Ben Gibbins's Sermons

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Jesus is the Saviour of the world because the world needs a saviour. We need food for energy, but Jesus is fueled and energised by doing the will of his Father. In initiating a conversation with a Samaritan woman, Jesus breaks down barriers. If we try to pretend to be better than we really are then we don’t appreciate how good Jesus is.

Rejoicing doesn’t mean always feeling joyful, but tuning in to what is really there. Paul rejoices even though he’s in prison, because Christ is being preached, because the Philippians are like-minded and because they’re in Christ.

God speaks because he wants to relate to us, not because we’ve earned this but because of his grace. He fulfils what he says, even with flawed human beings. And God makes us laugh - we can revel in our weakness because it shows God’s strength and power.

It can sometimes look as if worldly powers are king, but the Bible says that we reign in life. Abraham recognised Melchizedek as greater than he himself was, and Melchizedek points to Jesus. Jesus is king. We say that with our mouths, but is he really king over our lives? Do we really submit our entire lives to him?

We should be trustworthy at all times, and therefore have no need to take oaths. If we feel the need to take oaths then it suggests that our word cannot be trusted otherwise.

Because God came as both Jesus (Saviour) and Immanuel (God with us) we can know him and be saved from our sins.

If we focus on other people’s faults, we don’t keep our eyes on what we should be doing. We shouldn’t judge others because when we do, we are looking in the wrong place with a wrong attitude, we are putting ourselves above the law, and we damage church unity. We should deal with our own faults, loving others instead of judging, and remembering that it’s up to God to judge.

There are four steps to dealing with our inner desires and temptations. We should keep our eye on the end goal; realise where the temptation comes from and where it leads; deal with our desire, not just our actions; and remember God’s goodness and good gifts to us.

Jesus is our foundation. We can build on this foundation using either stones or straw, and what we build will be tested on quality not quantity.

Jesus can calm our troubles. He tells us that we can trust in him, that he is preparing a room for us in Heaven, that he is coming back to take us to be with him, and that he is the underlying reality behind the appearance.

Joseph forgave his brothers with weeping and embraces, but years later they weren’t totally sure he’d truly forgiven them. We can find it hard to accept God’s forgiveness but he has truly forgiven us.

When we are struggling and our dreams are dying, God is still blessing us and he is still with us. So when we are tempted to self-pity we should recall all the blessing we’ve had and every answered prayer.

Even though the disciples have gone back to their old way of life, Jesus meets them where they are and blesses them. He knows we’re human, and he reinstates us when we fail.

Like Timothy, we are men and women of God, holy people and children of God, and so we are encouraged to live accordingly.

Phinehas was jealous for God’s honour. We should have the same attitude towards God’s honour. Sin does not honour God and so it needs to be killed.

God’s kingdom extended beyond Israel and it extends beyond our church. The kingdom extends when we have faith and are forgiving, like Naaman’s servant girl, when we are unimpressed with the things of this world and seek to heal the sick, like Elisha, and when we are obedient to God’s word, like Naaman.

Moses faced a big decision: should he merely accept God’s promises for Israel, or should he ask for something more, relationship with God himself?

The religious leaders wanted Jesus killed out of self-interest, the crowds just followed the leaders without examining the facts, and Pilate chose to serve the crowd rather than his conscience or justice. They all deserved to die, and we can often be like them. But even those who deserve to die can be forgiven.