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This morning we are continuing in our Sermon on the Mount series. Pastor Terry will be looking at Matthew 7:13-23 and exploring what Jesus was saying to the disciples, and to us, about the need to make good decisions.
On this day our thoughts may be drawn to our fathers who may have had a significant impact on our lives. Likewise, today we are going to consider our Heavenly Father who desires to be in relationship with us, His sons and daughters. God wants us to share with Him all that is on our heart and the cares and concerns we have. Jesus invites us to Ask, Seek and Knock through our prayers, and trust that our heavenly Father will provide what is best and what is in accordance with His will.
We are blessed to join with one another to worship the Lord God Almighty. We are one week past the celebration of Pentecost! Today our worship will reflect the reality that a tremendous movement was launched through the giving of the Holy Spirit and continues today. As we keep Moving Forward, lets join to discover what it is that He is calling us to do and be, as a response to His immense grace and love for us.
This morning we are stepping out of our sermon series to celebrate the Day of Pentecost. Just as we celebrate the birth of Christ, His death and resurrection, believers also mark the day when the Holy Spirit was poured out, inaugurating a new age in the Kingdom of God. Pastor Melissa will be teaching from Acts 2, inviting us to consider how the Holy Spirit works in our lives today.
This week Pastor Nathanael will be preaching about what it means to be people of faith in a world that worries over everything. Worry often reveals a commitment to our personal security and control, but as people of God, we turn to and trust the living God with our every need. Lets take a deep dive into Matthew 6:24-33 together!
Last week we finished our mini-series on the Lords Prayer, and today we will be continuing on through the Sermon on the Mount. In todays passage Pastor Dave will look at 3 short teachings of Jesus that, when understood in the right context, will lead us towards being able to live a non-anxious life. We will look at what Jesus has to say about our treasures, our vision, and our masters. Well see 3 different laws of the human heart, and look at 3 important questions that we all answer in our lives every day.
Today we are concluding our three-week series on The Lords Prayer. In todays passage Pastor Mike will look at what Jesus teaches us with regards to praying through forgiveness, both our need to receive it and to extend it. As well, we will look at what Jesus teaches about praying through the areas in our life where we face temptation and how we can reach out for Gods help in running away from those areas where we often succumb to temptation.
Today we are continuing in our three-week series on The Lords Prayer. In todays passage we will look at what it means to pray for His Kingdom and will to come in us and through us, what our prayer for His daily provision frees us from, and how praying as He taught us heals and strengthens us to follow Him.
Today we are continuing in our three-week series on The Lords Prayer. In todays passage we will look at what it means to pray for His Kingdom and will to come in us and through us, what our prayer for His daily provision frees us from, and how praying as He taught us heals and strengthens us to follow Him.
Though we are one week past Easter, we continue to praise God for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the event that changed everything! Today our worship will reflect the reality that a tremendous movement was launched through the Resurrection and continues today. Lets join together to discover what it is He is calling us to do and be, as a response to His immense love for us.
We are glad you have joined us online this Easter Sunday as we celebrate the truth that HOPE LIVES! It is easy to see this hope as something reserved for the future. However, when we look at the stories of the first followers of Jesus, we see that their encounters with the Risen Christ provided them practical and powerful hope in the midst of their present challenges. Today well look at some of their stories and see how we can experience the same present hope that they did.
On this Palm Sunday, we continue to look at the hope Christ came to give. Today well see that this hope is based on Gods overarching story described by Jesus as the Gospel (which means good news) of the Kingdom. When Jesus entered Jerusalem, He did so knowing of His death and resurrection, which were necessary to make possible the restoration that would bring about this Kingdom. He now invites us to align our lives to the story of ultimate and certain hope found in Him.
As we move into this Easter season, we want to address the question, How do we move forward with hope in an increasingly uncertain world? Today well look at a story that took place shortly before the first Easter week, in which two of Jesus closest followers tried to take control of their own future hope, not realizing the events that were about to take place would provide a certainty of hope far beyond their current understanding and striving.
We find ourselves in a world where vengeance is common often leading to destructive patterns where a hurtful action leads to a hurtful response which triggers further retribution and on and on it goes. As followers of Jesus were called to be agents of gracious de-escalation in this world of escalating revenge.
Today we come to His teaching on truth-telling. To a culture that had created loopholes creating contexts where it was seen as okay to shade the truth or break commitments Jesus challenged His followers to simply tell the truth.
Today well explore Jesus words to a culture that was debating the meaning and nature of marriage with many advocating for divorce based on quite self-centred and insubstantial reasons. Into this context Jesus spoke strong affirmation for Gods design of marriage as a life-giving covenant.
Were currently in a series of messages exploring the Sermon on the Mount. This amazing block of teaching lays out Jesus vision of life that is built on the solid foundation of His truth and direction. Today we come to a passage that addresses sexuality in a way that challenges our permissive culture even as it points to an expression of sexuality that flows from Gods good design.
Today Pastor Nathanael will bring a message on the transforming value of living a life of thanksgiving. As we encounter new changes with the restrictions in our city the dawn of a new normal is imminent. Im not sure how many can say that theyve come out of the past two years unscathed but many of us have been affected personally relationally and in other ways. Today well see how living a life of thanksgiving will help reorient our attitudes so that we can encounter the living God afresh.
When we think of the 10 Commandments we likely feel most in alignment with number six You shall not murder! I doubt many of have seriously considering killing anyone. Today well see however how very common it is to nurse the kind of anger that wants to harm another person and how living in this kind of anger does break Gods vision of what relationships were always intended to be. Jesus longs to free us from the prison and destruction of anger to live a forgiving and reconciling lifestyle.
Today we will see Jesus invitation to move beyond Christianity as a religious activity and ritual that function as one of many aspects of life. Rather He calls us to a relationship with Himself that centres all we do in the wise and good way of life He came to restore.
It would be quite easy to look around at our world see the signs of decay and darkness and feel quite hopeless in it all. Yet this is precisely the kind of world Jesus calls us to engage with compassion and truth. Rather than retreat or conform we are challenged to move forward into this decaying world as Christs salt and this dark world as His light.
Our churchs priorities call us to grow in right relationship...with God with one another and with our neighbour. Today we will look at a part of Jesus vision of what right relationships look like both within and outside of the relational walls of the church.
Welcome to McKernan Baptist Church! We are glad you have joined us either in- person or online. We live in a world with many vying visions of how life was intended to be lived. In the midst of these voices Jesus speaks with the authority of the One who created life. A powerful summary of His vision is found in the Sermon on the Mount. Today we will look at the opening verses of His teaching and see the values that are found in the lives of those who live under Gods good gracious and true revelation of life as He intended.
As we talk about "moving forward" in the midst of this ministry year, we do so in a context of uncertainty and challenge. Truly we need a solid foundation. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus presents a vision of what life in His Kingdom looks like. While the fullness of this Kingdom is yet to come, Matthew is clear that it has arrived in Christ's coming (Mt. 4:17-5:2). At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells a story of two builders that reveals this truth... God offers a solid foundation on which we can move forward. To build on this foundation... We pursue the truth of Christ (7:24) Jesus speaks of wise builders as those who "hear these words of mine." In a world that says truth is relative, Jesus clearly identifies His teaching as solid foundational truth. We put this truth into practice (7:24, 26) While both the wise and foolish builders hear Jesus' words, only the wise builder "puts them into practice." A solid foundation is not built by just knowing God's truth, but by living according to this truth. We intentionally live in dependence on God in the context of community (7:24; 5:3) Just as the builder did not build the "rock," so we cannot build the bedrock that will support our lives. The beginning of the sermon points us to a posture of dependence upon God as the ultimate starting point (bedrock) of life in His Kingdom. To live dependently on God is a plural endeavour. We move forward as we invest in authentic community marked by grace and truth. Discussion/Reflection Questions - In what ways do you see people around you trying to forge a foundation for life? If you're honest, what are some ways you're trying to forge a foundation? Why is any foundation outside of Christ ultimately futile? - In his book "Live No Lies," John Mark Comer makes the statement, "Reality does not adjust to our illusions." How does this challenge the overwhelming message in our culture that truth is relative? Why is the pursuit of God's truth important? - What is the danger of knowing God's truth without living God's truth? What is a current area in your life where there is a gap between your knowledge of God's truth and your practice of God's truth? - Why is it important to approach our lives with a true sense of our spiritual poverty apart from God? Ask for His Spirit to work in you to empower your living of His truth.
The pastoral team continued a shared message exploring the practical implications of what it means that God is with us.
Today the pastoral team shared messages exploring the practical implications of what it means that God is with us.
On this 4th Sunday of Advent, we light the candle of PEACE and reflect on the angel's announcement of "peace on earth." When our lives are disrupted, we look to re-establish peace. This was the case for both Joseph and Herod. Their responses have much to teach us about the peace Christ came to give at Christmas. We experience the peace Christ came to give as we surrender to Him. Joseph surrendered to God and His purposes and came to know God's peace and provision. Herod resisted God's purposes and His distress grew. o Will I surrender to Jesus as Saviour? o Will I surrender to Jesus as Immanuel (God with Us) in the midst of life's disruptions? Our response to God's offer of peace can have profound impact on those around us. By surrendering to God's peace, Joseph became part of God's restorative story in the world. By resisting God's way to peace, Herod created great distress and pain for those around him. o How intentional am I in aligning my life to God's peace-giving story? o What do I want to see when I look back at the "wake" left by my life? Discussion/Reflection Questions - When you reflect on the angels' declaration of "Peace on Earth," what comes to mind? How are we to understand this in a world that is experiencing great lack of peace? - How would you describe the key difference between Joseph and Herod in their response to the disruptive events in their lives? How do you see yourself in each of these responses? - What might it look like to surrender to God during any current disruptions in your life? - How might you participate in God's work of extending His peace to a needy world? - To what degree is your life leaving a "wake" of Christ's peace?
On this 3rd Sunday of Advent, we light the candle of JOY and reflect on the nature of the good news of great joy announced by the angel to the shepherds. We live in a world pursuing happiness, yet mired in discontentment. It is interesting to note that our word "happy" comes from the same root as "happen" and is thus connected to "advantageous circumstances." We'll see today that the joy brought by the coming of Christ (Lk. 2:10) goes much deeper. Joy comes not from fixing our circumstances but from fixing our eyes on Jesus... In the Midst of our Greatest Need (Lk. 2:10; Heb. 12:2) The angel brought news of a Saviour. Jesus' coming would ultimately lead to a cross, knowing this would make available the joy of being forgiven by God, restored to God, and given new life with God. This is the beginning of true and In the Midst of our Current Need (James 1:2-5) James challenges us to view our difficult times with joy, knowing that God is at work in and through even our toughest circumstances to bring us to deeper contentment in Him. Rather than waiting for that "next thing" to find joy, God is in the process of refining us so that we might find joy ever more complete in Him. In the Midst of our Need for Direction (John 15:9-11) Having just called us to a relationship where we remain in Christ's love through our obedience, Jesus connects this teaching to joy. In contrast to a world that says joy is found in doing whatever we want, Jesus tells us that joy is found in doing what we are designed to do. Discussion/Reflection Questions - What is the problem with the common statement in our culture, "I have the right to be happy"? What is the difference between joy and happiness? - Why is the pursuit of joy from external circumstances ultimately futile? - In what ways does a restored relationship with Jesus provide joy? How have you experienced this? - On what basis does James (1:2-5) ask us to choose a joyful perspective on our tough times? What might this look like for you? - How can "doing what I want" instead of following God's truth actually diminish our joy? Where is God asking you to follow Him at this point in your life?
In Isaiah 9, Israel embodies the season of Advent in their hopeful anticipation of the Messiah. This helps us to set the stage for our own expectations for Christmas, as we look forward to marking the birth of Christ on December 25 and hope-filled watching for His second coming. There are three things in Revelation 12 that can shape us as authentic followers of Christ and that can influence our Christmas celebrations, transforming the fading veneer of sentimental ideals and old expectations into something valuable. These three things can renew a right relationship with Christmas regardless of our circumstances or context. They are our worship, our preaching, and our living. Worship rightly focused: Christ was made flesh, willing to be born into our broken world for the ultimate purpose of dying in our place to bring victory and salvation to His beloved children. Understanding the fullness of Christ and His action among us, both in the physical and in the spiritual realms, enables us to embrace Him as our living hope. Preaching/sharing our testimony is one of the tools for overcoming the enemy: When you share what Jesus has done and is doing in your life, you are preaching truth. When you share the Word of God with others, you are giving testimony to who Christ is. Our celebrations of the birth of Christ must be shaped by holy living: "Holy living is the action by which we express in our behaviour and speech the love and presence of our Christ...[It is] the conviction that everything we do, no matter what we do, however common and little noticed our lives, is connected with the action of God.." Eugene Petersen Living with a mindset that says, "for Christ, my life is worth risking," and "my comfort is worth risking," and "my traditions are worth risking," is holy living. Discussion/Reflection Questions - How are we expressing the hope and love of God to one another and to our neighbour, understanding the reality that God sent His Son on a rescue operation for His children where His very birth initiated a war? - Are our expectations based in the reality of a challenging, fallen world, just like we read in Isaiah 9, or are we trying to sweep our sorrows and grief under the rug, attempting to make our lives look tidy and wrapped up with a bow? - What would it look like, to hold in tension, the invitation to experience great joy at the Saviour's birth, while at the same time understanding the need to engage in worship, in preaching, and in holy living as a means of war? - What is the Holy Spirit's invitation to you in renewing or transforming Christmas traditions that embody and reflect our living Hope?
