Many have ideas about who Jesus is. Some ideas are based upon what culture says about Him, some say He is the son of God, but can’t fully explain what that means. In this sermon series, Jamie looks at who Jesus says He is by exploring the ‘I am’ statements that Jesus made about Himself, found in John’s gospel. Jamie ask two questions ‘Who is Jesus to you?’ and ‘Is He to you who He says he is?’
Many have ideas about who Jesus is. Some ideas are based upon what culture says about Him, some say He is the son of God, but can’t fully explain what that means. In this sermon series, Jamie looks at who Jesus says He is by exploring the ‘I am’ statements that Jesus made about Himself, found in John’s gospel. Jamie ask two questions ‘Who is Jesus to you?’ and ‘Is He to you who He says he is?’.
God is working in our lives all the time, not to give us platforms, wealth or status, but to make us people of strength and resilience who will impact our societies and communities. Romans 8:28 tells us that ‘in all things God works for the good of those who love Him’. How can that be when bad things happen and our circumstances appear to say otherwise? This week Jamie unpacks the story of Joseph to show that God does indeed work, not just for our good but the good of all who love Him, even when, to the world’s eyes, things may be going badly. If we trust Him, keep our eyes on Him, and not try to take short cuts, we will come to see the greater things He has planned come about.
This week Anthony continues unpacking the book of Ruth. In Chapter 2, the book of Ruth introduces Boaz, who is a type of Jesus, in that his actions and attitude are a foretaste of the actions and character of Jesus. In this chapter we see God’s heart for the poor and marginalised and His provision in the law for their care and welfare. We see that when you put your trust in God God provides, not just to bless you, but to allow you to bless others with the blessings He has given you. We learn that being in community is important, as it allows us to share our blessings and to support one another. We also learn that whatever we may think of ourselves, we are not disqualified from receiving God’s love.
This week Anthony Hilder starts a four part series on the book of Ruth. This week he unpacks Chapter 1 and asks three questions. 1. When things change around us, what needs to change inside of us? 2. What blessings, what gains what good in your life, even if it’s small right now? Has God brought your way that you can be thankful for? 3. Who today is in your proximity that you can be a Ruth for and a Ruth to and show them mercy.
We all will face obstacles that get in our way. Some of these obstacles turn into Giants, that we struggle to face. In this talk Jamie dives into the story of David and Goliath to help us understand how we can Face our Giants. He identifies five key steps to successfully Facing our Giants. 1. Stand up to them – don’t run away or try to avoid them, they won’t go away. 2. Don’t negotiate with them – negotiating with giants puts the giant in control of your life. 3. Don’t tolerate them – don’t try to adjust your life to make space for the giant, they will just want more. 4. Remember your victories – The enemy will always try to remind you of your failures, remember the victories you have seen, they will give you confidence to face the giant. 5. Wear your own armour – Don’t try to be like someone else and copy them. Be yourself and use the gifts God has given you.
In this final talk in out ‘What are you giving your life to?’ series, Jamie reminds us that we are all commanded to fulfil the ‘Great Commission’. Our culture is ripe for an alternative to consumerism. People are searching for a greater sense of reality and meaning. We know that Jesus is the answer. Jesus’ command was not to expect people to come to us, but to engage with individuals, groups, families and organisations and to demonstrate practically the good news of the gospel. Jesus sends us out to be the good news, to practically demonstrate the Father’s love, care and compassion by giving of ourselves and engaging with individuals and communities in which we live and work.
What does it mean to give everything to Jesus and not to be offended? This week Jamie looks at the story of the woman, Mary, who poured out a jar of expensive perfume over Jesus’ feet and the reactions of those who watched her do it. Mary came into Simon’s house and poured out the perfume over Jesus, wiping his feet with her hair. She was giving everything that she had as a sacrificial offering. Yet the men who were around Jesus reacted with offence. They were offended by her extravagance – her wholehearted act revealed the poverty and sin in their hearts. Are we hiding behind a false sense of propriety and a poverty mindset to justify our lack of being all in, holding back from giving God our all?
Where are our treasures? What do we value and what are we putting our efforts in to achieve? Our western culture values money and material possessions, we are told to work hard to develop family security and reserves so that we can enjoy the pleasures of life. Yet, Christ called the rich farmer a fool for planning bigger barns for all his crops so that he could lead a happy retirement. God wants to bless us, but not for our selfish desires, but so that we can be generous with what we have, and when we are generous, to allow Him to multiply what we have given to bring blessings to others. The farmer was placing his trust in world wealth, when the reality was he should have been more concerned about matters of God’s kingdom. Rather than focus on achieving success and wealth in the eyes of the world, we too, need to focus our lives on storing up treasure in heaven by being generous and trustworthy with what God has given us.
We all have God given talents – things that we are good at, and things that make us feel alive and energised. God has given us talents and gifts for the benefit of the community that is the local church. He calls us to use the talent He has given us. How are we using those talents and skills? Are we using them for our own benefit and for that of our immediate family, or are we using them for the benefit of others? Are we doing what we can with what we have or are we keeping things to ourselves? Are we serving generously or do we resent giving of our time and skills? As we all exercise the talents and gifts that God has given us, He will build His church to become the beacon of light and hope that the world so desperately needs.
