August 2008 – Page 5 – Christ the Truth

Paul Blackham sermons and other links 20

GlenAugust 1, 200820 Comments

No other preacher has had a bigger impact on me. Not only theologically but also in terms of what preaching actually is.

The sermon invariably begins 'In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.' The preaching of the Word of God is the Word of God.

Immediately he states the passage. It's the Scriptures that define the event.

The conclusion is always "Therefore to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit be ascribed all the glory, all the power, all the majesty, all the honour, all the praise and all our love, now and forever, Amen." The whole thing is worship.

In between, the content is exposition (most often verse by verse) and the manner is strongly declarative, strongly devotional and strongly Christ focused. Perhaps most refreshing of all, the over-riding tone of the sermon is a child-like enthusiasm for Christ and the Scriptures that is far removed from the world-weariness of many military-briefing-style preachers.

I've linked to some of my favourite Blackham sermons on my new "Other Sermons" page. (It's a tab at the top). I've also put "My sermons" on a page, but do yourself a favour and work your way through these other sermons - awesome stuff.

Paul's website.

Sermons from All Souls, Langham Place

Sermons from Tarleton Farm Fellowship

Some Favourite sermons:

Genesis 3:1-15

"What of those who have never heard?" Colossians 1:15-23

"Why isn't good good enough?" Philippians 3:1-11

Luke 7:11-16

Daniel 3

2 Peter 3:11-18

Ephesians 3:14-21

Ephesians 6:10-24

Other talks and lectures:

"Faith in Christ in the Old Testament"

Five talks on the Cross

Jesus is LORD – not Son of LORD

GlenAugust 1, 2008Leave a comment

Just a brief point about my recent posts on the tribal deity of Israel (here, here and here).

In those posts I assumed that the LORD of the burning bush was the very One who became incarnate of the virgin Mary. Just to say, that wasn't sloppy grammar or fuzzy thinking (I don't think!). To many of you the point is obvious but I've read enough biblical theology around the place to know that other views abound. So often you hear things like: "Jesus is the Son of the one the OT calls Yahweh." Now in one sense that is true. In the OT, the Father often goes by the name of Yahweh, just as in the NT He often goes by the name Lord. But most often 'Lord' refers to the Son - this is true in both testaments.

Jesus' claim, and the claim of the NT, is that He is Yahweh (in Greek 'kurios'), the God of Abraham, the God of the burning bush (e.g. John 8:56-58). Now the God of the burning bush is the Sent One from Yahweh ('The Angel of the LORD' Ex 3:2) and so clearly there is more than one Person called LORD. But Jesus, the Sent One of the Father, claims to be the One who calls Himself I AM.

Nowhere is Jesus ever called the Son of the Lord. Everywhere Jesus is called the Lord.

I just mention this because it seems to me that many, wittingly or unwittingly, dilute the claims of Jesus in the Gospels. But we must be aware of how radical Jesus' claims are - He's not simply saying 'I am the Son of the God of the Old Testament.' He's saying 'I am the God of the Old Testament.' The implications are many but I said I'd be brief, so there you are.

For more see Christ in OT.