Luke 18:9-14: The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
INTRODUCTION Jeremiah 17:9 says of our hearts, ‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?’ Our hearts are self-deceiving, in other words we lie to ourselves. We deceive ourselves about many things but two stand out in our text today. We lie to ourselves about our own goodness; and we lie to ourselves about others sinfulness. We come another famous parable of Christ in Luke 18:9-14, the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. Jesus has been speaking about how we ought to persevere in prayer, this parable too is about prayer....
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Luke 17:22-37: The Day When the Son of Man is Revealed
INTRODUCTION What is the meaning of history? Where is everything going? What is it all for? We live in a day of fear and uncertainty. Many are caught up in the fear of a future that is looking very bleak due to the effects of climate change; or a future living in a post-Covid world; or a future controlled by Neo-Marxist governments; or a future of constant digital surveillance. Many have a view of the future that is dark and hopeless. Every generation has lived with the harsh realities of living in a fallen world pressing in upon them....
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Luke 1:1-4: ‘That You May Have Certainty’
Introduction: Imagine with me what the experience and the questions of Theophilus would have been: you are probably a God fearer who has only recently converted to Christianity, that is someone who was attached to the Jewish synagogue who believed in the God of the OT but was never circumcised. You are also a man of position and wealth. You accepted that Jesus was the one who was promised in the OT, but now some issues have arisen. Those people at the synagogue you used to attend have rejected Jesus as their Messiah. In fact they are on a...
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Luke 23:39-43: Christ and the Two Thieves
Special thanks to Russell Cannons from Shore Baptist in Auckland, for sharing God’s Word with us this Easter.
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Luke 2:21: The Circumcision of Christ
Introduction: This morning in preparation for Christmas I would like to impress upon us the dark side of Christmas. There is no end to the frosted idyllic scenes of a cute cherubic baby Jesus with a glowing halo. He is surrounded with raptured smiling faces, while ‘no crying He makes’. Many in order to avoid the distinctly gospel and Christian aspects of Christmas have amplified the cuteness, and fixated on the birth of a baby. But today I want to cast a shadow over the birth. The shape of that shadow is in the form of a bloody blade. ...
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Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4: The Lord’s Prayer
Outline Prayer: a Means of Grace What does Jesus teach about Prayer? ACTS – Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication We are weak and He is not Introduction Lately it has weighed on my heart that as a church would could do better in what we commonly call corporate prayer. When things are going well we can tend to fall into the trap of ploughing on ahead in our own steam, rather than relying on God. I would therefore like to take some time this afternoon looking at the example of prayer that our Lord left us in what we refer to as...
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Luke 2:11: Jesus our Saviour
Outline Saviour from sin Introduction In Luke 2:11, Jesus is called ‘Saviour.’ Luke 2:10-12, ‘And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”’ I would like to share with you just one thought as we draw near to Christmas. Jesus...
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Church Discipline 2: Luke 15:11-32: Restoring the repentant sinner
Introduction: Last week we looked at the issue of church discipline. In my studies in this area I have found that there is a real zeal for sermons, studies and articles on this issue. You can find a lot of material about the proper processes to follow, but something I have not seen much on is what do you do with someone who repents, how do we restore the repentant? There are some indications of what to do in verses like Galatians 6:1-3, ‘Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in...
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