Tag Archives: Blessing

Sermon – Pictures of Judgement and Grace: The Branch of the LORD (Isaiah 2:6-4:6)

Read the text – Isaiah 2:5-4:6

The people of Judah face a number of crises from within (their own sin) and without (the alliance of Israel and Syria, the power of Assyria). Who will they trust to rescue them? Themselves? Foreign Nations? or God Almighty?

In this Bible talk, Nick Lindeback describes how there will be a day when God punishes the sin of his people, but the result of this judgment – a holy people and the beautiful branch of the LORD. Mercy will come through judgement. Therefore flee to Jesus, let him take the judgement for us, so we may we spend eternity in the beautiful presence of the LORD.

Bible Talk Outline

Sermon – Pictures of Judgement and Grace: The Mountain of the LORD (Isaiah 1:1-2:5)

Read the text – Isaiah 1:1-2:5

The people of Judah face a number of crises from within (their own sin) and without (the alliance of Israel and Syria, the power of Assyria). Who will they trust to rescue them? Themselves? Foreign Nations? or God Almighty?

In this Bible talk, Nick Lindeback describes how God will restore his people and bless the world, those who have turned their backs on him, through salvation and through judgement.

Bible Talk Outline

Sermon – Psalms of Hope: Hope Sings it’s heart out (Psalm 84)

Read the text – Psalm 84

The Psalms have been described as ‘both God’s word to us and our words to God’. The Psalms speak to the total person and demand a total response. Generally, the book of Psalms has been divided into five books and this ‘Psalm of Hope’ number 84, comes from Book III. We are encouraged to find hope in God alone through his Son, our Saviour and King, Jesus Christ.

In this talk, Ken Noakes helps us to think about all the good things that might make life good, and yet also recognize that those good things pale into insignificance compared with the hope of the glory of heaven. May this Psalm, and this talk, help you to sing for joy because of your hope in Jesus.

Talk OutlineDownload

Sermon – Faith That Works: Crown of Suffering (James 1:1-18)

Imagine being the younger brother of Jesus Christ. Always following in the footsteps of the glory child!! James is refreshingly matter of fact and down to earth. As we read the letter by James, we read his concern that those following Jesus don’t only listen, but actually walk in his footsteps. For him righteousness matters, and it is the practical righteousness that you can hear in the words and see in the actions of the follower of Jesus that really counts. This talk explores perseverance in faith.

Read the text – James 1:1-18

Talk outline – Faith That Works: Crown of SufferingDownload

Sermon – By Faith Alone (Romans 3:27-4:25)

Romans 1-8 Slide

‘Happy’. He said to me.

As I looked into the face of my friend, with the dark rings under his eyes, hair a little dishevelled, hands grasping the double shot expresso, which was his heart starter for the day, he said:

‘My goal in life is just to be happy’.

So much about what we relentlessly pursue in life aims to create an end result in which we will be happy. Burden now, achieve lots, sacrifice in the present – so that at some point it will all be worth it. We will be able to count up the coins, list off the achievements, bow to acknowledge the praise that is being directed our way – and then, we hope, we will be happy.

Some people call it the rat race.

There is nothing wrong with working hard, striving to reach goals, aiming to achieve much – that is the world we live in. In fact, it can be quite satisfying. Does it make us ‘happy’?

Yet, when it comes to faith, God works on a different spectrum – and for that reason Christians do well to recognise works, although they might be good, are not the measure used to determine godly happiness.

‘Happy is the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works’ (Rom 4:6). Let’s look at how…

Read the Bible Text – Romans 3:27-4:25