Ephesians 2:11-22: The United People of God
Do all lives matter or do Black Lives Matter? Do we need separate safe spaces for black Christians to worship, or do we need united worship spaces? The problem of unity in God’s people is a perennial problem. The portion before us, Ephesians 2:11-22 speaks to our identity as a united people of God. What defines you and determines your relationship to other Christians? Do we subscribe to modern views that seek to define and relate us as intersecting minorities situated in relation to oppressive structures; or views that divide us by our gender preferences; are we stratified generational...
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1 Kings 8:1-11: The Ark of the Covenant
Introduction: The Temple of Solomon as we have been seeing was an amazing architectural accomplishment. However, the One who was to dwell in the temple is more important still. 1 Kings 8:1-11 is all about God manifesting His residence in the temple. I say manifesting His residence not taking up His residence because God is omnipresent and no temple can be a house for Him. So He manifests His presence in the location of the temple to indicate that He is pleased and He will abide among His people, and the temple will be the central place of worship...
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1 Kings 6:1-13: ‘Unless the Lord builds the house…’
Introduction: As we look at the start of the building process, in among all the building details the text points us to the most important part of this building venture, the blessing of God. The portion we are looking at begins with the details of the exterior of the temple, but God interrupts the building process with a very important message in v11-13, ‘Now the word of the LORD came to Solomon,12 “Concerning this house that you are building, if you will walk in my statutes and obey my rules and keep all my commandments and walk in them,...
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Romans 14:5: The Sabbath
Introduction: Listen to George Swinnock, a Puritan as he speaks about the beauty of the Christian Sabbath Day, ‘‘Hail thou art highly favoured of God, thou golden spot of the week, thou market –day of souls, thou daybreak of eternal brightness, thou queen of days, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou amongst days…. Oh how do men and women flutter up and down on the weekdays, as the dove on the waters, and can find no rest for their souls, till they come to their ark, till thou put forth thy hand and take them in! Oh...
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1 Kings 2:1-11: David’s Final Advice To Solomon
Introduction: Archibald Alexander in his classic, Thoughts on Religious Experience, gives this advice to the elderly who are approaching their deaths: ‘Let not the infirm and the aged say that they can now do nothing for God. They can do much; and for ought they can tell, more than they ever did in the days of their vigour. It is a beautiful sight to see men laden with fruit, even in old age. Such fruits are generally more mature than those of earlier days; and the aged saint often enjoys a tranquillity and repose of spirit, which is...
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Covenant Grace Baptist Church: What’s in a name?
Outline Covenant Grace Introduction These are the words of Juliet to Romeo in Shakespeare’s famous play: What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. The original play was about two lovers from warring families, the Montagues and the Capulets, the point of the line is to show how names are irrelevant when the substance remains the same. If that is the case why did we change the name from Marchwiel Reformed Baptist Church to Covenant Grace Baptist Church? Let’s make a few things clear. We are not renaming ourselves...
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