Category Archives: Last Things

The resurrection body

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Paul says of the resurrection of the dead,

‘The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.’ (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).

The resurrection body will be:-

1.  A spiritual body.  This does not mean that it is ethereal and ghostly, but that it is free from the limitations of the flesh.…

1 Pet 1:1-12 – A living hope – sermon notes

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‘My dearest sister, I offer you no consolation, for I know of none. There are things which each must bear as best he may with the strength that has been allotted to him.’  (Aldous Huxley, writing to his sister on the death of their mother.)

‘There is a darkness without, and when I die there will be darkness within.  There is no splendour, no vastness anywhere, only triviality for a moment and then, nothing.’ (Bertrand Russell)

What a terrible thing it must be to face death without hope.…

Heaven

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Christians often talk about living with God ‘in heaven’.  In fact, writes Wayne Grudem, the Scripture speaks of a new heaven and a new earth – that is, a completely renewed creation – and of living with God there.  See Isa 65:17; 66:22; 2 Pet 3:13; Rev 21:1f.

The term ‘heaven’ is often used in Scripture to speak of God’s dwelling place; Isa 66:1; Mt 6:9; 1 Pet 3:22.  Of course, God is present everywhere; but heaven is the place where ‘God most fully makes known his presence to bless’.…

Life after death

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Do you believe they asked me
In a life after death
And I answered: Yes
But I could not explain
What it might look like
There

One thing only I knew
Not a hierarchy
Of saints sitting on golden throne
Not a fall
Of damned souls
Only

Only love made free
Never exhausted
Flowing over me…

Do you not then, ask the questioners
Expect more after death?
And I answer
Not less

David Lawrence, who quotes these lines by Marie Luise Kaschnitz, comments, ‘An expectation that the future holds “more not less” is wonderful but is this really all God permits us to know?’ …

Acts 1:1-11 – Returning King – sermon notes

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From the middle of the 2nd century onwards, the 5th book of the NT has been known as ‘The Acts of the Apostles’.  And with good reason: this book tells us a great deal about the exploits of those first Christians leaders, especially Peter and Paul.

Then, about a century ago, someone suggested that the book might well be titled, ‘The Acts of the Holy Spirit’.  To be sure, when you consider the central role of the Holy Spirit in this book, from the day of Pentecost onwards, it’s difficult to argue with that idea.…

Lk 19:11-27 – The parable of the ten minas – sermon notes

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It shouldn’t be too difficult for us to unlock the meaning of this parable: the key is hanging at the door.  V11: ‘…because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom was going to appear at once’

Luke’s record of this journey to Jerusalem began at ch. 9:51 – ‘As the time came for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem’

Jesus had spoken repeatedly about what was going to happen to him when he got to Jerusalem, but his listeners had not been able, or had not wanted, to understand. …

2 Pet 3 – What would Jesus say to Chicken Little? – sermon notes

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Text: 2 Peter 3

Chicken Little was a little chick with a credibility problem.  Having been hit on the head by a hexagonal something-or-other, he became convinced that the sky was falling.  But the others scoffed.  As far as they were concerned, he had been hit by nothing more than a falling acorn.

What would Jesus say to Chicken Little?  What is it like to persist with an unpopular message?  At least Chicken Little had the guts to ring that bell. …

2 Thess 2:1-12 – Don’t be deceived – sermon notes

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‘In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.’  The chief concern of Christopher Columbus, however, was not the discovery of new continents.  He was convinced that the end of the world was near.  His main aim in life, apparently, was to free Jerusalem from the Moslems and to evangelise the world in order to pave the way for the millenium.  He happened to discover America almost by accident and without realising what he had done.

John Napier, the inventor of logarithms, used his new mathematical techniques to calculate the date of Christ’s return – somewhere, he estimated, between 1688 and 1700. …

Implications of Christ’s Second Coming

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The doctrine of Christ’s return affects everything in the Christian life.  It:-

1.  encourages us in daily godliness, 1 Thess 1:10; 2:13; 3:13; 5:23; Tit 2:11-14.
2.  provides a focus for all church life and worship, 1 Cor 1:7; 11:26; Heb 10:25.
3.  gives us confidence in spiritual warfare, Rom 16:20; 1 Cor 6:3; 2 Thess 2:8-12;
Rom 13:11-13; 1 Thess 5:2-8.
4.  comforts us in times of persecution, Rom 8:18-25; 2 Thess 1:6-10.
5.  consoles us at the loss of loved ones, 1 Thess 4:13-18.…

2 Pet 3:13 – Stairway to heaven – sermon notes

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‘In keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.’

Charles H. Spurgeon: “When you talk about heaven let your face light up with a heavenly glory. When you talk about hell, your everyday face will do.”

What is heaven, and where is heaven? – Heaven is where God is.

You might think, in this age of computers and space travel, that belief in heaven was well past its sell-by date; a relic from more primitive times. …