But Servants

Some things in life are so important that they just must be remembered. We set reminders so that we won’t forget. Because forgetting something important, like your wedding anniversary, can have disastrous consequences. In 1 Corinthians 15 we’re reminded of the thing of supreme importance, which alone can save us: the gospel of Christ. For if we forget the gospel, everything else we do will be in v...

How should we decide what to do when we gather as church? How do you determine whether what is done is good or bad? Whether a practice should be encouraged or discouraged? 1 Corinthians 14 shows us what principles should govern our gatherings. We ought to pursue what builds up the church, and what maintains order. That means that we’ll pursue the “higher gifts”, especially prophecy, which is great...

A fundamental decision we must make in the Christian life is whether we will relate to God on his terms or ours. Will we worship God in the ways that he demands in his word, or will we define for ourselves what a God-pleasing life looks like? What is acceptable worship? What does it look like to live a life that truly pleases the holy God? This sermon was preached at St George's Church, Penang on...

In 1 Corinthians 13, we're taught a vital principle as we gather as God's people: that love is far more valuable than gifts. But what is the nature of biblical love? What does it look like to love one another when we gather as God's people? Where can we find strength to do it?  This sermon was preached at Covenant Grace Church, Penang on 21st August 2022.   Introduction: The Perfect Wedd...

What does God demand of his people? Many people think God demands religions, or rule keeping. But in Matthew 22, Jesus explains, that if you were to summarize all of God’s commandments into one word, that word would be love. God demands our love. Our total, undivided allegiance expressed in willing obedience to his commands, putting the needs of others before our own. Introduction: What does God d...

Are you thankful for the grace God has given you? The parable in Matthew 20:1-16 warns us that it's possible to be ungrateful before God as we compare ourselves to others. So that instead of rejoicing in his generosity and grace, we accuse him of being harsh and unfair. But God owes us nothing. We on the other hand, owe him everything. This sermon was preached at St George's Church, Penang on 17th...

It is inspiring to read the last words of Christian. Someone’s last words are a window into the soul. They give a glimpse of what mattered most to that person. For, if you know you’re going to die, you don’t waste your last words on trivial things, unimportant things, but the most important things of all. In 2 Timothy 4, we have final written words of the great Apostle Paul: an urgent plea to "Pre...

If you sit back and observe carefully, you’ll notice a dark underbelly in many churches: a division between insiders who are popular and outsiders who are excluded. But in 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, we're reminded that we're saved to belong to one body, the church. God gives us different gifts not to divide us through through competition, jealousy, and pride, but that we might be united together in l...

Many people live as those money will bring true happiness and security. But Jesus warns us that life is not about the abundance of our possessions. To live for money instead of God is foolishness, because one day we will have to give account to him for our lives. * The audio is clear after the first 3 minutes.   This sermon was preached at St George's Church, Penang on 31st July 2022. Check o...

Often we find that life in this world leaves us empty and unsatisfied. How can that emptiness be filled? How can God alone give us real joy and fullness in life through his Son? This sermon was preached at Penang International Church on 7th July 2022. Check out our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/ButServants Check out our YouTube Channel at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCcGLBzrqjVI...

Choosing a good role model is very important. Get caught up in the wrong crowd and you can be pressured into all kinds of wrong things. But find yourself a good role model it can have a huge impact for good. In our passage we’re presented with two models of ministry: · A worldly ministry (in verses 1-9) filled with ungodliness and compromise, and · A godly ministry (in verses 10-17), embodied by P...

As those saved by Christ, we ought to long to be approved by him and found faithful in our ministry. In 2 Timothy 2, Paul shows what does an approved gospel worker look like. We’re challenged to be such people, and to look for such people to lead our churches. This sermon was preached at Penang International Church on 24th July 2022. Check out our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/ButServ...

The gospel is only ever one generation from being lost. It’s crucial that we not only believe the gospel ourselves, but that we pass it on to others. It's good to ask: What will happen to the gospel when we’re gone? Will our children keep believing it? Will the next generation keep believing it? Or will it be lost? In 2 Timothy 1, Paul writes to his spiritual child Timothy to exhort him to guard t...

Do your words reflect a heart that loves God? Often we don't think about our speech. We simply say the first thing that comes to our minds. We underestimate the power and destructiveness of our words. But James warns us the the gospel must not only transform our head and hearts, but transform the way we speak.  Introduction: Underestimating Speech Context 1. Our speech is powerful (1-5a) 2. O...

How should we pray when in times of trouble, when we’re in urgent need? Psalm 70 is a short but precious Psalm which teaches us to urgently cry to the Lord for help, seeking his glory above all things, confident that he will hear and answer. Introduction: Urgent Needs Require Urgent Requests Context 1. David’s Urgent Plea for Deliverance (1-3) 2. David’s Joyful Praise To The God Of Salvation (4-5)...

What is the decisive factor in someone becoming a Christian? Why it is that some can read the Bible, and be convinced that it’s God’s word, and live their lives for King Jesus to God’s glory, whilst others read the very same words, and find them to be offensive, mythical, or irrelevant to their lives? It’s a crucial question to answer, for it will affect our message, manner and method in evangelis...

The cross has become the symbol of the Christian faith. Every church will be decorated with crosses. Christians wear crosses. At Easter we remember and celebrate the cross. Yet for all this, for many Christians – the cross is no longer the centrepiece of the Christian faith or the defining reality of our life. Sure we believe in the cross, but instead of preaching of the crucified King and allowin...

What are the marks that someone has been changed by God’s Spirit? The Spirit’s work is often equated with a supernatural experience or our emotions when we go to church. But such a focus can easily distract us from the far more important and foundational work of the Spirit in our lives: the work of changing our hearts to believe in Christ and leading us into holiness.   Introduction Context 1...

It’s essential in life that we choose our path wisely. In Matthew 7:13-27 at the end of Jesus' famous "Sermon on the Mount", Jesus tells three parables which challenge us: · Will we choose the right path, which leads to life? · Or the wrong path, which leads to destruction? · Will we obey what he has said? · Or will we be hearers only, who do not put his word into practice? Introduction Context 1....

No matter who we are - we all treasure things. Our treasure is the thing that we value the most. The thing we love, cherish, and would give up anything to keep. In Matthew 6:19-34, Jesus challenges us to treasure the right thing: not earthly things that won’t last, but heavenly treasures that last forever. He wants to treasure the right thing, so that we pursue God's Kingdom with all our heart as...

Very few things make us more irritated than hypocrisy. When someone says one thing and then does another. But hypocrisy happens not just in politics, but very often the case in religion too. Hypocrisy happens among Christians in churches. In our passage today, Jesus exposes hypocritical religion that charades as righteousness and shows us what true righteousness looks like. Introduction: Ugly Hypo...

Does you believe that the cross is the centrepiece of the Christian faith? Do you act as if the message of the cross is the defining reality of our life? The sad reality is that for many of the cross has become nothing but a fashion accessory. Something that you wear around your neck, hang in your car, put up on the wall but nothing more. Sadder still, the importance of the cross has been lost in...

How do you deal with problems in a church? Moral problems. Worship problems. Spiritual problems. Relational problems. There's church politics, factions, sin, idolatry and the bad theology that drives it. In 1 Corinthians 1:1-17, Paul shows us how the gospel is the solution. This sermon was preached at Covenant Grace Church, Penang Check out our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/ButServant...

Are you living as though today may be your last? Instead of living our lives in the light of eternity, very often we get enmeshed with the things of this world: chasing careers and comfort, and children, and a happy retirement. But Revelation 22 insists that Jesus is coming soon and we need to be ready.  This sermon was preached at St George's Church, Penang on 29th May 2022. Check out our Fa...

Faith is not real, if there is no fruit that flows from it. It’s so much easier to call oneself a Christian, than to live a Christian life. And that’s why this passage is such a helpful reminder. Because it reminds us that if our faith is real, will keep Jesus' commands and bear the fruit of sacrificial love. 1. Real Faith Bears Fruit (1-6) 2. Real Faith Brings Confidence & Joy (7-11) 3. Real...