"Sunday Morning" Tagged Sermons (Page 38)

"Sunday Morning" Tagged Sermons (Page 38)

Sunday Morning

Shirkers, workers and serving God

When you read the book of Proverbs it doesn’t take long to see that the topic of work receives a lot of attention. Lazy people (often called “sluggards” even in modern translations!) are described in detail as undisciplined, full of talk and excuses, procrastinating, party-going, frustrating to their friends, and eventually failing to succeed in life. It’s not a pretty picture. On the other hand, hard workers do succeed. But there is an even more important reason why we should take work seriously, and that’s because God has made us to work… for Him. He is the real boss we are serving, so our attitude to our work must ultimately reflect our relationship with Him. And one day we will stand before Him to give an account of what we have accomplished with our lives.

Managing Money God’s Way

The whole question of money is one which makes many of us feel uncomfortable. Really… how much do we need to live comfortably? What is a reasonable lifestyle for a Christian today? What we can afford is not necessarily what God desires for us. The Bible doesn’t give us a simplistic formula for managing our finances. That’s our challenge! But it does give a lot of principles and good advice. Today we will mine some of the nuggets from the book of Proverbs which alert us to the dangers of wealth, and give us practical guidance about how to handle money wisely and generously. True wealth will never be found in an investment portfolio or a bank account, but in a relationship with Jesus Christ “who for our sakes became poor that we might become rich”.

The Power Of Words

History is littered with examples of the power of words. Famous speeches, heartfelt letters, words of comfort , biting criticism… The results of our words can last a lifetime, for better or for worse, and don’t we know it! In the book of Proverbs we find much wise advice about how we should and shouldn’t speak in many different contexts of life. This wisdom is startlingly practical and embarrassingly convicting. Luke 6:45 states: “Out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks”. Ultimately what we say betrays who we really are. To be able to control our tongues requires more than will-power. It needs “heart surgery”. And only the Holy Spirit can change us in this way so that our words consistently honour God and build up others.

The Marks of a True Friend

As the modern world becomes more and more “connected” through social media, there is a paradoxical increase in loneliness. More and more people today are looking for friends, even virtual friendships through online sites. God made us to live in relationships and enjoy the company of friends. In the book of Proverbs there is some excellent practical advice about how we should relate to one another as friends, and in today’s message Pastor Murray explores some of this teaching. However, there is only one person who can be the perfect Friend. Jesus referred to Himself as “the friend of sinners” and He proved this by dying for us. In the words of the old hymn: “What a friend we have in Jesus”! Is He your friend? He’s inviting you today!

Giving God our Leftovers

Our lives are often busy and full to the brim. We have a myriad of responsibilities to attend to, and a never ending choice of entertainment options. Too often we wonder how we are going to get everything done. Listen as Pastor Dave shares from Malachi 1:6-14 about the dangers of offering God our leftovers.

A Great Resolution…

The New Year for many is a time for planning, preparation and new resolutions. Listen as Pastor Dave looks at what we might learn from the Apostle Paul’s great resolution in Philippians 3:7-14.

The Case for God

The famous Russian cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, the first man into space in 1961, made the sarcastic comment on his return to earth: “I looked for God but couldn’t find him”. Atheists love to taunt Christians about the lack of hard evidence for God. In Psalm 8 we have a powerful response to this skepticism. The evidence for God is all around us… if only we will see it! From the vastness of the universe to the cry of the tiniest baby creation speaks of His greatness. And so do people, like us, made individually in God’s image with their special place in God’s world. Psalm 8 calls the doubter to reconsider, and even points to the “perfect man” (Jesus) who would one day perfectly display God’s majesty to a broken and skeptical world.

Joseph’s great discovery

The story of Christmas focusses strongly on the baby Jesus, Mary, the shepherds and the wise men, but what do we make of Joseph? Often he is seen as a support player in the narrative. But is that all? In today’s message Pastor Murray takes a closer look at this intriguing man – his background, the dilemma he faced on learning about Mary’s pregnancy, and the wonderful discovery he made when he realised the true identity of the baby… God with us (Immanuel)… Jesus, the One who saves us from our sins. Joseph, along with Mary, came to believe in Jesus. Have you? Surely this is the best reason to celebrate Christmas!

Receiving the King of Glory

Listen as we consider what Psalm 24 has to teach us, worshippers in Brisbane in 2015. Let us think about what it means for us to properly prepare for and then receive the King of Glory.

A hopeless situation

By the end of the book of 1 Samuel, Israel finds itself in a hopeless situation. Saul, the king upon whom they have pinned their hopes, is dead and humiliated, a failure. Israel could now see how hopeless things were apart from God’s intervention. Only once they understood this truth would they able to understand the hope that they had in David, the king in waiting. The Christian life is a little like the history of Israel at this point. In order to know the hope that Jesus brings we must first know the weight of the hopelessness of our situation before God. Our sin means we are distant from God. But there is a great source of hope in Christ. Is he your source of hope?

A Different Kind Of King

Leaders are generally rated by how they perform in a crisis. By this measure, King Saul was a miserable failure. But the king-in-waiting stands in stark contrast. When faced with yet another massive crisis, David showed his true colours by casting himself upon God for strength and guidance. And when God delivered him and his people, he was quick to give all the glory to God and share the rewards with others. Here was a king who would rule for God and under God, and for the good of his people. Compared with Saul the future looked bright. Unfortunately David was not the perfect king that Israel longed for, but 1000 years later that King did come ….. the Lord Jesus Christ. He rules with righteousness and justice, and He gives rather than takes from His people. In fact, He has given His life for them! We all need this King. Is He ruling in your life today?