"The Christian has reconciliation. We are brought into the very life and love of God. His peace, grace and glory are ours through our Lord Jesus Christ - no matter the suffering, no matter the sin."
Category: sermons
The Goal of Our Salvation: Church
A Sermon on Ephesians 4:1-16
The Christian life is a down-hill WALK.
It’s also a battle, we’ll see that in chapter 6. There are forces to STAND against. But we STAND because we hold the high ground. And if you hold the high ground, you don’t need to advance, you don’t need to retreat, you don’t need to go anywhere. You just STAND in the strength of Jesus.
But this is the Christian life: First SIT at God's right hand in Christ. Understand all that we have. Then WALK out into the world and, all the while, be prepared to STAND against the enemy’s schemes. But notice this: NOTHING in the Christian life is about uphill struggle. NOTHING.
There is a WALK out into the world. There is a STAND to take against spiritual powers. But there’s never a climb. Jesus has climbed. He's the only one. We sit, we walk, we stand, we never climb. We are already on top of the world. We have gone to heaven already, in Christ. We have the fullness of God. And now, what’s life about?
What’s the essence of this WALK? What’s the goal of this wonderful gospel?
In a word: CHURCH...
Five Devotional Talks on Luke 8
I gave these short talks at the daily prayer meetings for Falmouth CU mission week.
Throughout Luke 8 we see the Word spreading powerfully though it's opposed at every turn. Through death, darkness and much frustration, light and life does triumph.
Luke 8:1-15 - The Word like Seed
Luke 8:16-21 - The Word as Light, Investment & Adoption Papers
Luke 8:22-25 - The Word that rules creation
The True Myth
During mission week at Falmouth CU we showed The Dark Knight Rises. I was going to give a short talk at the end but we had some technical problems halfway through so I gave the talk in the middle instead. Thankfully it didn't affect the talk too much since it wasn't based on the plot of Batman but on the concept of myths.
JRR TOLKEIN: ‘The Gospels contain a fairy-story, or a story of a larger kind which embraces all the essence of fairy-stories… But this story has entered History... There is no tale ever told that men would rather find was true, and none which so many sceptical men have accepted as true on its own merits.”
CS LEWIS: “The story of Christ is simply a true myth: a myth working on us in the same way as the others but with the tremendous difference that it really happened.”
Evangelism Training Session 4
Catch-up:
.
321-GO!
Session 4: GOING WITH THE MISSIONARY GOD
.
God is a Community on Mission... and so are we! John 20:21-23
Outgoing-ness not so much a decision or act – a way of life.
.
Not Simply Sent... We Join Him In His Outgoing Life Matthew 28:18-20; Heb 13:13
If God is outgoing, what does it mean to be godly?
.
Mission is a community thing John 13:34-35.
What kind of community reaches the world?
Why should this be so?
.
We Help Each Other 1 Peter 2:9-12; 4:10-11
What does it mean for church to be a priesthood?
What is the significance of our different gifts within the priesthood?
Remember 1 Peter 3:15 - All are called to use words when the time is right!
.
A Sentence Up Your Sleeve...
“That’s what I love about my church...”
.
QUESTIONS
1. Sometimes it feels like God is up in heaven and wants us to go out and bring people in. How does this teaching challenge that thinking?
2. How does your community think of your church? (Do you want those thoughts to change?)
How does your church think of your community? (Do you want those thoughts to change?)
3. How can the life of church be more invitational? How can you be more invitational?
4. How would you complete that sentence "That's what I love about my church..."? How might you naturally talk about your church family with friends?
Evangelism Training Session 3
321-GO!
YOUR ONE-NESS
How are we one with Jesus?
Vine and Branches John 15:4-5
Head & Body / Groom & Bride Ephesians 5:25-30
Ruler and rulers Revelation 2:26-27
Priest and People Hebrews 4:14-16; 6:19-20; 7:23-28; 9:23-28; 10:11-14
Champion and Army 1 Samuel 17
Seed of Abraham Galatians 3:16,29
Son and sons Galatians 3:26
Anointed one(s) 1 John 2:20
.
The Privileges of Oneness with Jesus
His Status
His Inheritance
His Family
.
Discuss
If you asked the non-Christians you know ‘What is the Christian life all about?’, how would they respond?
How does Oneness with Jesus shape our understanding of the Christian life?
.
Becoming One with the Son of God John 1:12-14:
How does someone become a Christian?
.
Discuss:
People often say “I wish I had your faith!” What’s their understanding of “faith”?
How can people “have faith”?
.
A Sentence Up Your Sleeve...
“That’s what I love about being a Christian...”
.
QUESTIONS
- Sometimes people worry that offering Jesus “for free” will lead Christians to be careless about “doing good”. Given what we’ve been discussing, what would you say to that?
- Often we worry that we’re not clever or knowledgeable enough to share our faith. How does this teaching give us hope in our evangelism?
- What do you love about being a Christian? How could you drop this naturally into conversation?
.
More Plymouth Bounty
Last week I heard Leon Sims' pure nard on Church: where heaven meets earth.
This Sunday I went to St Andrew's to hear the glory man Marcus (Channing) Nelson on Malachi 4. An absolute corker on Christ's return - DOWNLOAD HERE.
Later that day, Steve (Woody) Nichols preached on Galatians 4: A choice of religions. DOWNLOAD HERE.
Highly recommended.
Evangelism Training Session 2
321-GO!
THE WORLD’S TWO-NESS
What’s the big problem with the world?
DISCUSS: “You and I do bad things and fail to do good things. If we don’t sort out this sin problem now we’ll be in trouble when we die.”
What’s good and bad about this statement?
How would you improve it?
.
1 Corinthians 15:20-23
In Adam we – and the whole world – are taken down to death and curse
In Christ we – and the whole world – are raised to life and blessings
.
Shaped by our families
In Adam we share:
family history – disconnection from God.
family traits – defects: suspicion, slavery, selfishness, stuff-ups
family inheritance – death.
.
Our problem is not so much our behaviour, it’s our being.
How will this affect our evangelism?
.
O loving wisdom of our God!
When all was sin and shame,
A second Adam to the fight
And to the rescue came.
Praise to the Holiest in the Height, J.H. Newman
.
How does Jesus solve our disconnection, defects and death?
John 3:1-18
.
A Sentence Up Your Sleeve...
“That problem is beyond me. I don’t think I/we can ever solve it, do you?”
.
QUESTIONS
- How are Adam and Jesus similar? How are they different?
- Someone asks, “Why is there so much suffering and evil in the world?” Using the teaching of this session, how would you answer?
- If you were asked “Why did Jesus come?” how would you answer?
- What is the “problem” you’d drop into conversation above? How do you think you could naturally speak about our great need for a Saviour?
.
Evangelism Training Session 1
321-GO!
THREE God is Three Persons united in love
TWO The story of the world is the story of two representatives
ONE You are one with Adam. Will you be one with Jesus?
.
GOD’S THREE-NESS
What was there “in the beginning?” John 1:1-18
Nothing
Chaos
Power
Love
.
From His Family to Our Failures Matthew 3:13-17
He joins us in our filth to invite us to His Family.
.
It All Begins With Jesus John 1:14; John 14:5-10; Colossians 1:15
Which God do you believe in?
Which God don't you believe in?
.
A Sentence Up Your Sleeve...
“That’s what I love about Jesus...”
QUESTIONS
- “What’s all this trinity nonsense?” asks a friend. What do you say?
- What are the dangers of speaking about an unChristlike God? Have you fallen into that danger?
- How would you complete that sentence in conversation: “That’s what I love about Jesus...”? What would you say about what first attracted you to Christ? What would you say about what currently attracts you to Him?
Most Powerful Sermon Ever?
E V Hill preaching at his wife's funeral (he calls her 'Baby').
Devastating and exultant at the same time. You will be a blubbering wreck in 19 minutes time...
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dubKFRf6etA]
Can someone with time and skills make an 8 minute typographied version of this?