Philip Burns

Rev Philip Burns is the minister of Bendigo Presbyterian Church.

‘Lessons from a pile of stones’ (Joshua 4:1-24)

AudioPhilip

All kinds of memories can be evoked by certain sounds, sights or smells. In Joshua 4:1-24, God instructed the people of Israel to gather large stones from the bed of the River Jordan while the waters were held back and to create a memorial on the banks of the river. By this memorial, the people of Israel were taught to remember the Lord’s power who saved them, to fear the Lord’s name because it is great and to know for sure that they were His people. All believers know of God’s saving grace and can testify to what God has done by the power of the gospel at work. They will also know that God no longer bears witness through memorials but does so through His ‘living stones’ who can speak openly of His grace at work in them.

 

‘First, you get your feet wet…’ (Joshua 3:1-17)

AudioPhilip

After the encouragement Joshua received through the conversion and rescue of Rahab, the next obstacle in his way was the flooded Jordan River which lay between the people of Israel and the Promised Land. However, as we read in  Joshua 3:1-17, God knew what He was doing, and arranged it so that when the priests of Israel placed their feet in the flowing water, it stopped flowing and stood up in a heap. It was a miracle of a similar order to the crossing of the Red Sea under Moses. And by it, God showed His people that He was able to get them into the land, just as He had got them out of the land of Egypt. He can be trausted to complete what He has begun

‘Watching the hand of God at work’ (Joshua 2:1-24)

Philip

After Joshua assumed the mantle of leading the people of Israel into the promised land, he would have been greatly encouraged by the report of the spies he sent into the city of Jericho. There, as is found in Joshua 2:1-24, they were received by the a prostitute named Rahab, who not only confessed that she had come to believe in the living God but whose actions in giving the spies a safe hiding place, proved the reality of her faith. Before any battle for the land or for Jericho, Joshua discovered that God’s plans were for the salvation of all he would call – even Rahab and her family.

‘Following the leading footsteps’ (Joshua 1:1-18)

AudioPhilip

After Moses’ death, the mantle of leading the people of Israel into the promised land fell upon the man of God’s choosing, Joshua. Though Joshua had been Moses’ apprentice, this was no small task! But God’s appointing is also his enabling and in Joshua 1:1-18, God gave Joshua clear instructions in the way he should go, always depending upon God’s promises and His Word to be his guide. At the start of the new year, it it is good to put these principles into action and go forward trusting in God’s precious and very great promises.

‘A bright hope for God’s people in a dark time’ (Micah 5:1-5)

AudioPhilip

When the prophet Micah spoke up, things were looking very grim for the nation of Israel. The Assyrians were threatening to invade and idolatry and corruption were high. The prophecy recorded in Micah 5:1-5 reminds us that he looked forward to better days ahead for the people of God and it would all stem from the arrival of a ruler who would come from Bethlehem. Matthew’s gospel picks up this theme and points to the birth of Jesus as the fulfilment of that prophecy, and in turn, gives God’s people a sure hope in these similarly dark times.

‘The Christ of Christmas – who He really is’ (Colossians 1:15-18)

AudioPhilip

In a world where people are happy enough to enterain thoughts and listen to songs about Jesus in the manger, Colossians 1:15-18 brings another perspective. The Apostle Paul tells us that Jesus is no longer in the manger as a harmless child, but is fully God, to whom all things belong and for whom all things exist, who demands the absolutely first place in our lives. He can demand this because He is Lord and because He proved His love for mankind by paying the price of our sins by His own blood.

‘Ouch! Did Jesus really say that about love?’ (Matthew 5:43-48)

AudioPhilip

In a world where prejudice and racism is rife, Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:43-48 concerning loving our enemies, cut right through to the heart. His disciples, who belong to His upside down Kingdom, are not to be like the world or the Pharisees who believe that God’s law encouraged them to ‘hate their enemies’. There is no such Old Testament law! Instead, Jesus taught that His disciples ought to exercise inclusion (embracing all kinds of people) and practise imitiation of our Heavenly Father who sends rain upon all kinds of people. Imitating that undiscriminating kind of love is nothing less than what Jesus taught and showed in His death securing our salvation. His love was at great cost to Himself!

‘Ouch! Did Jesus really say that about offences?’ (Matthew 5:38-42)

AudioPhilip

Because of what Jesus taught in Matthew 5:38-42, some have concluded that Jesus was anti-war and others that he was a pacifist. Though his words have been misinterpreted over the years, Jesus did teach that in the lives of His followers there is no room for taking revenge, there must be much room for our lives for forgiveness and plentiful room in our hearts for love – even for those who would strike, offend or use us. There will be many times when our rights are trodden on. Jesus knew all about that. he chose to give us His rights for our sake and by doing so saved us, that we might be His and learn to live His way of forgiveness in response.