Cited in sermons
Gordon Keddie
5 sermons · All people cited
1 Samuel 28
First Samuel 28 records one of the most devastating episodes in Saul's life: having been abandoned by God and cut off from every legitimate means of divine communication, the king of Israel disguises himself and consults a medium at Endor on the eve of his final battle with the Philistines. This Bible study traces Saul's trajectory from incremental disobedience in 1 Samuel 13 through to full-blown necromancy in chapter 28, demonstrating that his ruin was not sudden but the cumulative fruit of small acts of defection from the living God. The appearance of 'Samuel' is examined with appropriate tentativeness, with the case for a demonic impersonation receiving the most sustained treatment. The study closes with a contrast between Saul's desperation and David's persistent pleading in Psalm 13, calling hearers to cling to the means of grace rather than abandon them when God seems silent.
Judges 12
Judges 12 brings the Jephthah cycle to its close with a civil war provoked by Ephraimite pride, the famous shibboleth test, and the sparse notices of three minor judges. The Ephraimite confrontation exposes a recurring flaw — the desire for personal glory rather than gratitude to God for deliverance — and Jephthah's response with the sword rather than diplomacy reveals both his character and the escalating moral disorder of the period. The absence of the formulaic 'rest in the land' after Jephthah's judgeship signals Israel's deepening Canaanization. Throughout the study, the central interpretive principle is maintained: the judges, however flawed, are not the heroes — Yahweh is, and they point forward to the true deliverer, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Conduct of the Good Minister, Part 1
What marks a minister as truly 'good' in the sight of God? Expounding 1 Timothy 4:6–11, this sermon argues that ministerial faithfulness is defined not by popularity, giftedness, or leadership skill, but by the diligent instruction of the congregation in sound doctrine — the words of faith and good teaching. The pursuit of godliness, understood as rigorous training for the unhindered service of God, surpasses all bodily discipline because it carries promise for both the present life and the age to come. The sermon concludes by addressing the contested phrase 'Savior of all men' in verse 10, rejecting universalism and unlimited atonement in favour of a reading grounded in God's common grace and providential preservation, with special and saving grace belonging distinctively to those who believe.
The Marks of a Spirit-Filled Church
Acts 2:40–47 presents the most Spirit-filled congregation in redemptive history — the church at Pentecost — and the marks it bore were not spectacular innovations but simple, steadfast worship: the apostles' doctrine, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer. This sermon examines the convicting, converting work of Peter's Pentecost sermon and the fourfold pattern of New Covenant worship that followed, arguing that genuine Spirit-filling produces ordered, Word-centered, corporate devotion, not experiential novelty. The regulative principle of worship, as confessed in 1689 LBCF chapter 22, frames the application: God himself prescribes the acceptable elements of worship, and any departure from that prescription — however creative — is a departure from Scripture. The closing exhortation presses both the converted and the unconverted: those in Christ are called to continue steadfastly in these ordained means; those outside Christ are called to believe the gospel and enter true worship for the first time.
Paul's Stewardship of the Gospel
Colossians 1:25–29 sets before the church the apostolic stewardship and preaching ministry of Paul as a pattern for gospel ministry. The passage unfolds in three movements: Paul's divinely assigned stewardship of the mystery of Christ in the Gentiles, the content and manner of his Christ-centered proclamation, and the Spirit-empowered labor that drove that proclamation toward eschatological completeness. The sermon draws out the implications for both preachers — who must warn, teach, and strive with wisdom in dependence on God — and hearers, who bear responsibility to receive the preached word with attentive, covenant-renewing ears.