Malcolm Cox

Today we look at the seventh chapter — ‘Making Dry Bones Live’.

We have a point, it is relevant to our audience and the outline makes sense. Now what? It is time to make dry bones live! A skeleton is necessary for life, but it is inadequate on its own. Below I give you the outline of the chapter in Haddon Robinson's book. I won't repeat what he says for more eloquently and powerfully than myself. What I will do is add some observations on the topic from my own experience.

Check your facts
I will never forget the day my friend David came up to me after a sermon. I had quoted some particularly impressive statistics. They were wrong. Statistics and numbers are not my strong point. He studied mathematics at Cambridge University. I needed his input. I also needed to learn how to interpret numbers and use them well. These days whenever I see interesting statistics about the Bible or some aspect of human existence I double and triple check them before sharing. Not only that they are accurate, but that I have interpreted them accurately. Ever since my conversation with David I have made in my habit to listen to a BBC podcast called “More or Less" about how to interpret numbers and statistics.

Vary your illustrations
Back in the 90s there was a fad for using stories from the “chicken soup for the soul” books. Additionally I found some bible illustrations software which used quotes from books and famous people. My sermons for the next 12 months were littered with quotes from these books and from the software. And I mean littered. I had a quote for every point and sub-point. Guess what? They lost their power. I became predictable. In fact, I ended up subconsciously making points fit my quotes and stories. Variety is the spice of life. Well, the spice of sermons. Use stories, quotes, personal sharing, facts, visuals and as many different ways to illustrate the truth of your lesson as you can. Don't use all of them in one sermon.

Make stories real
Stories need enough detail and emotion to connect with our audience. Not too much, or it becomes about the details rather than the point, but enough so that they can experientially enter the situation. For example, let's say you're making a point about being caught out in a lie. You could tell a story about being in just such a situation at work. Something like, "I was in a meeting and my boss asked me whether I had completed the project. I said "yes". Then my coworker said “No you haven’t. I was talking to Bob who said it still needs finishing". I was caught in a lie. I was embarrassed.” Decent, but no power.

Or, it could be more like, “My boss asked me to complete a piece of work that I found very difficult. I was stressed out, anxious and feeling inadequate because I knew it was beyond my normal capacity. I didn't sleep the night before the day of the meeting to discuss progress. I came into the meeting frazzled, knowing that I hadn't finished the work, and afraid that I would be held to account. The boss asked me if I had finished it, and I said "yes". I instantly felt relieved because I thought I'd got him off my back, but I also felt guilty. My mouth was dry, my hands were clammy and I knew I had sinned. How could I lie? What kind of Christian am I? Then my coworker, Jim, piped up and challenged me. He stated the truth which was that the project was not finished. The boss just looked at me. I wanted the ground to swallow me up. I felt my face go red, I looked at the ground, and I didn't know what to say.” That store is not perfect either, but it at least has more power than the earlier drier version.

What kind of illustrations do you use to bring home your points? How do you help the truth of the Bible have its impact on the hearts of those listening to you?

1. Fill in the outline with supporting materials that explain, proof, apply, or amplify the points

Consider joining AIM UK&Ireland to develop your understanding of Scripture: https://aimukandireland.com/. Our current module is Homiletics (the preparation and delivery of lessons).

Contact us here with enquiries: [email protected]  

The website can be found here: https://aimukandireland.com  

Please add your comments on this week's topic. We learn best when we learn in community. 

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, or practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here's the email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). 

If you'd like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, "How God grows His people", sign up at my website: http://[www.malcolmcox.org](http://www.malcolmcox.org/). 

Please pass the link on, subscribe, and leave a review. 

Remember to keep calm, and carry on teaching.

God bless, Malcolm

Class 3 - Supplication: How to Convince God to hear Your Prayers

In this short series we are exploring how our security in the Father enables our willing submission to him and what difference that makes to our prayers. In the first episode we talked about the way in which we hear our Father’s voice. We considered the example of Jesus, and took inspiration from his ability to hear his Father’s voice in passages like: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17 NIV11)

In the second episode we tackled the topic of submission. Although submission is challenging to practice, it is so much easier when we are convinced of our heavenly Father’s unconditional love for us. Jesus was the ultimate super-submissive son, setting us an example by wrestling in Gethsemane and going to the cross — not because he felt like it, but because it was the will of his Father. Jesus humbly surrendered to the Father’s plan, saying, “not as I will, but as you will.” His submission demonstrated the depth of His trust in God’s wisdom and divine purpose.

What does this mean for our own prayer-life? Today we will explore the meaning of this text:

“In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 5:7-10 NRSV)

Point of clarification
You will notice that the NRSV translation uses the word ‘supplication’. What does that mean? The Greek word is ἱκετηρία, meaning ‘request’. We find it in other passages such as Philippians 4:6–7 and 1 Timothy 2:1. Supplication is a fancy word for ‘request’.

Could requesting things from God be dangerous? Might we stray into a selfish focus to our prayers? Could praying become the presentation of our shopping list to God? That is possible, but does not need to be the case. If we have first grasped our security in God and moved to a place of willing submission to his will we will be praying because we trust he cares and has our best interests at heart - whatever the outcome. We are talking about telling God what we need and what we perceive other people need. With these thoughts in mind, let’s consider the example of Jesus.

Jesus and Supplication
Supplication is meaningful because it is built on security with God and submission to God’s will. Jesus demonstrates this in his life as summarised by this verse, “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.”
(Hebrews 5:7 NRSV). Jesus knew God had the power to save him, “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?”(Matthew 26:53 NIV11), and trusted him even though it was not appropriate for the Father to supply those angels. How did Jesus manage this? Because his security with God was unshakeable and his submission to God was unbreakable. I believe the way his prayer was heard was in that God gave him the strength to endure his will for Jesus — to go to the cross.

Security and submission set us up magnificently to present our requests to God. Jesus taught his followers to expect answers to prayer, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”” (Matthew 21:22 NIV11) Paul encouraged us to tell God what we need, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”(Philippians 4:6 NIV11)

Conclusion
To state it again — the security and submission of Jesus made his supplications effective. Do you wonder why your prayers are not answered? Perhaps, only perhaps but it is worth reflecting on this, it is because you are lacking in submission to God’s will.

Questions for reflection
- Do you tell God what you need? 
- Are you requesting his work in the lives of people you care about? 
- What holds you back from making your supplications to God?

Next time we will wrap up the series and put it all together — security, submission and supplication.

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community. 

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). 

Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review. 

God bless, Malcolm

You've found an upload from the Thames Valley churches of Christ. Thank you for watching this video. If you'd like to know more go to www.thamesvalley.church where you'll find news, information, resources and much more.

Today we look at the sixth chapter. But first, where are we? So far we have found the key idea that we believe the writer was writing about. We have then asked ourselves what it means, if it is really true, I want difference it makes two people today.  We have considered what that biblical concept means to us and our audience, and the precise purpose of the sermon. In other words, why am I telling this to these people on this particular day?

Now we're considering how we can shape the sermon to achieve its purpose.

To find the right shape for your sermon first ask yourself the following questions.

1. Am I explaining an idea? “Jesus is superior to anything and anyone”, Hebrews 1
2. Am I proving a point? James 4:17, “Christians sin when they know what they should do and refuse to do it.”
3. Am I applying a principal? 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, “What should our attitude be as children of light in a world of darkness?”
4. Am I completing a subject?  Acts 2:42-27, “What makes a church vibrant?” 

Having done so, then work on the outline. A word of caution about outlines, but also a word of encouragement.

Firstly, it should be noted that there is no formula for a supposedly ‘correct’ outline. Almost all outlines will have an introduction, a body and a conclusion. However, the outlines serve the text, not the other way round.

Secondly, the value of an outline should not be underestimated. As Robinson points out, an outline helps you to view your sermon as a whole, to clarify whether your points follow logically and naturally one to another, to crystallise your ideas, and to reveal where illustrations, applications and sharing will be needed to make sure your points hit home.

Thirdly, transition statements are important. What is the transition statement between your first and second points, your second and third points and so on? If you can't state the link between your points, your audience will be mystified as to why you've left one point and moved on to another. They can't see your outline, therefore they need you to verbalise what the connections are.

Conclusion
Every sermon has a shape, even if it is a chaotic one! Better to make it deliberate, not random. For some of us this might sound like engineering a sermon. A rather cold process. However, it is not. Look at the shape of Jesus’ parables. Notice the way Luke shapes the narrative of the incidents in Philippi (Acts 16). Those shapes are deliberate — helping comprehension and impact. Give your sermon a shape appropriate to its purpose and you will bless your hearers.

Next time it’s chapter 7 and “Making dry bones live" 

Consider joining AIM UK&Ireland to develop your understanding of Scripture: https://aimukandireland.com/. Our current module is Homiletics (the preparation and delivery of lessons).

Contact us here with enquiries: [email protected]  

The website can be found here: https://aimukandireland.com  

Please add your comments on this week's topic. We learn best when we learn in community. 

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, or practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here's the email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). 

If you'd like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, "How God grows His people", sign up at my website: http://[www.malcolmcox.org](http://www.malcolmcox.org/). 

Please pass the link on, subscribe, and leave a review. 

Remember to keep calm, and carry on teaching.

God bless, Malcolm

Introduction
Not making any points about the rights and wrongs of the conflict
What are we to do? What are we to learn?

Scriptures
How does God think about refugees? What does he feel towards them?

OT:
Deuteronomy 10:18-19 "He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt."
Leviticus 19:33-34 — "When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God."

God thinks they need protecting and feels compassion.
He wants his people to be the same.

NT:
Matthew 25:35-36 — "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."
Luke 10:25-37 — The Parable of the Good Samaritan
Hebrews 13:1-2 — "Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it."
Jesus
“When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”” Matthew 2:13-15

Jesus wants the vulnerable protected. He feels compassion towards them.
More than that, he has empathy born of his own experience.
He wants his followers to feel the same and act accordingly - with compassion.
Is this easy?

Thinking
The fact that we feel powerless does not mean we are powerless to act.
The fact we cannot change things beyond our control does not mean we cannot make a change somewhere to someone.
God cares about refugees.
We can make a difference
He knows how refugees feel.
Our acts are magnified by God’s Spirit

What does this mean?
God sees their situation. He is available to them.
We see people’s situation. We can make ourselves available to people.
One phone call. One prayer might make all the difference.

Conclusion
We are/were foreigners, Ephesians 2:11-22
Now part of the kingdom because of Jesus

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community.

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: [email protected].

If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://www.malcolmcox.org.

Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review.

“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11)

God bless, Malcolm

I have been thinking about refugees a lot recently. Partly because we had some Ukrainians in our church community for a year, and partly because of the current events going on in the Middle East. I spoke on the subject last Sunday in Watford on the topic "what would Jesus do with refugees?" You can find out on my YouTube channel. But what's the relevance for our times of quiet with God? 

Let's begin with considering what a refugee is. A refugee according to the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees is: “A person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.” 

35 million worldwide, over 108 million forcibly displaced. 

Jesus was a refugee

“When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”” Matthew 2:13-15

Jesus was a refugee, he and his family understood what it meant to flee from danger, live in a foreign land, risk everything for survival. 

We are refugees

“Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.”

‘Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.’

(In the context of loving money) ‘But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.’

“Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

(1 Corinthians 6:18; 10:14; 1 Timothy 6:11; 2 Timothy 2:22 NIV11)

We are ‘on the run’ from things that would capture us, enslave us and kill us. Part of the reason we have times of quiet with God, is to reflect on our greatest temptations. That's one of the reasons we pray, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. ’” (Matthew 6:13 NIV11)

Why not spend some time contemplating what God wants you to flee from?

Next time we will go on to talk about what can strengthen us in our flight from danger.

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community.

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: [email protected].

If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://www.malcolmcox.org.

Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review.

“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11)

God bless, Malcolm

Today we look at the fifth chapter - The Arrow and the Target 🎯
 
1. In light of the audience's knowledge and experience, think through your exegetical idea and stated in the most exact, memorable sentence possible
    - The summary statement for the parable of the prodigal could be that it tells us that God wants both the ‘sinner’ and the ‘righteous’ at his banquet.
    - That statement might be enough for your audience. But, is there a way to make it more memorable?
    - What do you think of these possibilities?
        1. "Join the Feast: You're Invited, Prodigal or Righteous"
        2. "Come to the Banquet: The Prodigal Son's Story Awaits You"
        3. "Your Place at the Table: Embrace Redemption Today"
        4. "Lost and Found: Your Invitation to the Banquet"
        5. "Experience Forgiveness: The Prodigal's Return Calls You"
        6. "The Father's Table: Where You Belong, Sinner or Saint"
        7. "Celebrate Reconciliation: Your Seat is Waiting"
        8. "God's Love Awaits: Feeding Your Soul, Prodigal or Righteous"
        9. "Grace for All: Your Place at the Prodigal Son's Banquet"
        10. "Join Us at the Table: Embracing Sinners and Saints Today"
    - Note that they address the audience and invite a response.

2. The power of purpose — determine the purpose for this sermon
    - All too often we are vague
        - “Sometimes our response to the question, “Why are you preaching that sermon?” is as clear as a thick fog: “I’m preaching this sermon because I want to give the people a challenge.” Such answers, usually implied rather than stated, produce sermons that resemble a dropped lemon meringue pie—they splatter over everything, but hit nothing very hard. They lack a definite purpose!”
    - The sermon is not conveying an idea, it is addressing real people with real needs. It needs a target. The arrow to be pointed at something for a purpose.
    - Ask
        - Why did the author (of the text) say/write this?
        - What impact did the author/speaker hope their words would have?
    - Imagine them being interview by you. You — “So, Jesus, when you taught the parable of the prodigal, what were you hoping would be the response of the people who heard it?”. Jesus — “Well, Malcolm, I’m glad you ask because what I was hoping was….”
    - The purpose is not the content, but the behaviour we hope will result as a result of engaging with the content.
    - In the case of the prodigal son, and depending on the context of the lesson (who will hear it), the purpose could be any of the following:
        - To convince people that God feels as passionate about saving the religious as the pagan
        - To inspire people to pray for and reach out to friends who are sinners and righteous
        - To offer hope to any who feel distant from God as a result of their sins
        - To challenge the self-righteous in the hope they will repent of pride, and embrace the same heart for the sinners as God
    - We are looking for our hearers to move once they have been moved

3. Conclusion
    - Our arrow needs a target
    - That target will be adjusted depending on who will be hearing the sermon
    - The hearers need to know how to respond to what they hear

Consider joining AIM UK&Ireland to develop your understanding of Scripture: https://aimukandireland.com/. Our current module is Homiletics (the preparation and delivery of lessons).

Contact us here with enquiries: [email protected]  

The website can be found here: https://aimukandireland.com  

Please add your comments on this week's topic. We learn best when we learn in community. 

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, or practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here's the email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). 

If you'd like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, "How God grows His people", sign up at my website: http://[www.malcolmcox.org](http://www.malcolmcox.org/). 

Please pass the link on, subscribe, and leave a review. 

Remember to keep calm, and carry on teaching.

God bless, Malcolm

Class 2 - Submission: How to Find the Will to do God’s Will even When it is Not Your Will

In this short series we are exploring how our security in the Father enables our willing submission to him. Last time we talked about the way in which we hear Father’s voice. We considered the example of Jesus, and, I hope, took inspiration from his ability to hear his Father’s voice in passages like:

“This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17 NIV11), and, “Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”” (Mark 9:7 NIV11)

The Trouble with Submission
Submission is, for some people, a troubling word. It carries connotations of oppression, abuse and control. Richard Foster in his book Celebration of Discipline states, “Revolutionary submission commands us to live in submission to human authority until it becomes destructive.” Demands for submission to oppressive human authority can be destructive, but when God calls us to submit to his will, he invites us into a constructive life. If you fear full submission to God, you are a normal human. Don’t worry. Just invest in what we talked about last week. Security in God’s love is the antidote to anxiety over submitting to him. Trying to be submissive to God’s will for our lives without security in his love is, frankly, terrifying! But, with full assurance of his love for us, it is liberating.

We must reckon with our human nature — ‘The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.’ (Mark 14:38). We agree with Paul when he wrote, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” (Romans 12:1 NIV11). But, as someone said, the problem with living sacrifices is that they tend to squirm off the altar!
    
Surrendering Our Will to God’s Plan
To make sense of submission to the will of our Heavenly Father, we take our cue from Jesus, who said, “I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.” (John 6:38 NIV11). How did he feel about God’s will?

He delighted in it, ““My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” (John 4:34 NIV11),

Just because he delighted in it does not mean it was easy. Jesus’ prayer in the Gethsemane is a poignant example of submission to God’s will in challenging circumstances (Matthew 26:39). Despite the overwhelming weight of impending suffering, Jesus humbly surrendered to the Father’s plan, saying, “not as I will, but as you will.” His submission demonstrated the depth of His trust in God’s wisdom and divine purpose.

Conclusion
In Leadership or Servanthood? Hwa Yung writes — “Jesus in life, ministry, and mission lived in the full consciousness of his filial relationship with his Father and in the unfailing security of the Father’s love. This allowed him to go about life in a calm and cool manner, and gave him inner strength and fearlessness in the face of immense challenges and unrelenting opposition.” It makes no sense to pray, ‘your will be done’ (Matthew 6.10) and live in opposition to God’s will. How do we align our will with the will of the Father?

1. Be honest - in Gethsemane Jesus told his Father he did not want to do his will.
2. Pray long enough to process your feelings - in Gethsemane it took at least three hours for Jesus to get where he needed to be to fulfil God’s will
3. Pray the prayer of faith, even if you are not feeling it - in Gethsemane Jesus prayed “Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39 NIV11) before he was fully there. As my friend Charl put it we need to pray, “Father, help me to will your will even though I don’t will it right now.”
4. Take the time to refresh your security in the Father, and you will find praying to live in submission to his will much more appealing than you might think.

Questions for reflection
- How do you honestly feel about the idea of living in full submission to the Father’s will?

- What is it about example of Jesus which is relevant and attractive to you?
- If you want to grow in your willing submission to the Father, how will that happen?

Next time we will go on to look at how Jesus’ security in the Father’s love and his willing submission to the Father’s will made all the difference to his prayers.

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community. 

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). 

If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://[www.malcolmcox.org](http://www.malcolmcox.org/). 

Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review. 

“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11) 

God bless, Malcolm

How do you feel about telling God what’s going on in your life and how you feel about it? Does it seem indulgent? Or perhaps redundant. Doesn’t he already know what’s going on and how you are feel about it? 

I searched the internet using the phrase ‘justifications for telling God your feelings’. Almost every link was negative. The articles focussed on not following your feelings or emotions, but instead living in obedience by faith. 

Psalm 22 is an excellent example for those of us who feel awkward being so vulnerable with our heavenly father.

David spends most of the first 18 verses talking about his challenges, his problems, and how desperate he feels about it all. God gets a mention, but is not directly engaged.

He moves from frustration to faith, or torment to trust by:

Everything changes in verse 19 with that key word ‘but’ —“But you, LORD, do not be far from me. You are my strength; come quickly to help me.” (Psalm 22:19 NIV11) He does not start there, but he does get there. That shift would not have been so profound if he had not been so honest with God.

‘Confessing our feelings to God is not weakness. Instead, when we do so, we admit our need for Him and allow Him to be as honest with us as we are with Him.’ Charmain Sim, https://ymi.today/2019/03/3-ways-to-glorify-god-with-your-emotions/

Does anything hold you back from honesty with your heavenly father about your feelings? Tell him everything that's going through your heart, not just your mind. I suspect you will find that he is a good listener, and that your faith will work through your feelings back to him.

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community.

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: [email protected].

If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://www.malcolmcox.org.

Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review.

“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11)

God bless, Malcolm

When God Makes Us Go “Wow!”
Psalm 24:1-2; Genesis 1:22, 28-30; Psalm 19; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1; Colossians 1:15-20

Introduction
State of creation. 
Does God care?
Ps 24:1-2 - belongs to him!
Is it our problem?  Do we care?
God blessed the earth (water creatures and birds), Gen 1:22
God blessed us, Gen 1:28-30
We have been gifted this earth, Gen 1:29ff
To ‘rule’ it (1:28) - but like God rules - benevolently, for all

1. Creation Exists to Speak God to the World, Ps 19
 v1 - what glories of God’s creation do you value? 
vv2-6 - When you see nature in all its glory, how do you feel and what is your response to God? 
Valuing creation is participating in God’s direct evangelism campaign

vv7-9 In what ways have we ignored God’s precepts in our use of the world’s resources? 
We have abused his gift: Destroying; Not caring; Nor renewing; Some unrecoverable 
V12 - The Psalmist admits that he did not realise he was doing wrong. How does that apply to our generation? 
Fossil fuels - not clear at start. Clear now; Since 1850s; Eunice Foote 
v13 What might be ‘ruling over us’ that we need to change? 
Consumer mindset; Exploitation masquerading as growth mindset; Did we learn anything from slow down of pandemic?
v14 - The Psalm ends by reminding us that God is our Rock and our Redeemer. There is hope

2. Followers of Jesus Care for Creation Because He Has a Vision of a Renewed Creation, Colossians 1:15-20

God has a vision for his creation — natural world & the people 

2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1 - ‘new’ = ‘renewed’ (neos/kainos). 
How will this be achieved?  By Jesus. 
Why does this matter now? Because we are called to help usher in this kingdom by the way we live.

V15 — He is in charge of creation
vv16-17 — He is creator & sustainer: Heb 1
V18 — He is in charge of his church (family on earth)
Vv19-20 — He is the restorer (reconciler) of all things, bringing peace and healing through his blood.
Jesus is the re-creator. 
Bringing the ultimate new creation, and starting it now through his newly recreated people – us! 
We live in the already-but-not-yet. 
The way we treat people and creation is a foreshadowing vision of what is coming. Jesus did this while here on earth, now he does it through his family. 
We show people where we are going by how we live now. That is why we care about the vulnerable and the lost. 
To follow Jesus is to honour him and that includes what he made and sustains and will renew

Two reasons we care about creation:

It is God’s evangelism campaign - in partnership with us
Jesus is renewing it - in partnership with us

Conclusion

Lord’s Supper: 
Jesus is renewing all things, including us & our world. 
We are thankful, but do we bless creation in the same way we are blessed? 
Let the world know that God is worthy of awe by preserving and healing his awe-inducing creation.
We have peace with God because of Jesus
Let us bring peace to the earth where we can
“…making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” Colossians 1:15-20

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community. 

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). 

If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://[www.malcolmcox.org](http://www.malcolmcox.org/). 

Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review. 

“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11) 

God bless, Malcolm

Today we look at the fourth chapter: The road from text to sermon 

Point to consider

At this point we have achieved something significant. We have clarified what we believe the text is saying. We can state it in one sentence. We are confident we have the big idea of the passage. However, this a good sermon does not make. There are further steps to take before the text can become a sermon. Before ideas can live. 

First we ask what it means today, in our culture, in our world. Then we ask what it means in our local world — the world of our congregation, our listeners. Part of the job of a preacher is to bring all these worlds together. The biblical world, the world at large today, and the world of our faith community. 

The key to doing this well is asking questions, and asking the right questions. As usual, chapter 4 of the book has far more information than we can cover today. I will restrict myself to asking three questions: What does it mean? Is it true? What difference does it make?

Taking the parable of the two sons in Luke 15 as an example (see episode, TTT330), we can ask those three questions based on this one sentence summary of the point of the parable: 

“Father God wants the ‘sinner’ and the ‘righteous’ at his heavenly banquet.” By the way, I’m only going to sketch out some ideas here. This would make a great exercise to do for this passage or the next passage you choose to preach.

By the way, the questions I have explored today somewhat parallel Andy Stanley’s helpful questions to shape a sermon conclusion (you can find them in his book, Communicating for a Change.) Paraphrased they are, 1. What difference will it make to my life if I put this into practice?; 2. What difference will it make to our church if we put this into practice?; 3. What difference will it make to the world if we put this into practice?

Consider joining AIM UK&Ireland to develop your understanding of Scripture: https://aimukandireland.com/. Our current module is Homiletics (the preparation and delivery of lessons).

Contact us here with enquiries: [email protected]  

The website can be found here: https://aimukandireland.com  

Please add your comments on this week's topic. We learn best when we learn in community. 

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, or practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here's the email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). 

If you'd like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, "How God grows His people", sign up at my website: http://[www.malcolmcox.org](http://www.malcolmcox.org/). 

Please pass the link on, subscribe, and leave a review. 

Remember to keep calm, and carry on teaching.

God bless, Malcolm