Christ our example

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ReferenceAdmonition, in substanceLink to teaching concerning Christ’s person and work
Rom. 15:2, 3Please the neighbor“for Christ also pleased not himself.”
Rom. 15:7Extend a hearty welcome to each other. (Receive one another.)“just as Christ also welcomed (received) you.”
2 Cor. 8:7–9Abound in the grace of giving to the needy“for you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, that through his poverty you might become rich.”
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Moral application of the final judgment

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The biblical doctrine of final judgement has several important consequence for our lives here and now.

  1. It satisfies our sense of a need for justice in the world.  There is so much in the present world which is not fair.  Good people suffer, while evil people get off scot free.  Even the judicial system itself is susceptible to bias and bribery.  The Bible tells us that there will be a final reckoning, when the ‘books’ (Rev 20:12 – symbolising God’s record of what everyone has done in this life) will be opened. 
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How to kill a small-group discussion

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Questions – and the discussions they can stimulate – are the life-blood of small-group Bible study.

However, not all questions are equal, and some can actually bring a discussion to a full stop.

Melissa Kruger cautions against the following types of question:-

1. Captain obvious.  While it can be helpful to prompt people to notice what’s actually there in the Bible text, some observation questions are simply inviting people to state the blindingly obvious.  So, suggests Kruger:-

Instead of asking, “Who are the three people Paul interacted with in the city of Philippi in Acts 16?”
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Psa 65 This bounteous God – sermon notes

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Text: Psalm 65

‘Your God is too small’  By presenting God in his true stature, this psalm encourages us to expect great things from God, and to attempt great things for God.

May have been composed for the Feast of Tabernacles.

God is front of stage, and centre.  God is praised as the great welcomer, peacemaker, and giver.

1. God the great welcomer, 1-4

God hears our prayers, v2.  Whatever else God may be, if he were deaf to our cries, where would we be? …

What’s your facial screen saver?

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What does your face say to the preacher?  Tony Payne reports that according to a ‘mate’ of his, people wear one of four expressions on their faces during the sermon:-

  1. There’s the Shar Pei Dog, who presents a permanently grumpy, closed-off expression that makes clear to everyone that nothing and nobody is going to get through to him.
  2. There’s the Invisible Fairy Hunter, whose eyes flit everywhere, counting the bricks and checking out the ceiling, like Captain Hook in search of Tinker Bell.
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A tale of two cities

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It is a commonplace with preachers to point out that as Christians we have two addresses, two places of residence.  This dual citizenship is expressed frequently, and in varied ways, throughout Scripture.

In writing to the Corinthians, for example, the apostle Paul greets ‘the church or God in Corinth…those sanctified in Christ Jesus’ (1 Cor 1:1).  They are ‘in Corinth’, and they are at the same time ‘in Christ’.  The same apostle writes to ‘all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi’ (Phil 1:1), and later in that same letter makes it clear where our primary home is: ‘our citizenship is in heaven’ (Phil 3:20).…

Preaching Christ from the Old Testament

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How can we preach Christ from the Old Testament?  Sydney Greidanus outlines seven ways:-

1. Redemptive-historical progression—seeing the message of the passage in the context of redemptive history from beginning to end, especially following the progression of redemptive history as it moves forward from the text’s historical setting to Jesus’ First and/or Second Coming.  [Example: Gen 3 and the ‘Fall’, finding its remedy in the saving work of Christ]
2. Promise-fulfillment—showing that the promise of a coming Messiah was fulfilled in Jesus’ First Coming or will be fulfilled in his Second Coming.  …

How does Christ rule his church?

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After his resurrection, Jesus declared that ‘all authority is heaven and on earth’ had been given to him (Mt 28:18).  As Christians, then, we confess that ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’ (Phil 2:9-11).

How does Christ exercise his authority in the church today?  Four possible answers have been given:-

  1. The Roman Catholic answer is that Christ rules his church through the magisterium, the teaching of the Pope and his bishops both in the past and in the present.
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What would you like to be remembered for?

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What one thing would you most like to be remembered for after you die?

According to a recent poll conducted by Avalon Funeral Plans, the most important trait is not our sophistication, good looks, intelligence, parenting skills, or even kindness, but trustworthiness.  That was the response given by 60% of the 2,000 British people who were asked.

Most people, it seems, want their funeral to be a celebration with lots of laughter, and would like guests to wear colourful clothing rather than the traditional black attire.…

Mary Magdalene – fact and fiction

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According to Luke 8:2, Mary Magdalene had been a severely demonised woman whom Jesus had healed.

David Instone-Brewer notes that Mary would have been a former social outcast, feared and despised by the rest of the community.  She occupies a uniquely privileged place in the NT, however, since she is the only person to have witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion, burial, and resurrection (Mt 27:61, 65; 28:1).

Later traditions developed around Mary:-

The Gospel of Thomas (about AD 100) includes her among the disciples.  …