Month: January 2014

Be prepared for Christ’s return: the parable of the Two Slaves, and the parable of the Talents (Matthew 24:42–51; 25:14–30)

In this post: Introduction; The parable of the Two Slaves; The parable of the Talents; Crushed by the Law; Comforted with the Gospel

This is the audio and approximate transcript of a sermon I preached on 26 January 2014. It was originally my intention to focus on the Sheep and the Goats passage from the end of Matthew 25, briefly covering the preceding parables to establish context. It eventually dawned on me that I could not even begin to do justice to all the material in a single sermon. What follows, then, is a treatment of just two of the three parables.

Matthew 24:42–51; 25:14–30; 26:1–2

Our focus tonight is on two parables from the Olivet Discourse, Jesus’ private teaching to His disciples on the Mount of Olives, shortly before His crucifixion. Our theme is ‘Being Prepared for Christ’s Return’. We’ll begin reading at Matthew 24:42.

42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

45 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant …

Continue reading Be prepared for Christ’s return: the parable of the Two Slaves, and the parable of the Talents (Matthew 24:42–51; 25:14–30)

Sola Scriptura, the Canon, and Rome

Do we need an infallible church to tell us what is in the Canon of Scripture? Is Scripture alone a sufficient final authority in matters of life and faith? Is sola scriptura even biblical, or do we need to give equal weight to authoritative church tradition? These questions are tackled in an unmissable discussion between Dr. James White and Dr. Michael Kruger, President and Professor of New Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary, North Carolina. Dr. White writes:

Our visit was prompted by a phone call made by a Lutheran to Catholic Answers Live back on 10/31/13. We played the entire call before the program started, and we played the heart of the call, where the Roman Catholic priest made the key assertions about canon and scriptural authority, during the interview with Dr. Kruger. We covered a wide variety of topics relevant to the canon issue. Truly one of the most useful programs we’ve ever done! Enjoy and learn!

Audio and video of the discussion are available on the Alpha and Omega Ministries website. Dr. Kruger’s introduction to the discussion on his Canon Fodder website is also well worth reading.