Internal causes of discouragement

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Richard Sibbes, in The Soul’s Conflict, examines the causes of spiritual discouragement that are internal to ourselves (i.e. those that are not directly attributable to some external cause, such as God or Satan).

1. Lack of knowedge and understanding.  ‘Ignorance, being darkness, is full of false fears. In the night time men think every bush a thief.’

2. Forgetfulness.  See Heb 12:5.  ‘We have no more present actual comfort than we have remembrance…He that hath formerly known things, takes ready acquaintance of them again, as old friends; things are not strange to him.’…

Mark 1:12 – Did the temptations immediately follow the baptism?

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Mark 1:12 ‘The Spirit immediately drove him into the wilderness.’

This verse indicates that Jesus’ temptation happened ‘immediately’ after his baptism.

For Ehrman (Jesus, Interrupted) this is a problem:

In John there is no account of Jesus being tempted by the Devil in the wilderness. The day after John the Baptist has borne witness to the Spirit descending on Jesus as a dove at baptism (John 1:29–34), he sees Jesus again and declares him to be the Lamb of God (John is explicit, stating that this occurred “the next day”).

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Narrative preaching – strengths and weaknesses

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The narrative sermon is a sermon in the form of a story.

Calvin Miller writes:

‘The narrative sermon, rather than containing stories, is a story which, from outset to conclusion, binds the entire sermon to a single plot as theme. Here and there sub-plots, separate illustrations or precepts may punctuate or ornament the narrative, but the theme narrative stays in force all the way through—from the sermon’s “once-upon-a-time” until its “happy ever after.”’

A. Strengths

1.…

Psa 28 – From fear to faith – sermon notes

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Text: Psalm 28

Wouldn’t it be great if

  • the Christian life was easy and simple?
  • bad things only happened to bad people, and good things only to good people?
  • when in trouble, we could ask God, and he would sort it out, there and then?

We don’t know what David’s problem was, exactly.  But it was serious and persistent.

Just like some of the problems faced by Christians today:

  • Teenager struggling with depression or anxiety
  • Student surrounded by those who are indifferent or hostile to Christian faith
  • A young Christian with a heart for youth work encounters nothing but setback and disappointment
  • Adult who has had to flee their home country because of bitter persecution
  • Husband, wife, parent, child, who has been praying long and hard for a close family member
  • Middle-aged person with longstanding bad habit or addiction.
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Sermon evaluation – Haddon Robinson

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Haddon Robinson offers the following as ‘a comprehensive check-up: questions to ensure you are covering the essentials.

I think that such questionnaires are useful as starting-points.  However, when used as prescriptons for preaching excellence, they can lead to sermons that are predictable, formulaic and unimaginative.  In other words, they can be helpful servants, but rotten masters.  Preachers should used such tools regularly at the beginning of their ministry, and occasionally thereafter.  Once these ‘essentials’ have been covered, much interest and helpfulness can be generated precisely by the intelligent and creative breaking of some of these rules.…

What is textual preaching?

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Textual preaching is notoriously difficult to define with precision.  This is partly because of the name itself (shouldn’t all preaching be based on the biblical text?), and partly because it overlaps someone with other types of preaching (expository and topical).

But even if precision not possible, we can note some of the leading characteristics of textual preaching, and then talk about possible benefits and pitfalls.

Notable exponents of textual preaching include: John Wesley, Charles Simeon, C.H.…

Christians need the gospel too

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Some seem to think that the gospel is relevant only at the point that a person becomes a follower of Christ.  After that, the work of Christ in saving sinners can be safely left behind, and we can move on to other matters.

Not so, argues Derek Thomas.

Consider:

In Rom 1:15, Paul expresses his eagerness to preach the gospel to those who are already believers.

In Rom 16:25 the apostle asserts that the gospel is able to strengthen those same believers.…

Two encounters with Jesus

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Ian Paul compares and contrasts two encounters with Jesus: that of Nicodemus (John 3) and of the Samaritan Woman (John 4):

John 3 John 4
Who is involved? A respectable named Jewish man An outcast unnamed Samaritan woman
Who initiates the encounter? The person themselves Jesus
When does the meeting occur? In the evening In the broad daylight
What is the literal significance of this? In a hot climate, it would be natural to meet to discuss things in the evening—and Nicodemus might have been wanting to keep the meeting secret or at least discreet.
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Quotes on grace

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‘Grace is getting what we don’t deserve.  Mercy is not getting what we do deserve.’ (Anon)

‘We were born broken.  It is the grace of God that mends us.’

‘Grace does not destroy nature, it perfects it.’ (Thomas Aquinas)

I am not what I might be,
I am not what I ought to be,
I am not what I wish to be,
I am not what I hope to be;
But I thank God I am not what I once was, and I can say with the great apostle, ‘By the grace of God I am what I am.’…