Sermons by Murray Lean (Page 13)
Murray Lean
An ordinary man with a heart to serve (Andrew)
In an age of A-listers and celebrities it is easy to overlook the ordinary people who make up the overwhelming majority of people in the world (and the church!). The disciple, Andrew, is simply referred to in the New Testament as “Simon Peter’s brother” in a couple of places. He was never part of Jesus’ inner circle and we have no record of him in any significant upfront role, yet each he is mentioned, he is doing something useful in connecting people with Jesus. He made the most of his opportunities and served his Master well. God needs more “ordinary people” who are ready, willing and available to use their time, talents and opportunities for Him. Never use your “ordinariness” as an excuse for avoiding the work that God has for you, especially in connecting people to Jesus.
A matter of priorities (Martha and Mary)
More and more today people are struggling because of the stress of 21st century life. Whether it’s anxiety, depression or burnout, the pace of life is taking its toll. Task-oriented achievers who like to be busy are particularly susceptible. Martha was one of these people, and in today’s message we see how Jesus had to gently rebuke her because her busyness was actually holding her back from spending quality time with Jesus Himself. Her priorities were wrong. A little later we see how her sister Mary expressed her devotion to Jesus by “wasting” her most valuable perfume on Him! Are you a busy person? Remember, make sure you don’t neglect having a regular time with the Lord, and always give Him your very best. This is the best way to stress-proof your life.
The Disillusioned Disciple (Judas Iscariot)
Why do people fall away from following Christ? There are many possible answers to this question, and it troubles those of us who love and care for our friends who do. Judas Iscariot stands as the supreme example, as someone who was so close to Jesus, yet not only walked away but even betrayed Him. Why did he do it? What went wrong? In today’s message Pastor Murray takes us behind the scenes into Judas’s life as we wrestle with these questions. But the bigger question is: could it happen to us? Sadly, the answer is “yes” (see 1 Corinthians 10:12-13). But the good news is that even when we fall away, God is still offering a way back. Failure doesn’t have to be final. Just as Peter found forgiveness after denying Jesus, we can, too. He is the “God of the second chance”.
God’s humble messenger (John the Baptist)
One of the greatest men of all time, according to Jesus, is John the Baptist. Yet in so many ways he is an enigma to us. He lived in the desert, wore weird clothes, ate weird food and wasn’t afraid to offend people, even the governor and his wife! Yet this eccentric man was also profoundly godly. In the tradition of an Old Testament prophet he fearlessly called people to repent and get ready for the arrival of the Messiah. But he was also deeply humble as he consistently pointed people to Jesus and flatly refused any special attention for himself. His greatest joy was to see other people following Jesus: “He must become greater. I must become less” was his modus operandi. May we be as faithful in pointing others to Jesus in our day.
Four very personal questions
The 2016 “Word of the Year” according to the Oxford Dictionary is “post-truth”. Sadly, truth doesn’t seem to matter in many circles these days. Truth is a matter of personal opinion rather than objective fact. But that’s not the way Jesus understood truth. In today’s passage He calls us to decide clearly between different options, because the consequences of the decisions we make in life have profound implications. He talks about a “road that leads to destruction”, a “tree that is cut down and thrown into the fire”, and a house that “fell with a great crash”. Where are you looking for truth? Because according to Jesus, truth does exist and it really does matter!
“Thank you, Lord!” (Thanksgiving Service)
The old Psalm expresses it like this: “Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.” (Psalm 103:2). It might sound somewhat quaint to the modern ear, but in our so-called “age of entitlement” we can so easily take God’s goodness for granted. We expect life to treat us well and grumble when it doesn’t. Today, the day of our Annual Church Meeting, we want to stop for a moment and consider some of the ways God has blessed us this year… and there are many! Then let’s take a moment to say “thank you”.
Living dangerously (Stephen)
How much risk or danger should a Christian expect to face in the normal course of life? Of course, that depends on where you live. As Christianity is increasingly pushed to the margins of western society, there is a growing antagonism which is forcing many modern-day believers to take a risky stand for Christ. Surely Stephen, the first martyr of the church, is a wonderful model on how to do this. Whether by his godly life, his fearless courage or his inspirational death, he shows us how to live and, if necessary, die for the glory of God. May God spare us from a safety-first, comfortable Christianity that costs nothing and watches on apathetically as Jesus is mocked and rejected today.
Ground-breaking evangelism (Philip)
How does anyone become a Christian? By hearing the message of Jesus from another person (Romans 10:17). And each generation is responsible for passing that message on to the next generation. Otherwise Christianity will die out within about 50 years. Philip, the evangelist, is the classic example of a man who was passionate about telling others about Jesus. Threats and dangers didn’t stop him. And God was clearly directing and using him. Wherever he was, he had one message… and it was always about Jesus. Let’s not over-complicate evangelism. Some people have a special spiritual gift of evangelism. But for most of us it’s a matter of sincerely and simply telling others about Jesus.
A ministry marriage (Aquila and Priscilla)
Two of the more intriguing characters in the NT are the couple, Aquila and Priscilla. They obviously had a strong marriage, but it was how they used their marriage for God that makes them so impressive. They were very mobile, with records of them living in Rome (twice), Corinth, and Ephesus (twice). They were extremely hospitable. And they relished the opportunity to serve as Paul’s gospel “coworkers” wherever they went. How do we see ourselves and our circumstances in the bigger scheme of God’s purposes? This is the question Aquila and Priscilla force us to ask ourselves. You’ll be challenged as Pastor Murray sheds light on this amazing couple.
“And Elijah went up to heaven”
There comes a time when everyone has to face their own mortality. Often this happens when attending a funeral or, even more confronting, seeing a coffin lowered into a grave. But is this “the end”? The story of Elijah’s departure from this world is definitely unusual but it raises some very interesting questions about end-of-life issues. Certainly the Bible doesn’t give us answers to all these questions, but in tonight’s message Pastor Murray removes some of the fog around some of them. Heaven is a reality, and the prospect of eternal life should be a powerful incentive for everyone whose confidence is firmly anchored in the living Lord Jesus Christ.
The day is coming!
Have you ever felt disappointed with God? He hasn’t answered your prayer. Your life is a mess and He doesn’t seem to be there for you. Perhaps you’ve even been at the point of saying like the people of Malachi’s day: “It is futile to serve God. What do we gain by carrying out His requirements…?” Then you need to hear this message! We all get an occasional dose of self-pity. However, this is the time for us to stop, take a look at ourselves, remember who we are as God’s people, and get some perspective on life. As our passage clearly states, the day is coming when the wrongs of this world will be put right, the arrogant will be punished, and God’s people will be fully vindicated. Will you be ready to meet the Lord on that day?
You can’t fool God
For thousands of years human nature has been creating a world in which sins like selfishness, greed, pride, anger, lust, deception, exploitation, corruption etc. keep finding contemporary ways to express themselves. Society changes, but what’s wrong with society remains basically the same. And this calls for some brutal honesty. No matter how hard we may try to ignore God or reject Him, He won’t go away, and only he can effectively deal with the problem of sin. Modern attempts to rename or redefine or re-categorize sin make no difference to God. Unless we face the truth about our own sinfulness, then we will one day surely face the judgement of God, just as Ahab and Jezebel did… and every one of us will!