Read the text – Psalm 89
Even in the midst of the turmoil of this world, God is faithful, God’s promises are rock solid – in Psalm 89 we are reminded that God’s love stands forever; his faithfulness is firmly established. In this talk Ken Noakes looks at how Psalm 89 points us to his appointed, anointed, exalted king – not King David, but King Jesus.
This talk shows the hope that we can have today because we can see how God has kept his promises in his Son Jesus.
Read the text – Psalm 84
The Psalms have been described as ‘both God’s word to us and our words to God’. The Psalms speak to the total person and demand a total response. Generally, the book of Psalms has been divided into five books and this ‘Psalm of Hope’ number 84, comes from Book III. We are encouraged to find hope in God alone through his Son, our Saviour and King, Jesus Christ.
In this talk, Ken Noakes helps us to think about all the good things that might make life good, and yet also recognize that those good things pale into insignificance compared with the hope of the glory of heaven. May this Psalm, and this talk, help you to sing for joy because of your hope in Jesus.
Read the text – Isaiah 9:2-7; Matthew 4:12-17
Christmas is a time for Christians to proclaim Jesus the Light of the World. This series looks to show the development of the ‘Light’ theme as it unfolds through the passage of salvation history.
In this Bible Talk, Dave Swan helps us to see the how the promises of Isaiah are fulfilled in Jesus and that forgiveness and eternity is on offer with the coming of this new dawn.
Read the text – Psalm 27
The Lord is the Light of my Salvation – dwell, seek, learn and wait on the LORD. As Christian get ready for the Christmas season, Psalm 27 is a good reminder that it is because of Jesus that it is possible to dwell forever with God.
Dave Swan gives us a Jesus shaped hope and prepares us to make the most of the Christmas season.
Read the text – Job 40:1-14
It has been a long time in coming, but finally we hear the voice of God. In Job 38, God speaks from the midst of a storm (or whirlwind). It is not surprising that God speaks from a storm, but it is surprising that it isn’t the storm of judgement, but of wisdom. Two chapters of God describing the extent of his sovereignty conclude in 40:1. And Job’s response? Despite all that he had previously thought he would say if he could enter God’s presence, he is speechless. He recognizes his insignificance before God and keeps listening to what God has to say and stays attentive to what God will show him – God is not only sovereign, but just.
God has not given Job the answers he was looking for, but Job has seen him in a way that is clearer than ever, and without asking for any more answers, he trusts in God’s sovereignty, even though his circumstances still have not changed. It isn’t until we get to the New Testament that we can begin to understand what it cost Him to win the battle over evil and death on our behalf.
In this talk Ken Noakes helps us to understand the importance of living under the sovereignty of God – and that wisdom, even blessing can be found in suffering.
Read the text – Job 32:1-10 & Job 33:1-33
We meet Job’s younger friend Elihu. He has been patiently listening to all that has so far been said and finally he breaks his silence and implores Job to listen (33:1-2). He wants Job to trust his words for he is – sincere (33:3), compassionate (33:6-7) and he speaks with the spirit of God (33:4-5).
His argument: Job is not suffering because he has sinned, but he cautions Job not to sin in his suffering.
Gary Haddon helps the listener consider how we react when suffering – do we look up and down? The ‘why’ of suffering is not the question, but who we are trusting for salvation.
Read the text – Job 28:1-28
Job’s ‘comforters’ have become more like his ‘accusers’. Chapter 28 acts as an interlude where all are invited to lift their eyes from Job’s problems and the arguments which have bogged them down. The cost of the search for the most valuable things is worth it. Yet, Wisdom is the most valuable thing and the most difficult to find. God is the only source of true wisdom.
In this Bible Talk, Ken Noakes helps us to unlock the wisdom of the Book of Job. And in doing so helps the listener to lift their gaze from suffering and trying to figure things out for themselves to understanding that answers can only be found in God.
Read the text – Job 19:1-29
We have met the upright and blameless Job, and seen the tragedy and suffering which fell upon him. In the chapters that follow (Job 3-27), Job responds to the “comfort” (?) of his friends with words full of agony and pain. Job looks to his only hope: a sovereign and perfect God who cannot allow injustice. In spite of his circumstances and feelings, the small glimmer of hope from 9:33-34 which became a faint trickle of hope in 14:14-15 and 16:19-21, has become much more certain, to the point where declares “I know that my redeemer lives!”(19:25). This yet again reveals that the deepest desire of his heart is to be in the presence of the God he loves (19:27). In spite of what his friends have said, Job doesn’t fear death because he is sure that he will see the Lord face to face, and that there is the hope of a resurrection (19:26).
Read the text – Job 1:1-2:10
With suffering wherever you look around the world, we being to ask many questions… Where is God? Why does he allow this? How can God be good when things are not? In the book of Job, we see these questions. We follow his struggle to understand what was happening to him. And yet we also see the development and growth in his understanding of God, and the kind of Saviour we all need.
In this Bible Talk, Gary Haddon introduces this book of wisdom and we look at the upright man named Job – a man who fears God and shuns evil. This man who experiences some extraordinary trials which shape argument of the Book of Job.
For the fifth and last time in Matthew’s Gospel Jesus speaks of what ‘little faith’ might look like – and he offers yet another description of what will happen to him as he heads into Jerusalem where he will be delivered into the hands of opposing men, killed, and then on the third day rise.
In these Bible talks both John Lavender and Ken Noakes look at what faith in the life of a believer might look like – it is not about the quantity of faith (as if that could be measured), but about the genuineness of faith in Jesus.
Read the text – Matthew 17:14-27
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