(SERMON) Amos 7.7-end The Plumbline and Opposition

In Amos the Lord gives us the image of a divine plumb-line against which all of our life is measured.  It shows us when we go off course and lean away from the truth.  The Good News is that in Jesus we have all we need for a sure foundation and straight alignment.  When Amos spoke of these things he faced opposition and today when we speak the truth we face the same kind of undermining tactics he did - so we must learn from them.

(SERMON) Habakkuk 2.1-5 Watching in Hope

Habakkuk teaches us here how to wait and watch for the Lord when we seek Him in prayer.  He then speaks of the folly of trying finding satisfaction, comfort, and certain security in anything except faith alone.  Faith is the foundation for all growth in the Christian life - the righteous live by faith alone.

(SERMON) Malachi 4 - The Last Words of the Old Covenant

Malachi chapter four contains the last words God spoke to His people for hundreds of years - the last words till John the Baptist came and proclaimed the coming Messiah.  John the Baptist was the prophesied 'Elijah' who would return, yet Jesus became the true and greater Elijah who would heal the nations and cleanse their sins.

(SERMON) Micah 7.1-13 - from misery to hope.

Looking around at the depravity and sickness of the world can leave us miserable and feeling like lone voices crying out against an impossible storm - but Micah, who felt the same way, knew that He could trust in the Lord and have hope.  Micah knew that God was a God of restoration and turning around the impossible.  We too, through Jesus, can lay claim to an even more immovable hope - that our sins have already been dealt with and no wrath comes for us.

(SERMON) Hosea 13.15-14.9 'The chain of Salvation'

At the end of his Prophecy the Lord speaks to Hosea about the four stages through which we go to be saved.  It starts with judgement and damnation, the horrific reality of hell - which we deserve due to sin.  We then repent and renounce not only our idols but our attempts to save ourselves.  This repentance is blessed and we are assured of forgiveness and mercy freely given.  Finally we flourish in God's strength as we day by day abandon our idols and walks the paths of righteousness.

(SERMON) Hosea 8 "Lord we know You"

In Hosea Chapter 8 the nation of Israel cries out "Lord we know You!" but God doesn't recognise them at all.  God says you recognise His people by their fruits - and Israel was not fruitful!   Sadly the reasons why they were not fruitful are just as common and dangerous to the church today as back then: the twin threats of Ritualism and Liberalism.  Praise the Lord that in Jesus Christ and Him crucified we find the antidote to both!

(SERMON) Hosea 6-7

The Promise of Christ's return and a constant call to hold on to Him should compel us to be brutally honest and wholehearted in our life of faith,

(SERMON) Hosea 1.1-2.1

What does the call of Hosea to marry a prostitute tell us about ourselves, about our churches, our lands?  And what do his words teach us about the overwhelming grace of God - a God who in Christ Jesus took our place of pain that we might have His blessings.

(SERMON) Haggai - from start to finish, from Temple to Christ

The short book of Haggai is full of important truths - but it must be read with one eye on the times it was written and one eye firmly on Jesus Christ the true and greater Temple, the Church the New Covenant temple, and our own selves who are temples of the Holy Spirit.

(Tarsus Conference 2015)

(SERMON) Haggai 2.1-9 Strength, Presence, Peace

In his second sermon Haggai gives strong words of encouragement to a people who are doubting, anxious, and disillusioned.  He calls on them to remember who their God is and "be strong", he tells them that this strength comes through knowing that through it all the God of the universe is right there among them, His Spirit is present.  Finally, Haggai calls on them to recognise that God will come in glory to Jerusalem and build a better Temple which will bring total peace - that Temple is Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace and it is to Him we must turn.

(SERMON) Zephaniah 2.4-3.8

What can we learn from such and strong word of judgement?  We learn that we need humility not pride, we need reliance on Jesus not self-sufficiency, that God is a just judge but also a promising saviour.  We see that God fulfills His word in Jesus and in Jesus we find life in all its fullness.

(SERMON) Habakkuk 3

To end his discussion with God Habakkuk breaks into song. In this song we see the reason why we can have hope and peace even in the face of extreme difficulty, trials, and temptations - because Jesus has already been there and triumphed over Satan, sin, death, and darkness.

(SERMON) Habakkuk 1.1-11

In Habakkuk 1.1-11 we learn three important truths:
1) It is not sin to question how God acts so long as it is done faithfully
2) God answers our questions and doubts in spectacular ways, ultimately in the resurrection of Jesus.
3) never make your own strength, gifts, skills, health, wealth, social circle, your god - if your god has a sell-by date you need to ditch it now and embrace Jesus.

(SERMON) Nahum 2 - Present Hope and Present Challenge

Nahum chapter two is difficult to read, and difficult to relate to - but in truth it brings us hope in times of despair, hope that Jesus can do the impossible, yet also a challenge that if we do not turn to Christ and repent we will suffer the judgement of God regardless of whether we call ourselves 'Christian' or not.

(SERMON) Amos 7.1-18 - the Sovereign God and the Opposition

Firstly; God controls nature, God controls the earth, God controls all things - He is sovereign and King and this should make us bold and empowered in our prayer life knowing that whatever our prayer God can answer it. That God uses and is involved in natural disasters is a foundational and classically Anglican doctrine which we need to rediscover.

Secondly; true faithfulness to God will bring persecution and lies and slander, be prepared for this but trust that God is sovereign.

(SERMON) Amos 5.1-17 Two Marks of a real Church

During Amos' funeral sermon for Israel we are reminded that God always offers us life if we seek Him - but He is not found in empty ritual.  Instead we look for two marks of a healthy church where God is found 1) right doctrine of God - His sovereignty, His justice, His mercy 2) right living which flows from this; a passion for justice, peace, and righteousness.

(SERMON) Does God bless all church worship? Amos 5.18-27

Does God bless all worship and all church services? No - in fact He would rather some churches just closed their doors and disappeared.  Here in Amos God identifies three issues we must get right in our worship and churches.  1) Good theology which paints a biblical portrait of Jesus and what we should believe. 2) Rituals are in and of themselves worthless to God, He desires obedience rather than sacrifice.  Holy living and a pure heart are the starting point for real worship.  3) You need to worship the real God and not be swayed by new ideas or old heresies.   All of this leads to our churches needing to repent of unbiblical worship and throw ourselves and our lives on the the mercy of God because on then will He bring true revival.

(SERMON) Amos 2.4-16 judgement on Judah and Israel - and on the Church of England.

In this passage Amos turns his eyes onto the sins of Judah and Israel - idolatry and abandoning Scripture which lead to oppression of the poor and needy, sexual immorality, and disgusting practices in the temples.  The message for today is just as hard to bear - what are God's judgements on so called 'christendom' and in particular the Church of England?    We need to repent and reform before we are overtaken by a lack of gospel preaching, an abandonment of Scripture and God's law, the worship of pluralism and false gods alongside Christ, a pervasive ritualism and sacerdotalism, and persecuting modern day biblical preachers and believers: made all the worse given all that God has done in Christ and the testimony of our martyred reformers.  We must repent or as a church face the slow death the Episcopal Church USA has seen which is the judgement of God upon their apostasy.  We still have hope because our God is a God of resurrection and reformation.

(SERMON) Jonah 4 - The ignorant prophet

In Jonah 4 our prophet chokes on the grace shown to the Ninevites by a God who saves whomever He wants. A God who is merciful, compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in great love, and turns back from punishing those who repent. We need to accept this God, accept His amazing grace, and swallow whole the gospel of Christ.

 

(SERMON) Jonah 1.1-3 The Prophet of God

Jonah is the most famous but least understood of the Old Testament Prophets.  But it is a crucial book which teaches us five important things:  1) Jonah is all about Jesus  2) Jonah is all about scandalous grace 3) Jonah is about faith in a Big God 4) Jonah is about history 5) Jonah is about humility and repentance,  As we begin our sermon series on Jonah we focus on these things.