Resurrection and judgment

1. Brotherly Love as the Essence of the TruthNo. 1 · 1 December 1867 · 15 min read aloud

   Starting from the exhortation “Let brotherly love continue”, the speaker argues that love is the root and object of the truth, and that those who lack it are not of God and will be cut off like unfruitful branches.

2. Be Doers: Memory, Readiness and Christ’s ReturnNo. 2 · 1 January 1868 · 16 min read aloud · Read: James 1

   Observes that the breaking of bread directs thought to Christ, and that the Roman Question and the expected end of the Papacy’s 1260 years point to his return, as in Daniel 7.

3. Righteousness, Judgment and Mercy: Present Works Decide DestinyNo. 7 · 1 July 1868 · 27 min read aloud · Read: Romans 2

   Taking Romans 2 as its subject, the exhortation says believers are called to righteousness, the doing of what God has commanded, and that the judgment will only disclose what each person’s daily life already is, so the present is what counts.

4. Paul’s Seed Analogy and the Mortal ResurrectionNo. 11 · 1 December 1868 · 21 min read aloud John Butler

   The speaker takes Paul’s comparison of the resurrection to a sown grain in 1 Corinthians 15 and argues that the germ of the seed corresponds not to an immortal soul but to the truth, which dwells in believers and is kept in God’s memory until Christ quickens it.

5. Peace with God Through Justification by FaithNo. 13 · 1 October 1869 · 22 min read aloud · Read: Romans 5

   On Romans 5, the speaker explains that those justified by faith in Christ have peace and favour with God, which no one has outside Christ.

6. Faith That God Is: Trial and PerseveranceNo. 19 · 1 April 1870 · 28 min read aloud · Read: Hebrews 11

   Taking Hebrews 11 as his starting point, the speaker says that faith in God as a rewarder of those who seek Him is a great consolation, and that trial, as with the prophets and Joseph, is the means by which God prepares men for the kingdom.

7. Active Goodness, the Fruit of the TruthNo. 23 · 1 August 1870 · 18 min read aloud · Read: 1 John 2

   Taking 1 John 2 as its text, the exhortation says the aim of the gospel is that believers should not sin but walk as Jesus walked, and puts first the duty of living for the good of others.

8. Clod-Hoppers, Invisible Stock and Scriptural JustificationNo. 29 · 1 September 1871 · 25 min read aloud · Read: Romans 4

   Opens by saying that life and all its goods end in the grave, yet men turn from the glory to be revealed and, like an agricultural labourer who distrusts commercial “stock”, despise the spiritual things they cannot see.

9. 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.

10. Christ Our Captain: Diligence and True HonourNo. 34 · 1 February 1872 · 26 min read aloud

    Begins from the weekly breaking of bread as Christ’s appointed reminder of himself, whom the world offers nothing to recall, and presents him as the captain who chooses his followers, requiring loyalty and promising immortality in return.

11. Holiness, Worship and Present Obedience Before ChristNo. 37 · 1 June 1872 · 24 min read aloud · Read: 2 Corinthians 5

    Says believers are called not merely to believe and speak of the truth but to holiness, and that the only standard of righteousness is obedience to God’s commandments.

12. 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.

13. Sardis: A Name to Live, and DeadNo. 50 · 1 January 1874 · 20 min read aloud · Read: Revelation 3

    Takes the Lord’s message to the ecclesia in Sardis as instruction for every ecclesia, including Birmingham, beginning with his assurance ‘I know thy works’.

14. Uncarefulness: Christ’s Free Men in a Passing WorldNo. 55 · 1 June 1874 · 23 min read aloud

    Takes Paul’s counsel to the Corinthians to be without carefulness, applying it first to slave and free, master and servant: the believer in either condition belongs to Christ, and the present state is short, so its burdens may be borne patiently until the freedom and change of body that Christ will give at his coming.

15. The Table’s Panorama: Christ Behind and BeforeNo. 58 · 1 September 1874 · 19 min read aloud

    Gathered at the table, the exhortation surveys the Bible story as a landscape coloured with Christ: behind, his birth, ministry, death, resurrection, ascension and the apostolic age, followed by the decline into apostasy and the rise of the Papacy; ahead, his reappearing, the judgment, the time of trouble among the nations and the kingdom of God filling the earth.

16. God Exalted: Confidence from Psalm 46No. 64 · 1 April 1875 · 21 min read aloud · Read: Psalm 46

    Takes two points from Psalm 46: the confidence in God that sustains believers in trouble (verse 1) and the declaration ‘I will be exalted’ (verse 10).

17. Remarks on the Death of Brother AllsoppNo. 66 · 1 June 1875 · 19 min read aloud

    Spoken on learning of the sudden death of brother Allsopp, who led the singing; praises his usefulness, Scripture-reading and zeal, and suggests the loss may be like rain on the garden, sent so that the Word planted in believers may bear fruit.

18. The World’s Enmity, Offences and Unprofitable ServantsNo. 68 · 1 August 1875 · 23 min read aloud · Read: Psalm 64, Luke 17

    Says the conflict with enemies in David’s psalm reflects God’s plan to take out a few chosen by faith and the world’s nature of self-interest, so the world hates the truth and believers must expect tribulation, honouring the shame as a sharing in Christ’s.

19. Seeking Wisdom Against the Senses’ False ImpressionsNo. 74 · 1 February 1876 · 22 min read aloud

    Starting from the weekly breaking of bread as a needed reminder, the exhortation rejects the theories that man has a light within or a permanent store of knowledge, and says that light comes from without, through the gospel believed and obeyed.

20. Fellowship in Christ’s Sufferings and Coming GloryNo. 75 · 1 April 1876 · 39 min read aloud · Read: Psalm 99

    Contemplating the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow, the speaker says Christ’s sufferings were largely mental, caused by a world indifferent to God, and that believers share them as pilgrims in an evil world; he contrasts the living sacrifice God requires with the penances of Charles V. and the early martyrs.

21. Going Forth Without the Camp: Truth and WorksNo. 79 · 1 December 1876 · 20 min read aloud · Read: Hebrews 13

    Taking Paul’s exhortation to go forth unto Christ without the camp, the speaker says that it meant excommunication for Jewish believers and, for the brethren, separation from the popular religious system, which does not uphold “the truth” as the pillar and ground of it.

22. The Wedding Garment: Personal Righteousness Required of GuestsNo. 83 · 1 April 1877 · 20 min read aloud

    Taking the parable of the marriage feast, the speaker shows that the Gentiles of the highways and hedges are invited through Paul’s word, but that being called is not enough: the guest without a wedding garment is cast out.

23. Why the Wicked Prosper: Jeremiah’s AnswerNo. 88 · 1 October 1877 · 24 min read aloud · Read: Jeremiah 12

    Starting from Jeremiah’s question why the way of the wicked prospers, and the same complaint in David and Habakkuk, the exhortation says the answer is that their prosperity is only for a season and will end when the kingdoms of this world become Christ’s.

24. Death of a Sister: Mourning, Hope and WarningNo. 91 · 1 January 1878 · 24 min read aloud · Read: 1 Thessalonians 4

    Spoken after the sudden death of a sister who had broken bread the Sunday before, it says that sorrow is for ourselves, since the dead in Christ are at rest, and that death teaches the wisdom of the house of mourning over the pursuit of present cares, riches and pleasures.

25. The Day of the Lord Comes as a ThiefNo. 97 · 1 July 1878 · 24 min read aloud · Read: 1 Thessalonians 5

    From Paul’s words to the Thessalonians, the speaker explains that the day of the Lord will come as a thief and a snare upon the unwatchful world, but not upon the brethren who watch and know the signs.

26. Gentile Fellow-Heirship and Walking Worthy of the CallingNo. 101 · 1 November 1878 · 29 min read aloud

    Taking Paul’s words in Ephesians about the mystery that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, the speaker argues that orthodox believers in the immortality of the soul cannot understand it, since before Paul’s mission the Gentiles were without hope and were admitted only through the gospel.

27. Gentile Believers Stand Conditionally: Israel’s WarningNo. 104 · 1 February 1879 · 25 min read aloud

    Beginning with the privilege and present comfort of knowing the truth in a time of gathering tribulation, the exhortation recalls that the Gentiles were called when Israel declined the invitation.

28. True Wisdom Versus the Wisdom of the WorldNo. 107 · 1 May 1879 · 24 min read aloud

    The speaker asks what wisdom is, contrasting the world’s claims to wisdom with Paul’s words that the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.

29. Paul’s Antioch Address and Israel’s HopeNo. 108 · 1 June 1879 · 22 min read aloud · Read: Acts 13 Robert Ashcroft

    Taking up Paul’s address at Antioch (Acts 13), the speaker says popular religion neglects the history of Israel, whereas the hope of believers rests on those histories being true.

30. Judgment on Moab and the Love of ChristNo. 109 · 1 July 1879 · 29 min read aloud · Read: Isaiah 15, Isaiah 16

    The speaker commends fixed Scripture readings as the basis of exhortation, then draws from the burden of Moab the lesson that pride and contempt of Israel bring judgment, which the world’s like sins will bring at Christ’s coming, so that believers must not be one with the world.

31. Baruch’s Sorrow and God’s Message to HimNo. 112 · 1 October 1879 · 19 min read aloud

    Takes Baruch, Jeremiah’s companion, as a sorrowing man, and shows from Jeremiah and James that the prophets were fellow-sufferers with believers today.

32. Mortality, Obedience and the Day of JudgmentNo. 113 · 1 November 1879 · 22 min read aloud · Read: Ezekiel 17, Luke 13

    Starts from the four figures in the Ezekiel 17 reading (Nebuchadnezzar, Pharaoh, the king of Judah and the prophet), all long dead, to show that the present life is brief yet decides the future.

33. Remembrance, Paul’s Testimony and the ResurrectionNo. 114 · 1 December 1879 · 16 min read aloud

    Says the breaking of bread was appointed so that believers would keep Christ in memory during his absence, and takes Paul’s words ‘I have received of the Lord’ as its starting point.

34. Betrothal to Christ and the Lamb’s MarriageNo. 117 · 1 March 1880 · 22 min read aloud

    Taking the blessing on those called to the marriage supper of the Lamb, the speaker says the Bride is the saints, so those now called are invited to take part in the union and not merely to watch it.

35. Facts, Fulfilled Prophecy and the Apostles’ WitnessNo. 127 · 1 January 1881 · 27 min read aloud

    Taking Christ’s words ‘If ye believe not me, believe the works,’ the speaker argues that God’s appeal to man has always rested on facts, and that believers today stand on a long record of fulfilled prophecy, including the prophecy that prophecy would cease for a time.

36. 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.

37. 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.

38. Trusting God’s Promises Against Feeling and AppearanceNo. 140 · 1 June 1882 · 28 min read aloud · Read: Galatians 1

    Taking the opening of Galatians 1 as an antidote to the suspicion that the hope of the Gospel is too good to be true, the speaker argues that it rests on God and not on man.

39. 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.

40. Paul at Athens: God Near, Judgment ComingNo. 145 · 1 December 1882 · 31 min read aloud · Read: Acts 17

    Standing with Paul on Mars Hill (Acts 17), the exhortation defends reasoned argument for the faith, provided it is done in love, and contrasts the restless search for novelty in speculative philosophy with the satisfaction the truth gives.

41. David’s Shortcomings and the Psalms’ ImprecationsNo. 146 · 1 May 1883 · 27 min read aloud · Read: Psalm 40

    Taking Psalm 40 as its starting point, the exhortation explains two features of the Psalms.

42. Waiting for God: Manna Instead of Flesh-potsNo. 148 · 1 September 1883 · 23 min read aloud · Read: Matthew 9

    The speaker asks the hearers to look at their lives as they will appear in retrospect, and urges them to live now so that the judgment seat of Christ will find them faithful, taking the Scriptures alone as guide.

43. Paul’s Shipwreck and the Resurrection TestimonyNo. 151 · 1 December 1883 · 19 min read aloud · Read: Acts 27

    Reflecting on the reading of Paul’s shipwreck in Acts, the speaker argues that the narrative is plainly true history, and that the charge against Paul, as stated by Festus, was that he affirmed Jesus, who was dead, to be alive.

44. Paul’s Faith in the Storm: ‘I Believe God’No. 153 · 1 February 1884 · 21 min read aloud

    Returning to Paul’s shipwreck, the speaker notes that an angel stood by Paul in the storm, and that Paul told the ship’s company that he believed God, that it would be as it was told him.

45. God Alone Is to Be ExaltedNo. 155 · 1 April 1884 · 22 min read aloud Robert Ashcroft and Robert Roberts

    Opens with an extract by R. Ashcroft arguing that all life and power come from God, that men wrongly exalt the creature, and that Scripture praises only spiritual qualities and never natural greatness.

46. Equal with the Angels: Confidence, Joy and DoingNo. 157 · 1 June 1884 · 26 min read aloud

    Starts from the prospect of being made equal to the angels and notes that Christ says not all who are called will be chosen.

47. Political Hopes Versus the Hope of IsraelNo. 160 · 1 September 1884 · 21 min read aloud · Read: Jeremiah 31

    Speaking at a meeting held in the Birmingham Town Hall, the speaker contrasts the political hope of the town’s public men and the religious hope of its sectarians with the hope of Israel, centred on Christ’s return and the kingdom of God.

48. Three Windows: Israel’s Camp, Proverbs, ZaccheusNo. 178 · 1 May 1887 · 26 min read aloud · Read: Luke 19

    Beginning from the refreshing sameness of the things of God and the commanded means of preparation (breaking of bread, prayer, reading), the speaker treats the day’s three readings as windows on the divine work.

49. Philemon’s Clues: Paul, Prisoner of Jesus ChristNo. 180 · 1 July 1887 · 27 min read aloud · Read: Philemon

    Using the picture of a scrap of paper from which a finder could infer a paper mill, a pen and a living writer, the exhortation reasons from the opening words of Philemon (“Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ”) to the facts behind them.

50. Obadiah’s Vision and God’s Judgment of NationsNo. 249 · 1 January 1894 · 25 min read aloud · Read: Obadiah

    Taking the short prophecy of Obadiah against Edom, the exhortation says it is the vision that matters rather than the prophet, and explains why Esau was hated and Jacob loved and why the world hates those who love God.

51. Zechariah’s Candlestick Vision and the KingdomNo. 250 · 1 February 1894 · 22 min read aloud · Read: Zechariah 4

    Taking the morning’s reading from Zechariah 4, the speaker says prophecy is deliberately given in dark figures that must be searched out, and reads the waking of Zechariah as a figure of resurrection.

52. The Return of Christ Rooted in ScriptureNo. 251 · 1 March 1894 · 25 min read aloud

    Beginning from the command to break bread “until he come”, the speaker imagines a stranger reading Revelation’s “Surely I come quickly” and tracing who Jesus is back through the New Testament to the Old: the promises to Abraham, Israel and the law, and the prophets’ foretelling of a son of David.

53. Pentecost as Demonstration of Christ’s ResurrectionNo. 254 · 1 June 1894 · 19 min read aloud · Read: Acts 2

    Taking Acts 2, the speaker explains why the apostles were told to wait for Pentecost: their personal testimony to the resurrection needed the confirmation of miracles, and speaking in known languages before the crowd at Jerusalem supplied it.

54. 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.

55. Isaiah’s Song of the Redeemed Righteous NationNo. 304 · 1 January 1899 · 23 min read aloud · Read: Isaiah 26, Hebrews 10 Printed after his death

    Beginning from the fact that the Scriptures are God’s word and not man’s, the speaker takes the song of Isaiah 26 and shows from Isaiah 25 and 1 Corinthians 15 that it is to be sung in the day of Christ’s return and the resurrection.

56. Comfort for the Troubled; Rest at Christ’s ComingNo. 306 · 1 March 1899 · 21 min read aloud Printed after his death

    Taking Paul’s words of comfort to the Thessalonians, the exhortation distinguishes those who trouble, those who are troubled, and those who know not God.

57. Remembering the Living Christ PersonallyNo. 307 · 1 June 1899 · 18 min read aloud · Read: Revelation 13, Revelation 14 F. W. P.

    The exhortation contrasts the world’s gatherings with the remembrance of Christ at the table and urges each believer to dwell on Christ as a living person with whom he will deal individually.

58. Readiness for Christ’s Summons Through Bible ReadingNo. 308 · 1 July 1899 · 13 min read aloud · Read: James 1 Printed after his death

    The exhortation considers Jesus as shown in the emblems and expects the aspect in which the world sees him to change soon, judging from the state of Europe and the coming end of Papal supremacy.

59. Obedience, Isaiah’s Servant and the Rainbowed AngelNo. 309 · 1 August 1899 · 22 min read aloud · Read: Isaiah 50, Revelation 10, Revelation 11 C. C. Walker

    Meeting at the emblems in obedience to Christ’s command, the speaker says the obedience asked of believers is that of intelligent friends rather than mere servants, and turns to the day’s readings.

60. Obedience, Sons of God, and Inspired ProphecyNo. 311 · 1 November 1899 · 18 min read aloud W. R.

    From the day’s readings in Kings, Jeremiah and Mark, the speaker draws that God’s word by his prophets comes to pass and must be obeyed, citing the man of God at Bethel and the warnings against any other gospel.

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