Sermons

Living by faith takes us out of our comfort zones, but the people of God in the Old Testament had their weaknesses turned to strength. We can trust God in all circumstances.

It was worth Satan’s while to discourage Elijah, and it is worth his while to discourage us as individuals and as a church. God overcomes Elijah’s discouragement by refreshing him, by restoring him with a still small voice, and by reinstating him.

God is a generous God who loves to give, and loves it when we give generously and cheerfully.

[A small section of the message at around 38 mins was not recorded due to technical difficulties]

As the two friends walked from Jerusalem to Emmaus two days after Jesus’s crucifixion, they encountered two surprises that would change their lives forever: that Jesus really was raised to life again, and that his resurrection changes everything. These are realities that have the power to change our lives too.

We need to remember and understand the resurrection of Jesus in order to believe it.

Jesus teaches us to approach God with personal reverence, addressing him as our father, and also with shameless persistence and childlike confidence.

It’s time to seek the Lord because God wants to bless his people and make us more fruitful and so we need to break up our unploughed ground. It’s good to sing his praises, confess our sin, ask things of him, fast and meditate on him.

It is easy to focus on ourselves rather than on Jesus, and make excuses why we can’t trust him. But it’s not about us, it’s about him, and we are called to trust and obey him.

There is still room for more people in the Jubilee Centre and in God’s Kingdom. God has blessed us all with wonderful gifts, so let’s cast out the nets for a fresh catch.

We need to recognise the danger of becoming conceited, and be careful to avoid sin by fleeing to God, so that we don’t fall into disgrace.

Moses’ parents were helpless to protect Moses against Pharaoh, but they trusted God. Moses could have remained a prince of Egypt but he trusted God and chose Christ over comfort.

Paul urges us all, no matter who we are, to keep on being filled with the Holy Spirit. It is our calling to be people of the Spirit.

An elder should be an ordinary guy, devoted to his wife if he has one, and of excellent character. He must be an example of what the gospel does in the life of a believer.

Isaac, Jacob and Joseph all looked ahead to the future. Isaac knew that God had chosen to bless Jacob and Jacob knew that God had chosen to give Ephraim a greater blessing the Manasseh.

Elders have the noble task of shepherding the flock, which includes guiding the sheep, governing them and guarding them against danger.

We don’t know what 2018 has in store for us, but as followers of Jesus, we follow Jesus wherever he leads. We may pay a cost, but we also get to be with Jesus.

There are four ways we can celebrate Christmas: We can walk in the darkness, or we can cope with it by partying once a year, or we can forget it, or we can acknowledge it but recognise that a great light has dawned.

Abraham believed God when tested, when it didn’t make sense and with everything. Like him, we too are encouraged to trust God in all circumstances.

We need to see why Paul says different things to men and women. We need to make and celebrate three affirmations - the equality of men and women, their differences, and their unity.

God wants to stir in us a passion for Jesus. Our passion for him is a response to his love for us and will stir us to action.