We’re reading the first epistle of Peter over two weeks, with brief explanations and applications. The Bible text (NIV 2011) is in blue, so you can tell what bits are Scripture and what bits are my explanations.
13 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. Focus on the eternal benefit, not the temporary suffering.
We’re reading the first epistle of Peter over two weeks, with brief explanations and applications. The Bible text (NIV 2011) is in blue, so you can tell what bits are Scripture and what bits are my explanations.
1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect—that’s you; exiles—a minority mocked and excluded by the rest of society—scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, of Sydney, of Australia, of Asia, the Americas, Africa and Europe,
Coffee with the King is back! (We’re still debating how long the coffee supply will last, but we’re back for now…)
For the next two weeks we’re going to read carefully through the whole first epistle of 1 Peter. We’ll try—as much as we’re able—to experience it as a coherent letter. (Ideally, we’d read it all in one sitting; or better, listen to it read out all at once, just like the original recipients would have experienced it. But given the format of our daily readings, we’ll do it over 10 days.)
And to help this letter speak for itself, we’ll give only the essential commentary to explain and apply, taking our lead from Ezra, who, along with his priestly entourage:
Nehemiah 8:8 …read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.
I’ve been guilty of it. Probably more times than I’ve realised. And so have you, I’m guessing, if you’re a preacher who has ever tried to be creative; who has tried to do something different in order to captivate the congregation with the truth of Scripture. At some point, we’ve all fallen into the error of allowing our sermon to serve a creative idea, rather than the other way around.
Continue readingWhile Coffee with the King is on a break, things have still been percolating. Below is a set of four 30-minute talks based on the Why Jesus? series posted in February last year. They were filmed at a recent weekend away for the young adults of Narwee Baptist Church.
Note: these videos are no longer available. However, you can sign up to receive the new versions for free:
The Australia Day long weekend usually marks the time Coffee with the King emerges from its summer slumber. During that slumber, however, it became increasingly clear to me that I couldn’t keep up with the schedule for at least the coming six months. An increase in other work commitments – and a nearly dry pool of previous material I can use with minimal reworking – means I’ll have to put this project on hold for a while, unfortunately.
The archive will, of course, remain here. And every so often, I’ll post things – including (hopefully) a short video teaching series being recorded in March. If you’d like to be notified when this happens, simply subscribe to the blog and you’ll be emailed automatically.
Thanks for your support over the past two-and-a-half years, and I hope to return to the project in the future.
Tim.
On Monday, we began our Christmas week series through Revelation chapter 12. You need to start from the beginning of the week, or this won’t make sense.
So far, we’ve seen the dragon (Satan) defeated in his attempts to kill the young hero born to a woman. What’s more, he’s been cast down from the skies. Defeated, yes, but not yet destroyed. And as you might expect, the dragon isn’t particularly happy about being cast down from the sky. In fact, the voice from heaven gives us a bit of a warning:
On Monday, we began our Christmas week series through Revelation chapter 12. You need to start from the beginning of the week, or this won’t make sense.
So far, we’ve read Revelation 12 and identified the woman as “Mother Zion” – the true mother of the real saviour of the world (not Mother Rome and her emperor-son). The dragon is Satan, who – just like in Greek and Roman mythology – wants to kill the saviour-god who is born. But he’s thwarted in his plans, and is defeated by the young hero when he comes of age.
timmacbride.com 