Romans 11:2-4: Learning with Elijah
Outline Elijah’s context Elijah’s contest Elijah’s complaint Introduction Believing that the grace of God abounds to the chief of sinners is a view we all hold in theory but soon lose hold of when it is tested. Technically we can all confess that God is a God of grace and that there is no sin bigger than the effectiveness of Christ’s atoning death. However, how many times have we thought to ourselves, ‘I have done it this time, God won’t take me back.’ I wanted to show you how bad you are at believing God’s grace for yourselves as...
Read More
Romans 11:1-36: Overview of Romans 11
Outline Overview of Romans Overview of chapter 11 Overview of views and goals Introduction As I have come to preach on Romans 11 I have come with two competing emotions. The first is fear. If you want to get Christians to be at each other’s throats get them to say disagreeing things about the nation of Israel. If you want to kick a hornet’s nest say, ‘I don’t think that Israel has a right to demand that the Palestinians leave the land.’ The second emotion I am feeling is excitement because this chapter has new wonders for us with...
Read More
Colossians 1:28: Healthy Churches Have Gospel-Grounded Identity: Part Two
Outline Faith Sanctification Church Glorification Introduction Healthy Churches have a Gospel-grounded identity. What we are hoping to show today is that in order for a church to be healthy, it must be grounded in the gospel, and in particular to see its identity grounded in the gospel. To try and get at this topic I would like us to read Colossians 1:28-29 together, ‘Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.’
Read More
Colossians 1:28: Healthy Churches Have Gospel-Grounded Identity: Part One
Outline Introduction Election Justification Adoption Introduction Healthy Churches have a Gospel-grounded identity. What we are hoping to show today is that in order for a church to be healthy, it must be grounded in the gospel, and in particular to see its identity grounded in the gospel. To try and get at this topic I would like us to read Colossians 1:28-29 together, ‘Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.’
Read More
Revelation 17:7-18: Satan’s Divided House Cannot Stand: Part Two
Outline The mount of the prostitute The downfall of the prostitute Introduction It was Jesus who said that a house divided against itself cannot stand, Matt. 12:25, and then, ‘And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?’ Revelation chapter 17 which records the future fall of Babylon, the city of humanity who revolts against God and follows after Satan’s seductions. This city which is an instrument of Satan will itself be destroyed by Satan, v16, ‘And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute....
Read More
Revelation 17:7-18: Satan’s Divided House Cannot Stand: Part One
Outline The mount of the prostitute The downfall of the prostitute Introduction It was Jesus who said that a house divided against itself cannot stand, Matt. 12:25, and then, ‘And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?’ Revelation chapter 17 which records the future fall of Babylon, the city of humanity who revolts against God and follows after Satan’s seductions. This city which is an instrument of Satan will itself be destroyed by Satan, v16, ‘And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute....
Read More
Romans 10:14: What about the unevangelised? Part One
Introduction: Where do those who have never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ go when they die? This is the question that is forced upon us this morning as we continue with Romans 10:14. Paul is talking about Jewish unbelief in 9-11. He has spoken about Gentiles being included in the people of God by faith but the large part of the Jews not being saved because they were trying to manufacture a righteousness by law keeping instead of accepting the free gift of Christ’s righteousness by faith. Paul has spent some time proving that the universal way of...
Read More
Romans 10:10: Evident Faith
Introduction: It is claimed that Christianity is the biggest religion in the world with over 1 billion adherents, only just beating Islam. I think that there is a lot less than that. People included in those statistics are those who are baptised as infants in any Christian church including the Roman Catholic and it includes all the cults who call themselves Christian. Not to mention that cultural Christians and those who may have made some sort of confession of faith as a child and have never gone on to live the Christian life. How many say that they are...
Read More
Romans 9:30-33: Why the Jews did not believe
Introduction: Finding the answer to why we do what we do has sparked off differences in philosophy, psychology, theology, sociology and any other science that concerns itself with human action. With the growth of intense research of the human body our behaviour has been looked at from the perspective of brain structure, hormones and other bodily realities. With the growth in psychology we see more interest in personality types and childhood experiences as those things that explain why we do what we do. With the growth in the belief in the theory of evolution animal behaviour has become a...
Read More
Romans 9:27-29: The Jewish Remnant
Introduction: The trophy case of God’s grace holds some unexpected prizes. If we looked into God’s trophy case we would see vessels of dishonour repurposed as vessels for honourable use. We would see the low, the despised, the broken and the rejected. We would not find any perfect trophies but all would be works-in-progress. Paul has been surprising us with who will be in it, God saves Gentiles, outsiders, aliens, those who were once far away, without God and subject to satan. But the biggest surprise of Romans 9 is the fact of who will not be there. We...
Read More
Romans 9:24-26: Who are the elect people of God?
Introduction: Controversy seems to dog every step we take when we try and interpret the bible. It seems that every text and truth is shrouded in debate and division. That reality is no less for us as we look at the next section of Romans 9, v24-26, and answer the question, who are the elect people of God? But before we get into it let me give a word of encouragement to those of you who are not accustomed to finding the truth through arguments or who may just be battle weary. Listen to these wise words from John...
Read More
Romans 9:24: The Marvel of God’s Electing Grace
Introduction: I have found that the true understanding of grace is a truth that puts everything else into perspective. When we see God’s grace clearly everything becomes clear. I remember I had a Seventh Day Adventist friend who was bogged down in a legalistic view of Christianity and it was a biblical view of grace that helped her see the truth. To see that salvation was not based on what I could earn by my works but was a free gift of God through Christ, a gift not merited, this is what set her free. If we are struggling...
Read More