Sermon and Worship Resources

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1. A Many-Headed Monster

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James Packer

What other gods could we have besides the Lord? Plenty. For Israel there were the Canaanite Baals, those jolly nature gods whose worship was a rampage of gluttony, drunkenness, and ritual prostitution. For us there are still the great gods Sex, Shekels, and Stomach (an unholy trinity constituting one god: self), and the other enslaving trio, Pleasure, Possessions, and Position, whose worship is de...

2. All That God Intends

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James Packer

Does omnipotence mean that God can literally do anything? No, that is not the meaning. There are many things God cannot do. God cannot do what is self-contradictory or nonsensical, like squaring the circle. Nor (and this is vital) can God act out of character. God has a perfect moral character, and it is not in him to deny it. God cannot be capricious, unloving, random, unjust, or inconsistent. Ju...

3. An Unknown Region

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James Packer

We know very little about heaven, but one theologian described it as "an unknown region with a well-know inhabitant," and there is not a better way to think of it than that. Richard Baxter expresses the thought in these lines: My knowledge of that life is small, The eye of faith is dim, But it's enough that Christ knows all, And I shall be with him. To those who have learned to love and trust J...

4. Cancel Your Plans

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James Packer

In Scripture we see several purposes for fasting. It's part of the discipline of self-control; it's a way of sharing that we depend on God alone and draw all our strength and resources from him; it's a way of focusing totally on him when seeking his guidance and help, and of showing that you really are in earnest in your quest; it's also, at times, an expression of sorrow and deep repentance, some...

5. Disease of the Soul

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James Packer

Have you ever heard of the spiritual disease which people in medieval times called accidie? It is something that threatens all Christian workers after the first flush of enthusiasm has worn off. It's a form of sloth but not at the physical level. It is apathy of the soul. It shows in a certain toughness of mind and wariness of spirit which often results from hurt and disillusionment. People with ...

6. Eternal Punishment

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James Packer

We are told in the parable of the sheep and goats (Matt. 25:31-46) that those whom the judge rejects go away into Kolasis (punishment) aionios (a final state). The phrase is balanced by the reference to zoe aionios (eternal life) which is also a fixed and final state. Even if this word aionios is believed to mean only "belonging to the coming aion", and not to imply endlessness in the sense of per...

7. Floodlight Ministry

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James Packer

The Holy Spirit's distinctive role is to fulfill what we may call a floodlight ministry in relation to the Lord Jesus Christ. So far as this role was concerned, the Spirit "was not yet" (John 7:29, literal Greek) while Jesus was on earth; only when the Father had glorified him (John 17:1, 5) could the Spirit's work of making men aware of Jesus' glory begin. One pastor recalls walking to church on...

8. Give and Take

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James Packer

What is meant by fellowship in this verse? Gossip? Cups of tea? Tours? No. What is being referred to is something of a quite different order and on a quite different level. "They met constantly to hear the apostles teach, and to share the common life, and break bread and to pray. A sense of awe was everywhere. All whose faith had drawn them together held everything in common. With one mind they ke...

9. God's Unchanging Plan

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James Packer

Repenting means revising one's judgment and changing one's plan of action. God never does this; he never needs to, for his plans are made on the basis of a complete knowledge and control which extends to all things past, present, and future, so that there can be no sudden emergencies or unlooked-for developments to take him by surprise. "The counsel of the Lord stands for ever, the thoughts of his...

10. Growing In Grace

1 Cor. 15:9, Eph. 3:8, 1 Tim 1:15, Ps. 34:1

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James Packer

I am the least of the apostles. 1 Cor 15:9 I am the very least of all the saints. Eph 3:8 I am the foremost of sinners. 1 Tim 1:15 Humility and a passion for praise are a pair of characteristics which together indicate growth in grace. The Bible is full of self-humbling (man bowing down before God) and doxology (man giving praise to God). The healthy heart is one that bows down in humility and ...

11. Human Image-Bearers

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James Packer

The image of God in which man was and is made has been variously explained in detail. Although scholars may differ on the nuances of the phrase, there is general agreement that it has to do with dignity, destiny, and freedom. The assertion that man is made in God's image shows each man his true dignity and worth. As God's image-bearer, he merits infinite respect. God's claims on us must be taken ...

12. Inerrancy of the Bible

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James Packer

Many of us would agree with Peter when he says that parts of Paul's letters are hard to understand! And there are difficulties and apparent discrepancies in other parts of the Bible too. On this matter of discrepancies, I remember reading something written by an old seventeenth-century Puritan named William Bridge. He said that harping on discrepancies shows a very bad heart, adding: "For a godly ...

13. Inerrancy of the Bible

2 Tim 3:16

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James Packer

James Packer (some knew him as J.I Packer), passed away in 2020. He was a systematic theology professor at Regent College, Vancouver. He was famous for his evangelical theology. His treatment of inerrancy is worth the read. Here it is: "For practical purposes the words infallible and inerrant are interchangeable. When we apply them to the Bible, what we are saying is that only those who accept as ...

14. It's God's Decision

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James Packer

The meek are those who know themselves to be poor in spirit, who have learned, honestly and from their hearts, to regret all the dehumanizing and subhuman things in which they have been involved as wanderers in this lost world, and who now in humility want only the will of God. "Moses was very meek, more than all men that were on the face of the earth" (Num. 12:3). His meekness was shown in his ac...

15. Look God-ward

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James Packer

To worship God is to recognize his worth or worthiness; to look God-ward, and to acknowledge in all appropriate ways the value of what we see. The Bible calls this activity "glorifying God" or "giving glory to God," and views it as the ultimate end, and from one point of view, the whole duty of man (Ps. 29:2; 96:6; 1 Cor. 10:31). Scripture views the glorifying of God as a sixfold activity: praisi...

16. Merciful Anger

Matt 21:18-22; Mark 11:12-19

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James Packer

Jesus went into the synagogue on the Sabbath and saw a man with a crippled hand. He knew that the Pharisees were watching to see what he would do, and he felt angry that they were only out to put him in the wrong. They did not care a scrap for the handicapped man, nor did they want to see the power and love of God brought to bear on him. There were other instances where Jesus showed anger or ster...

17. Purchased Property

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James Packer

"Servant" in our English New Testament usually represents the Greek doulos (bondslave). Sometimes it means diakonos (deacon or minister); this is strictly accurate, for doulos and diakonos are synonyms. Both words denote a man who is not at his own disposal, but is his master's purchased property. Bought to serve his master's needs, to be at his beck and call every moment, the slave's sole busines...

18. Speaking for the Lord

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James Packer

Paul considered himself Christ's ambassador. What is an ambassador? He is an authorized representative of a sovereign. He speaks not in his own name but on behalf of the ruler whose deputy he is, and his whole duty and responsibility is to interpret that ruler's mind faithfully to those to whom he is sent. Paul used this "ambassador" image twice both in connection with his evangelistic work. Pray...

19. The Iniquity of us All

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James Packer

Why did the Father will the death of his only beloved Son, and in so painful and shameful a form? Because the Father had "laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isa. 53:6). Jesus' death was vicarious (undergone in our place) and atoning (securing remission of sins for us and reconciliation to God). It was a sacrificial death, fulfilling the principle of atonement taught in connection with the Old Te...

20. The Moral Character of God

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James Packer

Why do men shy away from the thought of God as a judge? Why do they feel unworthy of him? The truth is that part of God's moral perfection is his perfection in judgment. Would a God who did not care about the difference between right and wrong be a good and admirable being? Would a God who put no distinction between the beasts of history, the Hitlers and Stalins (if we dare use names), and his own...

21. Wait on the Lord

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James Packer

Grace is God drawing sinners closer and closer to him. How does God in grace prosecute this purpose? Not by shielding us from assault by the work, the flesh, and the devil, nor by protecting us from burdensome and frustrating circumstance, not yet by shielding us from troubles created by our own temperament and psychology, but rather by exposing us to all these things, so as to overwhelm us with a...

22. Your Father Loves You

Isaiah 53:6

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James Packer

"We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isa. 53:6). Commenting on this verse Martin Luther wrote: "All the prophets did foresee in Spirit that Christ should become the greatest transgressor, murderer, adulterer, thief, rebel, blasphemer, etc., that ever was or could be in all the world. For he, being made a ...

The opposite of wisdom is folly, meaning the short-term self-indulgence which marks out the person who doesn't think about long-term priorities and goals but lives on a day-to-day basis, asking, "What is the most fun thing to do now?"

James Packer

You cannot at the same time give the impression that you are a great preacher or theologian or debater or whatever "and that Jesus Christ is a great Savior" (James Denney). If you call attention to yourself and your own competence, you cannot effectively call attention to Jesus and his glorious sufficiency.

James Packer

Showing 1 to 24 of 24all results

Showing all results

1. A Many-Headed Monster

Illustration

James Packer

2. All That God Intends

Illustration

James Packer

3. An Unknown Region

Illustration

James Packer

4. Cancel Your Plans

Illustration

James Packer

5. Disease of the Soul

Illustration

James Packer

6. Eternal Punishment

Illustration

James Packer

7. Floodlight Ministry

Illustration

James Packer

8. Give and Take

Illustration

James Packer

9. God's Unchanging Plan

Illustration

James Packer

10. Growing In Grace

1 Cor. 15:9, Eph. 3:8, 1 Tim 1:15, Ps. 34:1

Illustration

James Packer

11. Human Image-Bearers

Illustration

James Packer

12. Inerrancy of the Bible

Illustration

James Packer

13. Inerrancy of the Bible

2 Tim 3:16

Illustration

James Packer

14. It's God's Decision

Illustration

James Packer

15. Look God-ward

Illustration

James Packer

16. Merciful Anger

Matt 21:18-22; Mark 11:12-19

Illustration

James Packer

17. Purchased Property

Illustration

James Packer

18. Speaking for the Lord

Illustration

James Packer

19. The Iniquity of us All

Illustration

James Packer

20. The Moral Character of God

Illustration

James Packer

21. Wait on the Lord

Illustration

James Packer

22. Your Father Loves You

Isaiah 53:6

Illustration

James Packer

Showing 1 to 24 of 24all results