www.blogofdan.co.uk

You can find the content of this website, plus more.  Many of the posts have either been re-edited or re-formatted, and the categories have been tidyed up a bit.

There are also seperate pages listing all my kids talks and talks & sermons, and links to download them.

Kids talks HERE

Talks & Sermons HERE

In the future the only posting at this site will be the headlines from the new site.

Thanks

Dan

Hugh Bourne was at this meeting and reports back HERE.

You can listen to Dr Packer’s talk HERE and the answer he gave at the question time that followed the talk HERE.

Details have just been released online for this year’s Sorted.

Sorted (organised by Capital Youthworks) takes place on Saturday 15th November.  It is a day of Bible teaching for young people aged 14-18 years old.  Trev Pearce is going to be teaching on the sermon on the mount.  It should be a great day! 

To download a flyer click HERE.

To buy tickets click HERE.

You can also listen to Sachy’s teaching on Exodus from last year’s Sorted HERE.

Here are the links to all my notes from this years Evangelical Ministry Assembly that took place last week.

Christopher Ash – Why preaching?

1) God’s people under God’s preached word

2) God’s people transformed by God’s preached word

3) God’s people transforming the world by God’s preached word

Simon Austen – Exposition for Expositors (Ephesians)

1) What we are spiritually!

2) How to become what we are!

John Woodhouse – Christ Exalting Preaching

1) Fullness in Christ

2) Supremacy of Christ

3) Proclaiming Christ

Kent Hughes

1) The Affections of the Preacher

2) The Heart of the Preacher

William Taylor

Evangelistic Preaching

God loves to save lost people.  We need to ask God to forgive us and trust in Jesus to take the punishment we deserve for our sins.

Focus

Have you ever had a big argument with one of your best friends?

After you had this argument did one of you say something like ‘I’m not going to talk you ever again!’ or ‘I don’t want to see you anymore!’ or ‘We’re no longer best friends!’?

How did you feel after you had this argument?

What needed to happen for you to become friends again?

How did you feel once you made up and became best friends again?

Jesus once told a story (or a parable) about someone who said ‘I don’t want to see you anymore!’, ‘I’m not going to talk to you ever again!’  In fact what this person said was worse; he said ‘I wish you were dead!’ The person he said this too wasn’t his best friend but his father.

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This father, Jesus tells us has two sons.  One day the younger son said to his father, ‘I’ve had enough of living at home; in fact, I’ve had enough of living with you!  I want my inheritance!’

Can anyone tell me what he meant when he said ‘I want my inheritance’?

The younger son was saying to his father that he wanted the money he was going to get when his father died – now!  He’s saying to his father, ‘I wish you were dead!’

So the father gave his son the money and the son left home.

The son then spent the next year or two spending that money.  He spent his money on wild parties, the fastest camels, eating at the Italian restaurants, designer clothes.  He had a whale of a time.  He was popular and the guy everyone wanted to be around.

But then the cash ran out.  The people who hung around him now wanted nothing to do with him.  He had to get a job, and the only one available was feeding pigs.

The younger son feels utterly alone.  He thinks that even the pigs are better off than him.  He’s down and desperate.

Jesus wants us to understand that we are like the younger son.  We have all sinned, and said to God, ‘I don’t want you telling me what to do, I want to live my life the way I think is best’.  This leaves us in a desperate situation, because God will punish everyone who has sinned in hell. 

Back to the story…the younger son realises that he’s been an idiot; that he was stupid to treat his father this way and decides to do something about it. 

What do you think the younger son needs to do?

The younger son sets off home to say sorry to his father, and to ask for his forgiveness.

Did you know that God loves us so much and desperately wants to forgive us of all our sins and to save us from the punishment of hell that we deserve?  We know this because he sent Jesus to die on the cross to take this punishment that we deserve.  God promises to forgive everyone who repents, who says sorry and asks Jesus to take their sins and remove their punishment.

The younger son’s father is looking of his window one day when he sees his son coming home.  He is so excited that he jumps up, runs out the front door and throws his arms around his son.  He is so happy to see him again.  As the son says sorry to his father, the father calls one of the servants to get him ring and put a cloak on him, and kill the fattened calf because that night there is going to be a big party because this lost son is now found.

The Bible tells us that if we repent, we ask God to forgive, and believe that God will because Jesus has taken the punishment we deserve; when we die we will go to God’s party in heaven, which is the best party ever!

Wrap up

Do you want to be like the younger son who was forgiven by his father and be forgiven by God?

If you, you will need to…(adapted from ‘Why did Jesus die’ tract published by The Good Book Company)

Admit your sin – that you disobey God by what you say and do.  You need to ask God to forgive you and to help you to change.

Believe that Jesus died for you – to take the punishment you deserve for your sin and that he came back to life and is alive today.

Consider what it means to live God’s way with Him in charge – it won’t be easy and you’ll need His help.

Do something about it!  Decide that you are going to live God’s way with His help from now on.

Different denominations have different perspectives on the state of their children in the kingdom of God (Anglican – already ‘in’; Presbyterian – in the church but not sure whether they are all the way in; Baptist – outside).  But all regardless of which camp you’re in, the same obligation applies, we must preach the gospel.  Children need to hear the gospel because they need to repent and believe.  The gospel is not something we master once.  Repent and believe the gospel is the answer to every problem there is.

Model Repentance

We need to model for our children what the Christian gospel is like.  We need to model repenting and believing.  One way is by modelling repentance for our sinfulness within the home.

Model Forgiveness

We need to model for our children what forgiveness looks like.  In the process of disciplining your children, do your children walk away forgiven and knowing they are forgiven?  Do you take the opportunity to remind them how their heavenly Father feels about their sin and instead of them being punished, God punished his son.  R.C. Sproul Jr. says that after he disciplines his children he gives them a big hug, a kiss on the check, and then tells them that he forgives them and that he loves them, loved them while disciplining them, and will always love them.

When do you do this?  All the time from the moment the child is conceived (Deuteronomy 6).  Our homes should be infused with a Christian culture.  We need to tell our children the gospel truth from the beginning, to speak of these things all the time, even before they are born.  None of us have it in us to embrace and believe the gospel.  The only way is a miraculous gift of the Holy Spirit.  So who are we to think that a child in the womb can’t be saved by God?

The single most important thing we can do is pray for our children.  Augustine’s mother prayed daily and fervently for her son.  Our prayers can and do change the world.

Alex Chediak live-blogged this session HERE.

Today you won’t hear the ‘s’ word very much in conversation.  If you do, it will have been put in a safety zone such as, eating cream cakes, celebrity slip-ups or getting promoted for my sins.  People have redefined sin, it is not a lack of belief in God but a lack of belief in God.  We can’t just call people sinners because they will redefine it.

The problem with sin (people will say)

• - Sin globalises what is local – what is wrong/right for some people is not for others, Geri Halliwell ‘Everyone’s truth is different’
• - Sin accuses the victim – people are more sinned against than sinning
• - Sin is so depressing and not uplifting – it’s a bit heavy isn’t it, it puts people off Christianity

We need to introduce the ‘sin’ word because it is the only valid explanation for problems of world and people, but also God tells us to, it’s in God’s Word.

What can we learn from the fall of man and the consequences of sin?

• - Satan tempts Eve to sit in judgment of God’s Word
• - Satan denies the goodness of God (v1) – Satan focuses selectively on the command not to eat, the negative, doesn’t speak of the freedom there is
• - Satan denies the holiness of God expressed in judgment (v4) – flatly contradicts God’s Word
• - Satan denies the otherness of God (v5) – you will become like God, there will be distinction; you can decide what is right and wrong. The essence of sin is that I make up my own rules, I decide what is right and wrong

5 results of disobedience:

• - Man is separated from God (v8-9) – no-one seeks God (no point of having seeker services), they run and hide; God is angry at them (v23-24)
• - Mankind is separated from man (v12, 16) – the social problem, the most violent place on earth is the human heart
• - Man from nature (v17-19) – ecological problem
• - Man from himself (v10) – the psychological problem; loses integrity, man tells half-truths
• - Ultimate judgement – driven from the garden

Adam is our head, his fall is our fall.  Same as with the England Cricket Team, they lose England lose.  We are doomed as a race because we are sons of Adam.  Sin is not a friend.  Face of evil is not just Hannibal Lector – it’s also you!

“sin is the dare of God’s justice, the rape of his mercy, the jeer of his patience, the slight of his power, the contempt of his love” (Ralph Venning)

We are doomed because we are sons of Adam.  If we don’t preach sin, people will never understand the cross of Christ.  We are in a desperate state, we need salvation not advice.

Audio from which this is taken can be listened to HERE.

Lost people are precious to God so He does everything He can to find them

Focus

What is the most precious thing you have?

It could be some jewellery.  It could be a special teddy bear.  It might be some clothing.  Whatever it is, if something is precious to us, we won’t want to lose it. 

What would you do if you lost something that was really precious to you?

If you lost something that was really precious to you, you’d look everywhere for it would you?  You would do everything you could to try and find it.

Jesus told a parable about something that was very precious to someone and what happened when they lost this precious thing.

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Jesus has just told a parable about a shepherd who has 100 sheep.  When he discovered that one is missing, the shepherd searched high and low to find it, and when he does he throws a great big party.  As soon as Jesus finished telling this story, he told another one which sounded very similar to the one he has just told about the shepherd.

A woman has ten silver coins, they were very precious to her, but one day she discovered that one of these coins is missing.  Maybe she dropped her purse and one of the coins jumped out.  Whatever happened, the coin was now gone.  It was missing, it had disappeared.

But losing this coin wasn’t like losing a 1p piece.  This coin was precious so the woman was desperate to find it, so she begins to search.  She swept the house.  She looked behind the bookcase, on top of the cupboard, under the rug.  She even lit a lamp so see could see whether it was in the dark corners of the room.  She looked carefully making sure that she didn’t a spot.

Eventually she spots it.  The silver coin had disguised itself as some dirt.  She is so happy.  And like the shepherd, she calls her friends and neighbours and says party with me because I’ve found this lost coin, this thing that is so precious to me.

Let’s remind ourselves of what happened in the story…

How many coins were in this story? [10]

Were the coins precious or ordinary? [precious] 

How do we know that the coins were precious? [the way the woman searches the house, the way she reacts when she found the lost coin]

We’ve already seen that Jesus tells us these stories, these parables for a reason, which is to teach us something really important about God and his plans for this world.  Jesus told this story to teach us that we are precious to God like the coin was precious to the woman.

Like the coin, we are lost because we have sinned against God.  Sin is disobeying God through all the bad things we do and the good things that we don’t do.  But because we are so precious to God, because He loves us so much, God like the woman does everything He can to find us.  He sent Jesus from heaven to earth to search for lost people.  Jesus came to seek and save the lost.  Jesus told people how they could be found, by repenting, by saying sorry for doing the wrong thing and seeking to do the right thing.

If we repent and trust in Jesus to take the punishment we deserve, God will find us and forgive and there will be a party in heaven for us now and one day when we die or Jesus returns we will go to the great party God has prepared for us.

Wrap up

You are precious to God and He loves you very much that’s why He sent Jesus to die on the cross so that you and I can be forgiven. 

You need to repent and say sorry to God for disobeying Him by the bad things you do and the good things you don’t do.  And you need to trust in Jesus to save you from your sins because He died on the cross so that you can be found by God.

This is the best news ever!

Do you want to be found by God?  If you do, trust in Jesus to save you from your sins.

Jesus came to save sinners (us)

Focus

Have you ever lost something that was really important?

How did you feel when you found it? 

Jesus told a story about something that was missing, something that was lost, to help people understand who He came to rescue.

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Can you remember the special name given to the stories that Jesus told?

This parable was about a shepherd who had 100 sheep.  He had been out with the sheep on the mountainside watching them while they ate grass and did other things that sheep do.  As the day became night, the shepherd counts all his sheep to make sure they were all there, so he counts them up.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5… 95, 96, 97, 98, 99…

The sheep whose name was 100 was missing.  He had wandered off and is now missing.

Do you think he just said ‘Oh well, I have 99 other sheep, it’s only one sheep, who cares’? What do you think the shepherd did? 

With the 99 other sheep safe in their home for the night, the shepherd goes on a mission to find the missing sheep.

ACTIVITY: Tell the children that hidden in the room is 100 the sheep, and that they need to search to find him.  When the sheep is found everyone should cheer loudly.

The shepherd searches high and low, he looks in every nook and cranny, and when he finds his missing sheep he is so happy, he puts it on his shoulders and carries it home and then he puts on a party to celebrate that he’s found this sheep.

How many sheep did the shepherd have?

What did he do when he lost one?

What did he do when he found his lost sheep?

Now why did Jesus tell this story? 

The Bible tells us that people are like lost sheep.  They are lost because they have wandered away from God the shepherd.  They sin and go their own way and not God’s way which places them in danger, not from wolves or lions but from being punished by God in hell.  But like the lost sheep in the story, was special and important to the shepherd, so lost people are special and important to God, so God sent Jesus to find lost people and rescue them from their sins by dying on the cross instead of them.

You are so special to Jesus that He died to rescue you from your sins!  If we trust in Jesus the rescuer, Jesus finds us and will take us safely to be with God forever in heaven.

The Bible tells us that when someone is rescued by Jesus, the angels have a party.  If you have been rescued by Jesus, the angels had a party for you!

Wrap up

Jesus cares for people so much that He came to rescue them.

Does Jesus care about…?

• - The very old [yes]
• - The rich [yes]
• - The smelly [yes]
• - The poor [yes]
• - The sick [yes]
• - The young [yes]
• - The rude [yes]
• - The naughty [yes]

Jesus cares about everyone – including you!

Are you like the lost sheep?  If you are, Jesus is looking for you because you are special to Him and He wants to rescue you, that is why he died on the cross.  Jesus wants you to trust in Him to save you from your sins. 

Are you like the 99 other sheep who are safe, who are already trusting in Jesus to rescue you from your sins and the punishment for them you deserve?  If you are, Jesus wants you to be like Him and find lost people and tell them who how they can be rescued too!

Jesus came to save sinners, Jesus came to rescue us.

Reject Jesus and you will miss God’s party in heaven

Focus

Who likes being told stories?

What’s you’re favourite story?  What is it about?

The Bible tells us that Jesus loved to tell stories.  There are more than 30 of the stories that Jesus told written in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke (the first 3 books of the New Testament).  The stories that Jesus told have a special name, they are called parables.  Parables are stories which teach us about God or Jesus or about ourselves.

I want to tell you one of the stories that Jesus told.  I’ve brought some picture along to help you guess what the story is about.

• - Balloons
• - Present
• - Invitation
• - Birthday card
• - Cake with candles
• - Birthday party kits

The story Jesus told is about a party.

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Jesus told a story to a group of people about a man who was preparing a great banquet, an amazing party.  There was going to be food and drink, music and dancing, and loads of really important people were going to be invited.  It was going to be an amazing party, the best party, the one not to miss.

Now when it was time for the party to start, the man sent his servant to all the people he had invited to tell them that everything was ready, the party is about to begin.

But when the servant told the people that the party was about to begin, the people said they couldn’t come anymore.  They made excuses.  One said he just bought a field and wanted to go and see it, another wanted to test out the oxen he had just bought and another had just got married.  They were too busy, or they had something better to do.

The servant returned to his master and told him what had happened.  How do you think the master felt?

The master was angry but he didn’t decide to cancel the party because none of the guests were coming.  Instead he sent his servants out to invite all the people who did not think they would ever be invited to such an amazing party like this.  It’s a bit like receiving an invitation to go to the Queen’s birthday party – you wouldn’t expect that?  He also invited people who didn’t even know about the party.  But those who were invited first missed out!

Now why did Jesus tell this story?  Jesus told this story to teach the people listening to it about another party. 

Jesus told this story to let everyone know that God has prepared for people the most amazing party ever.  You may have been to a swimming party or a bowling party which are good.  But this party God has prepared is even better.  This party is with God in heaven.  The party in heaven will have all the good things in this world and non of the bad stuff.

God wants everyone to come to this party so He sent His Son Jesus to earth to tell people that this party had begun.  Jesus died on the cross and rose again so that people could come to the party.  By following Jesus and trusting in His death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins you accept this invitation to God’s party in heaven.

But if you reject Jesus and you make up excuses for not following Jesus like the people did in the story Jesus told, you will miss out on going to greatest party ever.

Wrap up

God has planned an amazing party in heaven and He wants you to go to it, so He sent Jesus to die on the cross and rise again so that your sins will be forgiven.  Do you trust in Jesus to save you so you can go to God’s party in heaven?

If you don’t, what excuses are you making for not following Jesus and trusting Him to save you?  Remember that if you don’t trust Jesus to save you, you won’t be able to go to God’s party.