Talks, Sermons and Reflections

JUDGES 6:11-17, 33-40 I have a friend who says that being a Christian is not about believing 3 unbelievable things before breakfast In our passage the angel comes to Gideon (and by the way this angel obviously does not have wings or a halo - he probably looks just like another person. In fact Gideon needs the angel to prove that he has been sent by God. And when Gideon realises that he is talking to an angel, he gets very scared). Anyway, this person - who turns out to be an angel - comes to Gideon and tells him two unbelievable things: and as far as we know this may well have been before breakfast. V12: "When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior". 1. Unbelievable fact no 1: "God is with you" It did not seem to be like that. The situation is dire. The Midianites, Amalekites, Amorites, Staligmites are invading the land that the Israelites were living in. (v4,5). They have ravaged the land. Gideon is threshing w...

1 Peter 2.1-12 This passage is about living as the people of God. It is about living as members of the church. The passage talks about: 1: THE HEART OF THE CHURCH - Jesus Christ (vv4-8) The church is about Jesus. He is the rock on which the church is established. He is the building into which the church grows to become. He is the living stone (v4) : Picture here is of a building. Jesus is the stone at the foundation on which the church is established. Take him away and the whole thing comes crashing to the ground. He is also the capstone. Many hands on museums have a small area where you are invited to build a foam rubber bridge. The capstone is the one that goes into the middle. If you put the capstone in, everything else will fit into place If you take the capstone out, the building will crumble. He is the one who has been chosen by God (v4): People may have rejected him 2000 years ago. People may reject him today. Jesus Christ is the most cursed person today. People use his name as ...

JOSHUA 3:14-17; 4:1-9: Crossing the Barrier The river Jordan stands as a barrier between the people of Israel and the promised land. It is a barrier that the people have to cross: not because they wish to: they've become quite used to the nomadic existence - and we read in Deuteronomy that some of the tribes do settle on the 'wrong' side of the Jordan. They have to cross the Jordan because God is calling them to do so. And this is quite a barrier. There are times and there are places where the Jordan can be a little stream. But not here and not now. In fact we are told that the river is swollen (3:15) And for Joshua, the new leader, this was the first real test of his leadership. God has called him. God has spoken clearly to him. And he had to trust God and he had to be obedient. I wonder whether we are facing a barrier that we know that we have to cross. Maybe it is something we cannot avoid. Maybe it is something that is holding us back, that prevents us from moving on in...