I have recently given a couple of exhortations on receiving slanders and misunderstandings about us with joy. That is all good, and remains important. But if we are to live peaceably in community, there is another side to it, and that is that we must not slander or misrepresent others. The judgment with which you …
The First Supper
The meal where this sacrament was instituted is commonly called the Last Supper. It is called last because it was the last meal that Jesus ate before His arrest, and of course this attribution makes sense at that level. But there is also a real sense in which we ought to think of it as …
Surveying the Text: James
Introduction: This short letter is famous for its instructions on “the tongue,” as well as for its emphasis on practical religion, visiting widow and orphans. There are a number of practical instruction on showing no partiality between rich and poor, as well as a stern warning against envy. What many don’t realize is that these …
Inner and Outer Darkness
We know that when we are lied about and misrepresented, our response is supposed to be that of gladness and joy. Rejoice, Jesus said, when they tell all sorts of slanderous stories about you. Rejoice, He said, and be exceeding glad (Matt. 5:12). Too often we regard this as simply a tough assignment, that of …
A Table for Friends
One of our great privileges in this congregation is the privilege of coming to the Lord’s Table weekly. When we come to the Lord’s Table, we are coming to the Lord Himself, and why wouldn’t we? We are evangelicals; we believe in coming to Jesus. In the midst of the great Reformation, the great John …
The Wrong Sort of Fear
“One of the elements of powerful preaching is preaching as a man that has been liberated. Liberated from what? From the ensnaring effects of the fear of men” (Martin, What’s Wrong With Preaching Today? p. 17).
Surveying the Text: Hebrews
Introduction: There are seven Old Testament passages quoted in the first chapter of Hebrews alone, and five of those seven passages have to do with the submission of the nations to Christ. That is what the entire book is about—and we are taught this through the author showing us that this is what the entire …
Grim Punishment Indeed
We know that as a community of God’s people, we have to help one another as we deal with temptation and sin. Our lives, generally speaking, are not hidden from one another, and the people who know you usually know you pretty well—just as you know them. Scripture encourages us in this task of helping …
Received and Rendered
One of the concerns expressed about bringing young children to the Table, as we do, is the concern that we are neglecting the important element of having every communicant make a profession of faith. Are we not minimizing the importance of personal faith by doing this? Now it is possible for bad things to come …