in Revelation
Revelation 4:1-11: The Throne that runs the universe
Introduction: Your view of the universe determines your reaction to suffering. If you are an atheist who views the world to be the result of time+chance =everything, then you have no reason to complain about...
James 2:14-16: Faith without works is dead: Reconciling James and Paul
Introduction: ‘The Bible is full of contradictions’ is one of the many things that unbelievers throw in our faces. My standard response is, ‘Show me one.’ This usually calls their bluff and reveals that they...
in Revelation
Revelation 3:14-22: Laodicea
Introduction: Laodicea is the worst of the 7 churches. Unlike the church in Sardis who was dead but still had a small group who had kept their garments white, Laodicea was a church that had...
Church Membership 7: Worship
Introduction: Worship is one of the controversies that rocks and has the rocked the church in the last generation. Being a Reformed church we have a very deliberate view on worship. We feel that many...
in Revelation
Revelation 3:7-13: Philadelphia
Introduction: If I were to say to you that you are a citizen of God’s kingdom, He has set before you an open door that no one can close, unbelievers will bow down before you,...
Church Membership 6: Leadership in the Church
Introduction: The Roman Catholic Church says, ‘No Pope, no Church!’ The Anglican Church says, ‘No Bishop, no Church!’ The Presbyterian says, ‘No Elder, no Church!’ The Baptist says, ‘No congregation, no Church!’ These simplistic statements...
in Baptism
Acts 2:38-39: The Promise of the Spirit
Introduction: Today we are having a baptismal service where some of the candidates were once baptised as infants and have since come to recognise that their parents cannot obey the call to repent and be...
in Revelation
Revelation 3:1-6: Sardis
Introduction: Sardis as a church was very similar to Sardis as a town, apathetic, not vigilant and comfortable. The town of Sardis was built on a nearly inaccessible town. It held a very strong military...
Church Membership 5: Responsibilities of membership: One Anothering
Introduction: One of the big questions that divide people on their view of the church is this one: is the church an organisation or an organism? Those who answer organisation point to its defined leadership...
in Revelation
Revelation 2:18-29: Thyatira
Introduction: Sexual sin is one of the most devastating sins for collateral damage. I was once in a church where the pastor committed adultery. One year later there was a guest speaker who addressed the...
Church Membership 4: Responsibilities of membership: Loving one another
Introduction: Picture with me Jesus last evening with His disciples before His arrest: If you could have tasted the air there would have been a strong variety of flavours in the upper room. Different emotions...
in Revelation
Revelation 2:12-17: Pergamum
Introduction: It is good military practice to use part of your force to press the attack against an enemy so that they bunch up their resources in one area spreading themselves thin in other areas,...
Church Membership 3: Responsibilities of Membership: Meeting Together
Introduction: ‘I don’t like to go to church because I don’t get anything out of it.’ This statement could be a reflection on the poverty of the pulpit in the present church, but it also...
in Revelation
Revelation 2:8-11: Smyrna
Introduction: Things are not what they seem! This is one of the most important truths that Christians are to learn from the book of Revelation. We see in this book that it is those who...
Church Membership 2: Regenerate Church Membership
Introduction: What are the most important distinctives that make a Baptist Church a Baptist Church? You might think that believer’s baptism would be the first thing offered. This is not true! Baptists believe in the...
in Revelation
Revelation 2:1-7: Ephesus: Part Two
Introduction: Gordon Macdonald was a successful and famous Christian writer and speaker who fell into adultery. After being restored he wrote a book and in it he gives an illustration of the Christian life. The...