BBC Sermon Cast

What is the significance of Jesus? Is he just another Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck? Is his story similar to Thor, son of Odin? Was he the forerunner of Mahatma Ghandi or Mother Theresa? In the Gospel of Matthew, the Lord Jesus is put forth in a rather different light. For Matthew, Jesus is said to be the apex and centrepiece of all of history. That is to say, the end of the ages has dawned in Christ.

The announcement of Christmas is a promise that meets every human being at the core of their innate desire—their ultimate urge to know joy.

The helmet of salvation provides Christians with confidence to engage in the battle regardless of what we face. We go forth with the assurance that God is for us, that our greatest enemy has been defeated, that nothing can separate us from the love of God is in Christ Jesus, and that our salvation is both final and eternally secure. It provides us with the kind of hard-headedness that gives us courage in the face of conflict.

Jesus challenges our culture today as much as he did in the first century. This passage teaches us that God honours the humble, and humbles the proud. Our view of God’s kingdom affects the way we view people. Jesus challenged the Pharisees of his day, and we ought to take this challenge seriously ourselves.

It is clear from the contents of this psalm—as is the case with so many of the other psalms—that David was facing affliction. As was so often the case, God-hating enemies opposed him. But what stands out in this particular psalm is David’s confidence that God would hear him. He expresses his confidence in vv. 1–3, and then explains the reason for his confidence in vv. 4–12.

The aged apostle John wrote to believers, “This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4b). This is an encouraging motto for the believer, and its context makes it even more encouraging. In short, we are promised that everyone who is born of God is an overcomer. If we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, we are promised victory. Properly wielding the shield of faith is imperative to this victory. In this study, we will examine what the shield of faith is, why we need it, and how we must use it.

In Titus 2:11–15, Paul highlights the grace of God in salvation. God’s grace converts unbelievers and enables believers to live righteously. These verses highlight God’s grace as a past action (v. 11), a present action (v. 12) and a future action (vv. 13–14).

The way you treat your Bible says a lot about you, what you think about God, what you think about yourself, and what you think about others. Do you read it? Do you read it expectantly? Do you read it joyfully? Do you read it hopefully?

All believers face affliction, of different varieties. For some, it is a physical affliction. For others, it may be a seemingly hopeless relational breakdown. For others, still, it may take the form of an irreversible and painful situation: the death of a loved one or a far-reaching financial calamity. The question is, how do you face your calamity. More important, still, how will you continue to face it. Ephesians 6:15 encourages us to be shod with shalom so that you can be prepared with peace that the gospel of Christ alone can provide.

Psalm 119:153–160 addresses the need for personal revival in the life of the believer. We will look at these eight verses under two broad headings: (1) personal revival through our affliction (vv. 153–158); and (2) personal revival in our affection (vv. 159–160). The text draws our attention to three areas of affliction that can lead us to despair and a weakened desire for the glory of God: We are afflicted by the ungodly (v. 155), the oppressors (v. 157), and the faithless (v. 158).