Sermons from September 2018
The Kingdom Parables
These six parables taught by Jesus, address some of the misunderstandings and false expectations about the Kingdom of Heaven. They show that God’s Kingdom, then and now, is a kingdom of Justice, Growth, and Power, more valuable than anything the world can offer. Matthew 13:24-50
The Parable of the Soils
The Parable of the Soils reminds us that there are many ways that people will respond to the gospel. It challenges us to think about how we respond to the gospel. Do we have hard hearts, shallow hearts, strangled hearts…or fertile hearts which produce much fruit? Matthew 13:1-23
Affluent, Comfortable and Destitute – the church at Laodicea
Churches come in many different shapes and sizes. Some are growing, some are not. Some are alive, some are dead. Some are healthy, some are not. But whatever we may think about our churches, there is one opinion that does matter, and that’s what Jesus thinks. The church at Laodicea gave every appearance of being a successful church but what Jesus said was devastating. In this message Pastor Murray looks more closely at Jesus’ diagnosis and the warnings it contains…
Small, weak and faithful – the church at Philadelphia
With so much attention these days on mega-churches, it’s easy to forget that the vast majority of churches around the world are actually quite small, and many of them are actually struggling for existence from week to week (like the church at Philadelphia). In today’s passage we see what Christ has to say to these dear people, and His words are filled with love and encouragement. It is a clear reminder that ‘church’ is not all about size, numbers, budgets…
Living out our purpose
The people of Israel finally get their act together, getting to work on building the tabernacle. They show us what it looks like when a community of God’s people are living out their special purpose in the world. Exodus 35-39
Redeemed: The Book of Ruth
Ruth 4
Mercy for Sinners
After the golden calf incident, Israel’s only hope is that God would show them mercy. In the chapters that follow, Moses pleads with God and God shows his mercy to Israel in three ways. We are reminded that we have a mediator who pleads for mercy on our behalf and that we ourselves are sinners who have received the incredible mercy of God. Exodus 33-34
Risk, Righteousness and Rest
As we have been journeying through the book of Ruth we have starting to see two things: God is both sovereign – he is in control of all things and he is also kind. In Ruth 3, we see how an understanding of God’s sovereign kindness leads to Naomi seeking rest for Ruth by coming up with a risky plan. And as this plan plays out, just as we think that things couldn’t be more out of control and dangerous,…