‘Archive’ of Sermon Extras
April 8, 2008
In this post, I’m just trasnferring across the few ’sermon extras’ that he had last year, so that everything is gathered in one place.
Here they are:
Below are some extra bits and pieces mentioned in Sermons. There won’t be something new every week, but if a mention of something is made in a sermon, you should be able to find it here.
Added 17th September, 2007:
Mission Resource – Praying for Muslims during Ramadan: The two main links that Klaus mentioned on Sunday are the two below…
Added 8th September, 2007:
From 1 Corinthians 7:
Questions and Answers from week 1 (Marriage Matters, Part 1)
Hey Grimmo, Just wondering about verse 5 and the idea of ‘prayer on a par’. Since the marriage relationship is put ‘on hold’ to pray (as appropriate), I wonder if it is indicative of there being one relationship which takes priority – the one with God – and hence prayer & relating to Him is not ‘on par’, but rather the only higher priority.
· Yes, that is basically true, the bible does say that our relationship with God is paramount. BUT that is why what Paul says is so surprising. Paul says in (v6) – “this is not a command but a concession”, in other words, you might choose not to have sex in order to pray. BUT whatever you do, even if you do choose this option, make sure that you get back to sex soon. God is certainly the higher priority, but the fact that it is even possible that you wouldn’t give up sex for prayer makes it very significant.
Can I ask…What about masturbation in marriage when your spouse is away or sick etc Is it OK? A good idea? etc
· Again – I want to use the word – “sub-optimal” – I think that you should discuss it with your spouse. You need to be self-controlled while apart and so it may be useful for a short term dealing with the issue. BUT – we need to be incredibly careful that there is no pornography OR fantasizing about other people etc.
Could you please cite a verse where the Bible says ‘All of who we are has been given to us by God’? Would this argument refute that homosexuality is a choice and not inborn?
· This is an excellent point. And I need to be careful what I say. For example the bible would say to me – I cannot claim that God has made me want sin – and you can name anything (covetousness for example) – so therefore I should covet. SO – I want to be careful to say what the bible has to say. However, I also want to say that our circumstances, our personality etc. are part of the way that God has made us. So the joys, the struggles, the gifts they are all given to us by the sovereign God.
Paul, one question about translations. 1 Cor 7:4 ESV says that the wife/husband does not have ‘authority’ over their body, the other does. The NIV uses the phrase ‘belong to them alone’. These seem very different to me. The NIV seems to suggest more of a mutual ‘ownership’ rather than totally being at the service of your partner. Just wondering what your thoughts are and are these really different?
· ESV is closer to what the original said – the NIV is trying to tell you what they think that that actually means. The word might be authority or maybe power or even “the right” -> I think the point here is that each partner is not to think of their body as their own but belonging to the other – and that is entirely mutual. Any mutuality is going to need to be worked out with wisdom and prayer over time -> and the point of the passage is not so much – hey you husband, she’s all yours OR hey you wife, he’s all yours BUT hey you husband – your body is for her not for you and vice versa. It is looking for a mutual giving!
Grimmo, I think you said tonight that v6 was related to v5 rather than v7 -> just wondering how you came to that conclusion, especially with the footnote that adds a colon. Thanks!!
· Two reasons – Greek has a verb form called an imperative (which is what you use to give a command) – (v5) do not deprive one another is imperative – there is no imperative in (v7).
· BUT I also think it makes more sense. When Paul says – “I wish that everyone was as I am but everyone has their own gift from God” – I am not sure how that could be interpreted as a command?
Added 13th August, 2007:
From Mark 4 “God’s Inner Ring”:
The Inner Ring, by CS Lewis, should be easy enough to find with a Google search, or you could just click here.
