Sermons from 2015

Sermons from 2015

Ben Cumerford: Certain hope of glory despite present suffering

When we have a bit of time to step back and take a look at the big picture of our lives, we realise that life is full of ups and downs. For Christians, all these ups and downs fit into a bigger story. That’s because Christians have been adopted into God’s family and have graciously become his own children. That means that God is the true father of Christians, that Christians are now expected to live like they are in that new family, and because they’re in a new family they can expect new privileges. The main privilege Christians can expect is sharing in Christ’s glory, but that is a hope for the future while now Christians can expect suffering. But Christians can expect that the suffering they go through now is preparing them for the glory that is coming.

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.

The wise way to celebrate Christmas

Perhaps the most fascinating part of the Christmas story is the journey of the wise men to find, then worship, the baby Jesus. For hundreds, if not thousands, of kilometres they followed a star all the way to Jerusalem, then to Bethlehem, in their relentless quest. Three things stand out: the diligence of their search, their unquestioning belief in the Old Testament prophecy about the birthplace of the Messiah, and their humble worship of this baby born to a very ordinary peasant couple. No wonder we refer to them as “wise men”. Their wisdom led them to Jesus. On this Christmas Day 2015 are we wise enough to look for, believe in, and worship Jesus too?

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.

Expectations & Doubt

Listen as Pastor Dave looks at what Jesus encounter with John the Baptists disciples teaches us about dealing with doubt.

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?

Our certain hope

The end of Joseph’s life is reminder to us that we can have a certain hope for our future, just as Joseph did. Listen as we conclude our series in Genesis, and be reminded again of why it is that our hope for the future is a sure and certain hope. Do you have a future hope like that?

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?