Sermons from 2016 (Page 3)

Sermons from 2016 (Page 3)

Faithfulness matters

Listen as pastor Dave looks at three temptations God’s people face when their lives are not directed by his Word.

Undivided allegiances

Tonight we hear from Obadiah, King Ahab’s palace administrator. Listen as he describes what happened when Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Let us consider what it means to be people who are undivided in their allegiance to the Living God.

Warning to spirtual leaders

Where are the leaders today? Leaders in politics, business, civil service, education… and what about the church? There is an urgent need for strong, courageous leadership today. And so there was back in Malachi’s day 400+ years BC. Not only had the priests lost their reverence and awe of God, they were actually guilty of leading the people astray by their poor example and teaching. No wonder God was angry and warned them of His impending judgement against them. Surely there is a warning here for leaders in the church today, and especially those who teach. Join with us as Pastor Murray unpacks this verses in a practical and challenging way.

Will the real man please stand up?

Is there any such thing as a ‘stereotypical man’ these days? Where do you look for decent role models of manhood? No wonder many boys are growing up with identity confusion. One man whose life is worth a closer look is Daniel. Though now in his eighties, the most important facets of his life are put under the microscope when he defied the king’s order by continuing to worship God. Here we see a real man whose life was founded on a deeply personal relationship with his God, and the evidence is absolutely unmistakable. God was at the very centre of his life and everything else flowed from there. That’s a real man! A godly man! Does God make that sort of difference in our lives?

An ordinary servant

Under King Ahab, Israel had reached a spiritual low point, having turned their backs on the living God to worship the pagan god, Baal. Into this context comes an ordinary man, Elijah. What God does through Elijah over the following years is extraordinary. However, before God uses him, he needs to prepare Elijah for what lies before him. Listen as we are introduced to Elijah, God’s ordinary servant. Let us consider how God might prepare us to serve him in a world that has turned its back on the living God.

Worship that offends God

“Worship” is a word that conjures up different ideas to modern Christians, but to Israelites in 400BC worship always involved the temple, priests and sacrifices. This was how they met personally with God. But God was deeply offended by the quality of the sacrificial animals these people were bringing – the leftovers rather than the best. It was obvious that their hearts were not in their worship. Their worship was mechanical, burdensome and offensive to God. Today our worship doesn’t involve animals and sacrifices. Jesus has offered Himself as that sacrifice for us. But our worship involves the sacrifice of ourselves to God as our only proper response. Are our lives expressing this sacrifice? Are we giving Him our best or the leftovers?

Greg Beaumont: Walk in Truth and Love

It shouldn’t surprise Christians that there are so many false teachers around. Jesus predicted it and many of the NT letters confirm his prediction. But what is the church to do in the face of false teachers? 2 John gives instructions to a church facing the imminent arrival of false teachers. John tells the church that they are to walk in truth and love! This means, firstly, that they are to lovingly watch themselves and each other to ensure that no one is deceived by false teaching and loses their reward. And secondly, that they are to be careful who they welcome into the church so that the precious truths of who Jesus is and what he has done can be preserved and treasured.

The wonder of God’s love

In Malachi’s day the Israelites were very apathetic towards God. Their religion had become a chore instead of a joy, a duty rather than a privilege. And they were doubting whether God even loved them. This would have been very painful for God to hear, especially considering all He had done for them as His chosen and redeemed people. In today’s message Pastor Murray challenges our self-centred attitudes and expectations of entitlement, and urges us to recognise all that God – in His great love – has done for us in the Lord Jesus Christ. We don’t deserve His love at all, yet He has chosen to love us …. and He continues to love us. If only we realised how truly blessed we are!

Who do we sing for?

The church sings for God. We are expressing our “vertical” relationship with God when we declare His praise and our love for Him. We do all of this for His glory. But our public singing also has a public effect, that is, there are “horizontal” relationships being expressed during our gathered worship. Listen as we consider the public effects our public worship can have.

Radical Love

Jesus calls his followers to a radical kind of love. A love that extends even to their enemies. Listen as Pastor Dave unpacks what it means to follow Jesus as we seek to love our enemies.