 |
Jumping Jehoshaphat! A mild curse in 19th century, a corny Robin-ism from Batman, and our next King in the long search to find the true Son of David. Jehoshaphat was the son of Asa, the first of the reformer-kings. And like his father, Jehoshaphat is given a rosy commendation: “he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD” (1 Kings 22:41-50). But if we dig into the back-story (2 Chr 17-20), we find a distinctive kind of reform – one based on the systematic teaching of God’s people from his word. In a generation who think with their feelings and who swarm to personality-preachers, we may just have stumbled onto one of the church’s great losses of the last half-century: the equal priority of teaching alongside preaching (1 Tim 5:17). |
Featured Talks
)
Kings in Spades
Over the next few months in the evenings, we'll be looking at the Old Testament books of 1 & 2 Kings. As you might expect, these books are filled with historical accounts of the reigns of all the kings of Israel and ...)
Prepare to be Judged
In January at St James we will commence a new morning sermon series, looking at the Old Testament book of Judges. Interestingly, the premise of the 1995 Stallone film, "Judge Dredd" (based on a comic book character), is very similar to that ...)
Heavenly Bodies
Some Christians question the Bible's teaching about resurrection from death, not grasping that, without it, their faith is futile (1 Cor 15:12-34). Others object because of practical or even mechanical concerns about the resurrection body (1 Cor 15:35-58). This Sunday evening we'll ...)
We can be Heroes?
What is your definition of a hero? In a recent SMH article, the top five most unlikely Australian sporting heroes were unveiled. Of course, topping the list was poor Steven Bradbury, who medalled after everyone in front of him fell over on ...This Sunday: The Key to Reform
Posted in Kings.
– Jul 26, 2010
Discipline, Defeat, Demo
| In 1 Kings 18, Elijah gives the game away when he prays that God will let people know that he is God and that he is turning their hearts back again (v37). So an international drought, a widow’s son raised from the dead, and the impending defeat of the prophets of Baal are all part of God’s plan to woo his people back to him. He does this in three ways: by disciplining his people, by defeating his enemies, and by demonstrating his power. By the end of the chapter we are forced to confess with the Israelites, “the Lord, he is God”. And we start to recognise that so much of God’s activity in our lives is not mysterious, but simply a Father’s discipline, a clouting of the competition, and a modest sabre-rattling, all calculated to call us back to where we should be. As Elijah says, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, then follow him!” This is the straight-forward logic of the gospel: Jesus declares himself to us and says, “Follow me!” A no-brainer, if he is truly God. But in practice we waver inconsistently between him and the competition, inviting only further disciplines, defeats, and demos. |  |
Posted in Kings.
– Jun 23, 2010
