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Published on Leave a comment on Giving in Exodus

This week has been a frightening week for the nation financially – unless you’re Wayne Rooney.  Or his agent.  But for the rest of us it seems like tightening the belt is the order of the day.  So you might have thought that this Sunday was a bad week to have chosen for our church Gift Day.  Well we chose it months ago, but I think, in the providence of God, Gift Day has fallen in just the right week.

Because, in the bible, financial giving is never spoken about in the context of plenty.  In the bible the giving that’s highlighted is almost always in the context of scarcity.  (cf 2 Cor 8!)

And nowhere is that more clear than in Exodus.  In Exodus you wouldn’t reckon they had ideal conditions for fundraising.

First they’re in the desert.  They’re not in wealthy Egypt and they’re not in the land of milk and honey– they’re in the desert.  Secondly, they have been saved out of Egypt and for that they can be grateful.  But it does mean that each and every one of these 2 million Israelites is a slave, and they have been for generations.  They have no transferable skills, no social security, no family wealth, no connections.  They are the biggest refugee crisis in human history.  Can you imagine fundraising in a Haitian refugee camp?  Or in Darfur?  Moses is fundraising in the midst of a humanitarian crisis – 2 million slaves who are only ever a day away from starvation.

It puts a double-dip recession into a bit of perspective doesn’t it?!

And yet the Israelites overflowed in generosity until they had to be restrained from giving more!

How did they do it?

Read more below.

Sermon audio here.

...continue reading "Giving in Exodus"

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Published on 4 Comments on Exodus 13-16 sermon

Not just sheltered... brought out... through trials... for deeper dependence.

Grumbling goes hand in hand with comparisons doesn't it?  Grumbling is bound up with looking to our non-Christian past or our non-Christian friends with rose tinted glasses.  We say (Ex 16:3) “Egypt was great, remember the barbecues?  Aw the barbecues were fantastic.  Man those Egyptians knew how to party.  It was feasting and fullness.”  That’s how they remember it when they’re in the desert.  It’s complete garbage of course, Egypt was slavery and genocide.  But when Jesus leads you into a desert place you re-imagine your non-Christian past as feasting and fullness and you look at non-Christians around you and imagine that they’re all blissfully happy millionaires.  You compare... and you grumble.

And here’s what’s really disturbing, the Israelites thought they were just grumbling against Moses and Aaron but we’re told that the LORD takes their grumbling personally.  In v7, v8, v9 and v11 it says the LORD heard the Israelites’ grumbling.  They were moaning to one another, they were blaming Moses, but the LORD took offence.  Isn’t that sobering, when we think about having a grumble, having a moan, complaining?

The bible is full of complaints that are addressed TO God – they’re called prayers.  And they are wonderful and godly things.  The Psalms are full of complaining prayers: “LORD this is terrible, I can’t handle it, what are you going to do?”  That’s a perfectly good prayer.  But moaning to one another in unbelief, wishing you weren't Christ's, wallowing in a complaining spirit – that’s grumbling.  And the LORD takes great offence.

But what does the LORD do to these grumblers?

Rain down fire and brimstone?  Rain down lightning bolts?  No.  He rains down the bread of angels (Ps 78:25).  It’s astonishing really.  He showers grace on the grumblers.

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Sermon audio

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Published on Leave a comment on Four sensational sermons

Here's Leon Sim on Male and Female He created them

Continuing the Genesis 2 theme, here's David White from St Andrews, Chorleywood

A wonderful address on 1 Peter 2 to the Peninsula Gospel Partnership by John Gillespie

And here's Andrew Wood on James 2:14-26.

All sermons come with a hearty five thumbs up. Enjoy!

Published on Leave a comment on Crushed to life – an old sermon

Ever since I first preached it a couple of years ago, I've kept returning to this story in Mark 5.  It shows so much of Christ's unmanageable but life-giving power - a cruciform power that works in and through suffering, delays, frustrations and even death.

We tend to think of "sovereignty" in abstract impersonal terms.  Here is a story of the towering authority of Christ working in and through the mess and darkness.

For the whole script go here

For the audio go here.

olive-oil-press-4

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Mark 5:21-43

In your imagination, picture olives being crushed and pressed together and the oil seeping out at the bottom.

That's a picture of Jesus that Mark hints at again and again.  In Mark's Gospel, Jesus is in almost constant danger of being crushed.

Mark 3:7-9:

Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. When they heard all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crushing him [that's literally the word - 'crushing Him'].  For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him.

That's why in Mark 4:1 Jesus has to get in a boat to teach people, otherwise they'd smother Him.  When he decides in v35 to go over to the other side of the lake, v36 says 'they took Him along, just as He was, in the boat.'  He couldn't even risk stepping ashore, so they whisk Him off away from the crowds. Of course in this crossing, Jesus calms the storm (end of chapter 4), lands on the other side (chapter 5).  Then, do we remember from last week, He meets Legion, exorcizes an army of demons and sends the delivered man back to his people as a missionary.  That probably only took Him an our or two.  So now, with that job done, He returns.  So, v21, He's back after His flying visit. And the crowds are there again.  Mark says: 'A large crowd gathered around Him.'

Mark really wants us to get a feel for this crushing crowd.  And so Mark 5:24 says it again:

A large crowd followed and pressed around Him.

The disciples use the same word in verse 31:

You see the people pressing against you [literally]

This is a mini theme of Mark's Gospel.  The whole world flocks to Jesus in their need.  And in the midst of that crush - healing, forgiveness, restoration, salvation, peace and new life flow out.

The woman in this story presses in - she's part of this crush - but what she finds is that, in the crush, power comes out of Jesus and she is healed, freed, granted peace.

Now at the end of Mark's Gospel we see Jesus praying in a garden called Gethsemane.  Gethsemane mean oil press.  It's where the olives from the Mount of Olives were crushed.  That's where Jesus was oppressed like you and I would never understand, that's where He contemplates the cross and He undertakes to die under the weight of a world's need.  And because Jesus was crushed the oil of His Spirit flows out for the salvation of the world.  In that ultimate crush, that ultimate power was released for all who come to Him.

Mark 5 is giving a miniature picture of that truth.  Here in this crush, power goes out from Jesus and healing, peace, freedom and ultimately resurrection results...

Whole sermon here

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Published on 6 Comments on Passover sermon – Exodus 11-12

Exodus 11-12 sermon audio

It doesn’t matter what’s on the inside, it’s what’s on the outside that counts.

It’s not the interior – it’s all about the blood on the doorposts.  It’s not about the LORD inspecting your house.  It's ONLY about the blood outside.

It’s not even about how much faith you have in the blood.  If the blood is applied at all, you’re saved.  Strong faith in the blood and wavering faith in the blood lead to exactly the same outcome.  Because it’s not faith IN the blood that saves - it’s the blood.

People say to me, “I don’t have very strong faith.”  And I say “Me neither.  But thank God we’re not saved by how strong our believing feelings are!  Thank God we are saved, not so much by our faith in Christ’s blood, thank God we’re saved by Christ’s blood!”

...It’s not about the quality of your living, speaking, acting, praying.  It’s not even about the quality of your own faith.  It’s only about the blood.  It’s the quality of His death, not the quality of your life.  Your salvation has nothing to do with YOU – and everything to do with HIM.  Nothing to do with your performance and everything to do with His performance.

People so often worry that their sins have cost them their relationship with God.  Well you can’t out-sin the Blood of God can you?!  Think about your sins. No matter what they are.  Is your sin bigger than the blood of God??  Nonsense.  You have not out-sinned the blood of Jesus.  You cannot out-sin the blood of Jesus.  Impossible!  It’s about His blood outside – not your heart inside...

 

...continue reading "Passover sermon – Exodus 11-12"

Published on Leave a comment on Three Thoughts on Money from Doug Wilson

Just three little tidbits that struck me from this sermon.

1) Romans is a fundraising letter!

If our fundraising letters don't look like Romans (and they don't) it's a sign that we don't think about money or the gospel the way Paul does.

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2) Galatians 6:6-9 is about giving

Check the context - v5 and v10 are clearly about contributing to the needs of others.  Therefore financial giving is a way of sowing to the Spirit.  It's investing in Spirit-life (i.e. word-life; gospel-growth) and not flesh-life (i.e. this-world life; gratifying-my-selfish-cravings life).

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3) Philippians 4 - the joy of gospel partnership through giving.

Financial giving is 'partnering' (v14 - an important word in Philippians -  1:5; 2:1; 3:10) in gospel ministry.  To partner with Paul in this way is even more for the congregation's sake than for his. (v17)

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Published on 2 Comments on Sinners, Slaves or Sons?

Luke 15: Younger Brother sermon here

Luke 15: Older Brother sermon audio here

The world is naturally divided into sinners and slaves.  Sinners seek freedom.  Slaves seek reputation.  And they hate each other.  Sinners think the world would be so much better without the slaves.  Slaves think the world would be so much better without the sinners.  We all exist somewhere along this spectrum.

Jesus comes and says - You're both wrong.  You're both wretched.  You're both equally far from heaven's banquet.  That's the meaning of Luke 15.

Jesus comes to bring a new kind of humanity.  Not half-way in between but something else.  Not sinners, not slaves but sons.

Sinners wish God dead by taking His stuff and leaving.
Slaves wish God dead by despising His grace.
Sons are brought from death to life in His embrace.

Sinners are strangers to God in the far country.
Slaves are strangers to God in the field.
Sons are sinners in the Father’s arms.

Sinners seek freedom yet find deeper slavery.
Slaves seek righteousness yet find deeper sin.
Sons seek Christ and find both freedom and righteousness.

Sinners are wretched in their rebellion.
Slaves are wretched in their righteousness.
Sons are wretched in His robes.

Full sermon text below....

...continue reading "Sinners, Slaves or Sons?"

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Published on 3 Comments on Answering self-doubt – Exodus 4-7 sermon

Sermon audio

"Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" (Exodus 3:11)

Here is Moses full of self-doubt.  So what does Moses need?  Ask anyone today and they’ll tell you: the solution to self-doubt is self-confidence.  That’s the modern cure-all for whatever ails you.  Have more confidence in yourself.

That’s what the world says.  What does the LORD say?

Verse 12: I will be with you

Do you see what the LORD is doing?  Not trying to instill self-confidence, but God-confidence.  “I will be with you.”  The LORD doesn’t say “Moses, don’t do yourself down.  You were such a beautiful baby, and a powerful prince, and you’re in my top three all-time shepherds.  I think you’ve got what it takes.”

The LORD doesn’t turn Moses’ eyes back on himself.

Do you ever do that when someone’s full of self-doubt?  We often say, “Have more confidence in yourself, you’re so talented, you’re brilliant…”   But if someone’s fishing for compliments, how many compliments are enough?  The WORLD is not enough to fill our need for affirmation.  Just speaking for myself: the WORLD could not satisfy my black hole of self-obsession.  If you get me started, I’ll never be satisfied.

Which is why God does something very different.  He fights self-doubt with GOD-confidence.  Essentially the LORD says, “Who are you??  Who are you??  That’s not the point Moses.  I will be with you.”

There used to be a saying in tennis that the greatest doubles team imaginable was John McEnroe and anyone.  John McEnroe and anyone could win Wimbledon.

Well imagine if you were that anyone.  Imagine if you were John McEnroe’s partner going into the Wimbledon final and you spent the whole pre-match press-conference saying “Who am I to win a tennis match?  Who am I to win Wimbledon?  I am not a brilliant tennis player!!”

What would John McEnroe say?  Apart from ‘You cannot be serious?’  He’d say, “I will be with you.  I will be with you.  Enough about yourself, really it’s irrelevant.”...

...In a deep sense Moses is going to be just like that staff in his hand.  The staff by itself is nothing.  We call it a staff, that’s just fancy name for a stick.  But through that stick, miracles would be wrought.  Through that stick the plagues would fall.  Through that stick the Red Sea would be divided.  By that stick the Rock would be struck and the waters would come out.  Why, because it’s such a great stick?  Because the qualities inherent in the stick can call forth the powers of heaven??  No it’s nothing to do with the stick and everything to do with the eternal I AM who uses the stick.

He can use a stick to unleash the powers of heaven, He can use an octogenarian shepherd to defeat the most powerful man in the world.  Later in the bible He uses a bunch of fishermen to turn the world upside down.  Because where does the great I AM really show His power?  On the cross.  (John 8:28)  The great I AM bleeds and dies on a rugged wooden cross, and that’s the power that saves the world.  Can He deal with weakness?  Can He use weakness?  That’s His speciality.  2 Corinthians 12 verse 9, the Lord says to a weakened Paul, “My power is made perfect in weakness."

Full script below

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