in Malachi
Malachi 2:17-3:5: Theodicy
OUTLINE The accusation The answer INTRODUCTION Sin creates reversals. Marriage as a relationship where we are to serve each other gets distorted into a relationship where we serve ourselves. God’s gifts in creation which are...
in Luke
Luke 19:45-48: Jesus and the Temple
OUTLINE Jesus enters the temple Jesus cleanses the temple Jesus’ zeal for the temple INTRODUCTION There are certain texts in the Bible that are pregnant with meaning; they have layers of meaning to unravel. Jesus’...
in Malachi
Malachi 2:13-16: Divorce: Part Three
OUTLINE Children and divorce The heart and divorce Hatred and divorce INTRODUCTION We are in our third sermon looking at the matter of divorce. So far we have looked at the spiritual consequences for those...
in Luke
Luke 19:28-44: The King Enters Jerusalem
OUTLINE The prophet King The humble King The weeping King INTRODUCTION The coronation of royalty has always been a loud and expensive affair. When Napoleon decided to crown himself emperor he got a crown called...
in Luke
Luke 19:11-27: The Parable of the Ten Minas
OUTLINE The King receives His kingdom His servants await His kingdom INTRODUCTION ‘When Herod the Great died in 4 b.c., it was obvious to almost everyone that his son Archelaus would take his throne in...
in Luke
Malachi 2:10-16: Divorce: Part Two
INTRODUCTION Last week we began to engage with the second problem that Malachi was addressing around marriage in Israel. The Israelites were divorcing their wives to marry idolaters. We have dealt with the issue of...
in Luke
Luke 19:1-10: The Salvation of Zacchaeus
INTRODUCTION Jericho will always be famous for 3 unlikely converts. Firstly, there is the conversion of the prostitute Rahab. At the time of the Exodus she had heard about God rescuing His people from Egypt...
in Malachi
Malachi 2:13-16: Divorce: Part One
Introduction Marriage in NZ is under attack. 2020 saw some of the lowest amounts of marriages in NZ recent history. There were only 16 380 marriages.1 The statisticians add a further 403 same sex...
in Luke
Luke 18:35-43: The Healing of Blind Bartimaeus
OUTLINE The knowledge of faith The desperation of faith The asking of faith The consequences of faith INTRODUCTION It has been said that Christ’s miracles of healing various disabilities is a deliberate illustration of how...
in Malachi
Malachi 2:10-12: Unequally Yoked
OUTLINE The sin in Israel The sin in the Bible The sin in our experience INTRODUCTION Marriage is an institution created by God and as sinners we reject God’s institutions and sin against them just...
in Luke
Luke 18:31-34: ‘Everything…Written…Will be Accomplished.’
OUTLINE Birth Nature Ministry Death, burial and resurrection INTRODUCTION I am a fan of science fiction and fantasy, and a common theme in many these genres is the issue of prophecy. Modern fiction thinking reflects...
in Malachi
Malachi 2:1-9 Holding Leadership Accountable
OUTLINE The unheeding Levite The ideal Levite The wayward Levite INTRODUCTION Robert Murray McCheyne said once that his people’s greatest need was his personal holiness. Why is it that a church’s greatest need is for...
in Luke
Luke 18;18-30 The Young Ruler
OUTLINE Salvation is impossible with man Salvation is possible for God INTRODUCTION I want you to picture the best human being alive on earth right now. Think of a person who is virtuous, successful, lauded,...
in Malachi
Malachi 1:6-14 The Worship God Hates
OUTLINE Dishonoring worship Minimalistic worship Lukewarm worship Compromised worship INTRODUCTION How much worship does God deserve? How much honor, reverence, fear, awe, love, obedience, and sacrifice? The truth is we can never worship, honor or...
in Luke
Luke 18:15-17: Receiving the Kingdom like a Child
INTRODUCTION We come to a new section in Luke, 18:15-17, which is of great interest to us because Jesus talks about children. Children play a large part in our lives and are very important to...
in Christmas
Luke 2:10-12: Joy to the World
INTRODUCTION Christmas time is supposed to be a time of great joy. But many people are sad. You have heard of S.A.D., seasonally affected disorder. This usually describes people who react badly to winter weather...