Sermons by Joe Khan (Page 34)
Christmas sets us Free
Back at the start of chapter 1 of Luke and that start of our journey to understand the impact of the Christmas story on the lives of people at the time we met an old forgotten priest named Zechariah. He was depressed and isolated but God grabbed a hold of his life and promised him that his prayers (and the prayers of the nation) would be answered. The last words Zechariah spoke before being struck silent were words of unbelief……
God of the Impossible
Some people will say that God is pretty irrelevant to their lives. He might mean something to the guys with white collars and robes sitting in stained-glass churches… but what does God have to do with an average punter like me? Well as we continue to follow the story of Christmas, trying to look below the surface to discover something new, we see that God starts His Christmas stories not with the high and mighty but with the lowly and…
Christmas Changes Everything
It is easy for us in the church to lament the over commercialization of Christmas! When we see all the glossy junk mail, shiny marketing and materialism we can feel as though the real meaning of Christmas has been missed. However, I wonder how much better our understanding of Christmas actually is… aside from “celebrating Jesus’ birthday” what does Christmas really mean to us? How has it changed humanity? How should it change our lives? Join us as we start…
Courageous Womanhood
The beauty industry, friends, family, shallow men and personal desires and insecurities all put unbearable pressure on women in our society. So many women feel the pressure to be excellent at everything for everybody and to look amazing while she is doing it. The church has often been criticized for our views on womanhood with claims that they are archaic and oppressive, but as we dive into the Scriptures we see that God is all about liberating women rather than…
Biblical Manliness
The church is probably the last place people in our society think to look for information on how to be a man. Let’s face it the stereotypical picture of Christian men in the media isn’t that appealing and churches in the west generally have more women than men in attendance. And yet when we look to the Scriptures we not only see plenty of information on manhood, we actually see the essence of manliness; what man was create for in…
Don’t Harden Your Heart!
As we have followed the people of Israel on their journey from Mt Sinai to the Promised Land we have seen their struggles and failures… but if we miss what God is saying to us in the midst of all this we have just wasted our time. The writer to the book of Hebrews, writes to Jewish Christians who were on the verge of giving up on Jesus because of pressure and persecution. In his letter he draws them to…
Snakes of Wrath
Some people try to build unity in the church by pointing out what they believe to be our common enemies. They lead the church into battlefronts against the social and moral problems of our day and it can seem as though we are united. But as we put up our defenses and form barricades against the external threats around us it is possible that we forget about an even greater threat… the threat within! As we come closer to the…
Water of Life
So often in this series we have seen Israel get frustrated with a small thing and let it turn them against God. Yet again in this passage we find the people grumbling and complaining against God and Moses because they have no water. However, this time it is not the sin of Israel that comes under the spotlight. This time it is the sin of Moses! The great leader who had battled so hard to keep the people on track…
Presumptuous Pride
When God handed down His verdict against the cowardly and stiff-necked Israel the nation wept bitterly all night… but when morning came they responded in a way that showed they had not fully come to terms with their sin. As we examine the first few moments after their conviction we will learn how God wants us to respond to our sin and what is His true heart for sinners.
Brain-snap of Faithlessness
We have followed Israel on their journey from Mt Sinai to the Promised Land. This week we find them right on the verge of their greatest victory, taking possession of the land, only to pike at the last minute. As we look at the deeper reasons behind their faithlessness we will find some attitudes we need to avoid. So many people investigate Christianity only to turn away at some point in their journey and leave their faith behind. By God’s…