"John" Tagged Sermons
Reckless Devotion
Being sensible is highly valued in our culture and it also seems to be valued in the scriptures in terms of practical wisdom, sober-mindedness and self-control. But we all know of followers of Jesus who have made decisions that our world considers reckless like missionaries heading to persecuted countries to preach an illegal gospel. So what happens when following Jesus looks more reckless than sensible? Pastor Joe examines one encounter when a woman displays reckless devotion to Jesus and what…
The God Who Serves
Deep down inside all of us want to be known as self-made men and women. Our immediate thought is to take on life by ourselves without ever wanting to ask for help so that we might be able to take all the credit for it, so that others might think of us as impressive. But when it comes to our relationship with God our self-determination can actually push us further away from Him rather than impress Him. Pastor Joe looks…
No Condemnation
We broke from our Galatians series to serve in our local community during our normal church time. Instead we had an evening service where Pastor Joe looked at the encounter between Jesus and a woman caught in adultery. One of our worst fears is to have all of our worst moments, greatest mistakes and darkest thoughts exposed for others to see. We fear that we will be judged and that no one will ever forgive us. Well when we meet the…
Good Friday: They never told you He chose suffering
We all suffer… and when we go through the most intense times of trial and pain we can very easily feel alone. We push people away, we dive into depression and we feel that there is no one who understands us and no one who can help us. This feeling we are alone also extends to our relationship with God as in suffering it feels as though God has abandoned us and is either unable to help us or so…
They never told you God wants to set you free
“Christianity is an oppressive draconian regime of rules and restrictions!” This is the impression that so many people have of church. Maybe through an upbringing in a strict home, an education from a church school or media reports about narrow-minded churches you have come to this conclusion yourself – why bother with church when it is just out to brainwash me and trap me in a life of boring compliance to rules? This morning we look at a stunning encounter…
Christmas Changes Everything
It is easy for us in the church to lament the over commercialization of Christmas! When we see all the glossy junk mail, shiny marketing and materialism we can feel as though the real meaning of Christmas has been missed. However, I wonder how much better our understanding of Christmas actually is… aside from “celebrating Jesus’ birthday” what does Christmas really mean to us? How has it changed humanity? How should it change our lives? Join us as we start…