BBC Sermon Cast

John was concerned about a plague that was ravishing the churches that he so dearly cared for. But it was not a biological plague caused by a virus or bacteria; it was a spiritual plague caused by teaching that was opposed to Christ. It was not a plague that threatened loss of life in this world but a plague that threatened the loss of eternal life in the world to come. There was no debate over the treatment for the plague and no discussion about the effectiveness of vaccines. The cure was clear: truth.

Second Corinthians 12 records Paul’s famed thorn in the flesh, which he pleaded for God to remove three times, but each time received a resounding no. He records some of the benefits that the thorn produced in his life. As we study this text, we should do so with a view to learning how suffering can benefit us.

Numbers 20 is filled with grief. It is a chapter in which Moses experiences the death of two siblings, the discouragement of cruel rejection, and, because of his own sin, the death of a dream. It is a chapter of events he no doubt wished he could erase from his memory. Life is sometimes like that: filled with exceedingly grim and painfully dark troubles that we wish we could delete. But this chapter helps us to see that, amid such dismal and discouraging seasons, God remains graciously faithful. In your darkness, God’s gracious faithfulness provides all you need for a disposition of hopeful expectation.

The enduring nature of the Sabbath command (the fourth of the Ten Commandments) is a question that Christians frequently ask. Many think that, while God commanded Sabbath rest under the old covenant, this was abolished under the new covenant—that Christians, in other words, are bound to obey nine of the Ten Commandments. But is this so? Did Jesus abolish the fourth commandment? Are Christians expected to obey it? If so, should we obey in exactly the same way as old covenant Israel? What does a Christian Sabbath look like? Hebrews 4:1–13 offers some insight into these questions.

As we approach Numbers 19, we remember that thousands of people had died in recent plagues resulting from the people’s disobedience. With all this death, there was potential of the tabernacle being defiled by those who had come into contact with dead bodies. This chapter provides a solution to the problem of living in a world of death while seeking to walk with God. In this rather obscure and strange passage, we learn how to live in right relationship with God in a world that is plagued with death because of sin.

In Numbers 18, God reinstructs Aaron and the Levites concerning their work in the tabernacle on behalf of the people as well as revealing some new aspects of their work. They were called to hazardous work, which would provide national protection. The chapter reveals the character of our holy and gracious God, provides us with lessons and principles for our own service, and points us to Jesus Christ who performed the most hazardous work on our behalf.

This week, calls have gone out to Christians around the world to pray for our brothers and sisters in Afghanistan whose lives are under threat from the godless Taliban regime. Psalm 137, among others, offers us some insight as to how Christians should pray in circumstances like this.

Human confidence can be flaky. We are sometimes less confident, and sometimes more confident, than we should be. This is one thing when it comes to cowardice or bravado in hypothetical situations that will probably never materialise and quite another when it comes to certainty about the claims of Christianity. John closes his first letter by appealing to his readers’ confidence in Christ.

What moment in your life defined who you are? In Romans 6, Paul describes the most life-changing event in all of history: the death and resurrection of Jesus. Based on this event, he teaches us to consider ourselves differently; namely, dead to sin and alive to God. As we consider our new identity in Christ, we will not let sin have control over our lives, since we have died to sin.

Following the grumbling in Numbers 16, the Lord called a “staff meeting” as a means to put an end to the people’s grumbling against his appointed leaders and, by extension, against him. It was an act of grace to prevent further death (17:10). The text shows us not only God’s provision for overcoming grumbling in Moses’ day but, more importantly, that God’s provision for overcoming grumbling is found in his chosen High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ.