Confronted by Grace: Meditations of a Theologian

This collection of sermons from renowned theologian John B. Webster is full of reverance for God and love for the truth of God. Webster's sermons are theologically astute and deep yet accessible for a wide audience.I used this book as a devotional and the short chapters, sometimes only 5-6 pages, lend to this type of use.I'm happy that Webster's theological acumen is available to a wide swath of readers. I would encourage everyone to allow themselves to be challenged and encouraged by Webster's insights gleaned from God's Word made available in this volume.

A perfect book to read a chapter a day. Thoughtful and challenging my view of God and his remarkable grace.

A fantastic resource for anyone looking to grow in their understanding of the Gospel. My husband and I find these quick sermons refreshing, accessible and insightful.

Great book!

This is a fantastic book of sermons written by John Webster, professor of divinity at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. There are 26 sermons grouped together under 5 headings: gravity and grace, the suffering servant, hearing God, living by promises, and pressing on. Each chapter is an edited sermon that's short, but spiritually powerful. Webster writes, "Preaching is one of the principal ways in which the God of the gospel has dealings with us. The gospel's God is eloquent: he does not remained locked in silence, but speaks." Through these sermons, Webster presents the God who speaks in an eloquent manner. You'll find yourself stopping as you read to pray and meditate. Keep a pen handy, as you'll want to underline a sentence or two in each sermon that will speak to you. I asked for this book for Christmas and have been reading a sermon a night before bed. The Lord has used these sermons to warm my heart toward him and his word. Very accessible for devotions.

On May 25, 2016, one of the most important theologians of my time passed into Glory. John Webster, a British Anglican, was a theologian, preacher, lecturer, and disciple of Jesus Christ. Webster is not widely known. He does not sell books at a popular level. His sermons are not podcasted thousands of times around the world every week. However, Webster’s unwavering commitment to the Holy Scriptures, Trinitarian faith, the exclusivity of Christ, and many more important points of doctrine shone through his work. For Webster, publishing and preaching were not tools to create a platform, but rather, the mode through which he aimed to serve God faithfully and humbly.Confronted by Grace is a collection of Webster’s sermons, touching on a variety of themes from the doctrines of grace, to Christian perseverance, to hearing God. The subtitle of the book is key: these are sermons wrought from the meditations of a theologian. We know, therefore, that behind these words are decades of Bible study, prayer, and experience.Webster preaches in Confronted by Grace that, despite his theological acuteness, is comprehensible to laypeople everywhere. Most of us, for example, understand that there is indeed a “lie of self-sufficiency” that exists, though some of us may struggle to find the language to express this phenomenon. Webster, in the first sermon of the book, poses a simple question: “Why do we tell lies?” There are a variety of answers that could rightly answer this question. Webster shares his own thoughts below:“We invent lies because, for whatever reason, we want to invent reality. And the false reality which we invent, the world we make up by our lying, has one great advantage for us: It makes no claims on us. It demands nothing. It doesn’t shape us in the way that truth shapes us; it faces us with no obligations; it has no hard, resistant surfaces which we can’t get through. A lie is a made-up reality, and so never unsettles, never criticizes, never resists, never overthrows us. It’s the world, not as it is, but as we wish it to be: a world organized around us and our desires.” (5)All of the sermons in Confronted by Grace reflect this sort of wisdom: deeply insightful, yet plan, and simple to grasp. Webster’s preaching is powerful, gospel-centered, and a balm for those in need of God’s grace. Thanks to Lexham Press for publishing this great set of sermons from a great theologian of our day and age. He continues to be missed by many.