Ben Gibbins's Sermons

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.

Each disciple of Jesus is called to follow him and walk the way of the cross. This will involve hardship and will sometimes require the letting go of things to which we want to hold on.

We are in a battle for contentment which can only be found in God’s glory. In order to be content we need to set aside pride and deal with our reactions to things.

Whatever circumstances we find ourselves in, we can always find joy in what God has done, and wait patiently for what he is yet to do. The Psalmist gives us a lesson from farming.

In difficult and challenging times we can know that God is still at work and that he still loves us.

Learning from the story of Gideon how believing God’s word takes us from weak, fearful people to those who can do all things through Christ.

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Learning from Paul, the great apostle, about how to boast and delight in our weaknesses in order that Christ’s strength may rest on us.

Knowing how good God really is encourages us to pursue him as those in whom Christ dwells, and in whom his Spirit he has generously poured out.

Learning from Moses how to handle hardships and learning from the Israelites how not to.

Jesus commissions his worshippers to go and share his love without fear because He is always with us.

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We can love one another increasingly because God first loved us, and if we love, God will live in us. It is not a feeling but a serving love.

We know that we have eternal life because God lives in us through his Spirit helping us love one another and to live in love.

The gap between us and God is huge, but God loves us. This is love - not primarily what God has done, but what God essentially is.