Sermons from 2016 (Page 2)
Living dangerously (Stephen)
How much risk or danger should a Christian expect to face in the normal course of life? Of course, that depends on where you live. As Christianity is increasingly pushed to the margins of western society, there is a growing antagonism which is forcing many modern-day believers to take a risky stand for Christ. Surely Stephen, the first martyr of the church, is a wonderful model on how to do this. Whether by his godly life, his fearless courage or his inspirational death, he shows us how to live and, if necessary, die for the glory of God. May God spare us from a safety-first, comfortable Christianity that costs nothing and watches on apathetically as Jesus is mocked and rejected today.
The greatest treasure
Is there a treasure so valuable that it is worth us giving up everything to gain it? Jesus says “Yes!” The kingdom of heaven is a treasure of incalculable value. The question for us is not how valuable the kingdom is, but whether we are willing to give up everything to gain it.
A ministry marriage (Aquila and Priscilla)
Two of the more intriguing characters in the NT are the couple, Aquila and Priscilla. They obviously had a strong marriage, but it was how they used their marriage for God that makes them so impressive. They were very mobile, with records of them living in Rome (twice), Corinth, and Ephesus (twice). They were extremely hospitable. And they relished the opportunity to serve as Paul’s gospel “coworkers” wherever they went. How do we see ourselves and our circumstances in the bigger scheme of God’s purposes? This is the question Aquila and Priscilla force us to ask ourselves. You’ll be challenged as Pastor Murray sheds light on this amazing couple.
“And Elijah went up to heaven”
There comes a time when everyone has to face their own mortality. Often this happens when attending a funeral or, even more confronting, seeing a coffin lowered into a grave. But is this “the end”? The story of Elijah’s departure from this world is definitely unusual but it raises some very interesting questions about end-of-life issues. Certainly the Bible doesn’t give us answers to all these questions, but in tonight’s message Pastor Murray removes some of the fog around some of them. Heaven is a reality, and the prospect of eternal life should be a powerful incentive for everyone whose confidence is firmly anchored in the living Lord Jesus Christ.
The rich young ruler
Listen as Pastor Dave looks at three reasons the rich young ruler failed to gain the certainty he so desperately longed for.
Ahaziah’s downfall
Listen as Pastor Dave shares a warning from 2 Kings 1:1-18 about rejecting God’s grace and ignoring His word.
The day is coming!
Have you ever felt disappointed with God? He hasn’t answered your prayer. Your life is a mess and He doesn’t seem to be there for you. Perhaps you’ve even been at the point of saying like the people of Malachi’s day: “It is futile to serve God. What do we gain by carrying out His requirements…?” Then you need to hear this message! We all get an occasional dose of self-pity. However, this is the time for us to stop, take a look at ourselves, remember who we are as God’s people, and get some perspective on life. As our passage clearly states, the day is coming when the wrongs of this world will be put right, the arrogant will be punished, and God’s people will be fully vindicated. Will you be ready to meet the Lord on that day?
You can’t fool God
For thousands of years human nature has been creating a world in which sins like selfishness, greed, pride, anger, lust, deception, exploitation, corruption etc. keep finding contemporary ways to express themselves. Society changes, but what’s wrong with society remains basically the same. And this calls for some brutal honesty. No matter how hard we may try to ignore God or reject Him, He won’t go away, and only he can effectively deal with the problem of sin. Modern attempts to rename or redefine or re-categorize sin make no difference to God. Unless we face the truth about our own sinfulness, then we will one day surely face the judgement of God, just as Ahab and Jezebel did… and every one of us will!
Blessing blockers
Israel is guilty of robbing God in the giving of their tithes and offerings. Their disobedience is preventing them from receiving the blessings that God has in store for them. God calls his people to return and sets before them a challenge – do they trust God enough to give him what they should? Do we?
Mike Seaton: Dying to live
Jesus has done everything we need to be saved and we can not be saved by any good works that we do. How then do we reply to the statement, “It doesn’t matter if I sin because God will forgive me and he gets to show his grace more?” This passage deals with this question and looks at the implications for the Christian to be united with Christ, particularly united in his death and resurrection.
The question of God’s fairness
Have you ever called out in a moment of frustration: “God, that’s not fair!”? Atheists use this argument about the God’s apparent injustice to question His very existence. Christians raise it in times of disappointment when they feel that God has let them down. Perhaps He isn’t good or powerful after all? If you’ve ever felt like this, then this message is for you. 400 years before Christ, the Israelites were accusing God of being unfair. God’s reply to this charge contains possibly the most profound teaching in the whole Bible on this complex subject. Listen in as Pastor Murray takes us through these verses and helps us see that we ourselves are a fundamental part of what’s wrong with the world, and that Jesus is the ultimate answer to all the injustice we see around us.
Feeling down
After his experience on Mt Carmel, you’d think that Elijah would’ve been feeling pretty good. However, things with Ahab and Jezebel haven’t turned out like he’d expected and he’s left feeling spiritually down. Like Elijah, many of us will face disappointments which leave us feeling spiritually down. How do we navigate these times? In his dealings with Elijah, God shows us how we can continue on in the Christian life, even when we feel this way.