John Thackway on the Divinity, Clarity, and Sufficiency of Scripture

  

I was able to hear this sermon in person in London last September at the 2022 TBS Text and Translation conference. Pastor Thackway ably proclaims the divinity, clarity, and sufficiency of Scripture.

JTR

Sermon by Ryan Davidson: Accusers, a Sinner, and Jesus (John 7:53--8:11)

 

I enjoyed listening to this recent sermon by Ryan Davidson of Grace Baptist Chapel in  Hampton, Virginia. Good model for acknowledging textual challenges in the PA, affirming its authenticity, and drawing solid pastoral applications.

JTR 

Sermon by Pastor Sam Caldwell: The Infallible Word (Matthew 5:18)

 

 

This is a sermon by Pastor Sam Caldwell of Grace and Glory Church in Portland, Maine. In it, he focuses on Matthew 5:18 and the infallibility and preservation of Scripture.

JTR

Sermon of the Week: Andy Rice on "Every man perfect in Christ"

Last Sunday Andy Rice preached a powerful message at CRBC from Colossians 1:24-29.  Andy and his wife Beth are raising support to go to serve in Africa with Action Zambia.  The sermon presents a solid exposition of the text as Andy outlines the goal of a Scriptural ministry whether in America of Zambia or wherever we are:  to present every man perfect in Christ.

 

To read more about Andy's ministry in Zambia, visit his website.

 

JTR

 

Sermon the Week: David Silversides on Social Networking

David Silversides has a good ministry of addressing various contemporary issues in the midweek meetings of his church.  His message on Social Networking:  Blessing or Curse? was recently featured on sermonaudio.com and is worth a listen.

JTR

Sermon of the Week: James White on Islam

This past week I listened to apologist James White's 5 part series from The 2011 Bunyan Conference at Grace Reformed Baptist Church, near Houston, TX on the subject of Islam.  Though I do not agree with White on his views of the text of Scripture, I was helped by his presentation.

White makes the point that text criticism is a major issue in apologetics with Islam, since they hold that Christian Scriptures are corrupted.  It irks White that Muslims draw on secular NT critics--like Ehrman--to make their points.  The problem is that they might draw just as well from evangelical text critics--like Dan Wallace--who have embraced "reasoned eclecticism."  How might holding to a providentially preserved traditional text change the dynamics in dialogue with Muslims?  White makes the point that the stabilization and standardization of the Koranic text (though there are still variants which orthodox Muslims ignore) came through civil enforcement.  This makes the persistence of a consistent traditional text of Christian Scripture all the more amazing since it did not come from civil enforcement and appeared across geographical borders.  In other words it simply came from churches which acknowledged it by their practice to be the authentic, preserved Word of God.

White takes on plenty of other issues.  I think the best is his argument that the Koran does not understand the Christian doctrine of the Trinity but confuses it with tri-theism.  Worth listening.

JTR

  

Sermon of the Week: Joel Beeke's Family Life Series

This week I've been listening to Joel Beeke's recent Family Life Series at Heritage Netherlands Reformed Church.  I would particularly commend the following:

Building Your Children's Library:  Excellent instruction and ideas from a convinced bibliophile on how to disciple your children by placing good books (not just electronic versions) in their hands.  A good message to listen to if you are thinking of profitable gifts (rather than games or clothes) to give your children for the holiday.

Honoring Authority:  A wonderful message on the broader implications of the fifth commandment.  How can we expect our children to honor us if we speak disparingly of or rebel against our bosses, ministers, or civil government leadership?

Exercising Authority:  A follow up to the previous message which stresses the responsibilties of those in positions of authority, including parents.

JTR 

Sermon of the Week: Sinclair Ferguson on the Marrow Controversy

I saw this series of lectures by Sinclair Ferguson on the "Marrow Controversy" suggested in an RB discussion on Edward Fisher's The Marrow of Modern Divinity:

Got a chance to listen to them this week.  Wow!  These presentations are powerfully stimulating and challenging.  Highly recommended.  Ferguson first lays out the issues in the early 18th century "Marrow Controversy" in Scotland over free grace.  He then give one lecture each on the errors of legalism and antinomianism.  He makes the point that these are not opposites of each other, but both are the opposite of free grace.

A few notes:

On legalism:

On "experimental legalism" Ferguson notes, "We all know it is possible to have a legal head and legal heart, but it is also possible to have an evangelical head and a legal heart."

He gives this definition of legalism:  "Legalism is any teaching which either distorts the free grace of God in the gospel or distorts the true nature of God's grace in the law, or even fails to place the gracious law of God in its proper place in redemptive history."

On antinomianism:

One the low view of the moral law in the ten commandments (particularly the fourth commandment):  "Many have replaced the Decalogue with the 'Novemalogue.'"

Antinomians love this doggerel:  "Free from the law, what a blessed condition, I can sin all I want and still have remission!"

Ferguson make a compelling appeal appeal to the Parable of the Prodigal Son, presenting the prodigal as an antinomian who became a legalist (I will return to my Father and be a slave to him) and the elder brother as a legalist tempted to antinomianism (Why did I not get the benefits of the Prodigal?). 

JTR

Sermon of the Week: New Calvinism Considered

This message by British Reformed Baptist Pastor Jeremy Walker, titled New Calvinism Considered, is a charitable but discerning critique of the Neo-evangelical Calvinistic resurgence.  I highly commend it.

Sermon of the Week: Michael Barrett on the Tradition, Text, and Translation of the KJV

In celebration of the 400th anniversary of the King James Version of the Bible (1611-2011), Dr. Michael Barret of Geneva Reformed Seminary in Greenville, South Carolina recently offered a lecture on "The Tradition, Text, and Translation of the KJV" that is worth hearing.

JTR

Sermon of the Week: Timothy J. Worrell on "The Old Paths"

I've been listening to a sermon series on "The Old Paths" by Timothy J. Worrell of the Presbyterian Reformed Church of Charlotte, NC.  Worrell notes that just as Luther called the medieval Catholicism of his day a second Babylonian Captivity of the church, we could say that the church is now entering a third Babylonian Captivity.  The formula for faithfulness:  return to the "old paths."

Here's a link to the opening message in the series:  "The Old Paths # 1."

JTR

Sermons of the Week: Pooyan Mehrshahi on "Do all roads lead to God?" and "Testimony"

Image:  Pastor Pooyan Mehrshahi

Pooyan Mehrshahi was raised in a Zoroastrian home in Iran but was converted to Christ as a college student in the United Kingdom.  He is now the pastor of Providence Baptist Chapel at Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England.

In his sermon titled, "Do all roads lead to God?" Pastor Mehrshahi shares how and why he came to hold to the exclusive claims of Christ.

You can also hear an earlier recording of his testimony here.

When we see so much tumult in the Middle East these days, we can remember that the Lord is at work in all circumstances to bring men from every tribe, nation, and tongue to himself.

JTR 

Sermon of the Week: Einwechter on English Bible Translations

In this 400th anniversary year of the Authorized Version of the Bible (1611-2011), you might enjoy listening to this series of messages by William Einwechter of Immanuel Free Reformed Church on "English Bible translations":

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Einwechter affirms the Westminster/Second Londong Baptist affirmation on the providential preservation of Scripture.  He argues that translations should follow a "formal equivalence" rather than "dynamic equivalent" philosophy.  He also defends the traditional text of the Bible (The Masoretic Hebrew text of the OT and the Greek Textus Receptus of the NT).  He also states his preference for use of the KJV in church and private life without adopting a "KJV-Only" position.

Einwechter has also written one of the best little booklets on this topic I have read.  It is titled "English Bible Translations:  By What Standard?" and is published and distributed through Chapel Library, the distributor of extremely useful and inexpensive tracts and booklets.

JTR     

Sermon of the Week: Maurice Roberts on "Avoiding Current Errors in Evangelicalism"

Pastor Maurice Roberts preached this message titled, "Avoiding Current Errors in Evangelicalism" (2 Tim 4:3, 4).  In the message he addresses the following five errors:

1.  The New Perspective on Paul.
2.  The place of the Ten Commandments in the believer's life.
3.  The Federal Vision teaching.
4.  The "Open View" of God.
5.  Conditional Immortatlity.

Sermon of the Week: Andrew Fuller on "Advantages of Early Piety" (An 18th century Youth Sermon)

I posted another reading of a sermon by Andrew Fuller (1754-1815) today to sermonaudio.  This one is titled, Advantages of Early Piety (Psalm 90:14).  I gave it the subtitle, "An 18th Century Youth Sermon").  Indeed, Fuller apparently gave this message on what appears to be an annual gathering of the church's young people.  In the message Fuller offers a powerful evangelistic plea.  At one point, he reminds the youth that five of the past six funerals he had done in the church had been of those 20 years and younger.  He then takes on the voice of those who have passed and speaks "from the grave" pleading with the living to trust Christ in the flower of their youth.  We rarely hear a message like this at a contemporary "Youth Conference."

JTR

Sermon of the Week: Paul Washer on Prayer and Missions

I traveled down to Roanoke yesterday for the first bi-monthly meeting of the fall of "The Society for the Preservation of Baptist Principles and Practices" at Plantation Road Baptist Church. Paul Washer of HeartCry Missionary Society was the guest speaker. Ron Young, Sr. asked me to introduce Paul for the meeting.

Paul’s first message was from Luke 18:1-8 and Hebrews 11:6, and I gave it the title “The Minister’s Prayer Life" when I posted it online this afternoon.   Much of the message centered on urging those who hold to Reformed doctrine not to neglect the experimental aspects of the faith, including cultivating a deep prayer life and boldly asking for great things from God.

A few quotes:

“The charismatics believe in things God did not promise, but the Reformed often do not believe in the things he did promise.”

On the tendency of the Reformed too often to stress learning over humility: “Your problem isn’t that you’re too weak, but that you’re too strong.”

The second message was a presentation on the missionary philosophy of HeartCry Missionary Society (I posted it early this morning as "A Vision for Missions" to sermonaudio and when I checked this afternoon it already had over 800 downloads!). Here, Paul told a gripping story of buying books for a Peruvian Pastor that left few dry eyes and unmoved hearts in the room. We have so much!  Our God is so generous!

JTR

Sermon of the Week: Ordination Sermons by Andrew Fuller

Image:  Andrew Fuller (1754-1815)

Today I posted a couple of audio readings of the sermon notes of Andrew Fuller from The Complete Works of the Rev. Andrew Fuller, Volume I (1845) to sermonaudio (sorry, but no British accent!).  Fuller was a particularly useful English Particular Baptist Minister.  Due to his wide influence in Baptist circles, he was often asked to preach ordination sermons.  His Works contain a number of these.

The two messages I posted are:

Nature and Importance of Christian Love (John 13:34-35); date and occassion unknown

Importance of Christian Ministers Considered as Gifts of Christ (Psalm 68:10), from August 1, 1787.  This was the message Fuller preached at the ordination service of missions pioneer Williams Carey.

Hope to post more Fuller sermons in upcoming days.

JTR

Sermon of the Week: John Thackway on "The Doctrine of Scripture Today"

John Thackway, Editor of the Bible League Quarterly and Pastor of Holywell Evangelical Church, gave this message on "The Doctrine of Scripture Today" at a Trinitarian Bible Society Meeting in 2003.  Not only does he address theological issues related to the doctrine of the Bible, but he also describes the demise of Biblical authority in contemporary culture (references are to the UK but are easily applicable to the US) and even in the churches.  Well worth a listen.

JTR

Sermon of the Week: Malcolm Watts on the Lord's Supper

Malcolm Watts of Emmanuel Church in Salisbury, England recently preached this message on the Lord's Supper.

A few interesting points:

1.  He takes Psalm 104:15 ( "And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart.") as a spiritual reference to the Lord's Supper.

2.  He argues for the observance of the Lord's Supper in an evening meeting.  The Passover took place in the evening (cf. Exod 12:6).  Jesus instituted the Supper in the evening.  He observes that Paul's reference in 1 Corinthians 11:23 to Christ's institution of the Lord's Supper "the same night in which he was betrayed" means that the timing of the meal may point to more than mere circumstance.

3.  He argues for the best posture for the meal as being seated around a table.

JTR

Sermon of the Week: Angus Stewart on Calvin and Darwin

Angus Stewart is a minister in the Protestant Reformed Church.  This lecture on "Calvin vs. Darwin:  Anniversaries, Origins, Worldviews" from 2009 offers a biographical and doctrinal comparison between John Calvin and Charles Darwin.  2009 marked the 500th anniversary of Calvin's birth (1509) and the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth (1809).

JTR