All Sunday teaching sermons

As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

'I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.'

'And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their…

'And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.'

Paul presents the wilful rejection of God's divinity and glory, and the mental dullness that results; also the deep sins of Roman and modern society. Depressing, yes. But the apostle is undaunted, because the power of Christ's Gospel can cut through it all.

'Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.'

Here is God's perfect definition of the gospel. It is a person—Christ—who is God's free gift of righteousness to believers. Here is how Luther re-discovered it. Here also is 'justification', God's declaration that a believing sinner is clean, and how Rome negates every element.

'Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that…

'My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations.'

'If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.'