BBC Sermon Cast

Though Paul primarily addresses aspiring church leaders in 1 Timothy 3:4–5, nevertheless every Christian should aim for a biblically blameless household—one that is well-ordered to the glory of God. Christ-motivated cosmos rather than chaos is to characterise our homes.

Contemplating God’s gospel restores our hope. This is precisely the message of Amos 9:11–15. Christian, may your hope be restored today. If you are not a Christian, may you become one today and join with those who, by God’s grace, have had hope restored. We consider two things from this text:

1. A Restored People (vv. 11–12)

2. A Restored Paradise (vv. 13–15)

Like many throughout history, many in our day are guilty of self-righteous spiritual presumption. The idea that religious people would be under the wrath of God is ludicrous and highly offensive. Like water off a duck’s back, the self-righteous deflect any idea of God’s threatened condemnation. But like Israel of old, they are headed for a sobering wakeup call. We see this in Amos 9:1–10.

The covenantal unfaithfulness of Israel, the Northern Kingdom, has doomed them for God’s irrevocable judgement. They are hopeless for deliverance and this is sealed by God’s silence towards them. For this reason chapter 8 is one of the saddest prophecies in scripture. It is also one of the most frightening for there is going to be a famine of hearing the word of the Lord. Among other lessons to be learned is that we dare not treat God with contempt by taking his grace for granted. We consider the text under the following headings:

1. An Ominous Silence (vv. 1-3)

2. Justified Silence (vv. 4-6)

3. The Sound of Silence (vv. 7-10)

4. Heaven’s Silence (vv. 11-14)

Every Christian is blessed by God to be a member of a local church. And with this privilege comes the responsibility to be a responsible member of the church. Being entrusted with the keys of the Kingdom of God each member is to fulfil various responsibilities with reference to the what, the who, and the how of the gospel. We consider the text under the following headings.

1. Jesus’ Confrontation (vv. 13–16)

2. Jesus’ Affirmation (vv. 17–18)

3. Jesus’ Assignment (v. 19)

The Bible teaches throughout that God’s unshakeable love is everlasting and extends to every tribe and tongue and nation. His love, displayed most clearly in the gospel, is the thing that should drive his people’s desire to praise him, as we see in Psalm 117. We consider this briefest of Psalms under two headings:

1. The God of All Nations (v. 1)

2. The God of Unshakeable Love (v. 2)

The call to be “not quarrelsome” is a call to reflect the peace of Christ in every sphere of life. True peace is not born of temperament but of transformation—a heart ruled by the Prince of Peace rather than by pride or passion. The Spirit of Christ enables believers to listen with grace, speak with restraint, and engage conflict redemptively. In a world driven by argument and anger, the non-quarrelsome life stands as a living testimony that the gospel not only reconciles us to God but also makes us agents of reconciliation in his church and beyond.

The crowds who followed Jesus were hungry, but they were seeking a handout that would only last a day. Jesus responded with perhaps his most challenging, shocking, and life-giving teaching: He is the Bread of Life. As we consider John 6:47–59, we will consider how this Bread from heaven is a gift which sustains and nourishes those who receive it by faith. We consider three things from this text:

1. The Bread of Life is a Gift From Heaven (vv. 48–51)

2. The Bread of Life Sustains and Nourishes (vv. 57–58)

3. The Bread of Life Must Be Received (vv. 44–47)

Christians often struggle to trust God when it comes to meeting daily needs. As we continue working through the character qualities of a maturing Christian, we come to the matter of not loving money—of learning the discipline of true contentment and trust in the God who provides our needs.

Having faithfully proclaimed God’s revealed words (chapters 1–6) Amos now faithfully proclaims God’s revealed visions (chapters 7–9). God’s people are expected to take these seriously, for their lives, quite literally, depend on it. In this chapter, Amos makes clear that God’s word trumps man’s words. May the Lord help us to recognise and submit to all that God says.