"Sunday Morning" Tagged Sermons (Page 30)
Sunday Morning
Hear, O Israel…
Deuteronomy 6 speaks to a generation who need to hear and remember the story of God’s salvation if they are going to love God and live for him wholeheartedly. Like them, we need to pass on the story of God’s salvation, through Jesus Christ, from generation to generation.
Challenge to a young pastor
Today we welcome a new pastor to our team at City North. What does God’s Word say to a young pastor about his life and ministry? Actually, quite a lot… especially in the pastoral epistles (1 & 2 Timothy and Titus). In what appears to be the last letter he wrote from his prison cell before being martyred, Paul wrote to Timothy to urge him on. Stir up the gift God has given you! Be strong in the face of opposition! Be clear about the gospel message! Don’t deviate one millimetre from it, even when it’s unpopular to be a gospel man! See yourself as a guardian of this gospel to your generation! Be willing to suffer for it, if necessary! It’s getting harder to be a preacher and pastor in Australia today. May God continue to raise up more Pauls and Timothys today.
Ready to face the Judge?
What happens when we die? The atheist says: “We rot!”. But most people have at least vague notions of an after-life. And generally these notions are positive and often expressed at funerals, such as: “At least Dad’s no longer in pain and he’ll be up there now having a good time with his mates!”. But is this true? According to Jesus a day is coming when we will all face Him as our judge and there will be a division into two groups. More sobering, He will take into account not just what we have believed but how we have lived out those beliefs in practical deeds of love and compassion. And even more sobering, many will be surprised on that day to find themselves rejected by Jesus and consigned to eternal punishment. Never joke about hell! Jesus says it’s real.
Kids holiday service: It matters who you’re with
Kids holiday service: Jesus has given us a big job to do, making disciples. We must remember that it’s Jesus’ big promise which makes the big job possible. He promises to be with us always, to the end of the age.
Peter Francis: Don’t waste the grace
In this message we look at Jesus’ gracious second call to the Apostle Peter to “Follow him”, even after Peter had three times denied him. Much had changed during the past 3 ½ years between this call and Jesus’ first call to him beside the Sea of Galilee. What caused Peter to finally come to understand the gift of God’s grace? What caused him to realise this gift of grace was not just for him to receive, but for him to pass on to others, so that they in turn might become the recipients of this amazing grace? In this message we seek to find some answers and at the same time find much that challenges our hearts about what it means to live in and by this grace.
Russell Matthews: Criteria for church members
John gives in this passage 4 criteria for evaluating members – believing, loving, obeying and prevailing.
The blessings of giving
As a follow-on from last week’s message, we continue exploring Paul’s teaching on giving. For at least some of us, giving does not come easily and, if we’re honest, we are not generous and cheerful. So in today’s message we look at some of the blessings that flow from generous giving. Paul tells us that when we give with the right motives it is like sowing seeds – seeds of righteousness – that will one day produce a harvest in our lives. In particular it liberates us from the bondage of materialism! It also results in thankfulness and praise to God, and strengthens relationships between the giver and the receiver. But most of all it reminds us of the ultimate gift we have been given by God – the Lord Jesus Christ! Have you received Him?
The grace of giving
The question of money is always a touchy one among Christians. How much we earn, how much we give, and what we do with our money is “strictly private” in our culture, so it is with some trepidation that pastor’s raise the issue, for fear that their motives might be misconstrued. In actual fact, Jesus spoke often about money, and Paul is very upfront in today’s passage. In it he lays down a number of clear principles that help us think through the whole question of giving. Essentially he makes the case that giving is a natural, joyful response to the riches we receive through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Rather than a burdensome duty, it is a sheer privilege to be able to share our resources with others in need. Is there someone God might want you to help financially?
A broken relationship restored
Relationships are an essential part of life. We are created as social beings. Yet how often do we see relationships break down – marriages, families, neighbours, workmates, long-term friends, fellow Christians in the church… and so on. In today’s passage we see the great apostle Paul discussing his severely damaged relationship with the folk in the church at Corinth. Clearly, he was deeply affected by this breakdown between them. How did he deal with it? How did they respond? What can we learn? Listen in as Pastor Murray unpacks this chapter and challenges us to consider more carefully the state of our relationships in light of it.
Who cares about holiness?
Mention the word “holiness” and you can be sure to stir some debate. Sure, there are some wrong views among Christians as to what it means to be holy. But correctly understood, holiness is to be a major goal of every Christian. As Hebrews 12:14 puts it: “… without holiness no one will see the Lord”. But why is holiness so important? And what does holiness look like in practice? In today’s message Pastor Murray unpacks these sorts of questions, helping us to see more clearly that as God’s holy people we are fundamentally different from the world around us. We are set apart to live distinctively for Him, and this inevitably affects our relationships and partnerships with those who don’t share our faith. That may seem tough… but it’s necessary.
One amazing woman!
There are countless would-be female role models held up to us by the world of entertainment, sport, politics, the media and more. But what sort of woman does God hold up today as worth copying? Well, actually she was described 3000 years ago in Proverbs 31. Interestingly we are told nothing about her looks or sex appeal. But what a woman she was! No wonder she is “worth more than rubies”, “clothed with dignity and strength”, and worthy of praise. In many ways she has similarities to the 21st century working woman. But what’s her secret? Her role as a wife and mother, her relationships with others, her work and… well, everything about her revolves around her love and respect for God. O for more godly women like her today!
Healthy choices
The letter of 3 John centres around three characters, Gaius, Diotrephes and Demetrius. Each of them teaches us a lesson about what it means for us to nurture healthy Christian lives.