“When the cause is just, nothing other than the inflated rhetoric of the prophets, it seems, can shock us out of our complacency and shove before our eyes in all their starkness the alternatives we need to face. It forces us to confront them and to take a stand one way or the other, no …
The benefits of justification
A sermon by Rod Benson Romans 5:1-11 God planned it. Abraham experienced it. David worshipped in the light of it. Jesus paid for it. The Holy Spirit applies it to us. And we enjoy its unique benefits. I’m talking about justification, the big word Paul uses for a central aspect of salvation, where God declares …
The richness of God’s grace
A sermon by Rod Benson Five hundred years ago – 500 years last Tuesday, to be precise – the Protestant Reformation began, and the world was changed. Baptists rightly praise the great Reformers, such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli and others, for their faith and courage, their zeal for truth and passion for …
A sermon on euthanasia
Job 14:5-13; 2 Peter 1:2-4 When I was asked to preach a topical sermon on the subject of euthanasia, my thoughts turned to the tragic and mysterious Old Testament character named Job. There are many life lessons for us in the Book of Job, many opportunities to pause from frantic attempts to make a life …
What happens when I die?
A sermon by Rod Benson There are two certainties in life: birth and death. We celebrate birth, and while we also celebrate death through carefully crafted eulogies and respectful rituals, a death is usually an occasion for sadness and sympathy, reflection, condolences and hushed voices. Death is inevitable and unavoidable, but it is not a …