An honest Christmas message: given all the crises we seem to be dealing with, is there any real hope at the moment? We look at Romans 8:31-39 to see that Jesus gives us hope especially in times of hardship.
Last year’s Christmas message is still available to watch, Can you find Christmas lights bright enough for 2021?
All Christmas content on Understand the Bible is under the Christmas category. You might also enjoy the advent series about the day of the Lord.
The third part of our Advent series on ‘The Day of the Lord’, looking at a picture of the end – the day of Christ. What will that be like, and are we ready for it?
Enjoyed this sermon? See more on the sermons page.
Sermons are also available on the podcast.
The second part of our Advent series on ‘The Day of the Lord’. When God draws near, it reveals who or what we are really trusting in.
Enjoyed this sermon? See more on the sermons page.
Sermons are also available on the podcast.
This sermon is the first part of an Advent series looking at the “Day of the Lord” in the Bible. In this first part, from Amos, we think about why people want to come to church at Christmas and what Amos says about what’s really important.
Enjoyed this sermon? See more on the sermons page.
Sermons are also available on the podcast.
One of the problems we face in life is having the strength to do the right thing, even if we are under pressure to do the wrong thing. We often find it difficult to do the right thing when we are not under pressure – but it’s even harder when the pressure is increased.
We can face pressure from many different quarters: we usually talk about peer pressure in relation to children and teenagers, but adults are equally vulnerable to it. If all our friends are going along with something, it can be very difficult to stand out from the crowd.
We can face pressure from work, for example if a superior asks us to cover something up by lying. This is even more difficult to face up to – how many people would be strong enough to resist the pressure, even if it meant losing their job?
In our church children’s holiday club this year, we looked at the story of Daniel. Daniel is a book which many people will be familiar with from Sunday school: the stories are vivid and engaging! And yet they also teach us some very important lessons.
One of the stories centres on Daniel’s three friends – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. King Nebuchadnezzar had set up a 90-foot high golden image, and commanded everyone to bow down and worship the image. He also threatened that anyone who did not bow down and worship would be thrown into a fiery furnace.
Daniel’s three friends knew that this was wrong – they knew that it went against the Ten Commandments: God said that we should worship him alone, and not bow down to an idol.
How do you think you would have responded in this situation? Do you think you would have had the strength to resist the might of an angry king and the punishment of the fiery furnace? I imagine that most of us would have caved in and bowed down. What could possibly give anyone the strength to stand up for what was right in such circumstances?
Let’s look Daniel 3:16-18 to see how the friends answered the king:
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
The three friends firstly say to the king ‘we do not need to defend ourselves before you’. What the king had asked them to do what manifestly wrong, and they did not need to justify their refusal to do it.
They then say that God is able to deliver them from the furnace. They know that the God they serve, the God who gave the commandments in the first place, is powerful and able to save. They know that there is a higher authority than the king.
But note that they do not presume that God will save: they say “even if he does not” – even if they may perish in the furnace, they will not bow down. They commit themselves to doing what is right, whatever the cost, trusting that God will see and honour their obedience.
I think the lesson of these three friends is an important one for us to learn. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew that there was a higher authority than any earthly king. They knew that they could not go against the will of the God who made everything. They had faith that God would reward them for doing what was right, and they entrusted themselves to him.
This helps us today when we are facing pressure to do the wrong thing: we should remember that we are almost certainly not facing pressure like Daniel’s friends faced! We should remember that it is more important to do what is right according to the God who made the universe. We should trust that God sees and rewards our trust in him. And we should commit ourselves to pleasing him and doing what is right and good.
In this way, we can have strength – like Daniel’s friends – to stand up for what is good and right, however much pressure we face.
This was originally written in July 2022 as a ‘Thought for the Week’ for a local audio newspaper.
We often look to Jesus as an example for us in his love, but we rarely think about his example of using the Bible. In this session we think about how Jesus used the Bible and what we can learn from it.
The previous session was called How to understand the Bible. All sessions are available under the All about the Bible category.
If you’d like to find out more about the Bible, you can try a course here on the website or subscribe to the Understand the Bible YouTube channel.
Not everyone can understand the Bible. In this video we look at why that is, and what we should do to be able to understand the Bible.
The previous session “What is the Bible? – why the Bible matters” is available here.
If you’d like to find out more about the Bible, you can try a course here on the website or subscribe to the Understand the Bible YouTube channel.
What is the Bible? Was it written by human beings, or by God? Can we trust it? And what difference does that make to us? In this session we look at why the Bible is so important to understand.
Three books for beginners to help beginners understand the Bible.
Interview with Andy Brown about Bible reading.
If you’d like to find out more about the Bible, you can try a course here on the website or subscribe to the Understand the Bible YouTube channel.
The Understand the Bible Christmas message for 2021!
I’ll be taking a break from Understand the Bible over the Christmas period, and will return in the New Year. I am planning to start a new series on the Ten Commandments, to follow on from the Apostle’s Creed which finished last month.
I feel that this year has been a good year for Understand the Bible, thank you to everyone who has helped by watching, subscribing, commenting, sending encouraging messages, and so on. I pray that 2022 will be a good year and that the Word of God may continue to spread and flourish (Acts 12:24).
Last year’s Christmas message is still available to watch, Whose fault is 2020?
All Christmas content on Understand the Bible is under the Christmas category. This includes the recent series on being ready for the return of Christ (which is also available on a YouTube playlist).
In the final part of the ‘Return of Christ’ series we look at 2 Thessalonians 1, which shows us how to endure suffering and persecution while we await Christ’s return.
Last week’s session was A life fit for the new creation (2 Peter 3).
