Andy spoke on Nehemiah chapter 8 talking about the Israelites gathering in the square after rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. He compared it to the church: the people of God gathering together in unity, hearing and being taught from God’s word and then celebrating and worshipping God. Andy’s word for DCBC was ‘The joy of the Lord is your strength’. He then went on to talk about Jesus being joyful quoting Luke 10v21 and Hebrews 8v1.
The reading was John chapter 21 where Jesus visits His disciples on the beach after His resurrection and cooks breakfast for them. Malcolm spoke of Peter being in a place of Spiritual denial having rejected Jesus so publicly. The message was that the Christian life isn’t one of no problems, but that things happen which can cause us to step away from God. We have been saved so we are not in the Enemy’s camp, but we are also not living fully in the presence and promises of God. This is a dangerous place to be in and we can be lead deeper into sin and further away from God. Where once we had fellowship with God, in this place there is only numbness. Satan is the one who leads us into this darkness and Jesus is the only way back into the fullness of God’s blessings. As we see with Peter in the passage, Jesus is the healer, restorer and redeemer.