Liberti Sermons

When you feel the felt absence of Christ, it's good to examine your heart, but there are also times when we feel distance with Jesus not because of our sin, but because he is testing.

When we come to Christ in our sin the banner he raises over us says "you are mine”. He conquered us when belonged to the Kingdom of Darkness, he disarmed us, subdued us and won us to himself - and the power that turned us to him was his love.

Our sin creates a moral ugliness in us but the Song leads us to see something astonishing. When Christ looks at us, he doesn't scowl or look away, he doesn’t turn away his face, he walks towards us. He delights in us, adores us and he says, "I’ve come to make you beautiful".

This Song is ultimately about our relationship with Jesus. That sense of longing and the unfulfilment we constantly feel, every human feels - it is there to draw us to Him

When we look at the scale of the mission in front us, we need to fight to be united in prayer, urgent and unceasing and looking at what God has already done, in your own story, praying with expectation that God would do it again.

It often feel like we're on the back foot with mission in our context as christians - however as we look at Acts 8, we can be encouraged, motivated and empowered that the Gospel is stronger than any opposition. Jesus will make his appeal through us his church and he can and will do amazing things when we're present in Word and Deed

Our desire is to pursue transformation in our lives and others through the formation and multiplication of discipling communities.

We desire to be a church who hold onto and hold out truth.

He is our King. He is our Great High Priest. And he calls us to follow him and share about him.

God the Father has bestowed upon God the Son the Name that above every name. "Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever. The sceptre of your kingdom is a sceptre of uprightness; you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions" ~ Psalm 45:6-7.

The most terrifying thought is being separated from one who loves us and cares for us - Jesus saves us from that eternal reality through taking it for us on the cross.

Jesus purchases us true dignity at the cross

Jesus our King leads us into true freedom.

Jesus calls his people and we joyfully follow him into his mission to gather his church - we build relationships, speak into their lives with truth and we invite others to come and put their trust in him.

In the face of evil and sins committed against us, those in Christ don't retaliate, don't control, don't seek revenge. Instead, we leave it to the wrath of God and do what is honourable, live peaceably and display spectacular grace and so see evil overcome with good.

The gospel calls us to a better way to live. A way of humility that shines bright in a world of darkness.

Overcoming evil with genuine generosity starts with the work of Jesus for us and flows from the power of Jesus in us.

Genuine love hates what is evil and holds fast to what is good and seeks to life one another up with deep affection and deep honour.

Out Father is a God of grace who gives gifts to build up the body that is His Church. Our charge is use them in response to all that we've received from him.

Be transformed, into the image of Christ, so that you'll be able to understand the will of God, so that you'll be able to live in ways that are good and acceptable and one day perfect.

Throughout this incredible book, God has been sovereignly working to open Jonah’s eyes. He appointed a storm, a fish, a plant and a scorching wind. He’s been working throughout to help Jonah see the futility of a life that settles for comfort and the desperate need to share in his heart of compassion.

As we look out at the brokenness across our city remember God has done a work of dramatic transformation before and he can do it again and let's step in with his Word on our hearts and on our lips, resting in Gods sovereignty to save, daring too pray that he’d pour out his Spirit and transform this place.

Jonah finds himself in a place where he needs salvation from the judgment of death. This is the ultimate need of every human and yet so many around us don’t seem to know it or recognise it. Jonah Chapter 2 is laid out to demonstrate Jonah being judged by God with death, saved by the mercy of God and “re-born” by God into a new life - a transformation we should long for in every person around us.

Obedience to the mission of God is hard, but it always leads to joy. We engage in the mission with Jesus, God's obedient missionary, holding fast to him, drawing on his strength and falling on him when we fail.

God desires to save sinners & send saved sinners to save more sinners. That’s the message of Jonah and in fact its the message of the whole bible. Its the message of God for us to receive for ourselves and it’s an invitation from God for us to take others.