Field Notes of an Ordinary Pastor
From Matthew Henry’s comments on Matthew 4:1-11:
Those who excel in gifts, who are in eminent positions and have gained a great reputation, need to remain humble, for Satan will be sure to aim at them, to puff them up with pride, so that they may fall into the condemnation of the Devil.”
10 links to help you think about the Coronavirus and its implications for local churches…
(Photo: Ryan McGuire)
From Matthew Henry’s comments on Matthew 4:1-11:
“It is a great encouragement that Christ, who let loose this power of Satan against himself, does not also let it loose against us, but restrains it, for he knows our frame.”
10 links to check out over the weekend…
(Photo: Ryan McGuire)
From Matthew Henry’s comments on Matthew 4:1-11:
“It is better to live poorly on the fruits of God’s goodness than to live plentifully on the products of our own sin.”
From Matthew Henry’s comments on Matthew 4:1-11:
“God wants his children, when they are in need, not only to wait on him but also to wait for him.”
This is part of a series of kids talks I’m doing in the morning service at Banstead Community Church based on the New City Catechism.
Big Question #10 – Since no one can keep the law, what is its purpose? [NCC Q15]
Powerpoint Pictures: Evil Queen and Magic Mirror in Snow White
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In the story of Snow White, every morning the Evil Queen would go to a mirror and ask a question.
Does anyone know what the question is?
“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?”
Actually, it is not that question.
It is “Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?” Because the mirror is a magical truth revealing mirror.
The mirror never lies and it would tell the Evil Queen that she was the fairest of all, until she was not.
Snow White was!
The mirror had the purpose of revealing the truth.
Now in the Bible, we are told that there is something which is like a mirror revealing the truth – the Law of God.
We’ve seen in previous questions that obeying God’s law is how we glorify God. And even though God created humans able to keep the law, since Adam and Eve’s disobedience, no-one has been able keep the law of God perfectly.
But that doesn’t mean that the law is no longer needed. So, what is its purpose?
That’s what our next big question asks. Let’s look at it now…
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Q: Since no one can keep the law, what is its purpose?
The purpose of the law is to be like a mirror. To show us what we are like. That we are sinners whoo need a Saviour.
“…through the law we become conscious of sin.” (Romans 3:20)
We know that we are sinners because the law shows us how perfect God is and how not perfect we are, because we sin and break the law, which is why we need Jesus.
So what is the answer to the question, “Since no one can keep the law, what is its purpose?”
It is this:
A: That we may know the holy nature of God, and the sinful nature of our hearts; and thus our need of a Saviour.
Let’s say the question and answer out loud together.
Since no one can keep the law, what is its purpose? That we may know the holy nature of God, and the sinful nature of our hearts; and thus our need of a Saviour.
Children when you go out to Sunday School you’re going to learn a song that will help you to remember this.
From Matthew Henry’s comments on Matthew 4:1-11:
“He himself is the eternal Word, and he could have produced the mind of God without turning to the writings of Moses, but to set us an example, he honoured the Scriptures by appealing to what was written in the Law.”
A key part of our elder’s meetings is time in God’s Word and prayer which I usually lead.
Here’s the next part of a series studying the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith.
Download my notes on Christ the Mediator (Ch 8 Para 10) as a pdf
More notes can be found HERE.
(Photo: Signaleer)
From Matthew Henry’s comments on Matthew 4:1-11:
“the truth is that the more plausible a temptation is, and the more good it appears to contain, the more dangerous it is.”
9/3/M
If you could ask God one question by Paul Williams & Barry Cooper is The Good Book Company’s free ebook this month.
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Matthew Mason: “The odd thing about the posturing Christian macho “manliness” I’ve noticed since getting on Twitter is how insecure and infantile it sounds. 8 year old boys puff out their chests & pose. In my experience genuinely masculine men tend to just unselfconsciously get on with life.”
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FIEC: “The 20 seconds needed for washing hands is just about the right amount of time to pray the Lord’s Prayer. Maybe a suggestion for your congregation?”
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This podcast looks like it might be worth a listen. An older pastor and a younger pastor discuss 1 Timothy.
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Matt Smethurst: “I don’t remember 99% of the meals I’ve eaten, but they’ve kept me alive. God uses faithful, forgettable sermons to beautify his bride.”
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Sinclair Ferguson: “In a nutshell, abiding in Christ means allowing His Word to fill our minds, direct our wills, & transform our affections. In other words, our relationship to Christ is intimately connected to what we do with our Bibles!”
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Mike Betts: “Paul said the primary doctrine to be attended to for the church is the atonement 1 Corinthians 15:3 and the primary practice to be attended to is corporate prayer 1 Timothy 2:1 BOTH are designated by him as of FIRST importance! Worth reflecting whether this is how we build?”
Spiritual Gifts – Gifts given by the Gift
Download my teaching handout as a pdf
More teaching handouts can be found HERE
(Photo: Aziz Acharki)