Matthew 5:23-24 None of us likes to be blamed for things we did not do or say, especially if we are sure it’s not true. And we don’t like to be blamed for things we did say or do either! This is especially the case when the words or actions have resulted in hurt, or …
Taking the sting out of personal disagreements
A sermon by Rod Benson Matthew 7:1-5 “You hypocrite! First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Some of us are so familiar with hearing these words of Jesus, recorded in Matthew 7:5, that the shock they presented to his …
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The good side of personal conflict
A sermon by Rod Benson 1 Corinthians 10:31-33 At U2 concerts in the early 90s, a regular part of the show featured criticism of George H.W. Bush. In fact, front man Bono used to call the White House in the middle of the concert to try to get a chance to speak to the 41st …
The way of transformation
Statue of John Wesley by Paul Raphael Montford, Melbourne, Australia, 1935. A sermon by Rod Benson Psalm 1 When I was growing up in Papua New Guinea I attended a school where religious education was taught every Friday, and I remember a Swiss missionary, Mrs Jungen, who with her husband Erwin had been pioneer missionaries …
The display of God’s splendour
A sermon by Rod Benson Isaiah 61:1-3 Many years ago, a Bible teacher from the Plymouth Brethren movement named Harold Paisley, the brother of the fiery Irish Presbyterian minister, the Reverend Ian Paisley, said to me that in any congregation or gathering of God’s people there will be some who are struggling with grief, or …
