Do you believe that God is Good? Romans 5:8- “But God demonstrated his love for us in this whilst we were still sinners Christ died for us” John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” 1) Is he really good? What…
Sermons on Psalms (Page 7)
How long would you be prepared to wait? Madagascar palm flower. “Would Jesus reclaim Jerusalem?” 1) Getting Jesus half right Palm branches Simon the Maccabee (141 BC) Coinage Psalm 118, “Hosanna Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” Zechariah 9 – The king is coming on a donkey. 2) Authentic honesty Verse 16, “At first his disciples did…
1. Natural disasters… 2005 Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, Nepal Earthquake 2. Personal disasters Sickness and disease Disability and suffering 3. First we need to acknowledge that there is a problem, and it’s a BIG problem. Suffering naturally generates a ‘why’ question in us – why does a good God let this happen? We should take care never to ‘normalise’ the presence of suffering…
Love must be sincere The confusion of law: what is it for? The context: in view of God’s mercy (the grace he has already shown us) Sincere Love is zealous to serve (verse 11-12) The gospel imperative is to serve freely and abundantly (Mark 10:35-45, John 13:1-17, Mark 12:28-34) And a lack of service may suggest a lack of love (James 2:14-16;…
Recap Therefore, there for? Mercies/Compassions The theory The Passage – Practical implications of following Jesus v1 Sacrifice in gratitude v2 Resist The age we live in v3 Assess ourselves in clarity v4-5 We’re not carbon copies Responsibility to and for each other v6-8 Different abilities Attitude: not reluctant, lazy or bitter Application What motivates you? The cross should shape us so we…
Setting the scene The ‘Festival of Dedication’ (Hanukkah) “Are you the Messiah?” (John 20:30-31) Three proofs of who Jesus is and what we learn from them 1. The signs that he does reveal the Father and show us what kind of world he is making (Revelation 21:2-4) 2. Jesus’ sheep will know his voice and we see both security and separation 3.…
The Law in Romans Romans 3:20 Romans 4:15 Romans 5:20 Romans 6:14 Romans 7:5 Is the Law good to have? Ps 19:7-8, it is described as perfect, trustworthy, right, radiant. … revives the soul, it makes the simply wise, it gives joy to the heart and light to the eyes. Romans 7:7. “What then shall we say, Is the Law sinful?” “you…
“Get your own dirt!” Richard Dawkins, “you cannot be an intelligent scientific thinker and hold religious beliefs”. Science 1) “Operational Science” repeatable, testable theories 2) Historical science. non repeatable events Firstly, Operation Science says nothing about God’s existence. … great clues for God’s existence Secondly, Historical sciences – wise to be critical of the world view and assumptions So what do the…
Reasons for asking this question First, how your Christian faith all fits together Second, a reason to reject God Third, a genuine enquirer A warning Liking or disliking and answer to a question is not the same as the answer being either true or false. Does God love us? Is God wrong when he judges us? Does God send us to hell?…
What is style? Is your “style” driven by earthly treasures and reward? Matt 6:19-21 Does your style need some tweaking? – clothing – interests vs idols – image – lifestyle Being a Christian will transform your style. Ps 37:4, Matt 6:33,34