Chris Anderson got me started a few months back contributing to Sermon Summaries on his blog. I enjoy thinking through them again, so I am going to post a synopsis here. (Chris must be busy since he hasn’t called for the summaries on his blog today.)
In the Worship Service, we began our look through the New Testament (see previous post). I preached a message entitled “The Revelation of Jesus Christ”. This is the title of our entire series. I did a survey of the New Testament, beginning in Mk 1.1, covering the gospels, Acts, epistles and Revelation in order to show that the NT is The Revelation of Jesus Christ from start to finish. It is “the unfolding of the life, work, words, acts, mind and coming again of Jesus Christ.” This revelation is the Gospel, the Good News, which comes to every man: There is a man who is the Son of God, the saviour of the world. My proposition was this: The New Testament is your mandate for life change. You should stake your life on it.
I have posted the outline for the message here, I am planning to post each message in this series in the same place if you care to have a look. I am using my personal web space provided by my ISP, so far I have room. I am hoping later this fall to transfer this to a larger server.
During our Bible Study Hour, I preached on “The Importance of Faithful Church Attendance” from Heb 10. I pointed out that this is not a command, but an exhortation based on the access we have to the Holy of holies through our great High Priest. As an exhortation, it is addressed to the heart, as opposed to the will, it is meant to be a delight, not a duty. It’s motivation is not what good it will do for me, but what good I can do for others, and especially what I owe God for His great good to me.
In the afternoon, we finished up Malachi with a message on Mal 4, “Behold, the Day is Coming”. Proposition: The only way to be prepared against the day that is coming is to know and heed God’s word. I pointed out the two outcomes of that day, the outcome of the day coming as a burning oven or the outcome of the Sun of righteousness rising with healing in his wings. On the second outcome, those who fear the Lord are told they will be like calves, leaping out of their stalls and treading on the ashes of the wicked. I worked through Dan 9.26-27, Rev 11, 12 and 19 to show how that last is likely to be literally true. Then we turned to the admonitions: Remember Moses, Consider Elijah who is to come. And last Malachi closes with a warning, ‘lest I come and smite the earth with a curse’. The Jews of John the Baptists day (and Christ’s day) did not heed, for the most part, and the Lord did smite them with a curse in AD 70. The message was Malachi’s conclusion and a blunt call to heed the Word of God.
I must say that I have enjoyed the series on Malachi and wish it could have been longer. I managed only 12 messages out of it. I have called it ‘the most New Testament-like of any Old Testament book’.
Regards,
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3
Update: Oops! That would be 8/27 Sermon summaries. I am so bad with simple things like what day is it, what town am I in, who am I? etc. I am usually not late for supper, though.
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