Malcolm Cox

Refugees are in the news. I’m sure they wish they weren’t. Around 35 million refugees exist today. That’s the equivalent of the combined populations of Ireland, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Lebanon, Palestine and Liberia. Sadly, refugees are not a modern issue. What relevance does this have for our relationship with God? Israel was a refugee from the promised land In fact, the status of Israel as a refugee goes back all the way to Abraham. He was driven to Egypt by famine. It was move — or die. “Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.” (Genesis 12:10 NIV11) The situation is repeated for his grandson Jacob (Israel). “We have come to live here for a while, because the famine is severe in Canaan and your servants’ flocks have no pasture. So now, please let your servants settle in Goshen.”” (Genesis 47:3-4 NIV11) Israel — as Abraham’s grandson and as the people of God — were shaped by movement, displacement and longing. Would they

Introduction QUESTION: What do you think his answer would be? God’s people involved in war in OT God’s people not involved in war in NT What changed? Scriptures Violence from the start “Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out to the field.” And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him.” (Genesis 4:8 NRSV) Vision OT - time when the lion will lie down the lamb; peace-bringer will come; peace between humans and God - “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them…. The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says the LORD.” (Isaiah 11:6; 65:25 NIV11) Jesus Matthew 5:9 (NIV):** "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

Today we look at the seventh chapter — ‘Making Dry Bones Live’. We have a point, it is relevant to our audience and the outline makes sense. Now what? It is time to make dry bones live! A skeleton is necessary for life, but it is inadequate on its own. Below I give you the outline of the chapter in Haddon Robinson's book. I won't repeat what he says for more eloquently and powerfully than myself. What I will do is add some observations on the topic from my own experience. Check your facts I will never forget the day my friend David came up to me after a sermon. I had quoted some particularly impressive statistics. They were wrong. Statistics and numbers are not my strong point. He studied mathematics at Cambridge University. I needed his input. I also needed to learn how to interpret numbers and use them well. These days whenever I see interesting statistics about the Bible or some aspect of human existence I double and triple check them before sharing. Not only that they are accurate, but that I have inter

Class 3 - Supplication: How to Convince God to hear Your Prayers In this short series we are exploring how our security in the Father enables our willing submission to him and what difference that makes to our prayers. In the first episode we talked about the way in which we hear our Father’s voice. We considered the example of Jesus, and took inspiration from his ability to hear his Father’s voice in passages like: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17 NIV11) In the second episode we tackled the topic of submission. Although submission is challenging to practice, it is so much easier when we are convinced of our heavenly Father’s unconditional love for us. Jesus was the ultimate super-submissive son, setting us an example by wrestling in Gethsemane and going to the cross — not because he felt like it, but because it was the will of his Father. Jesus humbly surrendered to the Father’s plan, saying, “not as I will, but as you will.” His submission demonstrated the depth of

Today we look at the sixth chapter. But first, where are we? So far we have found the key idea that we believe the writer was writing about. We have then asked ourselves what it means, if it is really true, I want difference it makes two people today.  We have considered what that biblical concept means to us and our audience, and the precise purpose of the sermon. In other words, why am I telling this to these people on this particular day? Now we're considering how we can shape the sermon to achieve its purpose. To find the right shape for your sermon first ask yourself the following questions. 1. Am I explaining an idea? “Jesus is superior to anything and anyone”, Hebrews 1 2. Am I proving a point? James 4:17, “Christians sin when they know what they should do and refuse to do it.” 3. Am I applying a principal? 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, “What should our attitude be as children of light in a world of darkness?” 4. Am I completing a subject?  Acts 2:42-27, “What makes a church vibrant?”  Having done so, t

Introduction Not making any points about the rights and wrongs of the conflict What are we to do? What are we to learn? Scriptures How does God think about refugees? What does he feel towards them? OT: Deuteronomy 10:18-19 "He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt." Leviticus 19:33-34 — "When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God." God thinks they need protecting and feels compassion. He wants his people to be the same. NT: Matthew 25:35-36 — "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I

I have been thinking about refugees a lot recently. Partly because we had some Ukrainians in our church community for a year, and partly because of the current events going on in the Middle East. I spoke on the subject last Sunday in Watford on the topic "what would Jesus do with refugees?" You can find out on my YouTube channel. But what's the relevance for our times of quiet with God?  Let's begin with considering what a refugee is. A refugee according to the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees is: “A person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to

Today we look at the fifth chapter - The Arrow and the Target

Class 2 - Submission: How to Find the Will to do God’s Will even When it is Not Your Will In this short series we are exploring how our security in the Father enables our willing submission to him. Last time we talked about the way in which we hear Father’s voice. We considered the example of Jesus, and, I hope, took inspiration from his ability to hear his Father’s voice in passages like: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17 NIV11), and, “Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”” (Mark 9:7 NIV11) The Trouble with Submission Submission is, for some people, a troubling word. It carries connotations of oppression, abuse and control. Richard Foster in his book Celebration of Discipline states, “Revolutionary submission commands us to live in submission to human authority until it becomes destructive.” Demands for submission to oppressive human authority can be destructive, but when God calls us to

How do you feel about telling God what’s going on in your life and how you feel about it? Does it seem indulgent? Or perhaps redundant. Doesn’t he already know what’s going on and how you are feel about it?  I searched the internet using the phrase ‘justifications for telling God your feelings’. Almost every link was negative. The articles focussed on not following your feelings or emotions, but instead living in obedience by faith.  Psalm 22 is an excellent example for those of us who feel awkward being so vulnerable with our heavenly father. David spends most of the first 18 verses talking about his challenges, his problems, and how desperate he feels about it all. God gets a mention, but is not directly engaged. He moves from frustration to faith, or torment to trust by: Honesty, vv1-2 Looking back at the faith of others, vv3-5 More honesty, vv6-8 Looking back at God’s faithfulness to him, vv9-10 Tentative request, v11 Laying out his problems, vv12-18 Appealing, vv19-21 Promising, v22 Calling, vv23

When God Makes Us Go “Wow!” Psalm 24:1-2; Genesis 1:22, 28-30; Psalm 19; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1; Colossians 1:15-20 Introduction State of creation.  Does God care? Ps 24:1-2 - belongs to him! Is it our problem?  Do we care? God blessed the earth (water creatures and birds), Gen 1:22 God blessed us, Gen 1:28-30 We have been gifted this earth, Gen 1:29ff To ‘rule’ it (1:28) - but like God rules - benevolently, for all 1. Creation Exists to Speak God to the World, Ps 19  v1 - what glories of God’s creation do you value?  vv2-6 - When you see nature in all its glory, how do you feel and what is your response to God?  Valuing creation is participating in God’s direct evangelism campaign vv7-9 In what ways have we ignored God’s precepts in our use of the world’s resources?  We have abused his gift: Destroying; Not caring; Nor renewing; Some unrecoverable  V12 - The Psalmist admits that he did not realise he was doing wrong. How does that apply to our generation?  Fossil fuels - not clear at start. Clear n

Today we look at the fourth chapter: The road from text to sermon  Point to consider At this point we have achieved something significant. We have clarified what we believe the text is saying. We can state it in one sentence. We are confident we have the big idea of the passage. However, this a good sermon does not make. There are further steps to take before the text can become a sermon. Before ideas can live.  First we ask what it means today, in our culture, in our world. Then we ask what it means in our local world — the world of our congregation, our listeners. Part of the job of a preacher is to bring all these worlds together. The biblical world, the world at large today, and the world of our faith community.  The key to doing this well is asking questions, and asking the right questions. As usual, chapter 4 of the book has far more information than we can cover today. I will restrict myself to asking three questions: What does it mean? Is it true? What difference does it make? Taking the parable

In this sermon for the Watford Church of Christ Stefan Wolmarans explores the significance of Jesus as head of the church and what this means for unity within a congregation and between congregations. “He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.” (Colossians 1:18 NRSV) Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community.  Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: [malcolm@malcolmcox.org](mailto:malcolm@malcolmcox.org).  If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://[www.malcolmcox.org](http://www.malcolmcox.org/).  Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review.  “Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11)  God bless, Malcolm

A meditation on Psalm 19 Last week we took a look at the first two verses of Psalm 24 — The earth is the LORD’S, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.” (Psalm 24:1-2 NIV11) This week let's conduct a meditation on Psalm 19, another Psalm containing the theme of honouring creation and the God who made it. “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth.” (Psalm 19:1-6 NIV11) V1 What are the glories of God creation that

A teaching class for the Thames Valley churches of Christ. Class 1 - Security: Finding Strength From Hearing the Father’s Voice In this short series we will explore how our security in the Father enables our willing submission to him. The critical issue before us today is the way in which we hear Father’s voice. We may intellectually understand many things with our mind, but it is the voice in our head which so often controls our feelings and our behaviour. Which voice dominates in your head at the moment? Do you find it easy or hard to hear the Father's voice? Perhaps you even think it's rather weird to expect such a thing. However, let us consider the example of Jesus. Can you imagine how he felt when he heard this on the occasion of his baptism, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17 NIV11).  That incident was not the only time. Consider what happened on the mountain, “Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I lo

Tuesday Teaching Tip 331 | Biblical Preaching - Part 3 | Tools of the Trade | Malcolm Cox Point to consider When we talk about tools, we are not talking about engineering a sermon, nor producing a formula. My wife is a doctor, and once she described practising medicine as being part science and part art. She meant to convey that although the science needs to be robust, if that is your primary focus, it can obscure the person you are meant to be treating. Who wants to be treated by a Doctor who doesn't listen to you, fails to acknowledge your presence, and does not treat you as an individual? Similarly, no so-called technique for lesson preparation will work for all people in all contexts. Nor will one method work for one person all the time. Therefore, as we explore the tools we use and the ways in which we use them, let's do so with half an eye on how they may be utilised flexibly. Alternatively, those who approach preaching as ‘from the heart’ and pay lip service to exegesis are the equivalent to the Doc

Introduction QUESTION: Why is unity/connection/cooperation between churches important? Why is it difficult? How Jesus approach difference between his followers? What does that mean for us and other churches today? “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17:22–23 NIV11) - - - 1.  Jesus Question: Among people of faith, who did he condemn? ““Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.” (Matthew 23:13-15 NIV11) Later examples: Judaisers Question:

A meditation on Psalm 24  “The earth is the LORD’S, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.” (Psalm 24:1-2 NIV11)  Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community.  Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: malcolm@malcolmcox.org.  If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://www.malcolmcox.org.  Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review.  “Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11)  God bless, Malcolm 

Have you ever heard someone talk eloquently, even entertainingly and not had the first idea what their point was? You are not alone. Sometimes I’ve finished a lesson and not know my point. It happens to us all, but it never happened to Jesus, nor God’s prophets.  Today we investigate the significance of every lesson having a ‘Big Idea’. The inspiration for our material comes from the second chapter of Haddon Robinson‘s magnificent book ‘Biblical Preaching’. The central point here is that Scripture contains so much truth that to simplify lay it out to the hearer will overwhelm them. We do not make a nutritious meal by taking everything in our fridge and combining it into one dish. Everything in that fridge might be healthy and tasty, but piling all the ingredients into one pot will obliterate the unique flavours and textures, creating a bland meal. The illustration has its limitations, but the point is that lessons, like meals, are more palatable when care is taken in selecting the ingredients. In this case,

What is Jesus an empath? I was speaking on Hebrews four recently, and it struck me that the NIV translates one of the qualities about Jesus being that he can empathise with us. “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:14-16 NIV11-GK) (NRSV translates ‘empathise’ as ‘sympathise’) Is there much of a difference? There are technical differences, but I'm not sure whether the Greek makes those. Instead, for the writer to the Hebrews is getting across is the Jesus gets us, understands us, feels us. We see this so often in the gospels when the person he is speaking to is treated as if they are the only pers