From time to time I put sermons I give up here. Not because I think they are particularly good, even less that they are model sermons. I can't even guarantee that I agree with everything I said then - I am (of course) learning all the time. But someone may be interested.
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Before I started in full-time Christian ministry, I did various different jobs. The one I spent most time on was software development, but I've done other things as well. I've done data entry, I've done outbound telly marketing, I've done recruitment consultancy — all kinds of different things.
Do you ever find yourself listening in to somebody else's conversation? It could happen for a number of different reasons. It could simply be that you or they are being indiscreet. You're just being nosy or rude. You're on a train, and somebody else in the carriage is having a fascinating conversation about what they did on their night out last night, and it's just too interesting not to listen in.
If there is bad news, it is better to know it than to be in the dark. Some of you work in the medical profession, and there are a number of thankless tasks that fall to you as doctors and nurses and healthcare professionals. You don't need me to tell you that, at times, your job is tough. One of the tasks that must be the most difficult is bringing the news to somebody that an illness they thought was mild is actually far more serious than they first thought. But you know that you need to find a way to share that news with them. You can't go, "They're not ready to hear this.
There are many different kinds of Christian book that get published. One of them is the missionary biography: stories that tell how someone of a previous generation took the good news of Jesus Christ to a part of the world where he had never been heard of. Frequently, these stories include some dramatic accounts of God intervening to help. There are many difficulties encountered — someone perhaps about to run out of money, and they prayed, and providentially the next ship from London carried everything that they needed.
Let me ask you a question: what kind of thing is Christianity? Or maybe you say, “Okay, that's obvious — it's a religion.” Or maybe it is. Maybe that's a helpful label; maybe it's not.
Some people helpfully point out that religions generally are about the human race trying to climb up a ladder towards God, whereas Christianity is about God coming down from heaven to reach us. So in some ways, the label “religion” is not helpful when applied to Christianity. This is something different from anything else called a religion.
Part of being a Christian is to witness to other people about the Lord Jesus Christ. Some of you are really pleased to hear that. I suspect a number of us had been secretly hoping nobody would ever say that to us, because we find the thought of speaking about the Lord Jesus with others terrifying and difficult. If that is you, you're not alone. Lots of people find it difficult.
Part of being a Christian is to witness to other people about the Lord Jesus Christ. Some of you are really pleased to hear that. I suspect a number of us had been secretly hoping nobody would ever say that to us, because we find the thought of speaking about the Lord Jesus with others terrifying and difficult. If that is you, you're not alone. Lots of people find it difficult.
In this country, many church leaders first cut their teeth in how to give a talk, lead a Bible study, disciple individuals, through helping as a member of a team on a youth camp. At these youth camps, many fun activities were put on for the young people to enjoy during the day, and in the evening there would be a tour—a meeting at which some songs would be sung, and the Christian gospel would be run through over the course of the various evenings of the holiday.
Let me take you to the beginning of the world of Harry Potter. Now, I know a few of you, as Christians, feel uncomfortable with Harry Potter and think that it is not helpful for Christian kids to be reading books about the world of magic and whatever. If that is you, please do not switch off and fail to hear the rest of this sermon because of that one thing. I am not endorsing the books; I am simply using the storyline, which has become part of our lore in this country, to introduce the sermon and nothing else.
Let me start by asking the question with which Lee ended last week, which is this: what is the purpose of the church?
Now, there are lots of right answers to that question. The church is lots and lots of things, but there's a very particular focus to that question in these verses we're looking at this morning.