Last Sunday, I gave this sermon at my old church, St Andrews Mt Pleasant, just outside Charleston, SC. They were in a sermon series on ‘Encounters with Jesus’, and we were considering the feeding of the 5000 in John 6:1-15. Watch the Video here: Or you can listen to it here: The takeaway: Bring all you’ve got;Leave it all to Him;Jesus has got this! Questions for discussion:
Category: Sermons
Content in Christ!
This talk is the fourth in a series I gave on the book of Philippians this past summer. To listen to it, click Below: Content in Christ – 3 Promises – Peace, Power, Provision Have you ever been through something really grim and been ‘comforted’ by someone who clearly hasn’t got a clue what they’re talking about? They haven’t been through what you’re experiencing, so it rings hollow and you actually just want to tell them where to go! But when someone listens deeply and you know they ‘get’ it, you really listen to them. I listen to Paul because […]
Journeying with Jesus
This talk is the third in a series I gave on the book of Philippians this past summer. To listen to it, Click Below: This chapter starts with faith, continues with resurrection power, and ends with glory! I’ll share some of the illustrations I used, and finish with some useful questions for reflection. A new convert approached Watchman Nee in deep anguish of soul, saying, “No matter how much I pray, no matter how hard I try, I simply cannot seem to be faithful to my Lord. I think I’m losing my salvation.” Watchman Nee replied, “Do you see this […]
Christ Likeness
This talk is the second in the series I gave on the book of Philippians this past summer. To listen to it, click the Audio Link below: I love to illustrate and quote people, and this is just one of the stunning stories I use of God’s Sovereign purposes coming to fruition in this message… and there’s some reflection questions to help focus our thinking. In Uvira, Democratic Republic of Congo, just across the lake from us in Burundi, I’ve preached there and seen the missionary graves. In 1921, David and Svea Flood went with their two-year-old son from Sweden […]
The Win/Win of Being All-in
Recently I preached this series of talks on the book of Philippians, so below is the first of four talks. Some thoughts / quotes / illustrations from the talk: The key takeaway for me is that Paul is totally out of control (in prison), and yet totally confident of God being in control! And so it is for me and you, whatever you’re going through, that’s the case. I need to hear that. Here are some of the juicy quotes I used, plus at the end some questions to reflect on: Eldredge talks along these lines: “Choosing to see life […]
Living in the Light and Living as Light
This is a sermon from a few months ago given at Spring Harvest in Skegness. My given title was ‘Living in the Light and Living as Light’ Ephesians 5:8-13 ‘For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated […]
Kingdom Commission! Isaiah 61:1-4
There is a Thomas the Tank Engine cartoon that pictures Thomas on his side, having fallen off the train tracks. He is shouting, ‘I’m free! I’m free at last. I’ve fallen off the rails and I’m free!’ Of course, the reality is that Thomas is far more ‘free’ when his wheels are on the rails and he is operating in line with how he has been created to function.’ I preached this sermon at All Saints Weston Sunday evening on the back of a massive sucker punch on my return from Burundi Thursday, and the combination of physical weariness from […]
Gospel Confidence
As I look around, I think it’s fair to say we lack gospel confidence in this country. For what it’s worth, I want you to know that yesterday, more people came to faith in Jesus than any other day in the history of humanity. The kingdom of God is advancing! So, last month I’m preaching in the bush in Burundi to about 3000 people, and we’re very clear in the appeal, only come forward if it’s your first time to choose to follow Jesus… and that night, 224 people responded. That’s one outreach in the middle of nowhere. I pray […]
Battle Stations!
Last Sunday, I preached at Emmanuel Croydon to finish off their Ephesians series with chapter 6 and the Armour of God. I entitled it ‘Battle Stations!’ Do take a listen here: And below are a few juicy quotes: John Piper: “Probably the number one reason why prayer malfunctions in the hands of believers is that we try to turn a wartime walkie-talkie into a domestic intercom. Until you know that life is war, you cannot know what prayer is for… But what have millions of Christians done? We have stopped believing that we are in a war. No urgency, no […]
Pursuing His Power
WARNING: This blog contains two prayers which could radically alter your life. If you’d rather things stay as they are, then please stop here. This is the fourth talk in the ‘Hot Pursuit’ series, delivered at Lee Abbey in August. Pursuing His Presence Pursuing His Peace Pursuing His Purpose Pursuing His Power You can listen here: Some notes/quotes/illustrations from the talk: Some years ago a young man looking for work approached a foreman of a logging crew and asked him for a job. “It depends,” replied the foreman “lets see you take this one down”. The young man stepped forward, and skillfully felled a […]
Pursuing His Purpose
This is the third talk in the ‘Hot Pursuit’ series, delivered at Lee Abbey in August. Pursuing His Presence Pursuing His Peace Pursuing His Purpose Pursuing His Power This is the story of one of my heroes: Robert Jermaine Thomas (1839-1866) from Kingsley Armstrong’s book: After Robert Thomas found the Lord, he began preaching at age 15. He went to train at New College, London; met Caroline Godfrey, got engaged, married, ordained and sailed to China the same year. In 1863 Robert said goodbye to his homeland. He was twenty-four when he travelled with his new wife on a ship from Gravesend […]
Pursuing His Peace
This is the second talk in the ‘Hot Pursuit’ series, delivered at Lee Abbey in August. Pursuing His PresencePursuing His Peace Pursuing His PurposePursuing His Power You can listen here: Some notes/quotes/illustrations from the talk: Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” What is Shalom? Completeness, soundness, welfare, peace. At ease, favour, health, peaceful, prosperity, safety, secure, security, rest, trust in relationships, wellness, well-being. Acknowledge your fear Become aware of his presence Claim his promises “The beginning of fear is the end of faith; the beginning of true faith is the […]
Pursuing His Presence
This series of sermons was delivered at Lee Abbey in August under the title ‘Hot Pursuit’. I’ll release them over the next few weeks in turn. Pursuing His PresencePursuing His PeacePursuing His PurposePursuing His Power What are you pursuing? In greyhound racing, the dogs are trained to chase after a mechanical rabbit, which is controlled by a man in the press box. He keeps the rabbit just in front of the dogs so that they keep chasing it as fast as they can. During one race at a Florida track, as the dogs hurtled after the rabbit, there was an […]
Resurrection Life!
This sermon was from my recent trip to Charleston, South Carolina, delivered at the Cathedral Church downtown. Jesus said: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”(John 11:25-26)I tell the story of my friend Providence, who died in 2012, but is still alive today! Try to get your head around that one – you can read her amazing story here. Here are a couple of quotes from the talk: Shortly before Moody graduated to glory, he said: “Someday you will read […]
How is your heart?
This talk was given at my local church, St Andrew’s Community Church, as part of their sermon series on 1 Samuel. Below are a few quotes and notes from it for your perusal: Samuel Chadwick: ‘It is a wonder what God can do with a broken heart, if He gets all the pieces.’ “Until we give God our heart, we give him nothing at all.” J.C.Ryle Dmitri was a Russian factory worker imprisoned after the house church he pastored grew to 150 people. He was sent 1,000 miles away to a hardened criminal facility full of 1,500 prisoners. As far […]
Patience for the Long Haul
Lessons from James This is the final of five talks given at Lee Abbey in the summer, do take a listen or download it below. The previous four in the series were: Persevering Through Trials Walking the Talk Taming the Tongue Humility in Submission Below are some profoundly challenging stories and quotes to stir your faith and mull over: There’s a certain type of bamboo in Asia which grows to prodigious heights and at prodigious speeds – sometimes as much as 60 feet in six weeks. However, before that growth spurt, the seed lies in the dark beneath the ground […]
Humility in Submission
Lessons from James This is the fourth of five talks given at Lee Abbey in the summer, do take a listen or download it below. The previous three in the series were: Persevering Through Trials Walking the Talk Taming the Tongue Below are some funny/moving stories and anecdotes, and some juicy quotes to mull over: On a flight from Johannesburg, a middle-aged, well-off white South African lady had found herself sitting next to an African man. She called the cabin crew attendant over to complain about her seating. “What seems to be the problem Madam?” asked the attendant. “Can’t you see?” […]
Taming the Tongue
Lessons from James This is the third of five talks given at Lee Abbey in the summer, do take a listen or download it below. The previous two in the series were: Persevering Through Trials Walking the Talk An old legend tells how a man was once lost for days in a dark forest and stumbled across an imposing barn. He sought shelter inside it because of the howling winds. His eyes grew quickly accustomed to the dark, and he was amazed to discover that this barn was where the devil kept his storehouse of seeds. These were the seeds […]
Walking the Talk
Lessons from James This is the second of five talks given at Lee Abbey in the summer (first talk here). Do take a listen or download it here: Below are some notes from my talk: A vicar was too busy to help a homeless lady who was needing help, so he fobbed her off with a promise to pray for her, and then continued on his way. She wrote the following poem and gave it to a local Shelter officer: I was hungry, and you formed a humanities group to discuss my hunger.I was imprisoned, and you crept off quietly […]
Lessons from James: Persevering through Trials
James 1 This is the first of five talks given at Lee Abbey in the summer, do take a listen here: Have you had a bad day recently? Rebecca Dudley, editor of News Tribune, wrote: “Paul Johnson, 37, a mechanic from Maitland, had a day to forget last Tuesday. During the morning, he pushed his motorcycle from the patio into his living room, where he began to clean the engine with some rags and a bowl of petrol. When he finished, he sat on the motorcycle and decided to start it to make sure everything was still OK. Unfortunately, the […]