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The order of the eight prophecies in Amos 1–2 is far from random. In this episode of Behind the Sermon, we explore the surprising geographical and literary patterns behind Amos’s oracles against the nations, revealing how they build towards an unexpected climax—and why it matters for understanding God’s message to Israel.

Tom Richards introduces the Book of Amos through its opening two verses, showing that we should read it from two perspectives. Like the people of Judah, we are to hear God's warnings against injustice, corruption and false worship, and examine our own lives rather than simply condemning others. But we also read Amos as those living under the new covenant in Jesus Christ, who has borne the curse of the law for us and called us to live as members of his kingdom, reflecting the character of our King.

Our guest, Martin Ricquebourg, preaches from Ecclesiastes 3:1-22

In the culmination of our family series, we see that while earthly family is foundational, it is not ultimate—Christ is. Through Christ and by the Spirit, we are brought into the family of God: God is our Father, Christ is our brother, and fellow Christians are our brothers and sisters, sharing together in the privileges, obligations, suffering, and glory of belonging to him.

Mike Fischer, our missionary to Peru, preaches from Psalm 96 on Declaring God’s Praises.

In Ephesians 6:1–4, Paul brings the relationship between children and parents under the lordship of Christ: children are called to obey and honour their parents, while fathers are called to raise their children in the training and instruction of the Lord. Amid competing cultural ideas about family and parenting, this passage calls Christian families back to something more fundamental—not simply following trends or techniques, but faithfully living out the responsibilities God has given us within the family.

We explore Paul’s call for husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church, asking what good masculinity looks like. Rather than domination or self-fulfillment, husbands are called to give themselves sacrificially for their wives’ good, seeking to present their wives radiant and glorious to Christ.

We explore Paul’s challenging call for wives to submit to their husbands, asking what biblical submission means—and what it does not. Rather than embracing the competing ideals of our culture, Christians are called to relationships transformed by Christ, in which wives willingly submit and husbands lead through loving service.

In this episode of Behind the Sermon, we look at the grammar behind Ephesians 5:18–22 and see how Paul’s instructions to households flow from his broader call to mutual submission and a Spirit-filled Christian life.

Our guest, Jared Venter, shows us that our daily bread is a gift from God to be received with thanksgiving, a blessing that fosters dependence on our Heavenly Father and a life-giving joy that satisfies our deepest longing in Christ.

We explore Paul’s teaching on singleness and marriage in 1 Corinthians 7, seeing that neither is an inferior way to live, but each can be received and lived out in service of Christ. We consider the opportunities and challenges of singleness, the pressures shaping how we think about finding a spouse today, and how the church can support both those who are single and those who hope to marry in honouring, serving, and pointing others to Chris

We explore Paul’s teaching on divorce in 1 Corinthians 7 and ask what it means to take the Bible’s vision of marriage as a lifelong covenant seriously. Along the way, we consider difficult questions about separation, adultery, unbelieving spouses, abuse, reconciliation, and remarriage—and see how God calls us to faithfulness, forgiveness, and reconciliation, and to the careful support of one another’s marriages.

In this episode of Behind the Sermon, we ask what Paul means when he says, “If the unbeliever leaves, let it be so.” Does he mean temporary separation, abandonment in a broader sense, or something more definite in the first-century world?

We explore Paul’s striking teaching on marriage and sexual intimacy in 1 Corinthians 7, which challenges both our culture’s tendency to make sex ultimate and the Corinthians’ desire to reject it as unspiritual. What emerges is a richer Christian vision: intimacy as a good gift from God to be received with love and generosity, while remembering that our deepest identity and ultimate goal are found in Christ.

In this episode of Behind the Sermon, we examine a few small words in 1 Corinthians 7 that make a significant difference to how we understand Paul’s teaching on marriage, intimacy, and singleness. By considering what Paul means when he says, “I say this as a concession, not as a command,” we see why he is unlikely to be treating marriage as a reluctant concession, but is instead responding to the Corinthians’ questions about celibacy and sexual relations.