Author Archives: admin

Mary and Jesus: mother and son

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Murray Harris (Navigating Tough Texts, p75f) points out that Jesus speaks directly to Mary, his mother, on just three recorded occasions:

Lk 2:48f – ‘His mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously.” 2:49 But he replied [to them], “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?”’

Jn 2:3f – ‘When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no wine left.”…

The reality of angels

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‘It is not only Christians, Jews and Muslims who believe in angels. Pagans have believed in them as well. Aristotle, for example, argued that there are immaterial beings responsible for the motion of the heavens (see Metaphysics 12:8), and Plotinus said that there are “guardian spirits” (see Enneads 3:4). Why has it seemed to so many, whatever their religious convictions (or lack of them), that the class of intelligent beings is not exhausted by us humans: that there ought to exist intelligences “other” and “higher” than our own?…

Mt 21:18–22; Mk 11:12–14, 20–25 – Why did Jesus curse the fig tree?

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Mt 21:18 Now early in the morning, as he returned to the city, he was hungry. 21:19 After noticing a fig tree by the road he went to it, but found nothing on it except leaves. He said to it, “Never again will there be fruit from you!” And the fig tree withered at once. 21:20 When the disciples saw it they were amazed, saying, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” 21:21 Jesus answered them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.…

Ryle on encouragements to prayer

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God has provided us with powerful encouragements to prayer (writes J.C. Ryle in Practical Religion).

I summarise.

  1. We have a way opened up for us by Jesus Christ.  ‘The name of Jesus is a never-failing passport to our prayers. In that name a man may draw near to God with boldness, and ask with confidence. God has engaged to hear him.’
  2. We have an advocate and intercessor presenting out prayers to the throne of grace. 
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The spirituality of Colossians

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Here are thirty lessons on spirituality, drawn from Peter Adam’s study of Colossians:

  1. Spirituality is not for the elite, but for all.  It is for ‘the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ, Col 1:2.
  2. Authentic Christianity is marked by faith, love and hope, Col 1:4f.
  3. Faith, love and hope are the fruit of the gospel, Col 1:6.
  4. We honour those who bring this message to us, Col 1:7.
  5. Unceasing, thankful prayer is fundamental to true spirituality. 
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Preach like Jesus

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I have returned, from time to time, to the question of what the preacher can learn from the greatest teacher of them all.

Mark Stibbe explores this in his chapter ‘Learning from Jesus’ in Preach the Word! (ed Greg Haslam, 2006, pp87-97).

Stibbe identifies ten characteristics of Jesus’ preaching.  Here’s a summary.

1. Revelatory in content

Notwithstanding some formal similarities with rabbinic teaching, in content Jesus’ message was completely original.  It came from the Father.

Jn 12:49f – “I have not spoken from my own authority, but the Father himself who sent me has commanded me what I should say and what I should speak. 

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1 Sam 28:3-25 – The one where Saul drives his car off the road (sermon notes)

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Video and notes of a sermon preached at Holy Trinity, Norwich, on 21 March, 2021.

Text: 1 Samuel 28:3-25

‘Strange but true’

The Bible contains a number of ‘strange but true’ stories:

  • A talking donkey (who talks more sense than its master, Num 22).
  • A message in the stars (that leads a bunch of pagan astrologers to Israel’s new-born King, Mt 2).
  • A mountain-top meeting between Jesus and Moses and Elijah, both of whom had departed this life hundreds of years earlier (the Transfiguration, Mt 17; Mk 9; Lk 9).
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15 benefits of good teaching

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What follows is closely based on this article by Gerado Alfaro.  (But see note at the end*)

Good teaching:

  1. helps us to know God better, and to enjoy eternal life. John 5:39; 17:3; 1 Tim. 4:16.
  2. helps us to love God as he wants to be loved. Matt. 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27; Deut. 6:5; 11:1.
  3. helps us obey God as he wants to be obeyed. Josh. 1; Ps. 1; John 7:17
  4. helps us to be faithful eyewitnesses.
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Preaching Old Testament characters

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Introduction

There are several reasons for exercising caution when planning to preach from an OT character:

  • a tendency to read biblical characters as heroes
  • a tendency to oversimplify biblical characters
  • a tendency to treat biblical characters as moral examples (‘Dare to be a Daniel’)
  • a tendency (in modern literature) to focus on the inner workings of people’s minds, which leads either to a frustration with biblical narratives or to a temptation to indulge in speculation of our own

A further challenge arises from our difficulty in separating out the narrator’s point of view and that of the character his/her self. …

1 Samuel 28:7-14 – Did Samuel visit from the grave?

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1 Samuel 28:7 Saul instructed his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so that I may go to her and inquire of her.” His servants replied to him, “There is a woman who is a medium in Endor.”
28:8 So Saul disguised himself and put on other clothing and left, accompanied by two of his men. They came to the woman at night and said, “Use your ritual pit to conjure up for me the one I tell you.”…