawkins in his well-known book, The God Delusion. One or two people nearly fell off their seats when they heard what I had to say in the first 2 or 3 paragraphs. But I was just teasing, as you will see:-]
Manx Shearwater! …
Evangelicals these days tend to be particularly uptight about guidance. Anxiety is caused by: (a) uncertainty about how to get it; (b) fear of consequences of not getting it. The following notes are based on a chapter by J.I. Packer in Laid-Back Religion, 71-89:-
The desire for guidance is a mark of spiritual health.
The world has alternative sources of guidance: gurus, palmists, astrologers, clairvoyants, agony aunts, counsellors.
The fear of spiritual ruin through mistaking God’s guidance is unwarranted: it assumes that missing one point in God’s plan forever ruins the whole, leading to a permanently second-class Christian life.…
Universalism has become the new orthodoxy for many Christian thinkers and groups.
Yet Scripture teaches the reality, certainty, and justice of hell as a state of eternal punishment for the wicked.
What of those who lack a living faith in Jesus as saviour from the punishment of hell? What about those who never had an opportunity to hear or to respond to the gospel? Here’s a summary of J.I. Packer’s discussion:-
Christians have given a variety of answers:-
Isaiah 53:11 expresses more clearly than any other in the poem the transition from suffering to glory of the Servant. Cf Lk 24:26-27; “Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 1 Pet 1:11 ‘…the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.’
Lit. ‘After the suffering of his soul he will see and be satisfied.’ Cf Psa 17:15, ‘And I–in righteousness I will see your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.’…
I was asked to lead an ‘away day’ on this subject for the good people of Wymondham Methodist Church in late 2006. Here is the Powerpoint presentation:-
‘Sow an act and you reap a habit. Sow a habit and you reap a character. Sow a character and you reap a destiny.’ – Charles Reade
He is rich or poor according to what he is, not according to what he has. – Henry Ward Beecher
A man never discloses his own character so clearly as when he describes another’s. – Johann Paul Friedrich Richter…
