"Sunday Morning" Tagged Sermons (Page 32)

"Sunday Morning" Tagged Sermons (Page 32)

Sunday Morning

Staying Strong as the Battle Goes On

Why is it that some churches survive and flourish while others struggle and die? Of course, there is no simplistic answer to that question, but it is still worthwhile asking it. The great apostle Paul planted many churches and longed to see them staying strong, even in the face of stiff opposition. As he concludes his letter to the church at Ephesus, he gives a profound challenge which can be applied to every church in every generation, including our church today. In short he tells us that we are in a serious spiritual battle with the devil, so we must utilise the resources which God himself provides if we are to remain strong in this battle. Listen in as Pastor Murray spells out the “armour” we need to withstand the “flaming arrows” aimed against us, so that as God’s people we can hold our ground and keep growing into the future.

A Fresh Start with Jesus

All of us have dark pages (or even chapters) in our life story. How we wish we could tear those pages out! How we wish we live that part of life over again. The disciple Peter was in this situation when Jesus confronted him on the beach at Galilee that morning a couple of weeks after the resurrection. Peter would have been dreading this moment after denying Jesus so blatantly three times on the night before the crucifixion. In this message we see how beautifully Jesus dealt with Peter… helping him face his sin, giving him a chance to declare again his love and loyalty, restoring him and recommissioning him for future ministry. This is a story of hope for every one of us. Do you need a second chance? Then be encouraged as Pastor Murray opens up this final chapter in our series from the Gospel of John.

A Doubter Becomes a Believer

The story of “Doubting Thomas” is set in Christian concrete, but deep down there is more than a bit of Thomas in every true believer. We are like the father of the boy Jesus healed, who said: “I believe; help my unbelief!”. Thomas was cautious by nature. Faith did not come easily to him. But at least he was open to becoming convinced of the truth about Jesus’ resurrection. That’s more than can be said for many people today. We have the eye-witness testimonies recorded for us in our Bibles. We have 2000 years of personal testimonies of people who claim to have encountered the risen Jesus. And Jesus is throwing out the same challenge today: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Like Thomas, is it time for you to “stop doubting and believe”?

The Resurrection of Jesus

On that first Easter Sunday, a new reality dawned. Jesus had risen from the dead! Listen as we consider how this profound reality effects us.

Jesus, the King!

Listen as Pastor Dave continues our series in John’s gospel and discusses how Jesus is our ultimate, sovereign and compassionate king!

The humiliation and suffering of Jesus

It is very easy to gloss over the details of the trial and crucifixion of Jesus, to the point that we overlook the sheer amount of suffering he endured, even before he was nailed to the cross. In today’s passage we are forced to face these details and squirm – the flogging, the crown of thorns, the humiliation, the rejection, and after all this, the eventual verdict consigning Him to death. Make no mistake! The suffering of Jesus Christ was very real. And in His humanity every pain fibre in His body would have been crying out. He is uniquely qualified to understand our physical and emotional pain. But as the perfect Son of God he also suffered for us. The One who really was the King, as declared by Pilate, would die in the place of others… ”to bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). No wonder we call Him the Saviour!

Avoiding the Truth about Jesus

Justice is not a word that we normally associate with the crucifixion of Jesus. His treatment by the high priest, the Jewish ruling council (Sanhedrin), the Roman governor Pilate, and even the onlookers, is nothing less than shameful. Yet throughout His trial the dignity of Jesus shines through. He did not deny that He was a king, but He was a very different sort of king than His accusers imagined. His kingdom would be made up of people who submitted to His reign over their lives… a spiritual kingdom, not an earthly one… a kingdom based on truth which could only be found in Jesus Himself. A few hours later Jesus would die to establish this kingdom and publicly declare this truth. Have you found the truth that makes sense of your life? Then take a serious look at Jesus today.

The Rejected Jesus

You can’t understand the life of Jesus without facing the facts about his death. And these facts are recorded in considerable detail in the New Testament accounts. In today’s message we see the way Jesus was harshly interrogated by the high priest (Annas) and denied by his friend (Peter). His journey to the cross was a painful one. Yet, amazingly, it didn’t deter him. We can be critical of people like Annas and Peter today as we look back at these details, but who of us has never been guilty of rejecting or denying Jesus? Despite his treatment, Jesus actually died for people who reject and deny him, and Peter is the classic example of the forgiveness Jesus offers to the person who sincerely repents. What about you? What do you believe about Jesus? That’s a question which only you can answer.

Jesus arrested: the full story

Headlines, though often clever, generally can’t tell the full story. This is certainly true when we think about the story of Jesus’ arrest. No headline could possibly capture the significance of the events that took place that night. As we read John’s account of Jesus’ arrest, we see his desire for us to know the full story of what happened that night. He wants us to understand the significance of these events, and especially how these events make a difference for us today.

Shirkers, workers and serving God

When you read the book of Proverbs it doesn’t take long to see that the topic of work receives a lot of attention. Lazy people (often called “sluggards” even in modern translations!) are described in detail as undisciplined, full of talk and excuses, procrastinating, party-going, frustrating to their friends, and eventually failing to succeed in life. It’s not a pretty picture. On the other hand, hard workers do succeed. But there is an even more important reason why we should take work seriously, and that’s because God has made us to work… for Him. He is the real boss we are serving, so our attitude to our work must ultimately reflect our relationship with Him. And one day we will stand before Him to give an account of what we have accomplished with our lives.

Managing Money God’s Way

The whole question of money is one which makes many of us feel uncomfortable. Really… how much do we need to live comfortably? What is a reasonable lifestyle for a Christian today? What we can afford is not necessarily what God desires for us. The Bible doesn’t give us a simplistic formula for managing our finances. That’s our challenge! But it does give a lot of principles and good advice. Today we will mine some of the nuggets from the book of Proverbs which alert us to the dangers of wealth, and give us practical guidance about how to handle money wisely and generously. True wealth will never be found in an investment portfolio or a bank account, but in a relationship with Jesus Christ “who for our sakes became poor that we might become rich”.