Notes of a sermon preached on 8th September 2025 at Christ Church, New Catton (Norwich).
Text: Psalm 139:1-16
1. God knows me – completely, 1-6
V1 – ‘O Lord, you have searched me and you know me’ – though others may misunderstand and misrepresent me, you, O God, know me as I really am. Though you might have been fully occupied with keeping the galaxies in their orbits, you are aware of my every thought, word and action. …
4:16 He said to her, “Go call your husband and come back here.” 4:17 The woman replied, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “Right you are when you said, ‘I have no husband,’ 4:18 for you have had five husbands, and the man you are living with now is not your husband. This you said truthfully!”
To what extent (if any) is Jesus being critical of this woman’s morality?
And to what extent (if any) are commentators quilty of slander when they comment adversely on her sexual history?…
NET – 116:15 The LORD values
the lives of his faithful followers.
AV, RV, RSV, NIV (1984), ESV – ‘Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.’
Similar NIV (2011), NASB, NRSV and many other translations.
NLT – ‘The LORD cares deeply
when his loved ones die.’
GNB – ‘How painful it is to the LORD
when one of his people dies!’
The Message – ‘When they arrive at the gates of death,
GOD welcomes those who love him.’…
91:7 Though a thousand may fall beside you,
and a multitude on your right side,
it will not reach you.
The problem with this wonderful psalm is that it seems to promise too much.
What, in particular, are we to make of verse 7?
This verse has sometimes been taken as an absolute and unqualified promise of divine protection.
It is said that many soldiers in WWI recited this psalm daily. Indeed, there is a story (probably apocryphal) that a Brigade commander gave a little card with this psalm printed on it to his men of the (you guessed it) 91st Brigade. …
It’s often said that the Gospels are anonymous.
It’s true that none of them has the name of its author embedded in its text.
But, as Martin Hengel has argued, the present titles were unanimously attached by the middle of the 2nd century. It is highly likely that for this to happen the church would have know for quite some time who wrote which Gospel. Otherwise, multiple names would have circulated (as was the case with Hebrews).…
Peter Goeman gives a concise explanation of dispensationalist beliefs:
1. The Old Testament must be interpreted within its own context.
The meaning of the Old Testament stands on its own terms, and does not require the New Testament to interpret or re-interpret it.
2. There is a distinction between Israel and the Church.
They are distinct entities, although this does not mean that there is no relationship between them.
3. There is a future for ethnic Israel.…
Summarising this article by Kevin DeYoung.
1. The Holy Spirit convicts
He exposes the world’s wickedness, convicts people of sin, and calls them to repentance. Jn 3:20.
2. The Holy Spirit converts
We must be born of the Spirit, Jn 3:5. Conversion is described as ‘the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit’, Tit 3:5. He gives spiritual discernment, 1 Cor 2:12-14. He grants repetance that leads to life, Acts 11:18. He gives assurance, Rom 5:5; He enables us to believe God’s promises, Jn 1:12f; 3:36; 6:63-65.…
Stephen Kneale lists ten biblical texts where Jesus, he suggests, is explicitly called ‘God’:
John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. — John 1:1 (CSB)
John 20:28
Thomas responded to him, ‘My Lord and my God! ’ — John 20:28 (CSB)
Romans 9:5
…They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple service, and the promises.
2 Chronicles 7:14 — “…if my people, who belong to me, humble themselves, pray, seek to please me, and repudiate their sinful practices, then I will respond from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.”
The issue to be explored here is whether this promise is directly applicable to any nation today.
American Christian leaders have often sought to apply it to their nation.
In this article, Tony Bennett points out that in 1981, Ronald Reagan had been sworn in to office as President with his hand on his mother’s Bible, open at this verse.…
Hebrews 8:9 “It will not be like the covenant that I made with their fathers, on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not continue in my covenant and I had no regard for them, says the Lord.”
There is an translational issue here.
This is one of a handful of places in this quotation from Jeremiah where the LXX differs from the MT.…
