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Published on Leave a comment on The Five 'Alone's of the Reformation: Sermon Series

Here's the text and audio for the five sola sermons.  Then a final thought:

Christ Alone
Audio

Grace Alone
Audio

Faith Alone
Audio

Scripture Alone
Audio

God's Glory Alone
Audio

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We refocus on these fundamentals not simply as an exercise in doctrinal purity.  The point is to rediscover the true God.  Because God is the God of the Gospel.  To drift from the gospel is to drift from God Himself.

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the One who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel.  (Gal 1:6)

When a person ditches the gracious gospel in favour of a different gospel, they ditch God.  Because God is the God of the Gospel.  Conversely when a person trusts the gracious gospel they aren't just converted to a different way of approaching God, they are converted to a different God.

Therefore the experience of hearing the pure gospel should not just be, "Ohh, so that's how the God-I-always-believed-in saves people, now I'll adjust my methods of attaining salvation."

No.  When we hear the gospel, the overwhelming response should be:  "Ohh, so that's what God is like.  I had Him all wrong."

In the gospel we don't just give people a different way to God.  We give them a different God.  The God of the Gospel.  And that's liberation.  It's not the surprise of seeing the-God-we-always-believed-in relating to us via some lovely principles - grace alone and faith alone.  It's the earth-shattering shock of looking to the throne and, utterly unexpectedly, seeing that there sits the gracious, trustworthy Gospel-God.

For the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their Shepherd; He will lead them to springs of Living Water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.  (Rev 7:17)

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Published on 1 Comment on The Five ‘Alone’s of the Reformation: Sermon Series

Here's the text and audio for the five sola sermons.  Then a final thought:

Christ Alone
Audio

Grace Alone
Audio

Faith Alone
Audio

Scripture Alone
Audio

God's Glory Alone
Audio

.

We refocus on these fundamentals not simply as an exercise in doctrinal purity.  The point is to rediscover the true God.  Because God is the God of the Gospel.  To drift from the gospel is to drift from God Himself.

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the One who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel.  (Gal 1:6)

When a person ditches the gracious gospel in favour of a different gospel, they ditch God.  Because God is the God of the Gospel.  Conversely when a person trusts the gracious gospel they aren't just converted to a different way of approaching God, they are converted to a different God.

Therefore the experience of hearing the pure gospel should not just be, "Ohh, so that's how the God-I-always-believed-in saves people, now I'll adjust my methods of attaining salvation."

No.  When we hear the gospel, the overwhelming response should be:  "Ohh, so that's what God is like.  I had Him all wrong."

In the gospel we don't just give people a different way to God.  We give them a different God.  The God of the Gospel.  And that's liberation.  It's not the surprise of seeing the-God-we-always-believed-in relating to us via some lovely principles - grace alone and faith alone.  It's the earth-shattering shock of looking to the throne and, utterly unexpectedly, seeing that there sits the gracious, trustworthy Gospel-God.

For the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their Shepherd; He will lead them to springs of Living Water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.  (Rev 7:17)

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8

Published on 8 Comments on God's Glory Alone sermon

We’re like a little kid coming to God saying “Oooh, salvation, let me have a go!"  And like a Good Father, God says, “No, no, put salvation down.  Glen, I’ve told you a thousand times, PUT SALVATION DOWN.  It’s too big for you.  You'll break it and it'll break you.”  And we say “Aww but I wanna do it, let me, let me, let me.  All the other gods let their people save themselves!!”  And our Father says “Yes, but that just shows they’re not really gods are they?  Now put salvation down!"

His Grace guarantees His Glory...

...Because His Glory is to give.

Audio here

Text below...

...continue reading "God's Glory Alone sermon"

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Published on 6 Comments on God’s Glory Alone sermon

We’re like a little kid coming to God saying “Oooh, salvation, let me have a go!"  And like a Good Father, God says, “No, no, put salvation down.  Glen, I’ve told you a thousand times, PUT SALVATION DOWN.  It’s too big for you.  You'll break it and it'll break you.”  And we say “Aww but I wanna do it, let me, let me, let me.  All the other gods let their people save themselves!!”  And our Father says “Yes, but that just shows they’re not really gods are they?  Now put salvation down!"

His Grace guarantees His Glory...

...Because His Glory is to give.

Audio here

Text below...

...continue reading "God’s Glory Alone sermon"

Published on Leave a comment on Scripture Alone sermon

In our Gospel Alone series we've had:

Christ Alone

Grace Alone

Faith Alone

But how do you get in on this gracious salvation in Christ?

Well faith comes by hearing and hearing through the word of Christ (Rom 10:17).  Jesus-people must be bible-people.

And we must see the Scriptures as:

confronting

clear and consistent

and

all about Christ

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Sermon audio here.

Text below...

...continue reading "Scripture Alone sermon"

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Published on 4 Comments on Words in Proverbs – all age sermon

Sticks and stone may break my bones but words can never hurt me?  Poppycock!

Here for your brutal critique I offer an all age sermon on the theme of words in Proverbs:

Audio here.

Powerpoint slides here.

But what power can change the heart???

The cross is heaven's gentle answer to our harsh words

When it goes to our heart, our words will be healthy

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Published on 3 Comments on Dev Menon – 2 Timothy 2

Wonderful sermon by Dev.

At the end he quotes from Spurgeon's sermon "Eternal Faithfulness Unaffected by Human Unbelief."

I tell you again that He cannot reject you—that would be to alter His whole Character and “un-Christ” Himself! To spurn a coming sinner would un-Jesus Him and make Him to be somebody else, and not Himself any longer. “He cannot deny Himself.” Go and try Him! Go and try Him. I wish some trembling soul would, at this moment, go and cast Himself upon Christ and then report to us the result. Come, poor quivering Seekers, sing in your heart, unbelieving as you are...

If you were to perish at His feet, you would be the first that ever did so out of all those who have ever come to Him! And that first man has never been seen yet! Go and try my Lord and see for yourselves.

Well now, you Christian people, I want you to come, also. If you believe your Lord, He will be faithful to you. Suppose it is a time of trouble with you? He will be faithful to you—go and cast your burden upon Him.  Suppose at this time you are much exercised with spiritual distress? Go to the Lord as you did at first, as poor, guilty, rebellious sinners—and cast yourself upon Him and you will find Him faithful. “He cannot deny Himself.” If my Lord were not kind to me tonight when I go to Him with my burdens, I should think that I had knocked at the wrong door because the Lord has been so good and so faithful to me up to now that it would take my breath away if I found Him changed! Oh, how good, how exceedingly good is my Lord!

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Published on 3 Comments on Faith Alone sermon

Can you imagine a beggar outside Buckingham Palace, begging for change.  And she’s not a rough diamond.  She’s not a salt of the earth character deep down.  She’s unpleasant, she’s selfish, she’s backstabbing, she’s grubby, she’s been in and out of prison all her life and she’s only got herself to blame.

The Queen comes out of the palace and starts talking to the woman.  And she doesn’t just spare some change for the poor unfortunate, she holds out her hand and helps the woman up.  She gets dirty lifting the beggar to her feet.  And she leads the beggar into the palace, past the security, past the bewildered staff.  And they sit down to eat dinner together in the royal banquetting hall.

At the end of the dinner, the Queen makes an announcement.  She officially adopts the woman into her royal family and shares all her wealth with her.  She will share everything - even the throne - with this awkward, angry beggar.

And we say – That’s ridiculous!  Nothing like that would ever happen.

The truth is that something far greater than this HAS happened.  And it’s happened to us.

Faith Alone sermon audio.

Full text below....

...continue reading "Faith Alone sermon"

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Published on 12 Comments on Grace Alone – sermon

Romans 5:12-21


Look at yourself in Adam; though you had done nothing you were declared a sinner. Look at yourself in Christ; and see that, though you have done nothing, you are declared to be righteous. That is the parallel. We must get rid of all thoughts of our actions there is no boasting. We do nothing; all we are and have results from the obedience of the One – our Lord.” –Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaching on Romans 5:18,19, taken from: Romans 5: Assurance, p274.

Sermon audio here (sorry, my sermon not the Doctor's!)

Text below...

...continue reading "Grace Alone – sermon"

Published on Leave a comment on Christ Alone – sermon

On Sunday I began our Gospel Alone series with this sermon on Christ Alone.

Audio here.  Excerpt beneath.  Full sermon at the end.

We do not know God except in Christ alone.  We are not saved by God except in Christ alone.

Does that sound narrow?

It’s only as narrow as Christ is.  So how narrow is Christ?

He is the Eternal Image of the otherwise Invisible God, the Creator and Redeemer of the Cosmos in Whom the fullness of deity dwells.  How narrow is He?  He is vast, He is beyond imagining.  He fills the universe and the fullness of God fills Him.

We don’t say “Christ alone” to be narrow.  We say 'Christ alone' because there’s no room for anyone else!  He is the eternal Son of the Father, our Maker and our Saviour, Who reconciles the cosmos back to His Father – there’s just no room for anyone or anything else.  That’s why we say 'Christ alone'.

It’s not about being narrow.  It’s just about naming the true Lord of this world.  The true Lord of this world is not Buddha or Allah or Krishna, He’s Jesus.  The true Lord of this world is not money, sex or power, He’s Jesus.  The true Lord of this world is not a big bang or a tiny particle or a long equation, He’s Jesus.

This is not narrow, this is simply naming the vast majesty of His Person and work.  It’s Christ alone, because when you understand who He is, there’s no room for anyone else.

And when you grasp the all-sufficiency of His Person and work - it transforms your view of Christ, of His Father, of the world, of salvation, of yourself.  To know Christ for Who He is means being drawn into His very life and work - to be caught up into the heart of all things.  Grasping 'Christ alone' changes everything...

Full sermon text below...

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