From The Archives

When Jude wrote to the Christians of his day, he wanted to focus on their common salvation—but instead, he found it necessary to urge them to “contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.” In the sermon “A Call to Contend,” Alistair Begg surveys the warm greeting, necessary appeal, and chilling reminder in this neglected letter’s opening verses. While church history makes clear that periods of declension are inevitable, Jude’s careful, protective tone reminds us to resist the urge to turn contending into contentiousness:

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The sin of jealousy is often tolerated in Christian circles—but our lenience doesn’t make it any less serious. The Bible is clear: Jealousy is a grave matter. In a talk given to seminary students called “Regarding Jealousy,” Alistair Begg surveys jealousy’s consequences, which can only be overcome as we acknowledge our transgression before God and keep our eyes fixed on Christ:

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In Mark 14, we read that as the time for Jesus’ crucifixion drew near, a woman came to Him and anointed His head with an alabaster flask of precious oil. While this heartfelt act of worship provoked the disciples’ disapproval, Jesus celebrated her extravagant devotion. In the sermon “‘A Beautiful Thing,’” Alistair Begg surveys the woman’s action, the disciples’ reaction, and Jesus’ commendation, helping us to see that the only true pathway to lasting honor is to honor Christ:

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As he drew his first epistle to a close, the apostle Peter turned his focus to the elders of the churches to which he wrote, urging them to lead their people with godliness. Elders and pastors are shepherds over God’s flock, Alistair Begg reminds us—ones who should lead by example, cultivating humility, entrusting God with their anxieties, preparing to face adversity, and resting in the security of God’s grace. In “Standing Firm in the Grace of God,” Alistair helps to understand what true, godly humility looks like:

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In the fourth chapter of his first epistle, in light of all that he’d written up to that point, Peter continued to unpack how the reality of Christ’s sacrifice should shape the day-to-day of the Christian life. Living under the shadow of the cross, Alistair Begg explains, means thinking properly, living differently, and being prepared to face abuse—even as we keep our eyes fixed on the end:

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When believers face suffering, how are we to respond, and how are we to love and care for one another in the midst of it? The apostle Peter addressed these concerns as he wrote his first letter, reminding his readers to cultivate Christian character, love their enemies, commit themselves to doing good, and be prepared to explain their hope, all in view of Christ’s own suffering on our behalf. As Alistair Begg explains in the sermon “Suffering for Doing Good,” for the Christian, suffering is inevitable—but how we endure it can, by God’s grace, testify to God’s glory:

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The believers of Peter’s day, changed by God’s grace, faced inevitable accusations from the world around them. In response, Peter urged them to defend themselves not by arguing for their position but by living honorable lives. In his message “Honorable Conduct,” Alistair Begg helps us to see why it’s our behavior, not a method or a movement, that God often uses to open doors for us to share the Gospel message:

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Having urged the readers of his first letter to “love one another earnestly from a pure heart,” Peter went on to explain what such brotherly love would entail. Loving fellowship demands action, he taught. Christians must be prepared to establish themselves on the foundation of union with Christ, stand as witnesses to God’s goodness and glory, and—as Alistair Begg explains in his sermon “Living Stone, Holy People”—draw sustenance from the deep well of His Word:

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After declaring the indicatives of what was true of them in Christ, Peter laid out several imperatives for the first-century readers of his first letter to take to heart. As Alistair Begg points out in his sermon “New Life, New Lifestyle,” his instructions—to prepare their minds, be sober-minded, set their hope on Jesus, be holy, live in reverent fear, love earnestly, and obey the truth—remind us today of our need for grace and of the abiding truth of God’s Word:

Topics: From the Archives

Topics: From the Archives