(SERMON) Luke 2:8-12 "Mega Joy" comes from Jesus

People look for what "sparks joy" is all kinds of places. But the only place to find great joy⁠—MEGA JOY⁠—which can overcome all darkness, fear, and sin is in the baby born in a manger 2000 years ago: in the Saviour who is both the promised Messiah who saves us from sin and the Lord God Almighty who rules and reigns over all things.

(SERMON) Incarnation, Apollonaris, and Nestorius: John 6.35-51

The doctrine of the incarnation—God in the flesh—is utterly foundational to Christianity.  The belief that Jesus is 100% God and 100% human, that he is the God-man, is the truth upon which our hopes and salvaiton rest.

But what does all of this actually mean?

The Early Church was divided between the teachings of Alexandria and Antioch, between the errors of Apollonarianism and Nestorianism. It had to find the biblical middle ground and did so at the Council of Chalcedon in 451AD—what was taught there, and is taught in the Bible, should impact our daily lives and even our theology of the Lord's Supper.

(SERMON) Matthew 11.16-30 (09/07/2017)

People always find excuses to reject God, God reveals Himself to those like little children but hides from the arrogant, rejecting Him leads to damnation, accepting Him leads to perfect peace and a serene rest such as words cannot describe.

(This is an older sermon from my uploading backlog)

(SERMON) The Heresy of Arianism: 1 John 1.1-18

In the streets of Alexandria in 318AD a mob was chanting "There was a time that Christ was not!"  This heresy - Arianism - is alive and well around the world and church today.  Athanasius would spend most of his 46 years as a bishop in exile for fighting it.  Why was he so determined to fight the good fight and why should we be today?

We must stand firm because Scripture teaches that Jesus is truly God, begotten not made.

We must stand firm because if the person of Jesus is a created thing, no matter how exalted, all our worship is idolatry.

We must stand firm because unless Jesus is truly, fully, God - and not just close to God or like God - then our sins have not been forgiven.

We must stand firm because in this  truth is great comfort and blessing: knowing that God is a loving Father and not a distant and cold loner.

(SERMON) Trinity Sunday 2019 - Romans 5:1-5

The teaching about the Holy Trinity - who God is - is often shunned by Christians but this should not be the case.  There are three simple things to bear in mind when thinking about God as Trinity:

1.  You don't need a master's degree in Trinitarian Theology to accept and submit to who God has revealed Himself to be.

2. God has truly revealed Himself as Trinity in the Bible; One God yet Three Persons. This means a relationship with God and salvation itself is only found in accepting and submitting to the teaching of the Trinity.

3. The Trinity is Good News because it reveals just how amazingly generous and loving God is - He doesn't need us and never has but still He created us that He might share His own goodness, joy, peace, freedom, and glory with us.

(SERMON) 2 Timothy 4 Preaching and the Church

With the strongest possible charge Paul commands Timothy to "Preach the Word"

A healthy church preaches the whole Word to the mind, conscience, and heart.  Christians must learn to avoid false teaching and sin by being sober-minded, by evangelism, and by doing ministry in all our lives.  Together we must run the race to a crown of glory - safe in the assurance of salvation by faith alone.

(SERMON) Matthew 15.21-39 Grace and the Outcast

In this remarkable and shocking passage we see Jesus three times demonstrate three great truths:

1.) God extends His grace to all kinds of people.

2.) We receive this grace in faith: a true faith of honest humility and deep dependence.

3.) Receiving the grace of God leads to many blessings.

Do our churches share the gospel of God's grace to all communities and "outcasts" around us? Do we have the faith to cling to Christ even when the Throne of Grace is silent to our pleas? Do we who believe live the life of joy and peace that grace gives us through faith?

(SERMON) 2 Corinthians 8.1-15 - Giving because He gave first

As children of the King of the Universe we have a confidence which means we should give of our money (and time, talents, and resources) in such a way that the unbelieving world around thinks we are crazy.

Christians love to give graciously - freely and undeservedly - because God graciously loved us first.

(SERMON) 1 Timothy 3.14-16 The Local Church

The Local Church is:

1.) The adopted family of God.
2.) The place where God is found.
3.) The proclaimer and protector of the Truth to the world.
4.) Victorious because of Jesus.