Sermons on Anxiety
The One Needful Thing
The One Needful Thing – Luke’s Gospel, chapter 10, verses 38 to 42 Busyness for busyness sake? What is the thing most needed? One thing is sure. Jesus loved Mary and Martha, and they loved Him. It is not the case that Martha was “bad” and Mary “good”. The church has always had and needed Marys and Marthas. Martha’s Virtue As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her…
Martin, Luther, Grace and OCD
Martin, Luther, Grace and OCD, Romans chapter 1, verse 17 Sub-title – How Martin Luther’s mental illness drove him to rediscover the heart of the Gospel and rescue Christianity from its deadly sleep. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed – a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’ Romans 1:!7 I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates ……
Light in the Darkness
Light in the Darkness: The Excellencies of God’s Love – Psalm 63 The true Christian is driven by adversity TO God and not away from Him. You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you;I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you,in a dry and parched land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1 Christians feel they have a right to turn to God at such times On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the…
When God Delays
When God Delays – John’s Gospel chapter 11, verses 1 to 16 “Why isn’t God showing up?” Pain of a particular kind Now a man named Lazarus was ill. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay ill, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, ‘Lord, the one you love is ill.’…
Strong Hands
Strong Hands – John’s Gospel chapter 10 verses 22 to 30 3 Scenarios Previously we saw how we become Jesus’ “sheep”. Here we see how we stay being Jesus’ sheep. A question of identity 22 Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The Jews who were there gathered round him, saying, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us…
Suffering and the Works of God
Suffering and the Works of God – John’s Gospel, chapter 9 verses 1 to 12 Suffering is always with us. 3 ways people think about it: The reality of suffering. As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. John 9:1 An even more hopeless case (than the lame man at the pool in chapter 5). He saw a man blind from birth. Jesus knows, feels, understands. Heb 4:14-16He “gets” our suffering. God sends his son, fitted to…
Trusting God in the Darkness
Trusting God in the Darkness, Isaiah chapter 50, verse 4-11 10 Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant?Let the one who walks in the dark, who has no light,trust in the name of the Lord and rely on their God.11 But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches,go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze.This is what you shall receive from my hand: you will lie down in torment.…
The Holiness of God
The Holiness of God – Isaiah chapter 6 verses 1 to 7 God’s fiery, beautiful holiness The rise and fall of a king 6 In the year that King Uzziah died, … Isaiah 6:1a Uzziah: 52 years on the throne. A good king, but his pride led to his downfall. National anxiety at his death. Would the next king be good or bad? The Lord’s majesty described I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train…
Hope in the Love of God
Hope in the Love of God – Romans chapter 5, verses 6 to 11 There is something missing in the lives of many Christians, and it stunts their growth. What is it that’s missing? It is failing to grasp the greatness of the Love of God. The Greatness of God’s Love, Roman’s 5:6-8 To understand it we need to see ourselves through God’s eyes: Weak, helpless, sinful. 6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ…
Where Do We Turn?
Where Do We Turn? Psalm 3 A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom. Where do we run when trouble comes? Prince Absalom had rebelled against his father, KIng David, had raised an army and wanted to kill him. People were saying “Even God won’t save him!” 1 Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me!2 Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” Psalm 3:1-2 But David through his tears still trusts…
Whoever You Are, Whatever You’ve Done
Whoever You Are, Whatever You’ve Done – John’s Gospel chapter 4, verses 1 to 26 Too Far Gone? Does “whoever believes in Him” really include me? (John 3:16) 3 Important bits of information She was a Samaritan, Jesus a Jew, and she was shocked that He should speak to her. Then, they were beside Jacob’s Well, the heritage of both. And it was midday, the hottest time of the day. 7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said…
How to Deal with Jealousy
How to Deal with Jealousy – John’s Gospel chapter 3, verses 22 to 36 “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” – Proverbs 14:30. Envy and jealousy can find their way in anywhere, even in church, and bring bitterness. Jealousy Rises verses 22-26 The rise of Jesus’ influence. But John still had a ministry. Many flocked to him in the north. But a dispute: perhaps about who’s baptism was better – “everyone is…