"Sunday Morning" Tagged Sermons (Page 41)

"Sunday Morning" Tagged Sermons (Page 41)

Sunday Morning

Survival Guide for Motherhood

Mothers are amazing people! Their role requires great selflessness, versatility and perseverance, plus huge reserves of physical and emotional energy. It’s definitely not a job for the faint-hearted. But it is also arguably the most important job in the world …. and potentially the most rewarding! With family life becoming more and more complicated today, and so many so-called “family life experts” dispensing their sometimes-dubious “wisdom”, there is a great need for clarity on this subject. In this message Pastor Murray shares eight valuable guidelines to help Christian mothers find sanity and fulfilment in their role in the 21st century.

The radically changed life

Christians come in many different guises and we should not expect Christians to be clones of one another. How boring would that be! And what would that say about God’s creativity? However there are several life-changing factors that ought to be true in the experience of every Christian. Firstly, there is an initial life-changing encounter with Jesus. Secondly, there is a new, life-changing motivation for living. And thirdly, there is a life-changing message to be shared with others. “If anyone is in Christ he (or she) is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come.” (v.17). You simply cannot be the same after personally encountering Christ. By the way, what difference has Christ made in your life?

The prayer of Jesus (part 1)

The Bible records many prayers and they come in many different forms. In John 17 we get to listen in to a very personal prayer, prayed by Jesus only a few hours before he went to the cross. No doubt His heart was very heavy. But what is obvious is a very clear awareness that in His death and resurrection He was bringing to completion the mission God had given Him. God the Father and also Jesus the Son would both be glorified through this. But now it was time for the disciples to continue that gospel mission. So Jesus picks up these themes as he prays for Himself, His eleven disciples ….. and indirectly for all of us who live faithfully for Him in the world today.

Good News for the Confused

Confusion …. questions …. doubts …. fears. We all know what these feel like. And that’s the way it was with the disciples of Jesus on the night before He would die on the cross. What would it mean for these men that he was leaving them? So Jesus took the opportunity to reassure them and give them hope. Sure, life would be different (and even difficult), but in a positive way. As we face the uncertainties of our lives, there is one great certainty that we must cling to, and that is Jesus Christ Himself. He takes our questions, doubts and fears and assures us that in Him we can know joy, answers to our prayers, and God’s peace, whatever we may be facing. Are you trusting Him today?

Why Christians Are (or should be) Optimists

Christianity is a religion of hope! Christians should be people of joy! Why? Because of the resurrection of Jesus. The resurrection is the ultimate game-changer that validates Jesus Christ and His message in a way that nothing else does. In today’s message Pastor Murray explores what it is about the resurrection that makes it so significant. It guarantees the forgiveness of our sin …. the certainty of heaven …. the future destruction of Satan, evil and death. But more than that, it gives us a reason for living with courage and purpose in the 21st century. Jesus is alive! He is Lord and King. One day He’s coming back. And that changes everything!

Persecution

Guest Speaker Brendan from the Sydney Missionary Bible College shares with us the true cost of following Jesus.

The Holy Spirit at Work

With the news of His imminent death sinking in, Jesus wanted to encourage His disciples, so he spoke to them about the Holy Spirit who would come to them after he had gone. And what a difference the Spirit would make to their lives and ministry! Jesus highlighted two things in particular: His work of convicting unbelievers about their need for salvation in Jesus, and His work of enabling believers to discover more and more of the truth and glory that are found in Jesus. The Holy Spirit is essential in bringing people to faith, and also in keeping them growing in their faith. Those original disciples needed to hear that message. And we do, too!

Hated by Association

Unlike some of the other teachers of his day, Jesus was less interested in the number of followers he had, and was more interested in the heart of his followers. Jesus told his followers to count the cost of following him (Lk 14:25-35) and here in Johns 15 and 16 teaches that his followers would be hated, persecuted, even killed. Listen as Pastor Dave looks at why Jesus followers will be hated because of their association with Jesus.

The Fruit-Bearing Life

Jesus had a unique way of describing profound ideas in very simple terms, and that’s what we see in today’s passage. Using the common grapevine as a teaching aid, He explained how His disciples were to live, grow and flourish in the years ahead. Even in His physical absence from them, they were to ‘remain’ close to Him and obey His teachings. At times they would be undergo ‘pruning’ by God. But the object was always that their lives would bear fruit …much fruit …even more fruit … fruit that will last. As we stay close to Jesus, the Holy Spirit produces this fruit in our lives in many different ways e.g.. Christlike character, deeds of love, and faithful gospel witness. Is this a picture of your life?

The Invisible Friend

For many Christians the topic of the Holy Spirit is either mysterious or controversial. Some even avoid it altogether. But Jesus saw the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as an indispensable provision for His disciples (then and now) during the period between His first and second comings. Jesus Himself would continue to be with them in the person of the Holy Spirit……. invisible, yet absolutely real. In today’s message Pastor Murray takes us through some of the valuable blessings that come from the presence of the Holy Spirit, who actually lives inside every genuine believer in Jesus Christ. Does He make a difference in your life?