Sermons by Michael Howell (Page 14)
Michael Howell
The Greatest Invitation
Isaiah 55:1-13 God issues a universal and urgent invitation to us to come to the banquet of grace. To accept the invitation is to repent, turning from our wicked ways and thoughts. Those who do will experience the mercy of the God who fully pardons and know that their future is certain and better than they could ever imagine.
Eternal
God is eternal. We are not. This reality should shape the way we live now and the way we view the future. Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom (Ps 90:14).
Self-Existent
The first of our series on some of the ways that God is different from us. God is self-existent. He has no origin and he is the origin of all things. This truth should shape the way we depend on him for life, the way we understand and use our creativity and the way we worship.
No more barriers
Acts 8:26-40 The Ethiopian could say, “what can stand in the way of my being baptised?” because he had come to understand that nothing stood between him and God. As we celebrate baptisms, let us rejoice in the fact that in Jesus, God has removed all the barriers that exist between us and him.
Setting things right
Isaiah 41:20-42:17Things are not right in our world. The exiles in Babylon knew this in a very specific way. But in a more general sense, so too do we. In our passage today, Isaiah points us to the one who would enter this “not-right” world and make things right, the true Servant of the Lord.
The Perfect King
Psalm 72 paints for us the picture of a perfect King, one who brings justice, peace, prosperity and more to his people. But no human king ever came close to being this kind of king. We’re left longing for the truly perfect king. And that’s what we have in Jesus. When he is king, and only then, will we get the world we all want.
The one who fears the Lord
Psalm 112 paints a picture of the godly person. When read alongside Psalm 111, we see that the godly person reflects the character of God in a number of ways. We’re forced to ask, what kind of picture would be painted of us?
God at Work
Psalm 111 helps us call to mind the mighty works of our God. These works reveal what God is really like and remind us that we have so many reasons to give him praise, today, tomorrow and forever.
King of the Nations
Isaiah 13-23 Our God is King of the nations. In these chapters we hear what God has to say about where these nations (and we) look for our security and salvation. Let us be reminded that only our God can offer us true, eternal security.
Content in Christ
Phil 4:10-13 Listen as Paul talks about what it means for us as Christians to meet all our circumstances with an attitude of joyful contentment.
Garbage or Gain
Philippians 3:1-11Using his own life as an example, Paul urges the Philippians not to place any confidence in their own religious resumes to make them right with God. Our true confidence is only in the fact that we know Christ and are found in him.
Christlike Servants
Philippians 2:19-30 Timothy and Epaphroditus serve as examples of Christlike servants. We should imitate, trust and honour those who serve like Christ.