Luke 17:20-21: The Kingdom of God is in your midst
In his book called Mere Christianity, in the chapter called hope, C.S. Lewis writes ‘Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hungry: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. … If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probably explanation is that I was made for another world.’ We all long for a world of no pain, a world with no evil, a place where we can live...
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Luke 13:18-21: Do Not Despise the Day of Small Beginnings
‘If Jesus is the King, why doesn’t it feel like He is reigning?’ This discouragement is what many people feel. ‘If Jesus is Lord why is my church so small and struggling so much and all the young people leaving?’ ‘If Jesus is Lord why is sin still so strong in my life and my holiness so weak?’ ‘If Jesus is Lord why is the government allowed to reverse things God has put in nature and make laws that contradict God’s laws?’ Understanding the nature of Christ’s reign, the way in which the kingdom manifests itself, is a problem...
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Luke 12:35-48: The Master’s Return
We come now to a section which deals with the second coming of Christ. We are in that part of the gospel where Jesus is training His disciples; He has warned them about persecutions; He has warned them about the trap of riches; He has outlined God’s care so that we can live holding loosely to the things of this life, but Jesus also prepares His disciples for His departure. The disciples were not envisaging a coming of the Messiah that involved the Messiah coming and dying and then going to heaven while the gospel went out to all...
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The Problem of OT Genocide
Introduction: Richard Dawkins once described God as: “…the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.” The ethics of the OT and in particular the commands to eradicate the Canaanites from the promised land, the so called commands to commit genocide or ethnic cleansing are a strong reason for disbelief in the God of the Bible today. Today we want to spend some time thinking about the commands of God to enter...
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Romans 16:20: Victory over satan
Introduction: This is the first and only mention of satan in the book of Romans. Why talk about him now? Paul has been giving his love to the church and encouraging love between people and churches. He naturally moves from the unity of the church to the enemies of that unity warning about those false teachers who have a different gospel and who cause divisions. That is why Paul is talking about satan. The book of Revelation reveals that satan is thrown down to earth and is waging war against the church. The prophecy reveals satan using persecuting power,...
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Romans 14:17-19 – The Kingdom of God part 2
Intro: Today we want to continue our look at the kingdom of God from figure 2. We will look at the development of the relationship of cultus to culture. Or the relationship between Church and state. I have put up three figures on the whiteboard that should help with a visual explanation of this.
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Romans 14:17-19: The Kingdom of God
Introduction: This sermon forms a part two of this morning’s sermon on Romans 14:17-19. We promised to do a deeper look into the idea of the kingdom of God and that is what we are going to do. You will notice that I am using the whiteboard, and this is because it is often easier to illustrate it than explain it. The kingdom of God is a very important and misunderstood concept, and in Christianity you will find different brands and explanations of it. The three main millennial positions all have a different view on the kingdom of God...
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Romans 14:10-12: The Judgement Seat of God
Sorry no audio available for this sermon. Introduction: In the human heart lies a contradiction, we all want justice but we don’t want God as a judge. In every culture and human experience there is a cry for justice, an outrage and a desire for a reckoning where the truth will come to light and those who have been oppressors and done evil will receive their due. We can all think of someone who we think deserves to be judged, but how many of us would volunteer ourselves for judgement? The Bible reveals that it is right that we have...
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Romans 14:9: Lord of the living and the dead
Introduction: We all know the famous question 1 of the WFC, but fewer know the more pastoral and comforting first question of the Heidelberg Catechism. Q. What is thy only comfort in life and death? A. That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without that will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from...
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Romans 13:11-12: What Time Is It?
INTRODUCTION: What time is it? Where are we in the unfolding of time? There are different answers to this question depending on your worldview. If you are materialist that has science as your religion, then the answer is we are somewhere between the big bang and the big freeze/crunch. If you are New Age we are living in the time of Aquarius and no longer in the age of Pisces. The age of Pisces being represented by a fish was the age of Christianity and of hierarchy and power. They now believe that we are in the age of Aquarius and this...
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Romans 11:28-32: God’s Gifts: Part Three
Outline NT interpreting the OT Eschatology interpreting protology Fulfilment interpreting prophecy Introduction Is Israel the Holy Land today? Is there an unconditional promise to Abraham that must see its fulfilment in blood descendants of Abraham, living in the literal land of Israel and enjoying political, agricultural and social blessings under a revived worship system? Can we justify any atrocities committed by the Israeli armed forces as part and parcel of holy war and justified as Joshua and Caleb were in the OT? The land of Israel has a special place in the heart of every Christian because it is...
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Romans 11:28-31: God’s gifts Part One
Outline Christ and the temple Christ’s and the priesthood Introduction The Third Temple is the name given to the Temple which certain eschatological views hope to see rebuilt in the Millennium. Presently on the temple mount in Jerusalem where Solomon’s temple once stood now sit two Muslim structures preventing the rebuilding of any temple. Orthodox Jews are not allowed to pray on the Temple mount and so pray at what is called the Wailing Wall. But everyday they pray for the rebuilding of Ezekiel’s temple. Orthodox Jews are divided as to whether any sacrifices need to be offered in...
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Romans 11:25-27: ‘…in this way all Israel will be saved.’
Outline Mystery explained Mystery applied Introduction Matthew 24:32-35, ‘From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.’ This is one of the more abused texts when it comes to talking about Israel....
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Revelation 22:1-5: Paradise Regained
Outline Garden Temple Kingdom Introduction ‘Protology is eschatology’ is an important truth that helps you grasp the unity and overall storyline of the bible. The study of first things makes no sense unless we study them in light of last things. God by the power of His Spirit and through the work of His Son is driving the story of the bible towards the realities of the New Creation. From the very beginning of the bible God is setting things up and preparing us for the greater future realities that are reserved for us in the future. By way...
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Revelation 21:9-27: The New Jerusalem
Outline The city’s appearance The city’s life Introduction We are well familiar to the rags to riches story, but the story of the church is a story of riches to rags to riches. God’s people in Eden were perfect in the image of God, Adam and Eve would have been perfect in beauty. I do believe that our obsession with beauty in appearance is due to the loss we suffered when we fell into sin. With the fall humanity lost all its beauty and riches and we became slaves. But God came and redeemed us in Christ so as...
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Revelation 21:1-4: The New Creation
Sorry, no audio available; the recording didn’t work. Outline God’s new creation God’s tabernacling God’s presence Introduction In our naturalistic worldview, the future ends in a big bang, crunch or freeze. Much more of the same will come and the end of human existence is inevitable in one way or another. This is very different to the view of the future that the Bible gives. We have a supernatural view of the future not a uniformitarian view. God will break in and interrupt time as we know, life as we know it, death as we know it, pain as...
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