Sermons from December 2015

Sermons from December 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.