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In the beginning - 16 August 2010
I’m quite sure this has been noted before, probably many times. But like all biblical beauty it’s worth seeing – and saying – again.
The opening words of John 1:1, “In the beginning,” are a conscious allusion to Genesis 1:1, which invites us to read the account of creation in Genesis alongside the opening section of John. Once you start doing this, you notice that John 1-2 contains a number of chronological markers (”the next day” in John 1:29, 35, 43; “on the third day” in John 2:1) that suggest a correspondence between sections of John and the days of Genesis 1. Assuming that John 2:1 marks the third day after the events of John 1:43-51, the opening sections of John correspond to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 7th days of creation.
Now look at what happens on each of the days (some are more obviously compelling than others, and more could doubtless be added):
| Day | Genesis | John |
| 1 | Creation of light; separation of light from darkness. | 4 In him was life and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. |
| 2 | Creation of the expanse to separate the heavens from the earth, and the waters above from the waters below. | The Holy Spirit poured out on earth from heaven, re-joining heaven and earth; John commissioned to pour out water (from heaven?) on earth. |
| 3 | The creation of land as the foundation for humanity; the creation of fruit and seed to feed humanity. | Peter revealed as the rock, the foundation for the church; the disciples chosen as the seeds (?) of the church, to proclaim the word to the church (?). |
| 4 | The creation of heavenly lights to rule the day and the night. | The revelation of Jesus as “the Son of God … the King of Israel” (1:49). |
| 7 | The consummation of creation: Rest in the presence of God. | The wedding in Canaan; the revelation of the the glory of the Son. |
Don’t forget - 16 August 2010
Judges 3:7 says that “the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and forgot [shcch] the LORD their God.”
To forget in this context is not simply to “not remember”. The people of Israel were guilty of much more than absent-mindedness. Shcch often occurs in parallel with “forsake” (‘zb), as in 1 Sam 12:9-10, Isa 65:11; Lam 5:20. It’s not a lapse of memory; it’s a failure of commitment, a neglect of obligations.
We “forget” the LORD not when we can’t remember the way to church, but when we decide that something else is more important.
Welcome home - 16 August 2010
How wonderful, to come home after a couple of weeks away and discover what has been happening at Emmanuel in the meantime – among other things, this sermon on Acts 8 from David Field, and this on Psalm 125 from Steve Hayhow.
Sermon outlines – Judges 1-3 - 13 August 2010
I haven’t posted sermon outlines for a while now, so here, in an effort to make up for the shortfall, are the outlines from the first few sermons in the current series on the Book of Judges. Something approaching normal service will be resumed, God willing, in future weeks.
Judges 1:1-2
1. God wanted to punish the Canaanites for their wickedness
2. God wanted to purify the land for his people
Judges 1:1-7
1. Judah helped Simeon to gain their inheritance (vv. 1-4)
2. Judah disobeyed God by mistreating Adoni-Bezek (vv. 5-7)
Judges 1:8-36
1. While Judah remained faithful the LORD blessed the conquest (vv. 8-20)
2. When Israel became faithless the Canaanites remained strong (vv. 21-36)
Judges 2:1-15
1. Teach you children to know the LORD!
2. Teach your children what the LORD has done!
Judges 2:11-3:6
1. They suffered under the gods they had chosen
2. They learned that they were at war with the world
Judges 3:7-11
1. The people of Israel forgot the LORD
2. The people of Israel cried out to the LORD
Everything under his feet - 21 July 2010
The title for the second essay for students on the Guided Reading Course is as follows:
How does Hebrews 2:5-9 develop themes found in Genesis 1:26-28, Psalm 8 and Galatians 3:19?
No more than 2000 words.
You may find it helpful to consult O. Palmer Robertson, The Christ of the Covenants; Peter J. Leithart, A House For My Name: A survey of the Old Testament; good commentaries on Genesis and Hebrews; and the chapter on angels in J. B. Jordan’s Through New Eyes.
But most of all, you’ll need to think hard about how the themes found in Hebrews 2:5-9 are developed throughout the Bible. Other biblical texts besides those mentioned in the title will be significant in helping you piece together the various strands of biblical material.
Nothing is beyond repair - 21 July 2010
I don’t know whether this quotation appears in Agatha Christie’s original Appointment with Death, but it’s certainly in the screen version on the lips of Hercule Poirot: “There is nothing in this world so damaged that it cannot be repaired by the hand of Almighty God.”
Mocking the crucified Messiah - 11 July 2010
“God is not mocked” (Gal 6:7).
“Oh yes he is!” declared the Roman soldiers, the Jewish leaders, the robbers and the Jewish bystanders (Matthew 27:27-44).
An outline of Ruth 2 - 8 July 2010
For the benefit of the young people who’ll be looking at the book of Ruth in next week’s summer camp seminars, here’s an outline of Ruth 2:
A (1) Boaz introduced as a potential helper
B (2) Ruth offers to glean
C (3) Ruth gleans, and experiences God’s grace through Boaz
D (4-7) Boaz speaks to his men and hears of Ruth’s godliness
E (8-9) Boaz speaks with Ruth, assuring her of protection
F (10) Ruth exclaims, “Why have I found such favour in your eyes?”
G (11-12) Boaz speaks to Ruth about her godliness and the Lord’s reward
F’ (13) Ruth exclaims, “I have found favour in your eyes!”
E’ (14) Boaz speaks with Ruth, providing generously for her
D’ (15-16) Boaz speaks to his men and instructs them to help Ruth
C’ (17-18) Ruth gleaned, Naomi experiences God’s grace through her
B’ (19) Ruth reports her gleaning
A’ (20) Boaz described as a potential redeemer
Sacraments are symbols - 5 July 2010
Sacraments are sometimes described as “symbols.” That’s a biblical way of thinking, provided of course that we understand biblically what a “symbol” is. We need to avoid the mistake of thinking that sacramental symbols are dispensable things, unconnected with what they symbolise. For God has chosen to “use sacraments as a means to communicate what they symbolize” (Leonard J. Vander Zee, Christ, Baptism and the Lords Supper, p. 33). That’s why Jesus can say of the bread, “This is my body” – not because there’s magic in the Hovis Sliced Wholemeal, but because as we eat of the bread he feeds us on his flesh by faith.
Perhaps we might say that a sacrament is a symbol in something like the way that a wedding ring is a symbol. The ring is related to the reality of the marital devotion it symbolises. You couldn’t thrown away your wedding ring without upsetting your spouse, because the ring and the love are intimately connected. Of course it’s possible, in theory, to give or receive a wedding ring without loving your spouse, but that’s not how we define its significance. The ring symbolises love because your spouse uses the ring to communicate love. Through the gift of a ring your spouse says, “I love you.”
The re-evangelisation of Europe - 5 July 2010
Roughly 0.5 – 1 % of the French population attend evangelical churches. Last week I had the privilege of speaking at the first Huguenot Heritage Conference to a group of Elders, Ministers and others who are praying that God will be at work in the coming years to increase those figures a bit. Or, better still, a lot.
The theme of the conference was “Biblical Evangelism with a European Flavour.” Francis Foucachon spoke on how culture affects evangelism, and his talks will no doubt be made available online in due course at Huguenot Heritage. I gave a couple of talks, and you can listen online by following the links below.
1. “To the Ends of the Earth”: The Why of Evangelism
2. “Do the work of an Evangelist”: The How of Evangelism
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