EBG Preken

Prayer is a strategic weapon Matthew 6:13 Welcome to part two of the three petitions that flow from the exaltation of God the Father in Jesus’ model prayer. As I pointed out last week, hallowing God’s name, longing for His Kingdom to come, and asking for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, naturally lead to the three petitions that follow. This does not - in my opinion - necessitate a...

More than a wishlist Matthew 6:11-13 This second part of the Lord’s Prayer is generally explained as the “our needs” section of the prayer. Stating it this way evokes the idea that we’ve buttered God up with the right words at the beginning of our prayer - “Your Name, Your kingdom, Your will…” - and now we get to my stuff. That is a deficient way of considering Jesus’ model prayer for His disciple...

As God asked. Matthew 6:9-10 But didn’t you already preach on this? Why yes. Yes, I did. I was struck - in preparing for this sermon - by the fact that there is far too much to be preached in this passage. So I decided to preach two sermons and in this second Sunday I would draw out an aspect that I did not cover two weeks ago. Introduction - 500 years of Reformation Protestant Churches everywhere...

Prayer, holiness and the God of Peace 1 Thessalonians 5:23-28 This is the last sermon in this series. I have mixed feelings. I have enjoyed preaching through this book and wish I wasn’t leaving it. Paul draws his final encouragements and exhortations to a close in two magnificent verses (23-24) and then ends the letter where he started: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” Grace has b...

Day or Night people? 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 What you already know (1-2) Paul appeals (as he did in chapter 1) to personal knowledge. They already know about certain things. He uses a few phrases that need explanation: >Times and seasons These are two terms - the first referring to measurable time like on a calendar or clock and the second referring to seasons or events by which time is marked - th...

Perspective changes everything. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 The finality of death was a theme commonly discussed bij the Greek philosophers. Some believed that there might be some kind of afterlife, but it wasn’t anything to look forward to. Paul’s teaching on the Coming of the Lord, raised an important question… what about those Christians that died before His Parousia - His coming and presence among...

What God wants and I often don’t. 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12 Perhaps the number one question among Christians of all ages is: “What does God want from me?” Our text this morning deals with this very issue. The one thing God wants from you (2-3a) God wants us to be holy. He said it in and Peter repeats it for the New Testament Church: Be holy, for I am holy. (cf. Leviticus 11:44-45 and 1 Peter 1:13-14)...

When good plans change. 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:13 Plans change. Or plans get changed. Does this sound relatable? You were planning a good thing - a God thing - and looking forward to the ministry and blessing that would come. A missions trip, an evangelistic outreach, attending a conference, volunteering at a Christian organisation, ministering to someone’s need… it was some kind of good plan. The...

Gratitude and Sadness. Suffering and Reward. 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16 Paul returns to an introduction made in the opening verses of the first chapter. He is grateful. His gratitude was directed at the fruit among them in chapter 1, but here it is directed at the work of God through the message of God, which was received by them as the words of God. The connection with the preceding is clear: Paul’s...

A good testimony and a shared soul 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12 The first half of chapter two of 1 Thessalonians is more of a challenge to the preacher. Not that it is difficult to understand or preach, but that Paul defends his ministry among these believers and in doing so gives us insight into the kind of man, teacher and preacher Paul was. These a very personal words and as one writer puts it: “I am...

Prayer and Preservation 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5 This letter from Paul is written to encourage the Church. In his introduction he doesn’t even feel the need to underscore his apostleship, as he does in his letters to the Galatian, Philippian and Ephesian Churches. He simply introduces the letter as from “Paul, Silvanus and Timothy”. This letter does not contain major correction or reprimand like the...

Do I listen when Scripture warns? Sermon series on biblical trustworthiness. Sermon 9 We’re going to finish this series by studying two very short letters today and next week. Perhaps you could call them “postcards from John.” Second John taught us to be weary of false teachers. Do not just let anyone come into your home. Fulfill the command to love your neighbor, but don’t sacrifice truth in orde...

Do I listen when Scripture warns? Sermon series on biblical trustworthiness. Sermon 8 We’re going to finish this series by studying two very short letters today and next week. Perhaps you could call them “postcards from John.” These letters are succinct, but they are no less potent in their instruction and warning as the rest of Scripture. Second John is addressed to the “elect lady” and various i...

Keeping God’s Word Sermon series on biblical trustworthiness. Sermon 7 Two weeks ago we started a sermon that I didn’t finish. I spent more time in Psalm 1, to expound the richness of that very first Psalm. This morning we continue in the Psalms and consider the longest one. We will only scratch the surface of this magnificent poetic masterpiece. The Scriptures is David’s focus and he clearly has...

Pentecost. the Church begins. “Count 50 days after the seventh Sabbath” (Leviticus 23:16) That’s where this feast came from. The firstfruits of the Wheat harvest are brought to the temple and offered to the Lord. This offering was two loaves of bread (with yeast) to thank God for His care and provision at the beginning of the Wheat harvest. In Exodus 19:1 we read that the Israelites arrived at Sin...

His Word in my Heart Sermon series on biblical trustworthiness. Sermon 6 So. Rubber-meets-the-road, real-life, practical reality. We believe the Bible is true. We trust its claims and understand it to be God’s message to believers. But does my daily practice support this belief? I believe it to be vital to my Christian life and yet I have not read it since last Sunday. I believe it holds the answe...

The Infallible Revelation of God Sermon series on biblical trustworthiness. Sermon 5 Infallible means that it does not contain any mistakes. Now that is a big statement. In a post-modern - some would say post-post-modern - world that has refined truth to mean nothing at all and everything you want it to mean, we expect everything to contain a margin of error. For statistics that margin is between...

The Perfect Word of God Sermon series on biblical trustworthiness. Sermon 4 Perfect is a big word. To say that something is perfect is a big statement. Scripture makes this claim in Psalm 19:7 and immediately makes application by proving its effect on man: refreshing the soul. The sermons thus far in the series have focused on proving Scripture to be what it claims. This morning I want to move bey...

The Inspiration and Implementation of Scripture Sermon series on biblical trustworthiness. Sermon 3 One of the more difficult themes for the modern atheist to wrestle with is the revelation. Not the Book of Revelation, but the concept of revelation. We have have considered what Jesus said about the Bible and we have examined one of the fanciful claims of Scripture: the Resurrection. But what does...

The historical and theological significance of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ Sermon series on biblical trustworthiness. Sermon 2 Death doesn’t belong. It wasn’t part of the original design. Death is the ugly consequence resulting from man’s rebellion against a holy God. My kids were playing outside yesterday evening. Anna’s sister joined us for dinner last night and they brought along their 13...

Jesus’ unbreakable Bible Sermon series on biblical trustworthiness. Sermon 1 Foundations are important. I had a conversation with Daniel Pulley yesterday as he was trying to paint his loft. The primer on the wall was not dependable and every time he applied a top coat, it would bubble up as it dried. I think this happens in our Christian lives sometimes. Our foundation isn’t strong and someone ask...