Nature of Christ
19 exhortations from the Birmingham breaking of bread, 1867–1899, that dwell on this.
- Christ’s sorrow, the Supper, and daily ScriptureNo. 28 · 1 August 1871 · 24 min read aloud
The exhortation begins with the origin of the breaking of bread at the last passover, dwelling on Christ’s sorrow before his death and the comfort he gave his disciples.
- Law, Grace and Holiness After BaptismNo. 30 · 1 October 1871 · 24 min read aloud · Read: Romans 6
Starting from Romans 6 and the principle ‘First pure, then peaceable’, argues that law is necessary and good, and that Paul’s saying that the law entered that sin might abound gave God occasion to show grace through Christ, who upheld the law by his death.
- Full Assurance and the Mystery of God in ChristNo. 42 · 1 March 1873 · 22 min read aloud
Expounding Colossians 2, Roberts describes the comfort Paul desired for the brethren, found chiefly in Christ and also in mutual faith, and argues that true love among believers rests on a shared full assurance of understanding rather than on sentiment.
- The Son Greater Than Angels; Brethren of ChristNo. 45 · 1 June 1873 · 19 min read aloud
Expounding Hebrews 1 and 2, Roberts argues that God’s final speaking by a Son, greater than the angels, the prophets and Moses, calls for the more earnest heed to what has been heard.
- John’s Second Epistle: Love Bounded by the TruthNo. 49 · 1 December 1873 · 16 min read aloud · Read: 2 John
On 2 John, the speaker distinguishes the worldly and orthodox notions of love from the apostolic love, which is bound up with the truth and issues in obedience.
- Steadfast at the Table Amid Trials and ApostasyNo. 52 · 1 March 1874 · 20 min read aloud
Notes that the world regards the breaking of bread with scorn, though the saints are now free to meet since the end of the Papal power.
- The Sufferings of Christ in Psalm 69No. 53 · 1 April 1874 · 26 min read aloud
Taking the breaking of bread as a reminder of Christ’s inner experience in the days of his flesh, the speaker reads Psalm 69 as the voice of Christ in his waiting, his hatred by the world without a cause, his burden of mortal nature, and his zeal for the Father.
- Faithful Exhortation and the Fear of GodNo. 63 · 1 February 1875 · 20 min read aloud · Read: Psalm 38
Urges the brethren to keep assembling and exhorting one another daily, noting the restoration of the Spanish monarchy and the Jewish Board of Deputies’ decision on Sir Moses Montefiore’s Holy Land scheme as signs of the Lord’s approach.
- Fruitful Truth, Not Barren Crotchets or SpeculationNo. 71 · 1 November 1875 · 25 min read aloud
The exhortation urges the brethren to let the word of Christ dwell in them richly, by steady daily reading of the Scriptures rather than fits of intense application followed by neglect.
- Remembering Christ Together with the FatherNo. 95 · 1 May 1878 · 23 min read aloud
At the breaking of bread we are to remember Christ in all his aspects, including as the manifestation of the Father, who dwelt in him and whose love Christ himself declared.
- Christ’s Temptation: Scripture as Our DefenceNo. 105 · 1 March 1879 · 33 min read aloud
Starting from the purpose of the weekly breaking of bread, the exhortation considers the temptation of Christ as part of his moral preparation as a sinless but tempted brother.
- Growing in Christ’s Priesthood and the HopeNo. 115 · 1 January 1880 · 25 min read aloud · Read: Hebrews 3
Starting from the reading in Hebrews 3, the speaker urges believers to grow in the truth, saying growth depends on daily companionship with the word and the avoidance of worldly company.
- God-Centred Wisdom: Proverbs, Moses and ChristNo. 118 · 1 April 1880 · 22 min read aloud · Read: Proverbs 1, John 14
With no appointed readings, the speaker takes Proverbs 1 and John 14, saying that Proverbs is a book of revelation whose wisdom differs from Gentile philosophy in being centred on God.
- The Memorial Cup, the New Covenant and BloodNo. 128 · 1 February 1881 · 26 min read aloud
Beginning with the passover that Jesus kept with his disciples, the speaker treats it as a type fulfilled in Christ, who shared the mortality of those he came to redeem and whose own blood delivers them.
- Eating and Drinking Literally in the KingdomNo. 130 · 1 June 1881 · 24 min read aloud
Starting from the Lord’s words that he would not drink of the fruit of the vine until he drank it new with his disciples in his Father’s kingdom, the speaker argues that the promise is to be taken literally, even though it also carries a wider significance.
- The Genealogy of Christ and Our ComfortNo. 136 · 1 December 1881 · 27 min read aloud · Read: Luke 3
Starting from the genealogy of Christ read that morning, the exhortation says the unbroken line from Adam to Christ helps us to realize that life is short, and shows that Christ is of Adam’s race (needed for him to abolish death by his own death and resurrection) and heir to David’s throne.
- Why We Meet: Christ’s Resurrection and Our NeedsNo. 141 · 1 July 1882 · 27 min read aloud
The speaker asks why the brethren meet every first day to break bread, and answers that Jesus commanded it and that his works, and above all the apostles’ eye-witness testimony to his resurrection confirmed by miracles, show him to be Master and Lord.
- Ezekiel 20: God Acts for His Name’s SakeNo. 144 · 1 November 1882 · 30 min read aloud · Read: Ezekiel 20
Taking Ezekiel 20 as God’s own review of Israel’s history, the exhortation says the elders who came to enquire of Ezekiel were rebuffed because they approached without reverence, and that God repeatedly spared a rebellious Israel for His Name’s sake.
- The Meaning of Christ’s Death Against SubstitutionNo. 258 · 1 October 1894 · 23 min read aloud
Beginning from the risen Christ’s interest in the disciples on the Emmaus road and in the breaking of bread, the speaker explains why sin brought death and why God chose a middle way, enforcing the law while offering mercy to the repentant.