BBC Sermon Cast

All believers aspire to grow in godliness, but all believers also know such growth in grace is a great challenge—sometimes a war, sometimes a storm, sometimes a struggle. The Bible recognises that sanctification is war, but it offers us hope—hope of victory in the war for growth in godliness. Psalm 119:9–16 focuses on this theme of sanctification. It assures us that God desires our sanctification, warns us that we cannot manufacture our own sanctification, and points us to the divine means of sanctification.

To live a life of integrity is to live a life that is whole and undivided. It is to live in such a way that what you see is what you get. The person of integrity lives a life in which there is no part that contradicts the whole. Integrity, for the Christian, has to do with the entire body and soul being devoted to God. Psalm 119:1–8 gives us some direction in achieving such integrity.

Much like the ancient Athenians, we live in a world where idolatry is pervasive and no one seems too bothered by it. Does it bother you? What are you doing about it? What are the best strategies to confront this ignorance of idolatry? Acts 17:16–34 gives us insight and direction in our consideration of this topic.

Marriages begin as happy events, but in far too many cases they morph into painful scenarios, and discouragement, despondency, deep heartache and dissolution often result. Is there any hope? I believe that Ephesians 5:18–33 provides us with such. But, as Paul wrote to the Thessalonian believers in another context, it will require work of faith, labour of love and endurance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:3).

In other words, even though a marriage has begun God’s way and yet has gone wrong, it can be restored to being a marriage, God’s way—again.

Psalm 36 offers us a revelation of pervasive, perverse evil, but it also gives a revelation of the God who prevails over all forms of evil. This is a psalm that encourages us to pray for God to preserve and protect his people by prevailing over evil.

Psalm 35 is one of the imprecatory psalms, in which David prays for God to fight for him against his enemies. These psalms often seem counterintuitive to Christians today, who are accustomed to thinking of praying for their enemies rather than against their enemies. How should we think about the imprecatory psalms? Ought we to pray against our enemies? A careful consideration of Psalm 35 will help us in this regard.

In Ephesians 5:18, Paul exhorts us to be filled with the Spirit. In v. 19, through the remainder of the epistle, he shows what it looks like to be filled with the Spirit: how it works itself out in church life (5:19–21), in marriage (5:22–33), in family (6:1–4), in the workplace (6:5–9), and in spiritual warfare (6:10–20). On Sunday morning Doug will give an overview of what it means to be Spirit-filled in marriage.

Paul exhorts Christians to submit themselves, one to another, “in the fear of Christ” (Ephesians 5:21). As we experience the fullness of the Spirit we are enabled to worship together (vv. 19–20). But further, we are to work together towards godliness. This requires several things including, focus and fear—reverence for the Lord Jesus Christ. John Murray said, “The fear of the Lord is the soul of godliness.” May this describe us—together.

Charles Spurgeon said of this psalm that it is both a hymn (vv. 1–10) and a sermon (vv. 11–22). Well said. In this psalm David rejoices in song and then he instructs in what could be called a sermon. The Christian needs both. We are invited to praise and we are instructed how to live. Psalm 34 provides us with both.

We cannot be Spirit-filled apart from the church, and if we are Spirit-filled we will be a part of the church. The church is both the means and the manifestation of being Spirit-filled. Ephesians 5:19–21 gives us the manifestation to worship together and four marks of worshipping together.