Sermons from 2019
We often get caught up in the tyranny of the next thing. But it is important and valuable to look back and to remember. I encourage you to look through this list of topics we have covered in Sunday sermons this year. God may prompt you about something that was really significant that you need to follow through on. God may draw your attention to something to go back and refresh your memory about.
To get benefit from hearing God's word we need to act in response. Maybe this list will remind you of things that you were going to do and have fallen by the wayside in the business of life. Or maybe it will prompt fresh simple steps to take.
The theme of Temple in the bible
20/1/19 - God's Creation is a Temple There are 7 or 8 places in the bible where creation is described - not just Genesis 1. There are several ways Christians have sought to connect science and the bible's teaching about creation. We need to be careful that we don't tie one of these methods to the authority of the bible. Whichever way we seek to reconcile science and the bible, we need to understand the bible on its own terms. So when we understand the culture of the ancient near east, we see that Genesis 1 describes Creation as a Temple where God lives and where humans reflect his presence into this world.
27/1/19 - Looking Back and Looking Forward Genesis 2 and Revelation 21. We explore the temple themes at the beginning and the end of the bible. We look back to God's original intention for us to live with God and recognise that humans have walked away from that. We also look forward to the new creation, where humans living With God is restored.
3/2/19 We are the Temple We trace the theme of temple (the place where God dwells) from Genesis through the Old Testament to Jesus and then to Pentecost the New Testament letters. We ask the question - Who are we becoming?
Planning to grow in the with, like and for God life in 2019
10/2/19 Reflecting New Creation - the with God Life
17/2/19 Growing into a Like God Life
24/2/19 We are all ambassadors - The FOR God life
Two important topics in theology
10/3/19 Trinity - Three oneness
17/3/19 Atonement juxtaposed with Christchurch
Building Long Term Relationships
7/4/19 Building Long Term Relationships- their basis in God - We looked at different sorts of long term relationships - marriages, siblings, friends, and with God. God is a God of long term relationships and that comes out of the eternal relationships within the Trinity. There is inherent goodness in long term relationships. It is good to practice seeing our friends at the end of the race in Hebrews 12 with a trophy in their hands and God having completed His work in them. This will help us get through the ups and downs that are inevitable in long term relationships.
14/4/19 Being people who can sustain Long Term Relationships Ephesians 4 - We look at the sort of people we should seek to become in order to be people who can build and sustain long term relationships. 6 words: Faith, Filters, Forebearance, Forgiveness, Find, & Food. There are also some Fatal "F" words to avoid.
21/4/19 Easter Sunday Belief and Doubt and the Resurrection. We look at things that can raise our confidence in the resurrected Jesus and some of the effects that flow from that confidence.
5/5/19 Recovering from Rejection Dealing with the wounds and weapons of rejection.
12/5/19 Building Long Term Relationships - List Management - a key to good long term relationships is managing lists of grievances and gratitudes.
19/5/19 Building Long Term Relationships - Wisdom from Ian and Jan We get the benefit of hearing some of the things that Ian and Jan have learned through their marriage.
One Hit Wonders - A series on small books of the bible
2/6/19 - Lamingtations - The book of Lamentations - an appropriate response to tragedy (with hope)
9/6/19 - Joel - Crying out to God in powerless situations
16/6/19 - 2 John - TimTams and Savoys - We need to be careful about theology we let into our lives through podcasts etc.
30/6/19 - 3 John - Ways not to do church conflict
7/7/19 - Obadiah - The Ambiguity of Schadenfreude - Reflecting on how we respond to the misfortune of others.
14/7/19 - Nahum - Empires are judged
21/7/19 - Jude - We need to be judicious about ungodly teachers because it is serious.
What the?....... - a series looking at some topics that can cause us to go "What the?"
4/8/19 What the? - terrified of Jesus - why were the disciples terrified of Jesus AFTER the storm had been stilled?
11/8/19 What the? - Hell - Peeling away cultural ideas about hell that have been overplayed on what the bible teaches.
18/8/19 What the? - Doubt
1/9/19 What the? - Imperfect Fathers and Other Faiths
8/9/19 True Prosperity - Psalm 1 - subtle stories of prosperity that can draw us away from true prosperity in God.
15/9/19 Soul Health - Soul Anguish and Soul Health.
29/9/19 Walk, sit, stand with Jesus - wisdom for our lives with Jesus.
Who do we think we are? - a series on aspects of Christian History
6/10/19 Monasticism
13/10/19 Who do we think we are? Bubbling up - tracing the connection between 9th century missionaries though the Moravians to us.
20/10/19 Who do we think we are? - Baptists and the bible - the inspiration and the authority of the bible - keeping the big picture in mind.
3/11/19 Becoming like Jesus - Mark 8:22-10:52 The 'book within the book' about how Jesus discipled his followers. Jesus used Mountains, Mission, Small Groups, and Incidents from life. But the disciples also asked Jesus Development questions.
10/11/19 Confusion to Clarity Mark 10 - Jesus speaks into the big areas of life and we need to discuss these things with other Christians.
17/11/19 The Lord's prayer - a prayer of conversation, restoration, and empowerment