Sermons on Following God
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Sermons on Following God

Hope

Today’s passage: Colossians 1:1-8 This weekend, we’re starting a new series through Paul’s letter to the church in Colosse. What’s interesting about this church is that it wasn’t one that Paul founded. It seems like Paul himself didn’t get to Colosse with the good news of God’s Kingdom made available to us through Jesus. A man named Epaphras was responsible for sharing the good news there. Maybe Epaphras had heard Paul speak in Ephesus, some 160km away. We’re not sure.…

Life as a citizen

Today’s reading: Philippians 1:27-2:11 This Saturday just gone was Australia day. For some people, this day will be a painful reminder of the injustices of colonialism. For others, it will be a chance to have a good time with friends and family over food and drinks and perhaps to “ooh!” underneath fireworks. Just in time for Australia day, the government will also recognise the Australian of the year. Last year’s Australian of the year was a professor in quantum mechanics.…

JesusPlus?

This week’s passage: Galatians 1:1-10 This weekend, we’re starting a new series going through Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia. Like so much of the New Testament, the letter to the Galatians came about as a result of some serious issues in the Galatian churches. The Galatian Christians had accepted God’s rescue in the person of Jesus, quite probably as recorded in Acts 13ff. They had heard the good news that there is forgiveness of sins and the offer…

Peter

Today’s passage: John 21 Imagine yourself with Jesus on the night of his betrayal. The evening starts in an odd way – with Jesus washing your feet. And then He speaks about one of you – one of the twelve – betraying Him. He speaks about it matter of factly, saying that He’s telling you about it beforehand, so that when it happens you’ll believe that He is the Messiah. A little while later, he’s telling you that the time…

Jesus, Righteousness, and the Law and the prophets

Today’s passage: Matthew 5:17-20 God is King, and life in his kingdom is the best life there possibly can be. It’s a life that is perfectly in accordance with God’s will; in God’s kingdom, everything is exactly as God wants it to be. As creator of all that is, God is sovereign over all that is – he alone has the right (and the capacity!) to rule everything. The bad news of the Bible is that we humans reject God…

Salt and Light

Today’s passage: Matthew 5:13-16 God is king, and in his kingdom, things are the way that God wants them to be. Which, since God is God, makes God’s kingdom the best place for us to be. God is love, and his kingdom is a place of love. God is perfect, and his kingdom is a place sans any sinfulness or brokenness or imperfection. It’s a place where there are no tears, where there is no danger, and where there is…

Weary and heavily burdened?

Today’s passage: Matthew 11:25-30 Being religious is very hard work. As humans tainted by sin, we seem to have an inbuilt understanding that in order for us to have any significance in this life and success in the next, we have to be successful in the here and now. We assume that we have to prove our devotion to God in order for him to accept us. We know that God is holy and perfect, and we know that he…

Remembering God

Today’s passage: Joshua 3-4 It had been about 40 years since the people of Israel had been rescued from the land of Egypt – the land of slavery. The escape from Egypt had been incredible. There was no doubt in anybody’s mind that Israel’s escape was a “God-thing”. To experience not only the plagues (including the angel of death), but also the crossing on dry ground of the Red Sea could leave nobody in any doubt that the God of…

Disturbing Behaviour

It is now a mere six days before the Passover celebration would begin. Jesus is visiting Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. During the meal, Mary poured expensive perfume over Jesus’ feet, wiping it with her hair. Jesus notes that she did it “in preparation for my burial”. Did Mary knowingly do so? Mary has abandoned all reserve in her regard for Jesus. She is willing to give up an incredible fortune to honour Jesus. Judas, meanwhile grumbles…

Jesus’ demand for 100%

The disciples have realised that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Now, Jesus starts telling them that he will go to Jerusalem, suffer, be killed, and on the third day rise from the dead. Peter reprimands Jesus for saying this. Jesus says “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me.” Peter was seeing things from a human perspective, not God’s. Jesus disturbed the disciple’s ideas of what the Messiah would be like.…

Jesus’ Rules, Not ours

Why is it that Jesus would eat with the “scum” of the earth? By refusing to play by the rules of status, Jesus shows us the heart of God – and highlights our own sinfulness. Why didn’t Jesus encourage his disciples to fast? By refusing to play by the rules of religion, Jesus shows us that what matters is not religious observance but relationship with him. He also shows us that dried-out legalism is like an old garment which will…

Running the Race

The problem is that we’re all caught in a spiral of sin. Even today, sin still traps and ensares. But God is merciful – he has saved me. And he works to bring me to repentance. Sometimes when I am from God, I feel as though he had abandoned me. But he does not. God is faithful. By his grace, he reminds us of this. But he does challenge me to put off the sin which so easily entangles, so…

The Mighty Hand of God

An expected enemy, an unexpected judge, an unexpected leader and an unexpected act of deliverance. The story of Deborah, Barak and Jael shows us that what we need most is the mighty hand of God to be at work in our deliverance.

An unexpected Salvation

An unexpected man from a small tribe gets close to a tyrant, stabs him through and then escapes through the toilet. What does the story of Ehud, the second of Israel’s recorded judges, teach us about ourselves – and about how God brings salvation?