sermons | study
These are sermons preached during our Sunday worship services. (Recordings were not always successful, so there are gaps in the postings.)
Although Zechariah's song has not typically received as much attention as that of Mary, it is theologically more developed. Both are equally inspired, so it is not a matter of one being "better" than the other. The simplicity and personal focus of Mary's psalm is part of its beauty and underscores the truths it proclaims. The breadth and depth of Zechariah's psalm enlarge our understanding of God's work of salvation, especially as it relates to us as his people.
This passage features the hymn known as "The Benedictus," the song of Zechariah at the naming of his son John. Although it is John's christening day, Zechariah's song is not about his son, but about the One whom he would herald, Jesus the Messiah.
One of the wonderful aspects of Scripture is that even when considering passages that are familiar to us, we can always discover much more to learn from them. I hope that this portion of Luke's Gospel speaks to your heart anew as it did mine.
Sometimes the passages of Scripture that touch us most deeply are those to which we return again and again. The narrative of Gabriel's message to Mary may have become quite familiar to us, but there is such a richness to God's Word that no matter how often we come to a passage, there is always a new message for us in it.
The historical narrative of God's message to Zechariah through Gabriel gives prominence to the nature and purpose of the calling of John, who will play such a pivotal role as the forerunner of the Messiah. What we learn of John's calling, in turn, reveals to us the heart of God's saving work in creating a people for himself, a work which he accomplishes through repentance and faith.
The beautiful narratives of Scripture communicate truth in a powerful way. These accounts draw us into the lives of people who deal with the same issues of life, and in God's dealings with them, we discover how he is working in our lives as well.
With a climactic clarion call, this section of Romans draws to a close. Paul's words echo down through the years to challenge us to a vision of life that transcends this temporary time by looking to eternal realities.
This is a beautifully stated presentation of a profound truth, and although I did not think that my exposition of it was what it should have been, I am confident that the Scripture is effective regardless of the ineffectiveness of the preacher.
This passage is one of the central texts in the Bible pertaining to civil government. Paul speaks to this topic here primarily from the viewpoint of individual believers living out their faith in daily life.
The calling of Christians to submission to authority as unto God is rooted in the sovereignty of God and his ordering of human life in this present age.
John Calvin says of the key admonition of this passage that no Christian can claim to have perfectly obeyed it, but at the same time no one can claim to be a follower of Christ who does not daily strive to be obedient to it. "Bless your persecutors" echoes Jesus' teaching of the kingdom and describes his life.
From the very personal exhortation to present our bodies as sacrifices in service to God, Paul has moved to a call to use the unique graces that God has given to us for the blessing of his body, the Church. It is not surprising that from encouraging us to use the graces that God has given us for the blessing of the Church we are brought to consider the characteristic of love, since love should be the motivation for ministry to others with the gifts we have received by grace.
This passage is of tremendous importance to a proper understanding of the Church, and has applications for the life of every single believer.
In this text, Paul opens this section of practical application by directing our attention to our thinking, which is the best place for us to begin. In order to live faithfully as disciples of Christ, we first need to think rightly, especially in reference to our relationship with God and with fellow believers.
Paul's superb statement of exhortation to us as followers of Jesus Christ comes to a climax by directing our attention to the goal of our calling–God's will.
Having exhorted us to lives of sacrifice that are our grateful response to the mercies of God, Paul will now begin to describe for us what such lives look like. We might have expected him to begin with specific behaviors, but instead, he will begin with our minds.
At this important transition point in his epistle to the Roman church, Paul provides us with invaluable teaching relating to a matter of importance to every one of us as disciples of Christ: What is it that motivates us to follow him? How do we persevere when the going gets tough? From where do we derive the strength to the sacrifice to which God calls us?
The quotation from C. H. Spurgeon is from his sermon "Laus Deo," which is number 572 in the sermons pages of spurgeongems.org, a web site maintained by Emmett O'Donnell, a godly older man with whom I have corresponded. Mr. O'Donnell has updated older English terms and capitalized pronouns referring to God, but otherwise the sermons are as Spurgeon published them. I never fail to find out if Spurgeon has preached on a sermon text that I am studying. His sermons are a dependable source of devotional encouragement.
An image of tree grafting serves as the central piece for this passage that brings to a dramatic conclusion Paul's focus on the place of the Jews in God's plan for the extension of the gospel. The Jews are not to be considered in isolation from Gentiles, however. In fact, we learn that there is an intimate connection between Gentile and Jew in the Kingdom of God.
Paul is continuing to address the questions raised by Israel's rejection of the gospel. He has shown that this rejection is not total, for God has preserved for himself a remnant who have believed. In these verses, Paul shows that this rejection is not final, either, for God will provoke Israel to jealousy of the Gentiles as a means to draw them into gospel faith that will bless not only them, but Gentile believers as well.
