Disciples Church Sermons

Usually, when something is repeated multiple times, it is because it's important. And we see that in Paul's exhortations in the back end of his letter to the Romans. So, what does he have on repeat? That we are not living to please ourselves. Instead, we live to bring glory to God by being considerate of others. This is exactly the example given to us by our Saviour Jesus, and He wants us to follo...

Encouraging another Christian in their faith can often be more challenging that it seems. We all mature at different speeds - and there are many factors that impact this process. Our temptation is to be judgmental and dismissive. But Paul tells the Christians in Rome (and us) to be constructive, and to be patient.

A debt of love - that's an interesting concept, isnt it... Having an obligation to love. But that's how the Apostle Paul describes the condition of the Christian. The reason that we should love is that we have been shown great love. Being redeemed by Jesus is God's supreme act of love toward us, and God says we should consider that a debt of love we are now obligated to show to others.

As we continue to work through Paul's exhortations for how the Gospel shapes how we live, this week we look at what our attitutde should be to government authorities. We often pit ourselves against the Government (we hate having to pay tax), or we look to the Government to solve all our problems (they should fix everything). In Romans 13 we will see that Governments are instituted by God and are i...

Psalm 90 gives us some reality checks that we so often need. Our lives here on earth are momentary in light of eternity. We are fragile, and the hardships of this life repeatedly emphasis this. But we have an eternal God who knows us, sees us and is involved in our lives. How should these truths impact the way we live in the here and now?

We are back in Romans this Sunday for our Faith Foundations series and looking at the challenging exhortation from Paul about how we treat those outside the church - particularly those who mean to do us harm. It's challenging because it goes against our very instincts. The Gospel calls us to exercise grace, precisely because that's how we have been treated by God.

This Psalm examines two mighty attributes of our God - His Omniscience (all-knowing) and His Omnipresence (ever and always present). King David is in adoration of these aspects of God’s power and how it is displayed towards him through God's love and attention to the details in our lives. There is also a warning to those who ignore the living God. For us, this Psalm can bring us encouragement, cha...

You will start to notice a trend as we continuing to study the Book of Romans from here on. And the trend you will notice will be along the lines of... "Because of the Gospel, you should live like this.." This week, we will look at how we should live as a community of believers, because of the Gospel. And what that looks like is to live selflessly.

For the first 11 chapters of the Apostle Paul's letter to the Romans we've seen him focussing on the comfort of the Gospel - how we are reconciled to God by grace alone through faith alone. This Sunday, we start into chapter 12, and there's a noticeable change of focus to the call of the Gospel. Join us as Pastor Greg looks at how we should respond to the grace of the Gospel.

This Sunday, while Pastor Greg takes a short break, we have Pastor Rich Priebbenow from Nations Church Forest Lake preaching for us from Hebrews 13. Our Saviour Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever, and always satisfies our deepest needs.

When the Apostle Paul writes that all Israel will be saved, what did he exactly mean by that? This question has been debated down through the centuries and there are still differences of opinion on this subject. On Sunday, Pastor Greg will look at this question, as we finish chapter 11 of Romans, and join in Paul's concluding doxology: "Oh, how great are God's riches and wisdom and knowledge! How...

When God promised Abraham that he would be the father of nations, it was forshadowing a time when people from different ethnic backgrounds would be brought into the Kingdom of God. The Apostle Paul testified that he was appointed by God to share the Gospel to Gentiles, who God would redeem in the same way that He would redeem Jews - through faith in the person and work of Jesus. Paul said the Gent...

Jesus sends us to make disciples of all nations. In the passage we are looking at this Sunday, Paul lays out the theological rationale for every Christian to be involved in evangelism - sharing the Good News of the Gospel with everyone. While you may not have the specific gift of an evangelist, we can all do something to contribute to the mission of the Gospel.

Pride is such a dangerous character trait. It is so relationally destructive. If you have a terminally high opinion of yourself, it will prevent you from getting close to anyone, and it will prevent you from getting close to God. This was the Israelites problem, and it can be our problem too. Join us this Sunday as we look at the The Rock That Makes People Stumble.

Since the time of the Reformation in the 16th Century there have been a number of issues that have divided the Christian church. Baptism, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, are two that spring to mind straight away. This Sunday, as we return to our study of the book of Romans, we will examine a third issue - the doctrine of election. Is it fair, or even just, that God chooses those who will be a pa...

With our Baby Dedications this Sunday, we are going to take a short break from the Book of Romans and take the opportunity to look at the attitude of Jesus toward children. When His disciples tried to keep children away from Jesus He stepped in and said, "No, let the children come to me." Pastor Greg will be preaching from Matthew 19 and looking at what this interaction teaches us as a church fami...

Romans chapter 8 has been described by some theologians as the best chapter in the whole of the New Testament. This Sunday we will finish our time in chapter 8 with a look at God's never ending love for His people. Those theologians are probably right - there may not be a more encouraging truth to embrace than God's promise that nothing will ever separate us from His love.

This Sunday we return to our sermon series Faith Foundations from the the Book of Romans. We pick it up in Romans 8 for a look at the future hope we have because of our faith in Jesus Christ. And we're encouraged to see God's sovereignty not only in our salvation, but in everything that we experience. When we understand that we are not victims to random chance, we see God's sanctifying grace with...

As we transition into the more practical part of the letter to the Colossians, there is an extremely helpful analogy found in chapter 3. Believers are to be 'clothed' with the character of Christ. Having a new identity means living out of our new nature. Do those around you see these new 'clothes' when they look at you? In other words, Are you representing Jesus well?

This Sunday will be the last of our sermons from the book of Psalms for a while. One of our Elders, Nathan Rule, will be preaching from Psalm 40 - a "Happy Blues" song of David about what to do when you're in the pit. We'll look at how to wait intently on the Lord and then proclaim His goodness when He answers - because he will! David's lyrics give us a Pit Survival Kit to overcome any of life's c...

This Sunday we look at one of the most controversial of all the 150 Psalms in the Bible - Psalm 137. It was the subject of a hit song back in the 70's, but the controversy comes from its strong revenge theme and its call for babies to be smashed against rocks (sounds terrible, right?). So, what are we to make of this Psalm, and others like it that fit into the category known as 'Vengeance Psalms'?...

So often it is the hardest seasons of our lives that help us realise how greatly dependant we are upon God. Psalms 42 and 43 give us insight into the life of someone who is enduring tough trials. Discouragement. Despair. Grief. Hopelessness. Heartache. And yet, he is not without hope. His trust in the Lord remains strong. How can we do the same when life is rough?

Where is your happy place? Where do you turn for comfort in the midst of difficulty? Our lives are filled with little battles of many kinds - some of them external and some internal. As followers of Jesus, we should run to God who is our safe place and the one who gives us victory. In Psalm 18, we read King David's prayerful song about the Lord bringing victories in his life. Even though the conte...

C.S. Lewis once said that he believes the sun has risen in the morning, not because he sees it, but because by it he sees everything else. Truth is like this. When we know the truth, it means we understand everything differently. In the final sermon of our series on The Truth Of Christ, we take a look at the effects of truth in John 1:1-9 and how beholding the glory of God changes everything.