BBC Sermon Cast

The opening three chapters of 1 Corinthians are an exhortation to the Corinthian believers to stop immaturely evaluating messengers of the gospel by worldly standards. In urging them to grow up in Christ, Paul reminds them, in 4:1–5, that it is God’s assessment of one’s ministry, rather than human assessment, that will ultimately matter. Paul points to both the responsibility and accountability of Christian leaders, using himself as an example. His conclusion is straightforward: His ultimate audience is God. This Divine evaluation is what matters. In explaining this, Paul points to three related truths that matter:

1. The Mindset that Matters (v. 1)

2. The Metric that Matters (v. 2)

3. The Motivation that Matters (vv. 3–5)

Humanity has a long track record of hearing but dismissing warnings of impending peril. The story of Micaiah’s encounter with Israel’s King Ahab reveals that this tendency is not new. The text shows us at once Micaiah’s fierce commitment to God’s truth, which serves as an example for all of God’s people, and shows the destructive consequences of those who, like Ahab, dismiss God’s truth. We will consider this narrative under the following broad headings:

1. A Flippant Response to Truth (vv. 1–6)

2. A Forced Response to Truth (vv. 7–12)

3. A Faithful Response to Truth (vv. 13–14)

4. A Formulaic Response to Truth (vv. 15–23)

5. A Furious Response to Truth (vv. 24–28)

6. The Fulfilled Response of Truth (vv. 29–38)

7. The Focused Response of Truth (vv. 39–40)

On the first day of the week, the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, leaving behind his grave clothes in an empty tomb. This sealed the good news of the gospel that, indeed, God’s work of the redemption of his people was finished by Jesus’ sacrificial and substitutionary death on the cross. However, on that initial Lord’s Day of the new covenant era, the early believers had lost sight of Jesus’ promise that he would rise from the dead, “as he said.” Too often, we also lose sight of the promises of our risen Lord. Matthew 28 reminds us that he is risen and how this should daily influence us. We will study this chapter under four headings:

1. A Grave Expectation (v. 1)

2. A Graced Experience (vv. 2–10)

3. A Guarded Explanation (vv. 11–15)

4. A Great Expectation (vv. 16–20)

Good Friday is called “good” because, on it, we remember, not a gruesome crucifixion, but the incredible gift of forgiveness, righteousness, and eternal life that Christ purchased by his death for all who believe. The cross of Christ is therefore the Christian’s only boast. The cross of Christ invites persecution due to its implications for man’s pride and the cross of Christ leads not just to a new name, but a whole new creation. We consider our text under three broad headings:

1. The Cross of Christ is Our Only Boast

2. The Cross of Christ Has Implications for This Life

3. The Cross of Christ Leads to a New Creation

Christians often say, “Jesus died for my sins.” When we say that, what exactly do we mean? Matthew 26:26–29, the institution of the Lord's Supper, gives this common Christian phrase real meaning. When Jesus said that his blood was poured out “for many for the forgiveness of sins,” he was identifying himself with the Passover lamb from Exodus, as well as the suffering servant of Isaiah 53. As we reflect on the new substitute, Jesus, we’ll approach the Lord’s Supper with a contrite confidence that Jesus died for our sins.

The book of Jonah, often thought of as a story about a great fish, is actually about a great God who saves. In the opening chapter, we find three characteristics of our God’s persistent commitment to reconcile himself with humanity:

1. Our Great God Reveals His Instruction

2. Our Great God Reveals His Presence

3. Our Great God Reveals His Grace

Continuing in our study of the hidden figures of Scripture, we come to the character Epaphras. Despite the fact that we only have five verses to go on, we learn quite a lot about him. He was a native of Colossae who founded and served the church there. More importantly, we learn from him how we ought to serve Christ and his bride, even in hidden ways. We study his life by asking and answering two broad questions:

1. Who was Epaphras?

a. Not Epaphroditus

b. A Colossian

c. A Servant of Christ

d. A Gospel Teacher

2. What should we learn?

a. Serving Christ

b. Teaching Christ

c. A Hidden Christ

Worship is central to the child of God’s expressions of love, devotion, adoration, dependence, and thanksgiving. Through worship, we attribute reverence, honour and glory to God, exalting his name above all else and submitting to his role and reign in our lives. The opening chapters of Ezra reminds us of the importance of worship to God’s children and how he uses two lesser known leaders to restore the worship that has been broken through disobedience. We consider the record of these leaders under four broad headings:

1. Broken Worship

2. Faithful Response

3. Hindered Progress

4. Worship Restored?

In 1 Corinthians 3:16–23, Paul continues with the theme of building up the local church, which he refers to as God’s temple. Though God causes the growth of the church, he uses the means of both leadership and congregation in its construction. Each church member has a responsibility to participate and to protect what God is building. We can summarise this passage under the title, “Danger: Construction Site,” which we will study under three headings:

1. Remember What You Are, and Don’t Destroy It (vv. 16–17)

2. Remember Where You Are, and Don’t Be Deceived by It (vv. 18–20)

3. Remember Whose You Are, and Don’t Diminish It (vv. 21–23)

Spiritual metamorphosis produces change. This is evident throughout Scripture, and perhaps nowhere more clearly than in the account of the penitent criminal on the cross. Luke details this metamorphosis for us, and we will consider it under three broad headings.

1. The Reviling of a Criminal

2. The Response of a Criminal

3. The Regeneration of a Criminal