This site endeavours to collect together theological material of practical import to Christians where, in many cases, the material is not readily available on-line or in print.

During the lock-down period and now when meeting together is difficult, listening to sermons on-line has been a huge blessing to many. Some are listening to expository, biblical, sermons for the first time. Here or here are 300 sermons in MP3 format for you to listen to at home. There are also some MP4 format videos to download. The sermons were mainly preached in or near Liss (Hampshire), Lee Mill (Devon) or Ashford (Middlesex), UK.

New Books available from Covenant Books UK on Amazon

Covenant Books UK has just published my 'The Right End of the Stick' in paperback and Kindle format.
I was rather pleased to be able to incorporate an automated scripture index this time. Here is the table of contents to give you a taste ...


Introduction 9

Part I - Understanding the Bible 11
1. ‘No Ordinary’ Stick 11
2. Gospel Humility 13
3. Seeing Things from God’s Point of View 17
4. The Important Notion of ‘Context’ 25
5. Some Examples of Textual Context 28
6. Some Examples of Historical Context 39
7. An Example of Theological Context 47
8. Misquotations from the Old Testament? 51
9. Noticing Biblical Themes 58
10. Resolving Paradoxes 71
11. Learning by Abstraction 76
12. Poetic Licence? 81
13. Getting the Right Perspective 84

Part II - Relying on the Bible 87
14. The Problem of Our Cultural Distance 87
15. Plain Unbelief 95
16. Wrestling with Bible Translations? 98
17. The Embarrassing Parts 112
18. Ancient Manuscripts 116
19. False Scholarship? 123
20. Post-modernism and the Bible 128
21. Biblical Christ-Centredness 138
22. Conclusion: The Right End of the Right Stick 143

Appendix - Further Discussion of ‘Context’ 145

Scripture Index 148

Please note that the books below have now all moved to the new Covenant Books UK web site, and will disappear from here.

1 Samuel - 36 Small Group Discussion Bible Studies, (2021)

Each study in this phenomenally good value for money manual is designed to take less than an hour if done in a group of around half a dozen people. Larger groups will tend to take longer. Regular, weekly, small group meetings can easily cover 1 Samuel in about a year, allowing for holidays. here, and is posted very quickly.

All participants may have their own copy of these notes, which have spaces for writing in the answers to the questions. This encourages regular attendance by group members. The leader uses the same study material, but will need to do some preparation beforehand. Song suggestions are included with each study. Sometimes there is a piece of optional homework to do.

Back in the Garden of Eden, God's first covenant was quickly broken (Hosea 6:7). In the wilderness (Deuteronomy 1:26) and all through the time of the judges, Abraham's descendants failed repeatedly to be faithful to God (Judges 2:11). In the promised land, the Old Covenant was still being written when the people started worshipping a golden calf (Exodus 32:4). It is around 1105 BC and a fresh covenant is needed, one that finally gives Israel a king. But, first a new prophet and priest is required - Samuel. 1 and 2 Samuel are about how Israel's failing leaders under the Old Covenant, the judges, are replaced with a king. First, Saul, a king who does not love God is given as a chastisement to the people. Then, David, a king after God's own heart (1 Samuel 13:14), is appointed, a covenant king whose reign typifies much of King Jesus' future reign.

Many Amazon users can read the Kindle version free. Everyone can get the Kindle version for very little :).

The normal paperback version is available from

A preview is available here.

A kindle version is available from here, which I think is dirt cheap; every member of a Bible study small group can have one 😁.

Here is the table of contents to whet your appetite:

1 Samuel 1 - Introducing Samuel
1 Samuel 2:11-3:1a - Dishonouring the LORD
1 Samuel 3:1-4:1a The Word of the LORD
1 Samuel 4 - Blackmail and No Glory (Part I)
1 Samuel 4 - Blackmail and No Glory (Part II)
1 Samuel 5 - The LORD vs Dagon
1 Samuel 6:1 - 7:4 - The LORD vs Israel
1 Samuel 7:2-17 - Spiritual Break-through
1 Samuel 8:1-22 - Exposed!
1 Samuel 9:1-27 - Introducing Saul
1 Samuel 10 - Still Introducing Saul
1 Samuel 11 - The Kingship Renewed
1 Samuel 12 - Faithfulness
1 Samuel 13:1-22 - Helplessness
1 Samuel 13:23-14:23 - Jonathan and Saul
1 Samuel 14:24-52 - 1 Samuel 14 Continued - The Curse of Saul
1 Samuel 15:1-35 - Saul's Disobedience
1 Samuel 16:1-13 - David's Shepherd Heart
1 Samuel 16:13-23 - David and the Spirit
1 Samuel 17:1-31 - David and Goliath Part I
1 Samuel 17:31-58 - David and Goliath Part II
1 Samuel 18:1-30 - Saul vs David
1 Samuel 19 - Saul vs David Continued
1 Samuel 20 - Covenant Commitment
1 Samuel 21:1-22:1a - Desperate David
1 Samuel 22:1-23 - David the Imperfect Saviour
1 Samuel 23:1-7 + Psalm 54 - David the Betrayed Saviour (Part I)
1 Samuel 23:7-29 + Psalm 54 - David the Betrayed Saviour (Part II)
1 Samuel 24 - David Tested in the Desert
1 Samuel 25 - David Tested Again
1 Samuel 26 - David Déjà Vu?
1 Samuel 27:1-28:2 - David Digs a Hole
1 Samuel 28:3-25 - Saul and the Word of God
1 Samuel 29 - David Off the Hook'
1 Samuel 30 - David: Sorted
1 Samuel 31 - Saul: Sorted

Each study in this amazingly good value for money manual is designed to take less than an hour if done in a group of around half a dozen people. Larger groups will tend to take longer. Regular, weekly, small group meetings can easily cover 1 Samuel in about a year, allowing for holidays.

All participants may have their own copy of these notes, which have spaces for writing in the answers to the questions. This encourages regular attendance by group members. The leader uses the same study material, but will need to do some preparation beforehand. Song suggestions are included with each study. Sometimes there is a piece of optional homework to do.

In Exodus, the LORD reveals himself to Moses and uses him to defeat the evil Pharaoh and rescue his people from their slavery in Egypt. The people then travel to Mount Sinai where they hear the very voice of God. We might think that Exodus is all about the giving of the ten commandments, the summary of God's moral law. But actually the book is heading towards the making of the Tabernacle and subsequent dwelling of God himself with his covenant people.

Exodus 29:45 'Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. ⁴⁶ They will know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.'

Exodus is the first book of the Old Covenant. The Old Covenant is concentrated in the books Exodus to Ruth. Exodus is a kind of experiment: Will the people of Israel keep God's law after he rescues them from slavery in pagan Egypt? Hence, the title of this Bible study manual ‐ The Exodus Experiment.

Many Amazon users can read the Kindle version free. Everyone can get the Kindle version for very little :).

The normal paperback version is available from here, and is posted very quickly.

A preview is available here.

A kindle version is available from here, which I think is dirt cheap; every member of a Bible study small group can have one 😁.

Here is the table of contents to whet your appetite:

1. Introducing Exodus
2. Exodus 1 ‐ Moses' Introduction ‐ Becoming Numerous
3. Exodus 2 ‐ Introducing Moses
4. Exodus 3:1-10 ‐ Shepherding
5. Exodus 3:10-22 ‐ Introducing the LORD
6. Exodus 4:1-17 ‐ Moses' Excuses
7. Exodus 4:18-31 ‐ Unfinished Business
8. Exodus 5 ‐ Bricks Without Straw
9. Exodus 6 ‐ The LORD Who Saves
10. Exodus 6:28-7:24 ‐ God's Wills
11. Exodus 7:25-8:32 ‐ God Plagues the gods
12. Exodus 9-10 ‐ More Plagues
13. Exodus 11 ‐ The Plague on the First-born
14. Exodus 12 ‐ The Passover
15. Exodus 13 ‐ Consecration to God
16. Exodus 14 ‐ The Crossing
17. Exodus 15:1-21 ‐ Moses' and Miriam's Song
18. Exodus 15:22-16:36 ‐ Mara, Elim, Manna and Quail
19. Exodus 17:1-7 ‐ The Rock
20. Exodus 17:8-16 ‐ Amalekites!
21. Exodus 18 ‐ Jethro
22. Exodus 19 ‐ Sinai
23. Exodus 20:1-17 ‐ The Ten Commandments Today
    A Very Brief Introduction to Covenant Theology
    Westminster Confession 1647, Chapter XIX, Of the Law of God.
24. Exodus 20:18-21:11 ‐ Expansion of the Ten Commandments
    From John G. Paton, Missionary to the New Hebrides, Pen‐Portraits of Aniwans
25. Exodus 22 ‐ God's Holy People
26. Exodus 24 ‐ Seeing God
27. Exodus 32 ‐ The Golden Calf
28. Exodus 33 ‐ Moses Intercedes
29. Exodus 34 ‐ Moses Sees the LORD
30. Exodus 39:32-40:38 ‐ Immanuel (God With Us)

Through these discussion Bible studies you will discover the structure of Ephesians, its theology and application. The 11 separate studies are designed for small groups to use, perhaps on a week-day evening. Most small group Bible study notes have far too much material in them and take hours to do; these don't. They require a time slot of an hour, or less, unless the group is large. All participants may have their own copy of these notes, which have spaces for writing in answers. This encourages regular attendance by group members. The leader uses the same study material, but will need to do some preparation beforehand. Both modern and older song suggestions are included. Some recommendations for extra reading by John Stott, Jim Packer, John Paton, William Hendriksen and Don Carson are given. Bible quotations are from 1984 New International Version. These studies have been "tested", so to speak, on at least two local churches 😁).

Preview the newly published studies here. Many Amazon users can read it free. Everyone can get the Kindle version for 99p.

The normal paperback version is available from here, and is posted very quickly.

A kindle version is available from here, which I think is dirt cheap; every member of a Bible study small group can have one 😁.

Here is the table of contents to whet your appetite:

Ephesians 1:1-16 - God's Will for Us in Christ
Ephesians 1:17-23 - Understanding the Gospel
Ephesians 2:1-10 - Understanding Grace
Ephesians 2:11-22 - Unity in Christ
Ephesians 3:1-13 - The Mystery of the Gentiles
Ephesians 3:14-21 - Paul's Second Big Prayer
Ephesians 4:1-16 - Growing Up
Ephesians 4:17-32 - Loving Our Neighbours
Ephesians 5:1-20 - How to Live
Ephesians 5:21-6:9 - Family Life
Ephesians 6:10-24 - The Full Armour of God

It has become popular for churches to study some psalms over the summer. However, the 26 later psalms, 120 to 145, rarely get covered, so this book endeavours to provide pre-digested Bible studies that anyone with a little Bible knowledge can lead with confidence. The songs of ascents are mainly short psalms, but contain a wealth of wisdom, theology and worship. The eight last Davidic psalms are also made thoroughly accessible. The agonising Psalm 137, 'By the waters of Babylon', is also included. Each study should take less than an hour unless the group is too large or chatty! The studies are God-centred and 'applied' to make sure that the group members understand, worship and grow in their faith-lives.

Preview the expanded and improved 2nd Edition here. Many Amazon users can read it free. Everyone can get the Kindle version for 99p.

The normal paperback version is available from here, and is posted very quickly.

A kindle version is available from here, which I think is dirt cheap; every member of a Bible study small group can have one 😁.

Here is the table of contents to whet your appetite:

1. Psalm 120 - A Cry of Distress 3
2. Psalm 121 - Speaking to One Another... 4
3. Psalm 122 - Church Peace 7
4. Psalm 123 - Humble Prayer 8
5. Psalm 124 - What Might Have Been 10
6. Psalm 125 - Two Kingdoms, Two Destinies 12
7. Psalm 126 - Then and Now 14
8. Psalm 127 - God the Builder 16
9. Psalm 128 - Blessing Your Family, Church and Humanity 18
10. Psalm 129 - The Alternative to Receiving God's Blessing 20
11. Psalm 130 - True Fear of God 23
12. Psalm 131 - Mind Your Own Business 25
13. Psalm 132 - In the Name of David's Greater Son 26
14. Psalm 133 - Precious Unity 29
15. Psalm 134 - 24/7 Worship: Mystic Sweet Communion 33
16. Psalm 135 - You Can Only Trust Him If You Can Praise Him! 36
17. Psalm 136 - A Big Thank You 38
18. Psalm 137 - Praying for Enemies 41
19. Psalm 138 - God's Goodness to the Lowly 43
20. Psalm 139 - The Omni-God 46
21. Psalm 140 - The Just God 49
22. Psalm 141 - Lead me not into Temptation 52
23. Psalm 142 - A Cave Prayer 56
24. Psalm 143 - Meditation and Prayer 59
25. Psalm 144 - Part Your Heavens, LORD 62
26. Psalm 145 - The ABC of Praise

This serious and reverent book takes a look at a much neglected subject in the Bible: Humour. The reaction of many people to the suggestion that the Bible might talk about heaven, hell, sin and humour is like that of John McEnroe: "You canNOT be Serious!" But, if we fail to spot the humour in the Bible we will misunderstand it, misinterpret it, and misapply it; that is, we will do the wrong thing. So this book helps us to tune in to biblical humour so that we can understand the Bible properly when it is being humorous. But beware: Biblical humour if often unlike our own humour and, furthermore, when the Bible is humorous it is often at its MOST serious. Although not exhaustive, this book covers the whole Bible.

The kindle version is available from here, which I think is dirt cheap.

The normal paper version is also available from here.

Here is some of the table of contents to whet your appetite:

1. Introduction
2. Humour in the Pentateuch
2.1 Genesis
2.2 Exodus
2.3 Leviticus

...

7. Humour in the Apocrypha (included by way of contrast!)

...

10.6 Revelation

Many Evangelical Christians will benefit from having a better, more detailed, and applied understanding of biblical covenant theology. God's covenants affect you, your family, and ultimately everybody. But making the connection between scripture and actual day-to-day Christian living needs popular wrong ideas to be challenged, a logical explanation of a biblical covenant theology, and helpful advice on how to trust and obey God's covenants in the Bible in 21st Century.

The kindle version is available from here.

The black and white version is also available from here VERY cheaply!

The full colour, larger print, version is available from here.

Here is the table of contents to whet your appetite:

Part I The Argument
1. Introduction
2. New 'T-Total' Christians
3. What is a Covenant?
4. Are the Old and New Covenants the same as the Old and New Testaments?
5. How Not to Do Covenant Theology
6. How Many Covenants Are There?
6.1 God's Covenant with Creation
6.2 God's Covenant with Abraham
6.3 God's Covenant with David
    Excursus on the Chronology of the Davidic Covenant
7. How Long Does it Take to 'Cut' a Covenant?
8. Are God's Covenants Everlasting?
9. How Do We Know Which Covenants Apply to Us?
10. All Five Covenants Feature a Fall, Judgement and Salvation
    Excursus on The Meaning and Mode of Christian Baptism
11. Must we keep the Ten Commandments?
12. What are the Covenant Signs and Seals?
13. With Whom does God Make Covenants?
    Excursus on The Subjects of Christian Baptism
    Excursus on the Purpose of 'Paidobaptism'
14. What is Church?
15. Is Covenant Theology Christ-centred?
16. 'Faith' - The Right Response to God's Covenants

Part II The Application
17. Problems Solved by Covenant Theology
17.1 The Sabbath
17.2 Parenting
17.3 Subjects of Baptism
17.4 Church Membership
17.5 Teaching Your Children to Pray
17.6 Infant Death and Salvation
17.7 Sunday School
17.8 Prodigals
17.9 Reversing National Spiritual Decline
17.10 The Language of Evangelism
17.11 Theonomy/Reconstructionism
17.12 Health, Wealth and Prosperity
17.13 Anti-Semitism
18. Terminology

This site endeavours to collect together theological material of practical import to Christians in cases where that material is not readily available on-line or in print.

1. The Devil, the Christian and Thought Injection Can Satan plant brand new thoughts in your mind? A consideration of a popular myth and some relevant texts by D.W. Legg.
2. How to Recover after Sinning Despite reading the above article about resisting the Devil, you just did your favourite sin again. So, has God written you off or what? Notes from a 'Christian Basics Course' run at Hounslow West Evangelical Church, by Chris Bennett.
3. Our Brother Timothy Who did write the book of 'Hebrews'? Can we know, or must it remain a mystery? By J.D. Legg
4. The Case for Infant Baptism Would you like to become a Covenant Baptist? Read this article by Chris Bennett and make your doctrine of baptism more biblical. See also
5. The Meaning and Mode of Christian Baptism Many people have had a stab at writing what they think the true meaning of Christian baptism is. Too often, they read into Biblical texts meanings that they wish were there, but are not. This article attempts to answer the questions "What is baptism about?" and "How should it be done?" This is just a short, simple, article, but for a longer treatment, see Francis Schaeffer or Jay E. Adams. This article is dedicated to the elders of Ashford Congregational Church.
6. Practical Atheism Are you a practical atheist? Give your faith a health check with the help of B.B. Warfield.
7. Churches Together and Ecumenism What are the problems for Evangelicals who are tempted to join Churches Together? Surely the Bible doesn't have anything to say on the matter does it?
8. Church Membership in a Post-Modern, Consumer, Society In the Western world, many churches find that fewer than half of the people in their Sunday congregations have committed themselves as church members. They are just consumers,along for the ride, but uncommitted. Is the notion of church membership biblical, or is it just an outmoded cultural manifestation?
9. What is Worship? What is the purpose of Christian meetings? Have we slipped back into Old Testament worship? Chris Bennett explains.
10. Bringing up Children for God (HTML) Perhaps you are a Christian parent, doing your very best to bring up your children according to the Bible so that they too become Christians. Perhaps you have lots of questions in your mind ...
    
11. One-Two-Three A simple catechism for very young children. A cunning structure allows this catechism to be used with children in the age range under two to ten years old simultaneously.
12. Children's Catechism A catechism for children, with a memory verse for each question, and a set of seven daily Bible readings. This catechism is suitable for use during daily family worship.
13. Small Children's Bible Reading Notes Do you have youngsters who are too young for any published Bible reading notes. This example notes show how any parent can do his own DIY notes for 4 to 7 years olds.
14. Theory for Correctly Interpreting Ecclesiastes Here is a sermon (14MB free MP3 download) introducing a preaching series in Ecclesiastes, called "Don't Do Life the Hard Way". It pre-digests Barry Webb's understanding of how to interpret Ecclesiastes correctly and applies it. Barry Webb's short, but stimulating commentary is in 'Five Festal Garments' from IVP.
15. Introduction to Genesis and Exposition of Chapter 50v20 This is a 33 minute (18MiB) MP3 file of a sermon preached at Ashford Congregational Church on 29th Feb, 2010. It introduces the book of Genesis and focuses particularly on the key verse, 50v20, that summarises the message of the whole book. Applications are in the areas worshipping and trusting the sovereign God, and basing forgiveness of others on a belief in God's sovereignty.
16. Simple Bioethics information for Christians (and others, who want to honour God with their gametes)
    At the end of the 20th Century, Christians were all fired-up and well-informed about bioethics. The 1967 UK Abortion Act seemed to be implementing atheism as the new anti-christian orthdoxy. But since the dawn of the 21st Century, Christians seem to have forgotten about bioethics. We have been worn down by the world's relentless pressure. Time to revisit some basics ...

Bible Study Ideas

• The Genesis Roller-Coaster Bible Study Notes Do you like the idea of being able to cover all of Genesis in 12 studies.
  These notes are suitable for use by both groups and individuals, and are available incredibly cheaply from Amazon.
• A Home Group Bible Study Idea An idea of a book to study to help facilitate home group Bible studies. The book, by Vaughan Roberts, is called God's Big Picture.
• Another Home Group Bible Study Idea An idea of how to approach Bible studies in Mark's Gospel, despite commentators and traditional approaches.
• Yet Another Bible Study Idea 7 Bible Studies in various Books of the Bible covering the topics:
  • The Bible
  • Prayer
  • Meeting Together
  • Community 'Fit'
  • Community Impact
  • The Wider World
  • Building Tomorrow's Church
• How to remember what the book of Nehemiah is about. A limerick of dubious value, starring the infamous Tobiah and Sanballat.

• A Modern Setting of Immortal Honours William Gadsby's great hymn is in danger of being lost to modern congregations Here is my setting of it to a modern tune, with downloadable PDF and MIDI files.
• A Modern Setting of Our God, Our Help in Ages Past Isaac Watts' (not to mention Moses) great hymn/psalm is in danger of being lost to modern congregations Here is my setting of it to a modern tune, with downloadable PDF and MIDI files.
• A Modern Setting of Father of Mercies In Your Word Anne Steele's hymn is very suitable for singing prior to preaching or Bible study. Here is my setting of it to a modern tune, with downloadable PDF and MIDI files.
• A Modern Setting of Sometimes a Light Surprises the Christian While he Sings William Cowper's hymn is often not in modern hymn books and song books. A crime.
• He Shall Feed His Sheep Like a Shepherd An arrangement of the soprano and alto aria from Handel's Messiah, set for SATB plus piano continuo, or piano plus continuo.
• Midnight Christians/O Holy Night An arrangement and new translation Adolphe Adam's French Christmas Carol. Set for SATB plus guitar or piano continuo.

Links to Other People's Stuff

Harry's Story Web Site

Susan Legg Piano Accompanist

Viv Rees Professional Piano Accompanist

Gerald Yuen (thousands of useful links)

David Anderson's witty parable about the rumour that Richard Dawkins actually exists.