Sermons from 2018 (Page 8)
Jesus, God’s heart to restore people to himself
In this passage, we look into Matthew’s record of three healings that Jesus performed. In his Powerful, Authoritative, and compassionate display, Jesus breaks down the religious barriers that separate three religious outcasts from God. Through Jesus, God connects the disconnected, qualifies the disqualified, and gives value to the devalued.
An invitation to worship
There has been much debate about the subject of worship in the past 40 years. But what is worship and what does it look like? In this psalm we are given three specific ways to worship and each of them flows from a life that has encountered God on a very personal level. True worship should produce joy, humility and obedience in the life of a believer. Are they evident in your worship? Of course, congregational singing is one aspect of worship, but let’s take the much bigger view that Psalm 95 urges us to do.
Avoiding a “Peter Pan” faith
A well-documented clinical diagnosis these days is what is known as the “Peter Pan Syndrome”. Peter Pan is the fictional character who never grew up. He lived in a fantasy world where he was the centre of attention and could do whatever he liked. Sadly, there is a Christian equivalent. Christians who never seem to move beyond spiritual infancy. In this message, Pastor Murray challenges us to see how God wants us to be growing in our faith, always going on towards full maturity in Christ.
God’s priorities or mine?
As we start a new year, it’s good to think about what our priorities are. What guiding principles will inform what we do with our time, energy, money etc. this year? The book of Haggai is the word of the Lord, through the prophet Haggai, to the people of Jerusalem in 520BC. They are rebuilding the city destroyed decades earlier by the Babylonians, but they are focused on building their own houses rather than God’s house – the temple. God challenges their priorities. Likewise, we must ask ourselves, ‘When there are lots of opportunities, how will I choose what’s best to do?’ ‘When I face great challenges, what will be most important to me?’ And we will learn that it is better to prioritise God’s glory ahead of our own comfort and success.