Sermons & Teachings

James: Wisdom for Waiting

  • Wisdom for Waiting (Part 1)
  • Introduction to Reading James
    • Who wrote James?
    • Who is James writing to?
    • What does he write about?
    • What kind of writing or genre is James?
  • Things to consider while listening to James
    • When he returns to a topic
    • When he shifts from topics to more general observation
    • Why is a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ so important
  • Wisdom for Waiting (Part 2)
  • Until the Lord Returns
    • What context do the readers of James, and us, share?
  • Wisdom from God
    • What do we need so we can avoid doing nothing with, or wandering from, our faith, but instead persevere to the end?
  • Wisdom for each other
    • Why does saying a simple ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ matter so much

“Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do…” Living in the world for the glory of God

1 Corinthians 10

  • Three commitments
    • The good of our brothers and sisters (ch 8)
    • The salvation of the lost (ch 9)
    • The honour of Christ (10:11-22)
  • Warnings from Israel’s history (v1-13)
  • Two tables (v14-22)
  • The freedom of a Christian (v23-31)
    • In your own life (v23-28)
    • In each other’s lives (10:29-30)
  • A triple quest
    • The glory of God (v31)
    • The good of others (v23-24, 32-33)
    • The salvation of the lost (10:33)
  • Freedom, commitment and teh example of Christ (v11:1)

“There remain with God” Sex, Marriage and Counter-cultural Contentment

1 Corinthians 7:1-24

  • Love in an age of manufactured discontent
  • Particular issues…
    • For the married: sex or celibacy? (v1-7)
    • For widows and the unmarried: to (re)marry or not to (re)marry? (v8-9)
    • For those married to a fellow believer: to stay together or to separate? (v10-11)
    • For those married to an unbeliever: to stay or to leave? and if your partner leaves?
  • General Principles…
    • Accepting God’s gifts (v7, 17, 21)
    • Keeping God’s commandments (v10, 19)
    • Responding to God’s call (v17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 24)
    • Living in God’s freedom (v23)