Monthly Archives: January 2012
5 reasons why singing the praises of JESUS is not stupid, boring or ‘old school’
In the past, God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by His Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom we made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
Hebrews 1:1-4 [NIV]
- Jesus is the final and definitive revelation of God and all reality to us.
- When we sing to Jesus, we are singing to the Creator of all things.
- When God wanted to reveal what he was like, Jesus was the answer – we see Jesus, we see God, as God wanted us to see him and know him.
- He is the one who continues to keep all things going right now, this very instant, including the breath in my lungs to utter a phrase or the movement in my fingertips to type these words.
- He did the work of sacrifice to overcome the train-wreck that I made and continue to make of honouring God, when he died for my sins on the cross and rose again from the dead.
Filed under Jesus
What was going on with the people who received ‘Hebrews’?
3 things, according to O’Brien:
1. Passive dangers
Continually throughout the letter, there are signs that the recipients have developed ‘a certain weariness in pursuing the Christian goal, or making progress along the road of Christian discipleship’.
2. Active dangers
The author warns many times about the seriousness of rebellion and ‘falling away’.
3. External and Outward Pressures
People giving them a hard time for being Christians, bringing suffering through persecution.
[P.T.O’Brien, The Letter to the Hebrews. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010: 9-13.] (citing Ellingworth)Keller, in some sermons I have listned to, reckons the people who received Hebrews are those who are asking the question: if God is for us, committed to our God, and has redeemed us for all eternity, then why is it so hard living for him right now?
Filed under faith, Hebrews, keller, Uncategorized
Hello world!
Welcome to 2012, and a new blog.
With all the bits of the old blog thrown in for free.
I’ve decided to switch homes to WordPress, and see how we go.
I’ve also decided to blog something (anything!) at least once a week from here on in, and see how we go.
There will be a mixture of stuff that I’m reading, and maybe even the odd rant now and again. Who knows? Not even me at this stage.
So here we go, into a brave new, heavily charted territory.
Filed under Uncategorized
In Anticipation 