Sermons

The writer finishes the letter by requesting that his readers pray for him and bear with his word of exhortation. He also prays to the God of peace and of power, that God will equip his readers through his Word, his Church and his Spirit, to the glory of God.

Habakkuk confronts God when it looks as if God has forsaken the covenant. Like him, our faith should enable us to wrestle with God when we are perplexed. This involves taking the problem to God, being honest with God about our questions, not prescribing the answers, and learning to wait when God does not respond straight away.

We must guard the treasure we have received by remembering its value and putting it to work.

NB - The sound quality improves after a minute or so

We are called to live a certain way because we have come to the holy one who makes us holy. The exhortations in this passage are not just a list of rules but are part of our DNA.

Paul’s plea is for contentment, not to think too much of money or whether we have to much or too little, but instead to worship God, who is our treasure.

Like Timothy, we are men and women of God, holy people and children of God, and so we are encouraged to live accordingly.

Jesus has inaugurated a new exodus. God’s calling us to to enlarge the borders of our tent, and our children will go to the nations.

The gospel leads to godliness, being content with the essentials. If we drift from the the gospel we will be led in a totally different direction, where we are greedy for money.

We stand not at Mount Sinai, which was a place of fear, but at Mount Zion, a place of joy, because of Jesus who is a mediator of a new covenant.

Paul wants both slaves and masters to be transformed by the Holy Spirit. and to recognise that they are united together in Christ.

God commands us to rest, and Jesus frees us from four burdens - the pressure to prove ourselves, the pressure to meet other people’s expectations, the pressure to try and stay in control and the pressure to live life to the max.

We are meant to run the race together as a body, encouraging, challenging and sharpening one another. All are encouraged to run the race.

It is right that we should honour the Church elders, whilst avoiding a misplaced loyalty.

The life Jesus calls us to is a life where we can expect hardship. There’s nothing wrong with lamenting or wrestling with God in difficulties, but we must also remember that God is treating us as sons.

God cares for the destitute and the church must too. Our life should be shaped by compassion, wisdom, responsibility and dignity.

The gifts of the Spirit are given to us to glorify Jesus. They show God’s generosity, and they are for the good of the whole body.

[The first few minutes of this message were not recorded - apologies.]

Walking by the Spirit is not for the select few, but is for all of us. It involves conflict within us, cultivating fruit and crucifying the flesh, and involves us as a community not just as individuals.

Leaning on somebody is a sign of weakness, but when we lean on Jesus God’s power is seen in our weakness. People should be able to ask “Who is that, and who is it they’re leaning on?”

Just as David defeated Goliath by holding on to the word of God, we too can exercise reckless faith in the face of giants as we remember the promises that he has made to us.

God’s great plan was to bring people together. We ought to relate to one another as family; with respect, love and purity.