 Why the heck would anyone bother putting sermon’s online? Who in their right mind would bother listening to a sermon if they had a choice not to? Well, choice is the point. We believe that the messages on offer will actually encourage and help people. We believe and pray that people will listen to some or all of these sermons because they choose to, because they want to. Mostly sermons are boring, dry and irrelevant. It has been my passion to bring messages from God’s Word that are engaging, helpful and relevant. Now more than ever there is a tremendous need for preachers who are committed to preaching God’s Word. It is my prayer that you will choose to listen and that God will meet with you as you hear his Word speaking into your life. So give God a chance to speak to you, click and listen, or download the MP3 file on your iPod and listen to a message on the way to work. It’s your choice.
The Rev.
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Find Real Treasure |
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Ephesians 1:1-14 Changing Masters (Western Echo Article)The worst type of slavery is one disguised as freedom. We all want to be free to pursue happiness without pausing to consider whether our pursuit of happiness is in fact a form of slavery. We study to get a good job so that we can afford happiness. We have friends to be happy, we enter into intimate relationships to be happy and some believe in God hoping that he will will bring happiness.  Experience true freedom I’ve noticed that people get very depressed about happiness. They may have most things they thought would make them happy and found that they are not. Or they feel that they will never manage to attain their goals, or they lose what had made them happy. People sometimes lose hope and their will to live because they can’t see how they can ever be happy. Being a slave to happiness can be very cruel. It can strip from you the very joy of living. It will progressively narrow what you find enjoyable until there is very little left. For example anything that requires you to be patient and faithful is hardly tolerated. We live in the NOW and expect instant and easy results. We get depressed when work and relationships require personal effort and sacrifice without giving us the results we want. Much of our pursuit of happiness makes us tired and sad. Jesus said “He who seeks to save his life will lose it.” (Mark 8:35) Changing masters might seem like going from freedom to slavery but in reality it is the reverse. Jesus said “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30) the Rev |
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36 Walk in the Spirit Part 8 |
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Psalm 44 Take the plungeIf I’m safe in Christ then why do I feel so anxious? Nothing can or will separate me from the love of Christ and yet I feel discontent and irritable. James tells me that I fight because of what I desire. People are used to get what I want or they become obstacles in my way. So life is filled with conflict (James 4:1ff). The problem isn’t that I can’t get what I want. The problem is what I want.  Take the plung of willing self sacrifice Lately the books I’ve been reading have been talking about the importance of worship. Usually what you want is what you worship. The difficulties I have in my marriage, work and community come from what I worship. My dreams, my hopes, what I think will make me happy take over my life and drive me, they whip me like slave masters when I don’t get what they want. And when I do it is never enough, there is always something else to strive for. Paul talks about being like a lamb for the slaughter everyday (Rom 8:36). He has learnt to renounce his life long dreams and replace them with a life long love of Christ. This means that he’s not going to stress about what he needs, he has taken the plunge. Sacrificing my happiness is a really scary thought. But I’m not very happy anyway so why not dedicate my life to learning to worship God more than I do anything else? Why not seek his kingdom first and let God worry about meeting my needs? If you want to join me then ask Jesus to help you take the plunge. the Rev |
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35 Walk in the Spirit Part 7 |
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Romans 8:31-39 A Star Destroyer on my tailThe big ship is called a Star Destroyer (bad guys) and it is chasing the smaller ship called the Millennium Falcon (good guys). If that wasn’t enough you can also see a couple of Tie fighters right on the Millennium Falcon’s tail. As I watched this impossible chase it resonated with how I feel. There are so many responsibilities at work, at home, as a husband and father. I have so many weaknesses; lacking love, patience and self control. My energy levels are so low, like the Millennium Falcon my hyper drive is broken so I can’t jump to light speed. There seems to be no escape and no safe place to hide.  This is how I feel Unlike Star Wars the movie I live in a world made by my Heavenly Father. He is at work not just in the world but specifically in my life. He assures me of his commitment to me, that he has already given up what was most precious to him (his Son) and that having done so will not withhold what I need. Even though I’m guilty God has provided forgiveness in Jesus Christ. And even though I am weak God is strong, he is able to use me in my weakness to overcome all that assails me in my life. Jesus is right now at the right hand of God praying for me and praying for you. Though it may feel like a star destroyer is on your tail I promise you that God is with you and he is for you. And if God is for you then who can be against you? (Romans 8:31). the Rev |
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34 Walk in the Spirit Part 6 |
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Romans 8:28-30 Seeing the futureWhen my first son was born I had no real idea how he would turn out. Now he is sixteen, works at Dominos and enjoys being an Air Cadet. His dream is to become a pilot in the Air Force. It’s hard to imagine my son flying a fighter jet but that doesn’t mean he won’t get there. We can’t see into the future very well, our imagination is so often clouded by the press of responsibilities, frustrations, hurts and challenges that need to be faced now, today let alone tomorrow. But God is not limited by time. All of time is as one to him, he operates outside of time and so he can see us in the past, the present and the future. Before he even made us he loved us who have faith in Jesus Christ. And he uses every event in history, the present and the future for our ultimate good. The purpose behind what happens is that God is transforming us into the likeness of his Son. God’s knows the way, he knows the future and he is the one who will bring it all about according to his will. From my perspective life is hard to control, random, dangerous, and difficult. I often try and achieve, gain and win for myself that which I think will give me safety, comfort, success and a good future. But in reality I have no idea because I can’t see the future. For example owning a house is never going to be as secure as trusting God. And yet so much of my effort goes into worrying about not having a home. God would have me concentrate more effort growing in my character than my bank balance. Tough times are opportunities to grow in the fruit of God’s Spirit. My encouragement is to trust God especially during bad times because he has no trouble seeing into the future. the Rev |
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33 Walk in the Spirit Part 5 |
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Romans 8:18-27 If pain persists...The other day I sawed into my thumb while pruning some kind of bush. There was blood, pain, a dressing, throbbing and eventually some pain killers.  Making a cake is messy The world is a dangerous place to live in and often it is a place of sadness for us. We suffer in so many different ways. People hurt us and we hurt them. We can feel lonely, worthless, ashamed, guilty, belittled, used and even abused. Where is God in this world of suffering? Is he doing anything about it? When God made the world he declared all of it to be good. Then humanity broke it by rebelling against God by wanting to live their own separate way. They introduced death into the world and death is suffering, it separates our loved ones from us. But all suffering is a form of death and it constantly reminds us that one day it will be our turn to die.  Yummy, well worth the mess |
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