Sermons by Murray Lean
Murray Lean
The LORD has spoken
Isaiah 1:1-31This message begins a new series from the book of Isaiah, apart from the Psalms, the longest in the Old Testament. Of all the OT books, Isaiah most clearly points us to Christ and the gospel of God’s saving grace. As a prophet Isaiah’s task was to declare faithfully and courageously what God was saying to the people of Jerusalem and Judah …. and to us today. In this message we see the LORD exposing three key areas of…
What difference does knowing Jesus make?
John 15:1-17 When Jesus calls us to follow Him, He is calling us to a changed life, and this process of change the Bible calls holiness (or sanctification). Because of ingrained sin and its devious influence, there is always work for the Holy Spirit to do in us in order to “conform us to the image of Christ” (Romans 8:29). Slowly but surely, as the Spirit exposes our sin, we are to take whatever steps are necessary to kill off…
Why is the cross such a big deal?
1 Corinthians 1:18-31All over the world the cross is the most distinct symbol of Christianity. But why? In this message we see that the cross is actually the one great historic act of salvation that the whole Bible points to, and that sets Christianity apart from all other religions. Mankind’s greatest need is not a new, improved version of society, but every individual person (including each one of us) saved from their sins. And that is only possible through what…
Can we trust the Bible today?
2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 For some people the Bible is just another book and it contains errors of science, history and grammar. Others have a much higher view and believe it implicitly. But why should we trust it? What makes it different from every other book ever written? Is it really God’s Word to us? In this message Pastor Murray looks at how we got the Bible and why we can be confident that it is the inspired, infallible, authoritative Word…
Ready for the fight
Ephesians 6:10-24 There are many different ways of describing the Christian life (think ‘lying down in green pastures’, running a long distance race, working out in a gym), but in today’s message Paul describes it as a full-on battle. Why? Because we have a very formidable enemy in the the devil and his team looking for every opportunity to bring us down. He is clever, crafty and powerful, and will use the most devious tactics against us. He knows our…
Living for the gospel
Philippians 1:12-26 What gives purpose and focus to your life? In today’s message we meet a man who had every reason to feel sorry for himself. In prison, disparaged by rivals, and possibly facing the death sentence …. he could have been overcome with despair. But shining through, despite his circumstances and even through his circumstances, we see his overwhelming passion to magnify Christ. “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” What a motto to…
God’s great invitation!
Luke 14:15-24 It’s always good to receive an invitation to a special event … a wedding, a party and graduation etc. In today’s message Jesus tells a story about an even greater invitation to a lavish banquet. In fact, it’s the best invitation anyone could ever hope to receive. The tragedy is that many people refuse to accept it because they’re too busy or too distracted doing other things. God is the host of this banquet, and it is sinners…
Leadership and submission – do they really matter?
Ephesians 5:22-33 In practical terms, what does it mean to be a Christian husband or wife? In these times of strident feminism and the redefining of traditional roles, what does a godly Christian marriage actually look like? To explore this question we must humbly and honestly hear what God says in Ephesians 5. Despite their cultural baggage, the words “headship” and “submission” are not dirty words when we truly understand how God applies them to marriage. In fact we miss…
New life – New lifestyle (part 2)
Ephesians 5:1-20 Flowing on from the previous chapter, this message continues to give practical advice about how to live as a Christian. Paul makes it clear that there will be times when the Christian lifestyle needs to be distinctly different from those around us, especially in the area of sexual morality. And as we “walk in the light”, simply obeying God’s word, the sins of society will inevitably be exposed. Our part is to consistently and carefully take the opportunities…
Peace be with you
Luke 24:36-49 Try to imagine how the disciples were feeling by Sunday morning after the crucifixion of Jesus. Without doubt they would have been scared, confused, and exhausted mentally and emotionally. It’s no wonder they were behind locked doors trying make sense of everything that had been happening. Then all of a sudden Jesus appeared before,speaking these words: “Peace be with you … why are you troubled?”. There’s nothing like a good resurrection to restore peace to a troubled life!…
Two ways of seeing the death of Jesus
Matthew 26-27 How are Christians supposed to feel about the death of Jesus … sad? angry? happy? In this message Pastor Murray explores this question. Certainly the events leading to the crucifixion are excruciating. The graphic nature of the gospel accounts is meant to fill us with horror. What Jesus suffered on our behalf was unbelievably cruel. But there was a divine twist to this cruelty. In the tragedy of the cross, God was defeating Satan and opening the way…
New life – New lifestyle
Ephesians 4:17-32 What difference does becoming a Christian actually make? A massive difference according to the apostle Paul. And in today’s passage he explains what actually happens when a person comes to Christ. Along with a changing of our heart (attitudes) and the renewing of our mind (thinking), we begin living a whole new lifestyle. With the help of the Holy Spirit we “put off” the old sinful habits of the past and “put on” the new qualities of holiness.…