II Kings 3:4-15 — The kings of Israel, Judah and Edom were in big trouble. They had marched their armies for seven days into the wilderness and had run out of water. They were now ripe for defeat by the forces of Moab. In desperation, a prophet was called for and by God’s good providence…
Various Texts — What are we saying about God’s sovereignty when we are cynical? What are we saying about his goodness? Or His promises? In the first part of our study we learned that cynicism is a love problem, in this second part, we learn that it’s a faith problem as well. Cynicism reveals a deficient…
I Corinthians 13:7 — Cynicism is the inclination to believe that people are motivated purely by self-interest. A cynical person is overly skeptical, constantly distrustful and generally pessimistic. We live at a deeply cynical time in history. People are more distrustful and contemptuous of institutions than ever before. Unfortunately this attitude can find its way into…
I Kings 21:1-16 — Letters had come from the queen to the elders of Jezreel. It was her wish that an innocent man be falsely accused and executed. They complied and Naboth died. Why did these leaders do what Jezebel wanted? How will we respond when we are pressured to do something that violates our…
Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 — How should a Christian think about time? Our life unfolds as a series of events in linear succession. This movement from beginning to end is inescapable. We are, as it were, bound by time and yet we think about realities outside of time. Why is it that we have a sense of…
Various Texts — One of the beautiful things we see in the Gospels is Jesus’ great compassion. In this sermon, we consider five occasions where Jesus was moved with compassion in the course of His public ministry. We discover that the circumstances that touched His heart, are circumstances we all experience at some point in our…
Matthew 5:43-48 — Of all the things that Jesus calls us to do, loving our enemies is perhaps the hardest! It goes right against our natural desires. We want to repay the evil done to us with evil and not with good! At the same time Jesus gave us this command, He taught us that when…
Various texts — On the fourth Thursday in November our friends in the United States celebrate Thanksgiving. This holiday is taken very seriously and involves special time with family and lots of good food! It also serves to remind us that thanksgiving is an integral part of the Christian life. In this sermon, Pastor Brendan provides…
Psalm 67:1-2 — In the opening lines of Psalm 67, the author quotes from the most famous benediction in the Bible, the priestly blessing in Numbers 6. Even today this benediction is widely used and much loved in Christian worship. The way the Psalmist uses this familiar text is very interesting. It reveals a deep evangelical…
Philippians 4:13 — “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” This is a much loved and often quoted New Testament text, but what does it mean? How does it work? How does God strengthen us through Christ?