We finished our opening day here in Swanwick with a sermon from Rupert Bentley-Taylor. He took us to that wonderful chapter Isaiah 55 and expounded it with great verve and warmth.
He began with the famous quote from Luther, "I simply taught, preached, and wrote God’s Word; otherwise I did nothing. And then, while I slept, or drank Wittenberg beer with my Philip [Melanchthon] and my Amsdorf [Nicholaus von], the Word so greatly weakened the papacy that never a prince or emperor did such damage to it. I did nothing. The Word did it all."
He also added later the less well known "The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me." Also, "To be sure, I do not hear this with my ears or see it with my eyes; all I hear is the voice of the preacher, or of my brother or father, and I behold only a man before me. But I view the picture correctly if I add that the voice and words of father or pastor are not his own words and doctrine but those of our Lord and God. It is not a prince, a king, or an archangel whom I hear; it is He who declares that He is able to dispense the water of eternal life."*
He had four main points with the following sub-points
1. Its commands (1)
1. Come (1) 2. Come away (2a) 3. Listen, give ear, hear (2b, 3)
2. Its promises (2-5)
1. Excellent (2) 2. Ancient (3) 3. International (4-5)
1. Excellent (2) 2. Ancient (3) 3. International (4-5)
3. Its pleading (6-7)
1. Insistent 2. Urgent 3. Warm
1. Insistent 2. Urgent 3. Warm
4. Its grandeur (8-13)
1. High (8-9)
2. Mighty (10-11)
Fulfilled in judgement as well as in salvation
Like agriculture
God at work
Later on we had this brief quote where Luther says “I felt that I was reborn and had gone through open doors to paradise".
*Fuller quote
"You will find a hundred thousand people who regard silver mined from the earth as a real treasure. They will not shrink from labouring night and day to acquire such a perishable treasure. Would to God that we could gradually train our hearts to believe that the preacher’s words are God’s Word and that the man addressing us is a scholar and a king. As a matter of fact, it is not an angel or a hundred thousand angels but the Divine Majesty Himself that is preaching there. To be sure, I do not hear this with my ears or see it with my eyes; all I hear is the voice of the preacher, or of my brother or father, and I behold only a man before me. But I view the picture correctly if I add that the voice and words of father or pastor are not his own words and doctrine but those of our Lord and God. It is not a prince, a king, or an archangel whom I hear; it is He who declares that He is able to dispense the water of eternal life."
1. High (8-9)
2. Mighty (10-11)
Fulfilled in judgement as well as in salvation
Like agriculture
God at work
Later on we had this brief quote where Luther says “I felt that I was reborn and had gone through open doors to paradise".
*Fuller quote
"You will find a hundred thousand people who regard silver mined from the earth as a real treasure. They will not shrink from labouring night and day to acquire such a perishable treasure. Would to God that we could gradually train our hearts to believe that the preacher’s words are God’s Word and that the man addressing us is a scholar and a king. As a matter of fact, it is not an angel or a hundred thousand angels but the Divine Majesty Himself that is preaching there. To be sure, I do not hear this with my ears or see it with my eyes; all I hear is the voice of the preacher, or of my brother or father, and I behold only a man before me. But I view the picture correctly if I add that the voice and words of father or pastor are not his own words and doctrine but those of our Lord and God. It is not a prince, a king, or an archangel whom I hear; it is He who declares that He is able to dispense the water of eternal life."
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