Jesus is the Word of God
Talk 1 - Reigning and Serving, part 1. Audio. Text. Powerpoint.
Talk 2 - Reigning and Serving, part 2. Audio. Text.
Talk 3 - Judgement and Salvation. Audio. Text. Powerpoint.
Talk 4 - Religion and Redemption. Audio. Text.
Talk 5 - Old Creation and New Creation. Audio. Text. Powerpoint.
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A talk on fear... the Egyptian midwives... David and Goliath... David before Abimelech... David in his cave... Psalm 34... Luke 12... just listen! Outstanding!!
Paul Blackham - Fear: The Egyptian Midwives
Here is Richard Bewes speaking at a wonderful conference I attended last week.
If you're pressed for time, make sure you catch his talk on preaching. Just the first 30 minutes blew the doors off. Perhaps the best introduction to the purpose and power of preaching I've ever heard:
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God's Mission Strategy: The Church
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Introduction
I wonder if any of you said this sentence this week:
I wish we could have a jubilee weekend every year.
I said that this week, did you?
I even heard one person from this church, who shall remain nameless,
We should have a jubilee weekend every week.
Three day working weeks, what do you think about that? As far-fetched as that sounds, the Bible’s got an even bigger holiday to imagine: What about a whole year of Jubilee celebrations?
In the Bible “the Jubilee” lasts all year. Did you know jubilee originated in the Bible. In the Old Testament, every 50 years they had a Jubilee celebration – and it lasted all year.
But the Bible’s Jubilee is very different to our Jubilee celebrations. In the Bible, Jubilee is very much about the commoners, not the royals. It’s very much about the underprivileged. The Bible’s Jubilee was for the poor, the oppressed, the enslaved and the indebted. It was a massive levelling of wealth and privilege.
You’re thinking, what’s that got to do with Nehemiah 5? It’s got everything to do with Nehemiah 5. Let me explain...
Every 50 years, Jubilee was proclaimed and all debts were cancelled, all slaves were freed, all accumulated wealth was redistributed, everyone returned to their ancestral home and they all take the whole year off.
Leviticus 25 says this:
8 Count off 49 years... 9 Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land. 10 Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan. 11 The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines. 12 For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields.
13 “‘In this Year of Jubilee everyone is to return to his own property. (Leviticus 25:10-13)
There’s plenty more in Leviticus 25 but let me summarize. In the Year of Jubilee all debts are cancelled; all slaves are freed; all accumulated wealth is redistributed; everyone returns to their homeland. And notice where it all begins? It all begins with the Day of Atonement.
If you understand the Day of Atonement, you’ll understand Jubilee. And if you understand Jubilee, you’ll understand Nehemiah 5....
A Jubilee Sermon (on Trinity Sunday)
An alternative Trinity Sermon here
“I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service.”
So said Princess Elizabeth to the whole British Empire on her 21st birthday. The year was 1947. And as we look back on her 60 years as Queen, who can deny that her long reign has been devoted to “service.”
What an incredible marker for a monarch! Not power, or wealth, or prestige, but “service.”
The Queen is not simply Head of State, Head of the Commonwealth, the Fount of Justice, Head of the Armed Forces, the Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England. She is also patron of over 600 organisations and charities.
And, routinely, Queen Elizabeth II is referred to as this country’s greatest public servant. A sovereign who serves. What’s her motivation?
She has told us. In her Christmas message of 2000 she said this:
For me the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life. I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christ’s words and example.
The Queen is following the example of Christ: the ultimate Sovereign who serves. And this evening I just want to think about that remarkable combination of sovereignty and service. Because there’s a reason we respond so positively to Sovereign Service. When our Rulers are servants they show us something very profound.
Today is not only the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations. In the Church Calendar it’s also Trinity Sunday. Today, ministers all over the world attempt to put words to the truth that our one God is Three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Trinity is the truth that God is a unity of three – a tri-unity – a Trinity.
But perhaps you’re thinking, what on earth does the doctrine of the Trinity have to do with our Jubilee Celebrations? Actually Trinity Sunday and the Queen’s Jubilee truly belong together. Because with both we are dealing with that wonderful combination of sovereignty and service. Let me explain...
John’s Gospel begins with these famous words:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.
If we were in any doubt about who the “Word” is, our song has just told us. Jesus is the Word of God the Father from before the world began.
So John introduces his biography of Jesus by affirming that Jesus did not merely found a religion, He founded the universe. Jesus, “the Word”, existed before the world began, with God His Father and with the Holy Spirit. So John gives us a picture of “the beginning” that is unlike any the world has imagined.
The world’s creation myths are full of conflict, killing and chaos. They speak of wars in heaven, or cosmic storms. Powers collide and the universe is the debris. But John casts a very different vision. In the beginning, there was love.
That’s the doctrine of the Trinity in a nutshell: “In the beginning there was love.” Because in the beginning there was the loving relationship of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Before there were people or planets or protons, there was love. Love is the one thing God didn’t need to create because God is love. The Father has always loved His eternal Son in the joy of the Holy Spirit.
And so at this Jubilee Celebration we remember that the Sovereign of Sovereigns is not a heavenly Tyrant – a distant individual, ruling in splendid isolation. Before there was anything to rule, the Father, Son and Spirit related. Their life is a life of caring, sharing, give and take, back and forth. Before God's life was a life of sovereignty over the creation, God’s life was a life of service among the Persons. The Father pours His love and life into the Son in the power of the Spirit. The Son offers up His love and life in the power of the Spirit. The very essence of our Sovereign IS service. God’s life is a life of mutual self-giving.
We have a saying don’t we: Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Well apparently not. Apparently the absolute power in this world is not a corrupt Dictator, but a loving Family in which service is supreme. Do you start to see why Trinity Sunday and the Jubilee belong together?
Because of Trinity, no wonder we’re so attracted to the Queen’s humble example. The servant-heart of the sovereign is a glimpse of something holy. Because of Trinity: sovereignty and service belong together.
Now imagine if this were not the case. Imagine if God were just a solitary individual. Think of him there “in the beginning”, with no-one and nothing besides him, just his own thoughts for company. Such a god could not be a god of service. There’s no-one and nothing for this god to serve. There’s no caring or sharing. This god would be defined by supremacy, not by love.
But not with Trinity. With Trinity: service IS supreme. With Trinity: self-giving is ultimate reality. With Trinity: God is love.
And this love was too good to keep to themselves. In John 1 verse 3, we see that the God of love wanted to share. John writes:
Through the Word all things were made.
This is where we've come from. From the overflowing life of the Father, through the Word – the Lord Jesus – in the power of the Spirit, the world was born. It was as if the Father, Son and Spirit had said “This thing is too good to keep to ourselves.” And so a world is made, that we might share in their love.
What’s the meaning of life? It seems like such a bold question, but Trinity Sunday has the answer. Trinity Sunday tells you: “God is love and you’re invited.” The meaning of our lives is to be drawn into the love which both predated and produced the universe. The meaning of life is to come home to the ultimate Royal Family.
Some of you, I’m sure have met the Queen. Some of you have been honoured by the Queen. One of her titles is “The Fount of Honours”. For one thing, she writes to those who make it to 100 and to 105. She also congratulates subjects on their diamond wedding anniversaries, as well as 65th and 70th anniversaries. I won’t ask any of you if you’ve been so honoured. But I can only imagine how proud a person must feel to appear on the New Years Honours List or the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
Yet however wonderful that is, there’s something much greater. The Queen can bestow honours on you, she can even make you a Lord or a Baron or a Knight. But she can’t make you her child. She can’t give you her inheritance. She won’t adopt you into her family and take you home to the Palace. That’s not how it works.
But with Jesus, there’s an honour that is out of this world. He can and He does invite us home. This is the meaning of our lives – not simply to be honoured by Jesus but to be adopted by Him INTO His loving Family life.
John chapter 1 verse 10 says this:
10 Christ was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognise him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-
The Son of God offers Himself to us. All who receive Him are invited into His life. We receive His Father as our Father and His Spirit as our Spirit. God is love and Jesus invites us INTO the God of love.
Did you think Trinity was a dry, academic doctrine? Did you think it was a tortuous logical problem? Did you think it was something impossible to understand? No. Trinity is the good news that God is love; that the ultimate sovereignty is self-giving service; and that we exist to find our place in their love.
Do you know how it happens? It happens through the meekness of the Monarch.
Famously, John chapter 1 verse 14 says:
The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us, we have seen His glory, the glory of the only begotten Son who came from the Father full of grace and truth.
How do we enter into Christ’s life? He entered into ours. The Word became flesh. Our Maker became a man. A member of the Trinity became a member of the human race.
It’s the ultimate riches to rags story. We all know the fairytales of Princes becoming paupers. Well the myth is a reality. The true Monarch did empty Himself. As Philippians chapter 2 says “Christ Jesus made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross!”
We love to hear stories of Royals who climb down off their thrones. Apparently on V-E Day, Elizabeth and Margaret escaped out into the celebrations in London. They wandered around anonymously, enjoying the moment along with the rest of the people. The Queen still likes to get out anonymously – sometimes visiting a West End show with Prince Philip. Only rarely are they spotted.
We like to hear about our Royals moving among us as commoners. But what about the ultimate Royal becoming the ultimate commoner. Incredible!
From heaven to earth, and not just to earth, He became a single cell in Mary’s womb. And then a wriggling baby on the straw. And then a defenceless refugee, on the run from Herod. And then a builder’s labourer. And then a penniless preacher. A homeless dissident. A stooping servant. Yet He descends even further to be a victim of cruelty and injustice. And finally a human sacrifice – dying a godforsaken death on the cross. Never has anyone so Mighty become so meek. Here is our Ultimate Sovereign – the ultimate Servant.
And because this is Trinity Sunday we see the true nature of Christ’s sacrifice. Trinity Sunday tells us: Jesus is not just an example of human service. He is God the Son. He is our Maker. His arms outstretched to the world are God’s arms – and they are opened for you.
What does Majesty look like? When we think Majesty, we think Palaces and Crowns and Thrones. Christ traded His palace for a manger. His crown was made of thorns. His throne was His cross. The Great Prince became a Pauper. More than a Pauper – a Bleeding Sacrifice. And He did it for you.
For almost 2000 years the church has used a simple phrase to describe the Christian message. It just says this: He became what we are, so that we might become what He is.
He – the Son of God – became flesh. He entered into our predicament with all our sufferings and sins. But He didn’t flinch. He entered in and became what we are. Why did He do it? So that we might become what He is – a child of God. The Son of God became human so that we humans can become children of God.
These are the Royal Honours that Jesus wants to bestow. He is the true 'Fount of Honours' and He can bring you in to the ultimate Royal Family.
But His invitation requires a response. It means a reality check for each of us. We must realize that we live in a broken world with broken hearts and broken lives. We need to acknowledge that our lives, naturally, are estranged from God’s Family. That we need the forgiveness which Christ offers through His death. We need Jesus in order to be reconnected to the love of God. Do you recognize that need?
It’s something the Queen articulated so beautifully last Christmas. Her televised message was, surely, the greatest Christmas sermon preached that day. Perhaps you heard it. She spoke of our need for Jesus - our need for forgiveness. She said this:
Although we are capable of great acts of kindness, history teaches us that we sometimes need saving from ourselves - from our recklessness or our greed.
God sent into the world a unique person - neither a philosopher nor a general, important though they are, but a Saviour, with the power to forgive.
Forgiveness lies at the heart of the Christian faith. It can heal broken families, it can restore friendships and it can reconcile divided communities. It is in forgiveness that we feel the power of God's love.
In the last verse of this beautiful carol, O Little Town Of Bethlehem, there's a prayer:
O Holy Child of Bethlehem,
Descend to us we pray.
Cast out our sin
And enter in.
Be born in us today.It is my prayer that on this [Christmas] day we might all find room in our lives for the message of the angels and for the love of God through Christ our Lord.
What a preacher our Queen is! Do you have room in your life for the love of God through Christ our Lord? He is offered to you, to forgive all your sins, to reconnect you to the Father, to give you His Spirit, to adopt you into the life and love of God.
The Ultimate Sovereign became the Ultimate Servant for you. Our Queen trusts Him as her Saviour. Do you?
John writes:
To all who receive Jesus, to those who believe in his name, he gives the right to become children of God. (John 1:12)
From an Evangelism Training Day at City Evangelical Church, Leeds.
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The Gospel That Saved You - Glen Scrivener
audio (sorry, part two of audio is coming soon, hopefully)
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Small Talk To Big Talk - Roger Carswell
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You Have All You Need - Glen Scrivener
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The Place of Evangelists In The Life of the Church - Roger Carswell
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Sermon Introduction:
Let's do a little thought experiment.
Scenario 1: Imagine we’re on a ship. But it springs a leak and starts sinking. While we’re fleeing to the life-rafts, you manage to grab a bag before it all goes down. Unbeknownst to the rest of us your bag contains a bottle of water and some canned meat – tuna and spam, things like that. So there we are huddled together in the life-raft bobbing along the open sea. Eventually we spot an island in the distance. We start paddling towards it and as we get closer we see that the island is incredibly bare. There doesn’t appear to be a stick of shrubbery, no sign of fresh water, it’s basically a big rock in the middle of the ocean. But it’s our only hope. So we row towards the island and as we get closer your brother turns to you and says “Boy I’m thirsty.” What do you do?
Scenario 2: Same deal. Our ship sinks. We flee to the life-rafts. Unbeknownst to everyone you have a bag containing water and canned meat. As we bob along in the open sea we spot an island in the distance. As we paddle towards it, we see that it’s lushous, luxurious, full of life. You can see the trees heavy with choice fruits. There’s a gushing waterfall in the distance. It’s a tropical paradise. As we row towards shore your brother turns to you and says “Boy I’m thirsty.”
What do you do? Do you give your brother a drink of water?
Well in scenario 2 you’d be much more likely to give him your water wouldn’t you? In fact in scenario 2 you might even throw the whole bag open and say, "Water and spam for everyone! Let’s celebrate!" wouldn’t you? In scenario 2 you would treat your little bag of goods a lot differently wouldn’t you?
Why? Are you a much nicer person in scenario 2? Are you suddenly more moral? Have you suddenly got a heightened sense of ethical duty? Is your conscience stronger now? What’s changed between scenario 1 and scenario 2?
Here’s what’s changed – your vision has changed. You have seen an abundance of life and it’s liberated you to be generous. That’s the only difference between these scenarios. You’re still the same bundle of sins and selfishness you always were, but now you’ve seen, now you’re celebrating, now you’re assured that things are going to be ok.
You could take anyone in the whole human race and put them into those two scenarios and present them with exactly the same temptations. And in scenario 1 we’d all be much more tempted to be grasping and greedy. And in scenario 2 we’d all be much more likely to be selfless and generous.
And that’s got nothing to do with the quality of your moral fibre. It’s got everything to do with what’s out there. If your vision is captured by a new reality out there – then you’re freed to be generous. Sinful, selfish, sulking little ball of contradictions that you are – you see, you celebrate, you’re assured that things are going to be ok, and suddenly you find yourself loving.
And the argument of 1 John, especially in chapters 3 and 4, is this: Look! Look! There is an abundance of life, it’s going to be ok. We’re in tropical paradise territory people. So bust open your little bag and share out the spam....
Ron Frost – The Freedom of a Christian
Click here to listen (and here to download).
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Glen Scrivener – Mission: Medieval and Modern
Click here to listen (and here to download).
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Peter Mead – Glorious Gospel Ground Zero
Click here to listen (and here to download).
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Other Cor Deo Resources including Galatians Sermon Series and Last Year's Conference...
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Both Jesus and Paul warned us about wolves in the strongest possible terms. Christ is the Great Shepherd and His church is His flock. But wolves will come to attack the flock. These wolves are false teachers.
What do you think false teachers teach? What is so savage about these wolves? What do they preach that threatens the flock so greatly??
When Paul had been in Ephesus 3 years he left the leaders of the church with this charge:
28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.
32 ‘Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
Paul was clearly very worried about wolves, coming in to destroy the flock. Sheep have no defences against wolves. Wolves are savage with sheep. And these wolves – some of them – will arise from the Ephesian church. Isn’t that scary? It scared Paul. For three years he never stopped warning them, night and day with tears.
Now, what do you imagine these wolves to be teaching? In what ways are these people going to savagely destroy the church that Paul had planted?
Now, the truth is, we don’t know. But what’s fascinating is how we naturally think of wolves. What kinds of teaching do we think will tear a church apart?
When I hear people accused of being wolves these days, usually it’s because they’re soft on sin, lax on the law. People who won’t teach good biblical principles, something like that. What does Paul mean?
Well notice the one protection he offers to this vulnerable flock in verse 32: “The word of God’s grace”, that’s what will build them up. He’s been teaching them the word of this grace and his parting words are for the Ephesians to be committed to the word of God’s grace. With the wolves coming, that’s what they need to know.
Because the wolves which seem to concern Paul most in his letters aren’t so much those who are soft on sin or lax on law. Actually the wolves are the very ones so keen to teach "biblical principles for living" and to bring the flock under the law.
There are different kinds of wolves, it's true. But when Jesus mentions wolves, it's in the context of Pharisaism. And the false teachers who seem to cause Paul the most sleepless nights are the legalists - those earnest preachers with their Bibles open, urging you to godliness by bringing you under the law. They are, most consistently, the savage wolves who Paul has in his sights.
Is that what you thought of, when you thought of wolves?
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