Sermons by Murray Lean (Page 8)
Murray Lean
Affluent, Comfortable and Destitute – the church at Laodicea
Churches come in many different shapes and sizes. Some are growing, some are not. Some are alive, some are dead. Some are healthy, some are not. But whatever we may think about our churches, there is one opinion that does matter, and that’s what Jesus thinks. The church at Laodicea gave every appearance of being a successful church but what Jesus said was devastating. In this message Pastor Murray looks more closely at Jesus’ diagnosis and the warnings it contains…
Small, weak and faithful – the church at Philadelphia
With so much attention these days on mega-churches, it’s easy to forget that the vast majority of churches around the world are actually quite small, and many of them are actually struggling for existence from week to week (like the church at Philadelphia). In today’s passage we see what Christ has to say to these dear people, and His words are filled with love and encouragement. It is a clear reminder that ‘church’ is not all about size, numbers, budgets…
No compromise
Living as a Christian requires that we engage in a Christlike way with people who may or may not appreciate our faith. But that’s nearly always harder than we would like. What do your unbelieving friends and colleagues really think of you? How credible and consistent is your witness? Do you make compromises to avoid trouble? In today’s message we are challenged to remain faithful to Christ in the heat of opposition, being willing to suffer if necessary. Suffering was…
Radical marriage
The Bible is often viewed as politically incorrect when measured by modern cultural norms. And one of the most extreme instances of this is the teaching Peter gives in these verses. Sadly some men, including some pastors, have caused Christian women unnecessary suffering by using them to justify chauvinism and turn a blind eye to abuse. But what does it really mean for a Christian woman to submit to her husband, even an unbelieving husband? And how should a Christian…
Staying faithful in a pagan world
As Australia drifts further away from God, the contrast between the Christian and non-Christian ways of life gets greater. But let’s not kid ourselves. There has always been a difference and there always will be. In the days of the early church Christians were definitely a despised minority, and were losing heart. They needed encouragement. In today’s message we see some of the practical ways we can maintain our distinctiveness, without becoming obnoxious, and hopefully commending the gospel and bringing…
A Song for the Forgiven
If anyone knew about the agony of guilt, then it was King David. And if the strongly attested view is accepted, then David is the author of this powerful psalm, writing out of his own bitter experience. Sin in any shape or form, whether out in the open or tucked away in the privacy of our own hearts, cuts us off from God and makes us guilty. Every one of us is a guilty sinner before the holy God. But there is a cure, which God Himself has provided. He promises to remove our sin, if only we will confess it and cast ourselves upon Him for forgiveness and grace. What a blessing! What a joy! Do you have any unconfessed skeletons that are tormenting you today? Take them to Jesus Christ and be set free today.
Hope and holiness in difficult times
Learning how to live under pressure, especially when it involves the testing of our faith, is essential to our progress in the Christian life. In today’s passage we take a closer look at how suffering is related to the gospel, and how God wants to use it to help us grow in holiness. Jesus is the Messiah, the ’Suffering Servant’, who shed His precious blood to redeem us and make us children of God. Understanding the greatness of this salvation gives us the confidence and hope that whatever we may face in this life, the best is still yet to come …. and it’s worth waiting for.
Longing for home
The book of 1 Peter is making a comeback today. It’s original readers felt like ‘exiles’ or ‘foreigners’ in the world of the early church. And that’s the way more and more Christians are starting to feel these days. Somehow we don’t really fit as the world around us becomes more secular. But the reality is that we are different and we don’t fit. This world is not our true home and we aren’t meant to belong here. So how do we cope with this tension, especially when trials come and our faith is tested? In this message, Pastor Murray urges us to see how God wants to use these times to prepare us for the glorious ‘inheritance’ that awaits all who truly belong to Christ. (1 Peter 1:1-9)
What to look for in a spouse
The journey from ‘becoming friends’ to being married is an extremely important time of finding out about each other and testing the relationship. What you discover along the way (about your friend and about yourself!) can be quite confronting. But this is meant to be a time of personal spiritual growth as well as working out whether you’re ready for marriage. In this talk Pastor Murray deals head on with some of the practicalities of choosing a life partner. Whether you’re married, engaged, dating or looking forward to that prospect, there’s plenty of food for thought here about the type of spouse God wants all of us to be. (1 Thessalonians 4:1-8)
The Sexual Revolution – relationships without boundaries?
For the past 50 years a sexual revolution has been taking place. We can blame the “pill” or many other factors, but the result has been the virtually complete disconnection of sex from marriage in modern western society. Today anything is OK. What started with some cheeky pushing of moral boundaries in movies and magazines has been turbocharged with the arrival of internet porn over the past 20 years. This “normalising” of sexual freedom presents a huge challenge to Christians,…
Religious intolerance – are Christians still relevant?
With secular humanism steadily gaining ascendancy in Australia today, Christians are being told to keep their faith private. And if they don’t, they are accused of “imposing” their outdated views on modern society. How did this happen? What does this mean for the place of Christians and the church in an increasingly pagan society? And how should we respond in the face of this opposition? In this message Pastor Murray reminds us firstly, that we should not be surprised by…
Euthanasia – the next big ethical battle?
With the same-sex marriage debate settled, ideological and political forces in Australia are now being focused on the issue of euthanasia. Euthanasia has been legalised in countries like Holland and Belgium for many years, and is legal in a number of states in the USA. But it moved much closer to home in November 2017 when it became legal in Victoria. Obviously there is great emotion around this issue, but what are the key factors in the discussion and how…