Bbc Sermon Cast

In the birth narrative of the prophet Samuel, we find a wonderful example of God-honouring prayer from the lips of Samuel’s mother, Hannah. In the narrative before us, we learn at least four significant lessons about prayer: 1. Our prayer life can be formed through our life circumstances 2. Our prayer life can be filled with emotion 3. Our prayer life should be faithfully ongoing 4. Our prayer life should be filled with praise

Psalm 38 is a song of sorrow. It is “a petition.” David was severely chastened over a long period, by the Lord for his sin. He suffered because of his sins. The struggle between our sinful nature and our holiness can often lead to confusion, resulting in emotional and spiritual baggage. Many Christians find themselves grappling with this baggage, hindering their journey with the Lord and their pursuit of sanctification. Psalm 38 helps us to understand how we have been rescued from the baggage of our past. We examine this psalm under two broad headings: 1. Some barriers preventing us from “feeling forgiven” 2. The solution

Having examined the presence and punishment of false teachers, we return to 2 Peter 2 to examine the character of false teachers. We see from vv. 10b–22 that they are insolent, ignorant, insatiable, and impotent, and the tragic result of rejecting the only Saviour for sinners in favour of a different gospel. We will examine these verses under two broad headings: 1. The temperament of false teachers (vv. 10b–19) 2. The tragedy of false teachers (vv. 20–22)

As we move into 2 Peter 2, Peter, for the first time, makes explicit reference to the false teachers who were “secretly bring[ing] in destructive heresies.” In this chapter, he is not concerned with refuting the “heresies” of the false teachers but with denouncing them in the strongest terms. The chapter involves a threefold movement. First, Peter warns of the presence of false teachers in their midst (vv. 1–3). Second, he addresses the punishment of the false teachers (vv. 4–10a). Third, he discloses the character of the false teachers (vv. 10b–22). We will consider the first two of these movements in the time we have in this study as we consider the truth that God’s rescue plan 1. assumes the presence of false teachers (vv. 1–3); and 2. assures the punishment of false teachers (vv. 4–10a)

In Luke 8:1–3, some women are mentioned whom only Luke mentions this early in his Gospel: Mary, Joanna, Susanna and “many others.” These same women witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion (23:49), burial (23:55), and resurrection (24:1–3). They stuck with him till the end and were there at the new beginning. Their only reason for doing so was that they were healed by Jesus and had now committed to following him. By considering these hidden figures, we’ll learn that, if we have received grace, we will graciously give in return.

The believer’s life is a life of remembrance. Peter teaches us something about this truth in 2 Peter 1:12–21. In these verses, Peter asks and answers two basic questions: 1. What should we remember? (vv. 12–15) 2. Why should we remember the truth? (vv. 16–21)

Aquila and Priscilla walked onto the stage of redemptive history at several points, quietly did what God called them to do, and then faded into the background until the next opportunity to serve. Their names are mentioned, always together, seven times in the New Testament, but they never hog the limelight. It is in their quiet faithfulness, however, that we learn three valuable lessons: 1. Faithful Membership (vv. 1–4; 1 Corinthians 16:19; 2 Timothy 4:19) 2. Serving Membership (vv. 1–4, 24–28) 3. Sacrificial Membership (Romans 16:3–4)

We often long for more than we need, in various aspects of life. When it comes to living a life of godliness, however, the apostle Peter assures us that we have everything we need, by God’s promise, to confirm our calling and election.

Returning to our study of generally overlooked, or “hidden,” figures throughout Scripture, we turn our attention to Baruch, the son of Neriah, the scribe of Jeremiah the prophet. From God’s words to Baruch recorded in Jeremiah 45, we can learn about the suffering involved in Christian life and ministry, the ever-present temptation to pride, and the reward that awaits the servants of the Lord. These three things form our outline: 1. Christian Life and Ministry is Often Painful (v. 3) 2. Beware of Pride (v. 4) 3. There is a Reward (vv. 4–5)

John Newton once prayed, “When I see thee as thou art, I will praise thee as I ought.” If we are honest with ourselves, we often fail to worship God the way we ought, because we so often lose sight of who God is. Perhaps we’ve become too familiar with him, perhaps we’ve fashioned him after our image, or perhaps we’ve side-stepped him completely. Regardless, we would do well to remember who our God is: a God who kills people. We will study 2 Samuel 6 under four broad headings: 1. The God who Deserves Our Worship (vv. 1–2) 2. The God who Demands Our Obedience in Worship (vv. 3–11) 3. The God who Discerns Our Hearts in Worship (vv. 16, 20–23) 4. The God who Delights in Our Blessing (vv. 12–19)

In this text, we see a man—Epaphroditus—with a deep love for Christ and the church, so deep that his own well-being becomes secondary, he selfishly serves Christ and the kingdom even if it meant death for him. A rare jewel for the church. We consider these verses and the ministry of Epaphroditus under three broad headings: 1. The servant 2. The selfless 3. The sacrificial

Those redeemed by the blood of the Lamb of God have been washed, sanctified, and justified, which means that they respond to conflict in a radically, because reverently different way. We see this in the text before us as we continue to learn about the sufficiency of the saints to govern the church through scriptural church discipline. As Prior points out, “There will always be disagreements among Christians, but the disciplined approach of Jesus to such matters needs more uninhibited obedience (cf. Matthew 18:15–17).” This was a lesson the Corinthian church needed to learn, and we do as well. We will study these verses under three broad headings: 1. A Scandalous Question (vv. 1–3) 2. A Shameful Question (vv. 4–8) 3. A Sobering Question (vv. 9–11)

Tychicus was a faithful brother, whom Paul trusted to encourage the church in Ephesus. In Ephesians 6:21–22, we learn that this faithful brother was trusted to offer gospel encouragement to stand for gospel work and to offer gospel encouragement to stand in gospel holiness.

Having examined the importance of having a pure membership (as opposed to a mixed membership of saved and unsaved members) (vv. 1–5), and then emphasising the need for each member to pursue an increasingly holy, purified membership (vv. 6–8), the closing verses of this chapter (vv. 9–13) address the sobering matter of excommunication, the final step of church discipline in which the church membership is purged of an individual who has proven to be an unrepentant covenant-breaker. We will consider these verses together under the following headings: 1. Purging Requires Dissociation (vv. 9–11) 2. Purging Requires Discernment (vv. 12–13a) 3. Purging Requires Dismissal (v. 13b)

Paul did not have an easy ministry. Among his many challenges, some of his closest companions at times abandoned him. But there were some faithfully selfless servants who stood at his side in his darkest moment, among whom was Onesiphorus, who often refreshed Paul, unashamed of his imprisonment. Onesiphorus teaches us important lessons about selfless service in God’s kingdom.

First Corinthians 5 teaches us vital lessons about essential and meaningful church membership. We saw, in vv. 1–5, that the local church is to be a pure membership, and, in vv. 6–8, we learn that the local church is to be a purified membership. Paul was passionate about confronting and condemning intolerable behaviour in the church because the church is to be holy. In fact, as we will see in this text, the church is holy, which demands the imperative to be holy. The church is therefore to be an increasingly purified membership. We will consider this truth under three headings: 1. Purification is a Corporate Concern (v. 6) 2. Purification is a Corporate Commitment (v. 7) 3. Purification is a Corporate Celebration (v. 8)

When a congregation tolerates what God declares intolerable, such indifference demonstrates a woeful rejection of the cruciform life, both individually and corporately. This lies at the heart of what Paul writes in the chapter before us. And what he writes to that ancient church is just as relevant for our church today. Chapter 5 informs us that the cruciform life calls for congregational exercise of church discipline. We will begin our study of this important matter by examining the first five verses under the following headings: 1. A Pure Membership (vv. 1–2) 2. A Powerful Membership (vv. 3–5)

Our hidden figure for this study, Abigail, is set against the backdrop of a self-seeking man, who cared for no one but himself. This foolish man—Nabal—showed utter disdain to anyone who would not benefit him directly, but his wife—Abigail—who is our hidden figure, radiated godly wisdom as she interceded to safeguard her family and home. We will draw four lessons as we consider her story—lessons about: 1. Foiling Folly 2. Committed Convictions 3. Prolife Perspective 4. Modelling Mediation

As much as he would have enjoyed a conflict-free ministry, Paul was committed to the message of the cross, which sometimes included the uncomfortable consequences flowing from it. He was willing, when necessary for the glory of God and the good of the church, to enter the conflict of confronting comfort zones that tempted his fellow believers. He aimed to move them from a cross-less comfort to a Christ-consuming commitment. We see him doing this in at least three ways in the text before us: 1. An Affectionate Confrontation (vv. 14–15) 2. An Appealing Confrontation (vv. 16–17) 3. An Authoritative Confrontation (vv. 18–21)

Our next hidden figure is Ananias: not the husband of Sapphira from Acts 5 or the high priest from Acts 23. In Acts 9, we find a devout Jew who was used by the Lord to welcome Paul (Saul) into the fellowship of the disciples. But this was no routine discipleship process. The context in which Ananias ministered was a dangerous and difficult context. From a short reflection on his obedience to the Lord, we’ll learn something about the difficulty of discipleship.