1 Corinthians 7: Singleness
We have said many things about marriage, but I am aware that not everyone who hears these messages is married or will get married. So I think it is appropriate that we also address the matter of singleness. Now in announcing that this is the topic of the sermon I am sure that all the singles out there will be squirming because they think that this is a sermon directed at them, but it is a sermon for all. Just as we can all benefit by listening to a sermon addressing those who are married, we can all benefit...
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Ephesians 5:5-7: Living in Light of Judgement
What do all these verses have in common? 2 Cor. 5:10-11, ‘For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience.’ 2 Pet. 3:11, 14, ‘Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness?’ ‘Therefore,...
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Ephesians 5:3-7: Motivations for Personal Purity
Why should a Christian not have sex before marriage or any other form of sexual sin? Why should a Christian not tell dirty jokes? Why should a Christian not swear? Why should a Christian not be greedy? It is to these questions that we turn as Paul gives the Ephesians motivations to be personally pure. Paul has been speaking to the area of unity, to the area of relationships, and about those sins that we do against each other like lying, stealing, slandering, unforgiveness, etc. But Paul is not only concerned about our unity he is also concerned about...
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Romans 13:12-14: Walking In The light
Introduction: Augustine, one of the church fathers of the 4thcentury is one of the most influential men in Christian history, was converted by this text. He grew up in a home with a Christian mother and unbelieving father. He was given the best education and went on to succeed in Rhetoric and teaching. He went through various religions looking for truth and came under the influence of the great preacher Ambrose. At first it was merely an appreciation for his preaching ability, but the Spirit began to work on his heart. Augustine was a man who was given to...
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Envy: Proverbs 23:17-24:2
INTRODUCTION: Today I would like to speak to you about what has been called one of our ‘respectable sins’, envy. Envy, jealousy, coveting, illegitimate wanting, sinful desiring, etc.; this is a sin you and I are assaulted by every single day. You and I have the hearts of adulterers and adulteresses, ‘prone to wander.’ We need to be most aware of this sin and how it works in our hearts. We see coveting as idolatry as Paul tells us in Col. 3:5, but your government sees covetousness, your consumer desires, as the heart and soul of our economy and...
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2 Samuel 13: Amnon and Tamar: Part Two
Sorry, no audio recording is available for this sermon. Outline Jonadab’s council Absalom’s hatred David’s permissiveness Introduction ‘The sword shall not depart from your house.’ We are in the middle of looking at the shadow of the sword of God’s judgement on David’s sin and how it is affecting his family. Last time we looked at the terrible action of Amnon raping his sister. This chapter has no redeeming aspects to it, it leaves you feeling dirty at the end of it, and this is all deliberate. When the snowball of sin begins to roll down the hill this...
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2 Samuel 13: Amnon and Tamar: Part One
Outline Amnon’s lust Jonadab’s counsel Absalom’s hatred David’s permissiveness Introduction ‘The sword shall never depart from your house.’ This sword of God’s chastening hangs over David’s life as we move forward. The main way in which judgement is going to come upon David’s house is through Absalom. So although this chapter is all about Amnon and Tamar, you will notice in v1 that it begins by mentioning that Tamar was Absalom’s sister. This chapter is nothing more than the backstory as to how Absalom will rise up against David as a fulfilment of the punishment God is meting out....
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2 Samuel 12: A sinner restored
Outline Burden of sin Repentance for sin Forgiveness of sin Chastisement for sin Introduction If you know you’re a sinner; if you know the heavy weight of sin, if you have a deep desire for forgiveness and have agonised over how God sees a child who has sinned grievously against Him, then this is one of the most important chapters of the bible for you. David has committed adultery with Bathsheba, he could not trick Uriah into thinking the baby was his, so David conspired to have him killed. The last words of the last chapter are these, ‘But...
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The Spirit Filled Marriage 12: Dating
Outline Independent dating Undiscerning dating Immoral dating Shallow dating Introduction The history of dating is a pendulum swing from total dependence to total independence. In ancient times marriages were arranged. An arranged marriage could have been arranged while the bride and groom were still in their infancy by the parents, or by a person appointed to choose a suitable spouse. Potential spouses did not necessarily have the opportunity to meet until the wedding day. There are still many today who implement this practice usually allowing the son or daughter to meet the prospective mate and veto to reject or...
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The Spirit Filled Marriage 9: The Priority of Holiness
Outline Holiness in marriage Holiness by marriage Introduction When Lynn and I got married, we asked our pastor to not skimp on the preaching of God’s word and give us a full sermon. We still remember the points of that sermon. He spoke about the purpose of marriage and had 4 ‘P’s to answer. Marriage is for procreation, partnership, pleasure and perfection. It is this last purpose of marriage, perfection that we will be considering this morning. Paul has commanded husbands to love their wives, v25. This action is not self-determined and defined but Paul tells us Christ’s self-giving...
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The Spirit Filled Marriage 7: Husbands love your wives
Outline Defining love Describing love Introduction Why do we love? One physicist gives us the evolutionary perspective, ‘Biologically, love is a powerful neurological condition like hunger or thirst, only more permanent. We talk about love being blind or unconditional, in the sense that we have no control over it. But then, that is not so surprising since love is basically chemistry. While lust is a temporary passionate sexual desire involving the increased release of chemicals such as testosterone and oestrogen, in true love, or attachment and bonding, the brain can release a whole set of chemicals: pheromones, dopamine, norepinephrine,...
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Homosexual Marriage 1: Speaking the Truth in Love
Outline Issues Truths Texts Response Introduction Eighteen countries as of June 26th 2015 have legalised same-sex marriage. We are living in a time when things are the worst they have ever been on the question of homosexuality. John Piper writes about what is new in this trend of legislation, ‘What’s new is not even the celebration and approval of homosexual sin. Homosexual behaviour has been exploited, and revelled in, and celebrated in art, for millennia. What’s new is normalisation and institutionalisation. This is the new calamity.’ We have seen the flood of rainbows in the Media in support of...
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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 issue of holiness and gave opportunity for those in sin to be prayed for, 95% of the church were involved in some sort of sexual sin. Sexual tolerance is the sin that Thyatira are rebuked for. Thyatira was an unimportant town and its main reason for existence was economic with a large amount of industry represented by the many trade guilds in the town....
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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, thereby creating a weakness, and you can then breakthrough in the weakened area. All of us struggle to fight a war on two or more fronts. Many of us are able to stand up to a trial, but we tend to crumble when all sorts of things of all sorts of types come against us. This was the problem at Pergamum. Pergamum had been...
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