EBG Preken

Life without God Genesis 4 I called chapter 3 the saddest chapter in the Bible, but this chapter gives us the natural development of chapter 2. Chapter 3 gives us the cause and chapter 4 its effect. Hopeful Birth (3:16; 4:1-2) Remember the promise in 3:16? “A promised seed would crush the serpent.” When Even gets pregnant she can’t help but get her hopes up. Imagine it… God had promised, right? An...

Uncomfortable Heroes Hebrews 11 This is perhaps the best-known chapter in Scripture. The repeated conclusion through all of Hebrews is “Jesus is better.” He is better than the angels. He’s better than the prophets. He’s better than Moses. His priesthood is better than Aaron’s. His new covenant is better than the old covenant. His blood is better than the blood of bulls and goats. And His job is fi...

Psalm 103 1 Call to praise David is probably an old man and is looking back at life (verse 5 is an old man’s statement). There are interesting parallels with Psalm 42 & 43. Speaking to yourself and instructing your soul rather than listening to it. “The main problem in the whole matter of “spiritual depression” in a sense is this – we allow our “self” to talk to us instead of “talking to ourse...

The One who created me part 2 Genesis 2 We are continuing our search for answers in the book of Genesis. Chapter 2:4 introduces a phrase that is repeated 10 times in Genesis and indicates the end of a section. It perhaps also functions as a source for the information. Chapter 2 reveals details about the creation and care of man and sets the stage for chapter 3 - the fall of man. The questions need...

The One who created me Genesis 1 To begin a study of the Book of Genesis (or any book of the Bible for that matter), one of the most important things to keep in mind is the author’s intended purpose for the book. “Good hermeneutics, that is, good interpretation and study of God’s Word, starts by taking into consideration the original author, audience, and historical context.” Our natural reaction...

That’s not how you learned life. Jeremiah 10:1-7 Jeremiah presents the problem of idolatry and wanting to be like the nations around them. Jeremiah warns them not to fall for this and instead to acknowledge the emptiness of idolatry and the fulness of God. Who is like Him? Seriously! We can consider this an Old Testament message, however Paul basically says the same thing in Ephesians 4:17-24. He...

Ask yourself the question Jeremiah 9:23-25 The first Sunday of the New Year. What do you expect your pastor to preach on? I was struck by the title of a book recently - not the content, mind you… I haven’t read the book - just the title: uncomfortable. Is it possible we can become too comfortable in our faith? Now, I don’t mean that the only way you can relate to God is through difficulties and th...

We pray together and for each other too Matthew 6:9-13 An aspect of the Lord’s Prayer that I have not yet emphasized is its communal nature. Haddon Robinson says: “There is no ‘I’, ‘me’ or ‘mine’ in the Lord’s Prayer; it’s a prayer that is focused on community.” As you walk through this model prayer, you discover that the prayer requests that we tend to make for ourselves find their original inten...

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...