1 Corinthians 15:42-44
It is the earnest desire, to lay before you the certain and definite hope of the Christian. Assurances like this cannot be found in this world due to its transient state of temporariness. Search high and low, with diligence and scrutiny, but O man, your search will be in vain. When Adam fell through willful disobedience, mankind was plunged into sin and death. God in His infinite love and mercy has sought to reverse this curse in redeeming a people back unto Himself through His beloved Son.
In this sermon, we set forth the first and second installment of this most glorious work and consider what will be when Our Blessed Saviour appears in glory to change these vile bodies so as to be fashioned like unto His!
1 Kings 17:1-6
It’s not until you step out of a situation, that looking back, you’re able to see it really for it was! When you’re in a smoke-filled room, it’s hard to see the smoke, but exit the room and peer back in through the glass and you’ll be astonished at how you ever could have been in such an environment and not have. As I look around and survey the spiritual landscape of the nation, I have to conclude that we are living in the midst of a spiritual famine that few are even aware we’re in. Churches are closing by the week of and the British landscape is changing. Brethren, it is my conviction that unless God in His mercy sends another revival —an awakening, the likes of which this nation has not witnessed since the days of Wesley, the flickering light of present-day Christianity may soon be extinguished from these British Isles. Now I acknowledge that God will always have a remnant—7000 who have not bowed the knee to Baal, but Brother/Sister, where is the grief over the fact that the city once set on a hill has been removed, and the candle which once stood on a candlestick has been placed under a bushel!
This sermon is a heart-cry, for another heaven-sent revival and a warning to those who have been placed in sound fellowships at this present time of famine, to not forsake where God has placed them, but to be grateful for the bread He has provided.
John 1:35-42
Oh to see the Son of God in all His glory! To comprehend His majesty; to fathom His deity. John declares; "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (Jn. 1:1). Adding to this, he then makes this staggering statement; " And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth" (Jn. 1:14). Peter writes, "For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty" (2 Pet. 1:16); and John again states: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life" (1 Jn. 1:1).
This sermon is an exhortation that having found the Messiah we would be moved to tell and to bring others to HIM also!
1 Corinthians 6:13b - 20
We face a battle in our day to remain clean in the sight of God in respect to sexual purity. Young people live in a generation where immorality has become the new morality. Adultery in the professing Church of Jesus Christ has reached an all-time high and every month it seems a scandal breaks of another minister caught in the headlights of this evil. I have need only to mention that word beginning with “p”, derived in part from the Greek word “porneia” and who can deny, that there has not been an epidemic of this evil that has literally swept across the world by the aid of advancements in technology, most notably, the internet
This sermon is a sober warning and a plea for all who name the name of Jesus Christ to flee fornication and to render their vessels in sanctification to the Lord.
Mark 5:35-36
Here we are again this Lord’s Day morning, back on the subject of faith! Ah, but I say, Brother/Sister, can we ever tire of receiving what we need? As food is to the stomach and petrol is to the engine, so faith is to the spiritual life of the believer, the vehicle through which he gains unlimited access to the marvellous and never-ending treasure stores of grace, without which he cannot live! Can we ever tire of speaking about faith? Can we ever exhaust its riches? There’s not a day, not even a waking hour that you and I are not called upon to exercise it! Faith is indispensable to the child of God; “...by it the elders obtained a good report” (Heb. 11:2) and by it, we hope also to obtain likewise in our generation, proving the God of our Fathers to be the same yesterday, today and forever!
A strong exhortation sounds forth, calling the children of God to glorify the Lord in taking Him at His word. Even in the face of apparent setback and disappointment, God is saying, be not afraid, only believe!
Romans 12:1-2
The Williams household dates all the way back to 1896 (it’s an old Victorian terraced) and take it from me, there are one or two loose floorboards that without fail, every time you walk over them, you’re greeted by the voices of Mr. and Mrs. Creak! Now please don’t misunderstand me; these defects are not foundational — Mr. and Mrs. Creak aren’t threatening to undermine the structural integrity of my house, they just like to talk a lot (and I can live with that!). But you see, that’s probably why I never take the trouble to nail them down! Who wants to be bothered with taking up the carpet to nail a single plank, then have to put it all back down again? Thus, I choose to live at peace with the Creaks and let them get on with their creaking!
My dear soul, there’s a spiritual lesson to all of this. Could it be that some of us have adopted the same nonchalant attitude when it comes to nailing down the loose planks in our lives (bad attitudes, a loose tongue, a heated temper)! Rather than going through all the trouble of fetching up the carpet to address the matter and nail things for good, we instead choose to live with it. You may well choose to tolerate it, but God does not and He’s asking us to take proactive steps to nail those loose planks so as to come on to the ground of perfection.
Galatians 6:9-10
Idioms in the English language abound and our everyday conversation is littered with them. One such saying is, “Once bitten, twice shy”. If anyone has ever been bitten by a dog, you’ll know full well the sentiments being expressed. Simply put, if someone has a bad experience and is hurt doing a particular thing, the second time around, they’re much weary and less inclined to do the same again! Dogs are one thing and people are another. The royal command of love instructs us as Christians, to never lose the love of God towards all mankind. Loving our friends is easy, but loving those who’ve hurt us much, can at times be incredibly difficult.
May the Lord speak to each heart as the call to not grow weary in well-doing goes forth.
Exodus 36:1-7
It could appear at first sight that the title of this sermon is a contradiction in terms. What has grace to do with doing? I thought grace and works were diametrically opposed as light is to darkness and darkness is to light? In terms of salvation, this most certainly is the case; but when it comes to the call of grace to Christian ministry, there is a labouring on the part of man under the grace which God supplies.
This sermon is a challenge and call to faithfulness in the sphere of Christian service. May God be pleased to take this sermon and speak into your heart in this most vital matter.
Luke 12:1-12
As the days wind on and the seasons become increasingly more difficult, we are going to need ever more to rely upon the succouring aid of the Holy Spirit! God didn’t mean for us to struggle through limping and hobbling in our own depleted strength, He provided supernatural means by which we might get through with a power that is not our own and a strength that has been given us by Him.
The true Church of Jesus Christ shall find encouragement and strength to stand in the hour of her persecution and shall speak as witnesses with words given her by the Holy Spirit. May we have the privilege of knowing this precious truth not only in word but experience also.
Romans 10:1-4
Christianity is not for good men, nor is for the noble and the upright—that’s what they’ll become if Christ saves them, but before that glorious event, “...foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another”. How is such a one to ever climb out of the cesspit of his iniquity and to set his hands on the rungs of the latter up to heaven and when he gets there to present his sin-stained pitiful state before the presence of the Holy God before whom angels dare to cast their sight? Either God gives us in mercy what we do not possess, namely righteousness, or we’re doomed for all eternity!! What saith “euangelion”? “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Lk. 19:10)