Category Archives: Bible

What are you really passionate about?

What are you passionate about? I mean really passionate about? Or put another way, What do you care about most?  It may be a burden we carry, a call we’ve received, a dream we have, or a vision we’ve glimpsed. Whatever you call it, passion is the God-given desire to make a difference somewhere. What you are passionate about? We are all passionate about someone or something.

It might be your wife or your husband, a girlfriend or a boyfriend, maybe its your children, your grandchildren, your family, a hobby, some cause, a sport or maybe the armed forces. Today we are remembering with gratitude those who gave their lives in the service of their country. Passionate about defending our country. Passionate about protecting our democracy. Passionate enough to give their lives. You may not be called to give your life up but if you are a Christian you have been called to invest your life in His majesty’s service. What are you passionate about?  Others can easily tell even if you can’t. When someone asks you about your passion, you come alive, your eyes open wide, your pupils dilate, you raise your voice, you become animated, your skin has more colour, you can’t stop talking about it, you feel energized. What are you passionate about? In John’s gospel we find Jesus encouraging us to be passionate about three things. To develop a passion for God, a passion for the Church and a passion for the lost.

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Evangelical Theology & American Politics in the Middle East

On September 12th, following the tragic news of the murder of Ambassador Stevens, together with members of his staff, sheltering in the US Consulate in Benghazi, a grief stricken Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton asked a simple question. A question that was on the lips of many Americans: “How could this happen in a country we helped liberate, in a city we helped save from destruction?” Andrew Bacevich, writing in Newsweek, asks,

“Why the Arab anger against the United States? Why the absence of gratitude among the very people the United States helped save, in the very countries Americans helped liberate? The way Secretary Clinton frames the question practically guarantees a self-satisfying but defective answer.”

The question, he argues, is predicated on three propositions that are regarded as sacrosanct by most US politicians and policy makers.

“First: humanity yearns for liberation, as defined in Western (meaning predominantly liberal and secular terms). Second: the United States has a providentially assigned role to nurture and promote this liberation… Third: given that American intentions are righteous and benign (most of the time) – the exercise of US power on a global scale merits respect and ought to command compliance.”[i]

I would add a fourth proposition, assumed as self evident, especially among Evangelicals, that, as God’s ‘chosen people’ the security of the State of Israel is synonymous with US interests in the Middle East and her God ordained role.

The problem is that the Arab world and Muslims, in particular, do not only not share these propositions, they repudiate them theologically. It is not that they do not aspire to political freedom from despotic rulers and oppressive governments. The Arab Spring has shown that many do indeed hunger for freedom. The problem is, observes Bacevich, “that 21st century Muslims don’t necessarily buy America’s 21st century definition of it – a definition increasingly devoid of moral content.”

Freedom of speech is assumed sacrosanct even if it offends those of other religions. Whether the movie, Innocence of Muslims was indeed responsible for sparking Muslim outrage and the subsequent violence against US interests is irrelevant. The promotion of the film by Fundamentalist Christians and their antipathy toward Islam certainly is.  What we tend to ignore, while Muslims cannot forget, it the simple fact is that for more than 100 years, Christians in the USA and Europe have sponsored, defended, funded and sustained the Zionist enterprise in preference to developing normative relations with the Arab world.

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Does God have a Purpose for my Life?

Does God have a Purpose for my Life? from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

Over the next few weeks we are going to discover God’s plan for his Church and your place within it.

Each week we will ask one question. As we begin the series today, the question I want us to answer is this, “Does God have a purpose for my life?” Yes he does. In fact the Bible tells us that God has at least five purposes for our lives.

  1. We were planned for God’s pleasure – to know him and love him (John 17:3).
  2. We were formed for God’s family – to find a spiritual home and family (Acts 2:42).
  3. We were created to become like Christ – revealing his character (Galatians 5:22-23).
  4. We were shaped for serving God – with a unique mix of talents, skills and passion for serving in the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12).
  5. We were made for a mission – to introduce other people to God’s five purposes for them too – to win, build and send (Matthew 28:18-20).

Without knowing our God-given purpose we can so easily become driven by destructive influences. Here are three of the most common that drive people.

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Jesus is the Son of God

Wednesday was our monthly day of prayer and fasting. In the evening we prayed for Kylie serving in India, for Francis and Georgina moving to Holland and for Ian and Suzanne going soon to Uganda.

But what if you knew I fast and pray every Wednesday. Impressed? And not just during the day but through the night as well? Twenty four hours of prayer and fasting. More impressed? But what if you knew I do it standing on top of a tall tree stump at the bottom of our garden, in all weather, on one leg. Incredulous? Well don’t be, because I don’t, at least not on one leg… or on a tree stump… but you get the point.

You know what? Every religion in the world has one basic thing in common. They tell you what you must do to get right with God. Fulfilling the appropriate rituals, saying the correct prayers, wearing the approved clothing, giving the required tithes. And the more you do, and the more you give and pray and sacrifice, the more holy you must be. Right?

Wrong.  You see religion is mankind’s best attempt to reach God. Christianity is God reaching down to us.  It is not about what I must do, but about what God has done. You see, Christianity is not a religion, it’s a relationship. For many this is a crushing blow to their pride or their security.  They prefer religion to a relationship.  Let’s meet someone who felt just like that.

His name was Nicodemus. Please turn with me to John 3.

Jesus is the Son of God from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

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Jesus is the True Temple

“The Temple Mount is like a smouldering volcano that is bubbling and threatening to erupt – a threat that is liable to endanger Israel’s existence.’ That was the summary of a report delivered to the Israeli prime minister by the former head of the Israeli secret service and by the former police commissioner. And the tragedy is this – some misguided Christians it seems are ready to light the fuse. Many Christians raised on the Scofield Reference Bible and books by authors like Hal Lindsey are convinced the Jewish Temple must be rebuilt so that it can be desecrated by the Anti-Christ, before Jesus can return. Hal Lindsey writes,

“Obstacle or no obstacle, it is certain that the Temple will be rebuilt. Prophecy demands it… [is] the most important sign of Jesus Christ’s soon coming is before us… It is like the key piece of a jigsaw puzzle being found… For all those who trust in Jesus Christ, it is a time of electrifying excitement.[1]

With Christians in the Middle East targeted because of the provocative film “Innocence of Muslims, with the church in Iraq decimated because of Western intervention, with civil war raging in Syria, and speculation mounting about a pre-emptive strike against Iran by Israel, I have to say the Christians I know in the Middle East don’t exactly see this as a time of ‘electrifying excitement’.

Orthodox Jews 3 times a day that the Temple will be rebuilt in their life time. And Zionist fundamentalists are dedicated to destroying the Dome of the Rock to achieve it.

But what on earth would cause Bible-believing Christians to agree with them on such a provocative act? If you want to explore what the Bible says about relationship between Israel and the Church and the place of the Temple today, check out my book, Zion’s Christian Soldiers, available from the church bookstore.

This morning I want us to explore what Jesus thinks about the idea. What does Jesus have to say about the Jewish Temple? Please turn with me to John 2:12.

“After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days. When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.” (John 2:12-13)

Jesus the True Temple from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

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Jesus is the Suffering Servant

The Book of Isaiah, written around 700 years before the coming of Jesus Christ, is quoted more times in the New Testament than any other book of the Hebrew Scriptures. Why is that? 754 of Isaiah’s 1292 verses are predicting the future. That means 59% of Isaiah is prophecy.  Isaiah contains 11 direct prophecies concerning Jesus and it is cited or alluded to in at least 50 NT passages. Why? Why? Lets find out.

With the eyes of faith we see Isaiah 53 so explicitly refers to the Lord Jesus it doesn’t need much by way of explanation. Indeed it became so obvious that Isaiah was referring to Jesus after he was crucified and rose again from the dead, that, as the Church separated from the Synagogue, Isaiah 53 was no longer read as part of the Jewish lectionary.  There are five paragraphs, each of three verses, and it begins in chapter 52:13.

1. The Predicted Saviour: The Servant’s Role (52:13-15)
2. The Rejected Saviour: The Servant’s Life (53:1-3)
3. The Representative Saviour: The Servant’s Suffering (53:4-6)
4. The Crucified Saviour: The Servant’s Death (53:7-9)
5. The Glorious Saviour: The Servant’s Resurrection (53:10-12)

Jesus : the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53) from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

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Jesus is God’s Sovereign King

Signs can be very useful. Some signs tell you the obvious. Some signs leave it to your imagination. Sometimes signs tell you what lies ahead. Some signs tell others what you don’t really want them to know. Some signs tell you more than they probably should. Sometimes they tell you what to look out for. Sometimes they tell more about the writer than the sign itself. Sometimes signs should not be taken too literally. Sometimes signs are just plain confusing.  But the best ones show us the way to heaven. In our Bible reading today we learn about the greatest sign in the world.

“What Jesus did here in Cana was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples put their faith in him.” (John 2:11)

Sometimes reading the end of a story helps you understand the beginning – and the middle bit too. That is true in this case. What happened at that wedding in Cana was therefore a sign. A sign that revealed who Jesus is, and why he came from heaven to earth. It was the first miraculous sign Jesus gave, so it was very important. It was very special.

And at the very end of the Gospel of John, to make sure we are in no doubt, John explains why he has highlighted particular signs. He says,

“Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:30-31)

Jesus The Sovereign King (John 2) from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

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Jesus – the King of the Jews

I am sure you have been appalled at the violence we have witnessed in the Middle East this week. One of the first and most perceptive challenges to the makers of the provocative film “Innocence of Muslims”, comes from a fellow evangelical pastor and film maker, Steve Martin. On his blog The New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good, he writes,

“I have no sympathy for anyone who would assassinate a US ambassador. But I have even less sympathy for filmmakers who spread hatred and for pastors who knowingly incite violence.”

He then asks,

“Which is the true story of America? Is it that of hatred that stokes violence, or of friends who join hands across religious lines to work for the good of all? Those who attacked Amb. Stevens, thanks to sociopaths like Terry Jones and filmmaker Sam Bacile, believe we are a violent people bent on domination. Sadly, there is some truth to that perception. But I believe that goodness and love is the true story of America, and certainly of the Evangelical community. Goodness and love, however, rarely make good news. It’s time that they do.”

Jesus is the King of the Jews from Stephen Sizer on Vimeo.

While the film “The Innocence of Muslims” which denigrates Mohammed, continues to inflame tensions across the Middle East, another incident this week typifies how some Jewish fundamentalists portray Jesus. Vandals from an illegal Jewish settlement near Jerusalem set fire to the entrance door of the Latrun Monastery early Tuesday and spray-painted slogans like “Jesus is a monkey”.

Upsetting? How should we react? The best way to introduce Muslims to Jesus is not to denigrate Islam or cast aspersions on Mohammed. The best way to introduce Jews to Jesus is not to denigrate Judaism or demonise Israel. The best way is the simplest way, to demonstrate the love of Jesus and invite them to meet him too.

These Sunday mornings through the Autumn, we are exploring John’s Gospel discovering that Jesus is indeed God’s love in person. So far we have discovered from John 1, that Jesus is nothing less than God on earth and that Jesus is the Lamb of God, the one who takes away our sin. Today I want us to realise that Jesus is also the Jewish Messiah.

As we sit at the feet of the Master, notice three parts:

Andrew tells Peter and they follow Jesus (John 1:35-42)
Philip tells Nathaniel and they follow Jesus (John 1:43-49)
Jesus confirms their faith and promises more (John 1:50-51)

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