All Nations Presbyterian Church: Morning Sermon Series

On Sunday morning, we looked at the end of James 4. James addressed traders who had planned out what their future looked like, but who had not included God in their plans. He pointed out how foolish this was, for we are never actually in control of what happens next in our lives. We are unsubstantial compared to God and need to act to honour and serve him, whatever our lives might look like right now. It is not wrong to plan. ...

We returned to the book of James together on Sunday morning, looking at James 4:1-12. The readers of James were divided, and often due to their teachers looking to their own interests instead of the good of the church. James is very strong in his rebuke of the situation. He called on the readers to show humility, and to realise that we are all sinners who have been shown grace. We should pray for and live in such a way that honours...

On Sunday morning, we finished our short topical series on the God who speaks. We looked at the Bible, the great place where God tells us about himself. We saw that this book is the word of God and the word of the human writers, consistent, and focused on the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is a book that shows grace to us over and over again. It can be relied upon, even in its smallest details. Yet there are many challanges to...

On Sunday morning, we looked at the issue of authority. This was part of our sermon series on 'the God who speaks'. We all live under authority in our lives, some obvious and some not. We have to obey the government, our employer, and of course God. Yet our decision making is also influenced by factors like the culture around us, what feels good, and what has always been done. We explored the way that other authorities influence us...

On Sunday morning, we looked at the idea of God speaking personally to us. We thought about dreams, which God used at some important times in the Bible. Or prophecies in the New Testament, mentioned in 1 Corinthians and demonstrated in those like Agabus in Acts. We concluded that we cannot expect God to speak to us with direct advice for our lives, though of course he could if he chose. We need to weigh these things against the Bib...

On Sunday morning, we started a new sermon series on 'The God who Speaks'. We considered the truth that we cannot just think of God as we'd like, or even discover what he is like by our own efforts. We need God to tell us what he is like. And he has! Creation declares the glory of God to us, but God in his grace has told us far more in his word. He has told us what he is like, what we are like, and what his plans for the world are....

On Sunday morning, we looked at Genesis 16 together. Abram and Sarai had been waiting ten years for the promised son, yet they still remained childless. Instead of continuing to trust God, they tried to make God's promises happen by marrying Abram to Hagar the maidservant. This went spectacularly wrong. All the main players in this account were deeply sinful, and it led to conflict and difficulty for generations. We thought through...

On Sunday morning, we looked at the covenant God made with Abram in Genesis 15. God confirmed the promises he had made to Abram with an unusual ceremony. While Abram slept, God symbolically walked between the halves of animals laid out. This showed the importance of the promises, and it also underlined that the promises were only dependent on God's actions, not Abram's actions. God then filled out his promises, giving more informat...