Luke 15:11-32: The Parable of the Two Lost Sons
The parable of the prodigal son is probably the most famous parable in the gospels. But I think like many that it has been misnamed. Some have thought to call it the parable of the Prodigal Father, this is because the word prodigal means ‘spendthrift’ and the Father who represents God and His restoring grace is so generous. But I think this is a bad title as ‘prodigal’ has many bad connotations. Some have thought to call it the Parable of the Older Brother, this is a good title which is better than the parable of the prodigal son...
Read More
Luke 15:1-10: Seeking and Saving the Lost
God loves sinners and He seeks for them to save them. John Stott shares this truth from the experience of Augustine: ‘He was born in North Africa (in what we now call Algeria) in the middle of the fourth century. Already in his teens he was leading a dissolute, even promiscuous, life, enslaved by his passions. He wrote in his Confessions: “Clouds of muddy carnal concupiscence filled the air. The bubbling impulses of puberty befogged and obscured my heart so that it could not see the difference between love’s serenity and lust’s darkness. Confusion of the two things boiled...
Read More
Ephesians 3:14-19: Praying for power
Praying when we are in need is easy, we always pray from the heart, but praying for others often deteriorates into shallow requests without heart. We often pray generic prayers for health, provision, and spiritual well-being. Paul in the portion before us prays under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, prayers of pastoral care, and prayers that flow out of the realities of the gospel. Paul as a minister of the gospel is not only called to preach the message of Christ to the Gentiles, but to pray for the church as well. Eph. 3:14-21 consists of 2 main...
Read More
Matthew 26:36-46: The Plan of God for the Cross
Can you remember a time, when you didn’t associate the word Jesus or Jesus Christ with a cross? Even before you understood the gospel, you probably knew that Jesus had something to do with a cross. We live in a society that has been built on the Christian worldview, and the largest, professed anyway, religion in New Zealand is some form of Christianity. There are crosses in some schools, on war memorials, on emblems and coat of arms. Perhaps you may have seen an image of a Jesus crucified upon it on a church window or on a necklace...
Read More