It’s Reformation Day! On this day in 1517, the monk Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the church in Wittenburg. This started a movement that aimed to measure everything by the standard of Scripture. Instead of accepting all kinds of traditions and papal pronouncements, the practice of Christians was to be …
All of us follow the example of others, even if we don’t actively mean to. Children adopt mannerisms that their parents have. Teenagers dress the same as their friends. Houses in the same street tend to present in a similar way to one another. We take our cue from what we see around us. Sometimes, …
Hezekiah found himself in the middle of a siege in 2 Kings 19. The mighty Assyrian army was outside the walls and were demanding he surrender. In his distress, he sought the word of the Lord from the prophet Isaiah. The response he received was positive; the Assyrians would leave, and Jerusalem would be saved. …
The Assyrian army threatened the city of Jerusalem in 2 Kings 18. A great army massed outside the walls and a spokesperson (with the memorable title of the Rabshakeh) came out to speak to the people of Judah. This man was clearly educated and clever. The Rabshakeh spoke to the official delegates of the king …
Sin always promises so much. When we are considering giving in to lust, we feel that this will lead to pleasure and satisfaction. When we consider giving in to greed, we feel that this will bring us security and contentment. Yet it is a lie. Sin promises so much but does not deliver on its …
Every family falls into patterns of doing things. It can be something minor, like placing the cups in the cupboard upside down when you have washed and dried them. Or it might be something major, like a pattern of responding to disagreements with anger or resentment with little forgiveness or grace. Some families value sport …
We are all capable of making good things, even things that should point us to Jesus, into objects of worship. One Biblical example of this is the bronze serpent. Moses made the bronze serpent in Numbers 21 as a symbol of salvation. When the people were suffering from a plague of poisonous snakes, a right …
Christians are urged to be content in any circumstances, most famously in the great passage in Philippians 4: 11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In …
Christians are called to be content, to be satisfied with what we have at the moment (in places like Phil 4:10-13). That’s an easy thing to say but a difficult thing to do. One of the reasons it is so difficult is that so much in our culture is pushing us to be discontent. Here …
What do you expect from a sermon when you go to a church service? What is it that you need to hear, and what is important to be included? I have been listening to sermons my whole life, preaching for over 15 years, and now help to teach others how to preach as well. I …