James Wright > Recent Status Updates

Commenting on 2 Corinthians 3:18 and Colossians 3: "Paul’s vision exposes the utter bankruptcy of feelism. It has no goal, no narrative structure, no vision of the good outside of itself."

Ch 8 on Imagophobia contains a concise biblical overview considering words and images and how they intertwine. "...words can seduce us to idolatry just as effectively as images can." And finishes with Schultze's call to "be wise and measured in your use of them [new communication technologies]. And above all, don't expect that they will solve your problems..." leading us nicely into Part 3 of Popologetics.

Enjoying these reflections thus far.

Boice suggests an understanding of the Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast that I have never encountered before: "He [the devil] hinders God's work by sowing bad seed (parable 2), encouraging an unnatural and secular church growth (parable 3), and causing even the lives of true believers to be weakened by sin (parable 4)." It is argued well & has given me food for thought.

"Your presence in the lives of other people is more powerful than you think...Your presence announces God's unique interest in the other person...This does not mean that those who are linked to us immediately belong to Christ, but it does mean that...they have daily opportunities to witness the Spirit within another person. In a real way they too have been set apart."

Then uses 1 Cor 7 as an example.

Sermon 4

"...faith is effective only as a means is effective...he does not mean that it is faith in and of itself, irrespective of faith's object. The faith that saves is the faith whose object is Jesus..."

"...it is not so much the strength or purity of the faith that is at stake, but whether or not faith issues from self-acknowledged need, and is directed to the one who has the power to meet that need..."

Have wanted to read this since hearing Ted at Word Alive 6 or 7 years ago. Finally got around to it and enjoying it thus far!

On John 13:6-10 … the foot washing symbolizes the daily cleansing we all need from sin … called confession and repentance.

Sin is a fact. To be blind to it is shameful. To see it is normal and human. To confess it to the Lord and see that he gladly accepts you...? That shows you are connected to him and becoming more like him.

Ch21 uses very helpful illustration of birthdays as an example of undeserved honour.

Sermon 3-The Mission of Jesus

"I desire mercy, not sacrifice." Jesus...is not simply saying that the Pharisees ought to be more compassionate...Like those whom the prophet Hosea condemned, Jesus' opponents have...preserved the shell and lost the core.

"The point of verse 13b is not to divide humanity into two groups...but to disavow one image of what the Messiah would be and do, and replace it with another."

Sermon 2 - The Authentic Jesus - Matthew 8:18-34

"Politics/sport, entertainment...health, education...find their true significance only when they are seen as subsets of the really fundamental concerns...righteousness, knowing God savingly...growing in...obedience to Jesus, freedom from sin...displaying the love of Christ in lives transformed by the Spirit..."

(Includes helpful consideration of 1 Cor 7:25-31)

Sermon 1 - Matt 8:1-17 The Authority of Jesus: is implicit to His person and mission, fulfils the Law, is God's, brings comfort to the eyes of faith and terror to the merely religious, and is a function of his work on the cross.

Carson's exposition rallies the heart to "pledge ourselves anew to submit joyfully to Jesus' authority."

Includes helpful comments on truth vs. sincerity and healing today.

Borrowed time and borrowed world and borrowed eyes with which to sorrow it. p.138

What you alter in the remembering has yet a reality, known or not. p.139

Patient, progressive (in the sense of unfolding), pastoral care on display. Good both for those where shame is a daily feature of life and those where it features less.

As one who is wary of 'reading myself into Scripture' where it simply is not warranted, Welch's careful pastoral application of Scripture into daily life seems like a good model to follow.

"Obedience in small things will be your aim in this new kingdom. When circumstances or emotions overwhelm, you will think 'How can I live for my Father now?' The answer will usually be 'Love the person in front of you' or 'Be faithful with the responsibilities right in front of you'. … Your goal is not contentment or honor. Your goal is to be associated with Christ and his kingdom...

Lloyd-Jones was right: reading biographies in the afternoon does warm the heart!

Preaching & Preachers is available for £1.99 on Kindle

Ch 11 - really taken by the author's re-phrasing of 'spiritual disciplines' as God's means of communion, emphasising the relational aspect of prayer, Bible reading, worship, service, suffering... by faith seeing them all as "opportunities to respond to God".

Ch 7 Jonathan Edwards
"...the ordinary working of love and grace in the heart by the Holy Spirit is a far greater privilege than any of the miraculous gifts."

"In revival there is an ever-present danger of concentrating on the outward and the external...At the end of the day it is progress in sanctification which is of enduring value."

Richard Baxter's The Reformed Preacher is available as a free ebook on Google Books. Looking forward to reading it!

Ch 9 - enjoying the Spirit's Life.

"In this life Christians experience our new Spirit-inspired desires alongside our old, lingering selfish desires (Gal. 5). So we often experience the life of the Spirit in the form of struggle...itself a sign of the Spirit's work."

"Christ has bought you with his own blood and now he's sent in the Holy Spirit to renovate you. The blueprint...is Jesus himself."