{podcast id=146}
Sermon preached at Christ the King Willetton on 21 April 2013
Bible readings: Genesis 2.15-25; Ephesians 5.21-33; Matthew 19.3-12; Psalm 127
The foundations of understanding the Bible's view of marriage
I have just spent a weekend in Albany, teaching an intensive course to about 20 very keen students, preaching at one church and attending and listening to the sermon at another. I met at least seven ministers while I was there. Pastors and ministers are all different. They have different gifts, priorities, experiences and goals, although all the ones I met have central common goals of building people up in Christ and seeing the church strengthened and growing.
A couple of weeks ago I spoke to the congregation about ways in which I thought I could best assist this church while I was still here. How could I help?
I would like to continue to help us meet together, week by week, in a way that both helps the regulars and allows people with little church background to join in. This of course involves change.
I would like to continue to help us evangelise, make disciples and grow the church by helping others hear the gospel and turn to Christ. Especially to help train, teach and encourage those who want to make disciples.
I want to continue to help people with their personal faith and life issues. This means both helping, teaching, encouraging, and supporting Christians as they learn how to follow Jesus, struggle with what the Bible says and how it applies to their life, as well as the issues they find difficult.
What does God expect people to do who don’t know much about him? They should do two things: they should honour him as God, and give thanks to him. How much do you need to know to honour God as God? We only need to know that there is a God. After that, treat him with honour.
And give thanks to him. For what? Everything. Anything. Life, health, safety, sunshine, rain, food, friends – even answers to prayer. Especially for God’s boxes of chocolates.
God’s boxes of chocolates are his little gifts that he gives to us to let us know he is there and that he loves us. Sometimes they are unexpected. Sometimes they are answers to the prayer of a doubter, or someone who doesn’t think they really believe in God. They are little signs that God is interested in us, wants to bless us, wants to be friends, wants to show his love to us.
Often people pass up the opportunity.
{podcast id=101}
Sermon preached on Easter Day 2013 at Christ the King Willetton.
If Jesus has died for our sins and been raised again what does this tell us about death, life in heaven, resurrection bodies, how salvation works, and how we should be living now.
{podcast id=108}
Sermon preached on Good Friday at Christ the King Willetton
Bible Readings: Isaiah 52.13 - 53.12; Psalm 22; Hebrews 10.11-25; Mark 14 & 15.
The curtain of the temple is torn in two as Jesus dies. Now anyone can enter God's presence on the back of Jesus, because of his death, ... who wants to?
The simple answer is, “Because of death.” But why should there be death in the first place? How come, if God created everything good, he made humans who died? He didn’t. He made them so they could live with him forever.
But something went wrong with the humans he made. To tell the truth, the humans went wrong. They had a difference of opinion with God as to who was the boss – who got to say how things should be. They tried to have a kind of coup, a takeover, a rebellion, you could say. The only trouble is they weren’t capable of running the world like God. Certainly not capable of living like God – you know, always just, fair, good, loving, caring ...
Needless to say God was not too happy about this attempted coup – not that it made any difference to him acting as God. But it did make a difference to the humans acting as humans. Now they had god-sized swelled heads. And they continued to act as though he wasn’t really God.
{podcast id=113}
Sermon preached at Christ the King Willetton on 24 March 2013
What the Lion-Lamb has done by his death and what we should do about it
Page 79 of 114