New Years Encouragement

 Here are Paul Blackham’s wonderful new year’s sermons from All Souls, Langham Place. Galatians 4:9 Matthew 11:25-30 2 Corinthians 5 1 Corinthians 15:20-26 John 3:1-21 His Matthew 11 is a personal favourite (surprise surprise). . And here’s my new year’s encouragement to our Wednesday communion service this morning.  A little ten minute sermon.  It’s David [...]

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Summing up

Let me take this end-of-year opportunity to sum up what this blog has been about…   Christ the Truth means Jesus is not just the one Way or one Life, but the one Truth of God.  Truth – all truth – is in Jesus. This means all our thinking about God must begin with Him.  [...]

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Letter to a loser

You’ve gotta read this! …Ted [Haggard], gentle readers, is now living proof that “it” doesn’t work the way “it” is supposed to work. Ted is now a living demonstration that, darn it, we aren’t fixable. A good church with a kickin’ band? Great shoes and suits? Sermons researched by assistants and delivered with the proper [...]

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Why the West needs winning.

Thinking about the last post… Why does Matthew Parris see God as the hope for Africa but not for Europe? Well his diagnosis of Africa’s problems boils down to this: too much crushing passivity and collectivism.  And so… Christianity, post-Reformation and post-Luther, with its teaching of a direct, personal, two-way link between the individual and God, [...]

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We’ll always have Parris

It’s been a busy week.  I’ve only just read this from the the Saturday papers and now realise it’s all over the blogosphere anyway – nonetheless… Whenever evangelicals lose their nerve, Matthew Parris (columnist for the Times) can be counted on to set us straight – atheist though he is. There was this famous piece [...]

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David and Goliath sermons

source Preached on 1 Samuel 17 twice today.  I tried to make them fairly different (for all the twicers). The morning was a more detailed look at the text (audio). The evening was a bit more drawing out some implications (audio). A lot of this first saw light of day in this series: Five Smooth [...]

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Incarnation and salvation

ok the Christmas clock is against me. So let me just say that for all the talk about incarnation manifesting the triune glory and incarnation giving coherence and consummation to creation, the biblical emphasis falls overwhelmingly on salvation as the reason for incarnation.  (Though of course the interconnectedness of God’s outgoing being, creation and salvation [...]

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Incarnation and Creation

Yesterday we looked at incarnation and trinity.  Today I’ll just make some observations about incarnation and creation. Christ is “The Beginning”, “The Alpha”, “The First”.  His Person is itself the basis for creation.  He is the One who is eternally Other from the Father and the foundation for all else that is other than Him.  Because [...]

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Incarnation and trinity

Here’s the first of three sketches of posts: Incarnation and trinity Incarnation and creation Incarnation and salvation. I’ll try to be brief. Have you ever heard the history of trinitarian thought taught like this: Once upon a time everyone was a strict monotheist.  And then the incarnation happened.  And it messed with our heads for the [...]

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Adjectives for God

Often when we use adjectives for God we reach for the big guns but find that they don’t quite pack the punch we’d hoped.  We say ‘Holy’ and ‘Glorious’, ‘Supreme’ and ‘Majestic’ but the more we Capitalize the Words, The More People Just File Them Away In SPECIAL GOD-SPEAK files, never to consider them again. [...]

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Kids Songs

I sometimes post up kids songs.  Here’s a collection I’ve put together for my nephews and neices for Christmas. (If you’ve downloaded my other songs, notice an old song not seen on the blog before – the Poison Cup.  I’ve also re-recorded Power and have done the Christmas round in a lower key at the end). [...]

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All Age Carols Talk

Preached this last night at Carols by Candlelight.  (audio here) Lots of kids (there was a nativity).  Readings were Matthew 2:1-12 (the Magi) and Philippians 2:5-11. I think I managed to say at one point “There was never a time when Jesus and His Father existed.”  Be assured I’m not a oneness Pentecostal.  I meant [...]

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Veiled in flesh?

What’s your least favourite Christmas Carol line? “The little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes” gives me heartburn. But ironically my least favourite line comes from my favourite carol – Hark the Herald: “Veiled in flesh the Godhead see.” Doesn’t this communicate the terrible error that ‘becoming flesh’ obscures the divine glory rather than expresses [...]

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When were you saved?

Good question.  What’s the best answer? . A.  …when I was chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world . B.  …when Jesus, my Lamb and Priest, ascended to the right hand of the Father. . C.  …when I called on the name of Jesus x years ago. . D. … something else? .

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Being in very nature God… He humbled Himself

6 Christ Jesus, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death–even death on a [...]

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Trinity and unity

Have you ever heard someone say: “Ah yes you’re emphasising the trinity.  That’s well and good.  But let’s not forget the unity of God.” And I say…. huh!? The trinity is the unity of God!!  Trinity means tri-unity.  In that one word (that one doctrine) we have both the oneness and the threeness of God.  [...]

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Trinity sermon part 2

I’ll get round to responding to comments soon.  Here’s the second part of yesterday’s trinity sermon . Trinity Sermon part 2:  Galatians 4:4-6 (audio here) …The trinity is the good news that God is love.      On the other hand: – the imaginary, solitary, self-centred god is nothing but bad news.        [...]

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Trinity sermon

Sermon Audio Sermon Text Sermon Slides  . Trinity Sermon: Galatians 4:4-6 Let me ask you a question and let’s see where your mind goes. ‘What was God doing before the creation of the world?’  What do you think God was up to when there was no universe to run, no people to care for.  Just [...]

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