THIS THINKER HAS MOVED!

It seems that I havent been blogging much in this past month and for that I apologise to anyone who reads this blog regularly (though not many of you I’m sure). I will try to put some more things on here very soon but I am very busy with commitments to sermons and other things at the moment.

However the most important and exciting news is that I have actually moved! My website that is. I decided, after having spent a year on wordpress.com, that I would move over to wordpress.org. This means that no longer will I be using the address of xandercoomber.wordpress.com (i.e. the website you see at the moment) but rather a new address and I would be grateful to all of you if you would start using it and if you have a link to me on your website then thank you for doing so and I ask if you would update your link if you wouldn’t mind. I can now be found at:

www.xandercoomber.co.uk

Thanks for reading the blog and I hope that you will enjoy it at its new, and improved, home.

How to become a Legalist

Taken from Mark Driscoll at the Resurgence

The Greatest time of the Year!

I think Easter has to be the greatest time of the year. It is brilliant that in this country Good Friday is still given as a bank holiday – it gives Christians the chance on this day to be able to reflect on the Christ who went to the cross for them.

It is the time specifically where we remember how Jesus suffered at the hands of those He had created so as to bring them back in to relationship with His Father. It is the time where we remember that Jesus died as our substitute and gloriously took the full wrath of God for all our rebellion. It is the time where we remember that He was gloriously raised to life on the third day to be the first fruits of the resurrection for all who put their trust in Him. It is the time where we remember the greatest act of love in human history bought about by the greatest crime in human history. Surely nothing can be greater than to remember these most glorious of all truths. It is great that so many countless amounts of Christians up and down the country and across the globe will be able to focus on these things this easter.

A great new song came out recently by a band called Starfield and it focuses all on the love of our Saviour and what the first Easter achieved. It is a great song for Easter time. I urge each one of us to reflect on the mercy of God in Christ over this Easter and to rejoice at His love.

What mercy was revealed
What selflessness and peace
My fate was surely sealed
Until He rescued me.
His pardon for my sin
His bounty for my need
From slavery and shame
I am redeemed

And Heaven can’t contain
The glory of the Son
Jesus is the Christ, the saving One
His love has made a way
The grave is overcome
Jesus is the Christ, the saving One.

No fear can hold me down
Nor darkness steal my joy
For blood has been poured out
The enemy destroyed
Death could not hold Him down
The cross was not enough
To steal away His throne
For He is God

Anyone who calls upon His name
They will be saved
They will be saved
Anyone who calls upon His name
They will be saved
They will be saved

The Centrepiece of Scripture…

On Sunday morning I had the amazing priviledge of being able to speak on the centrepiece of the whole of Scripture. The passage was John 19: 16-42 – the crucifixion, the death and the burial of Jesus.

It was our 8am communion service and below is the outline:

A terrible tragedy, or the plan of God? (vv16-27)

Jesus is made the centrepiece of a horrible torture and death, showing He was thought of as nothing more than a common criminal – what a thought, the Son of God was treated as a common criminal! We see God’s plan in two ways: 1. The sign above Jesus is in all three major languages – the sign fulfils divine purpose in proclaiming Jesus! 2. What the soldiers think of as just a nice garment is actually God fulfilling Psalm 22:18. He fulfils prophecy about Jesus! A terrible tragedy, or the plan of God?

A pathetic death, or an incredible victory? (vv28-37)

The greatest ever substitution takes place as Jesus dies for sinners. The same Man who offered the woman at the well living water now cries out that He is thirsty. This shows for the first time in eternity that Jesus is thirsty for the prescence of God. He is cut off from the Father for the sake of sinners, and He does this willingly. The cry of ‘It is Finished’ is a cry of victory – that Jesus has defeated Satan. It is truly finished for all who trust in Jesus. The roman soldier proves beyond doubt that Jesus was dead – JC Ryle comments: ‘Little indeed did that reckless Roman soldier dream that he was a mighty helper of our Holy religion, when he thrust his spear into our Lord’s side.’ A pathetic death, or an incredible victory?

The end of the King, or the sign of His reign? (vv38-42)

Jesus is buried in a new tomb. This again shows that He could be the only person missing from the tomb when it was discovered empty three days later. Jesus is also buried in a garden. Sin first entered the world through one man in a garden. Sin then is defeated by one man in a garden. Jesus reverses the curse of Eden and brings life for all who look to Him. This should lead us to praise! John Calvin once said ‘Every rememberance of God’s mercy should at once stir us up to glorify Him.’ We should do just that in light of the cross.

Jesus not Easter Eggs!

Lets get people talking about Jesus, the real meaning of Easter, and not the amount of Eggs they get! I received this e-mail this morning which looks well worth doing:

Dear Xander,

I just wanted to let you (and the readership of your blog) know about a campaign to get Delirious (writers of songs such as I could sing of your love forever and Majesty) to number 1 in the UK pop charts this Easter Sunday!

This is the perfect time of the year to make a positive impact through actions that are both cheap (Under £2 to download both versions of their single) and quick (can be done in under 5 minutes).

They have released a song called History Makers (live and studio versions)which is currently number 10 in midweek position but we have until Sunday to get it higher, and get people talking about God, at Easter…rather than the usual pop tat!

Info here; www.invadetheairwaves.org.uk

Song can be bought here;

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/bestsellers/dmusic/ref=sv_dmusic_2

or here;

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewTop?id=130&popId=1&genreId=34
All versions of the song count towards the final chart position, the more buys, the higher it gets!

Lets get downloading!

You think that I’m Strong? You’re wrong, You’re wrong!

I’m sure that for any of you who are Robbie Williams fans you will recognise the title for this blog are the lyrics to his song strong. Well I think that this could easily be the theme tune of Samson in the Bible – this therefore was the heading for the gobbit that I did at the South Downs Ministry Training Course on Judges 16.

Samson brings down the temple in Judges 16.

I divided the passage into four points:

Yahweh gives good gifts, so Praise Him (vv1-3)

We notice in the first verse alone that Samson, the judge of Israel, is in a foreign land and pursuing his lusts. As the Philistines are about to attack, Samson uses the strength God has given Him to escape their grasp. Great grace and mercy!

Yahweh is Good, so put nothing above Him (vv4-17)

Samson plays games with the gift that he has been blessed with. He tries to giveDelilah lots of different explanations (vv8, 11, 13). After lots of nagging by Delilah, Samson (for the second time in three chapters!) puts the value of his relationship above honouring the name of Yahweh. Samson believes that his strength is just in his hair, not recognising that his strength comes from Yahweh and not purely through some outward ritual, as though it were all superstition. How often do we trust in our own strength and not give praise to God who gives the strength?

Yahweh is our strength, so don’t deny it (vv18-21)

Samson still trusts his own strength to save him (v20) Narrator tells us his strength left him because the Lord left Him. Samson the strong is nothing without Yahweh. Do we notice in our lives we can do nothing without God? John 15:5 – I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. Are we sticking close to Jesus?

Yahweh is our Saviour, so trust Him (vv22-31)

Amidst the huge pagan celebration of praise to Dagon for ‘delivering’ Samson no doubt the name of Yahweh would have been mocked and dishonoured. In v28 Samson finally recognises his strength is from God and not himself, he prays! In his death and weakest state he kills more Philistines than his whole time as Israel’s judge. In Jesus’ weakest state He crushed the enemy of God – Satan. God shows HIS power in weakness that He may be revered and praised!