This is part 12 of the preaching series on John’s Gospel chapters 13 to 17.
This week the sermon is from John 15:26-16:16.
No full notes this week but the sermon is available as a Podcast as usual. This week I was teaching about the person of the Holy Spirit.
The material is made available so that any may use it, preach it or adapt it.
Recently we prayed for our Paster, Graham, as he made his way to Ipswich. Church leaders had heard what One Voice were doing in York and they invited Graham to Ipswich to tell them more. Graham wrote a report on his return and it was evident that all our prayers had been heard. He thinks God may be up to something in our nation as more churches in cities around the country are recognising the value of working together, “it’s all about Jesus”. Graham’s full report is on the One Voice Website, click here.
This is the first in a four part series on the Holy Spirit in 1 Samuel. The HS doesn’t really feature in the narrative until chapter 10 onwards, this sermon is a summary of chapters 1-8 and a bit about the difference between the HS in the Hebrew Old Testament and in the Greek New Testament.
An odd sect seems to be trying to recruit in York. They had been active in the autumn and I thought they had gone. According to reports I have been receiving they have now returned at the beginning of 2008.
The group has been trying to infiltrate churches and has been at work in the York Uni CU. A number of people have reported details to me.
The group displays cultic features that will be familiar to many of us:
- Avoiding revealing, or being evasive about their true identity
- Claiming superiority over other Christian groups
- Claiming to have special revelation that other groups do not have
- A legalistic and joy-less faith which is contrary to the message of grace and the truth we know as “Justification by Faith”.
- Their predatory behaviour
The group members are reluctant to give information as to their real identity. We now think they may be part of ICC (International Church of Christ).
The group seems to be turning up at various events/places and, “Looking for like minded Christians” as they say. A young women had been approaching Christian students on the York Uni campus after they came out of the CU meeting one Saturday evening. An older woman attended our church one Sunday morning, spending a lot of time talking with one of our young female students. I had it reported to me afterwards by the same student that the woman had been trying to recruit.
Sadly it is reported that some zealous, but vulnerable believers in York churches have joined the group already.
These people seem to hold the view that a Christian should not have friendships with non-Christians. They say that dialogue, if not about Jesus/ God, should be limited to practical matters. No wonder then that a loss of joy results. They go on to say that Christians should give all their time to God and should avoid being involved in leisure activities, sports or supporting sports unless it is for the express purpose of evangelism. This teaching is of course contrary to the teaching of Jesus that a believer is to be “in the world” but not part of it.
Christians “should meet together everyday” they say. It is recorded that the early believers met together everyday in defiance of the command of Jesus to go into all the world and make disciples. The believers were eventually thrust out of Jerusalem, into mission, as a result of persecution following the martyrdom of Stephen. If meeting were the magic formula there are many churches who offer such an opportunity such as York Minster - perhaps that is the one true church!?
They also claim that there should be no denominations other than theirs. They believe that ICC is the Kingdom of God.
According to CultWatch the founder of ICC Kip Mckeen has resigned, and repents over misleading believers.
More information can be found about the ICC if you Google “ICC cult“.
Lord, may we see Your protection over Your people in this matter. May Your peace and revelation be a saving grace upon these people in York. Amen
This is part 10 of the preaching series on John’s Gospel chapters 13 to 17.
This week the sermon is from John 15:18-16:4.
The sermon is available as a Podcast. No full notes this week but the scriptures referred to are below.
The material is made available so that any may use it, preach it or adapt it.
Sermon John 15:18-16:4
1) Suffering
1 Peter 1:6-9
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
2) We are different
Children of God, unlike those outside the kingdom.
John 1:12
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God
Condemned/not condemned
John 3:18
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
Having eternal life - being eternal people
1 John 5:13
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
In the light
1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
Already raised
Colossians 3:1
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Shining like stars
Philippians 2:14-16
Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life - in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labour for nothing.
Saved from wrath to come
1 Thessalonians 1:6-10
You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.
The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia- your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead- Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.
3) Water with foot
Deuteronomy 11:10-12
The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden. But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land the LORD your God cares for; the eyes of the LORD your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.
But, the new land/life:
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Drinks rain from heaven.
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The LORD your God cares for it.
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The eyes of the LORD your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.
We prayed blessing upon Alex Appiah when he and his family went out from us to start a new pentecostal church in Market Weighton last year.
The young church there is still very small and Alex would welcome any from our fellowship who would like to visit from time to time to help them. You can talk to Graham to find out more details.
Their meetings on Sundays are from 10:30 to 12:30 at the address below.
Mount Pleasant Jnr SchoolPrincess Rd,
Market Weighton,
York, North Yorkshire,
YO43 3BY
It’s been a while since I’ve worshiped in a service where I didn’t feel like I was “on duty”. I had an opportunity to do that last night at Refresh. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to stay very long, Refresh starts at 9.30pm and has no advertised finishing time. Someone suggested that it wasn’t unusual for it to finish at 2am. Now that I’m not a full time student I don’t have the luxury of sleeping in for very long. Refresh takes place ad hoc about once per term, currently at Heslington Church, it’s an open format worship service. To get in touch with the students who run it please contact the church office mail@REMOVEyork-epc.org.uk (Spamming programmes don’t know to delete the word “REMOVE”).
We are getting news from our Elim Kenya leadership and other partners in that nation. The picture they paint is one of chaos and absolute horror with houses and churches being burned and people killed.
Our Elim Kenya General Superintendent says,
“So far the Elim Pentecostal Church has lost two churches, one in Nairobi and one in Eldoret. Most of our church members have been misplaced and killed. I have 22 families camping in my home. Transport has been damaged and shops looted. A convoy of buses and lorries carrying displaced people cannot move without paramilitary escort. People are having a difficult time picking up bodies and taking them to various hospital mortuaries, which are getting congested.”
We rise with many believers around the world and pray for mercy and grace.
A discussion about two interesting individuals mentioned in Luke 2, Simeon and Anna.
As usual the sermon is available as a Podcast, no PDF notes this time because Graham only used a few notes.
For a full report of the fantastic night we had in York Minster on New Year’s Eve check out this One Voice article.
