Murphy Church Sunday Messages

“But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people (Luke 2:10).”    Christmas season is upon us. We know that Christmas is to be a season of joy, when we celebrate the good news.  But, do we really understand the good news and how vital it is to all people? The Bible calls the good news “the gospel”; it's the story of who Jesus i...

It’s the most wonderful time of the year:  a time when people pause to express gratitude, a time when we demonstrate our love by giving thoughtfully. For many, the holiday season is a time when we break our normal routine to spend time with our family.  Family is a “page-one" truth in Christianity.  God designed us to grow and mature in the context of a loving family.  When the family breaks...

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever, Amen (Romans 11:36).  Thanksgiving is so much more than a day to eat turkey and watch football.  Thanksgiving is a day of worship.  It’s a day when we pause to remember who God is and what He has done for us.  When we experience the freedom of His mercy, when we understand the wisdom of His ways, when we live in t...

It happens every Sunday; a prayer request is made.  Sometimes we write down all the requests and send them to others asking that people pray.  What happens  then?  How should the church pray for one another, and what happens when God’s people pray?  In Acts 12:1-17, crisis had hit the early church: Peter had been arrested and was facing the possibility of death.  So, the church gathered for prayer...

At the heart of the Christian faith is a basic need for a new beginning.  None of us perfect; we all need grace and forgiveness. In Psalm 51, one of the heroes of the Bible, King David, finds himself at a low point in life.  Broken and humbled he cries out to God for a new beginning.  Join us this Sunday as we continue our series In God’s Presence looking at "David’s Prayer of New Beginning&q...

Courage: the ability to do something that you know is difficult or dangerous.  Often we think courage is for super-heroes, or larger than life men and women who serve as first responders, fight in battle, or overcome disabilities. The reality is that the ordinary, well-adjusted, coffee-sipping, SUV driving, middle-class, metroplex, suburbanites also need courage.  Courage is an essential part of f...

Habakkuk was a good man who was often frustrated. He struggled with the evil and injustice of the world around him and wanted God to do something about it. When God revealed his plan to Habakkuk, he struggled even more. But, ultimately, the prophet pushed through his doubts and struggles to faith in God's sovereign plans. Habakkuk 3:16-19 is one of the great prayers of the Bible, revealing to...

Jabez: a man whose name means pain; a man who had to overcome hardship and stereotypes, but believed that God had great plans. Jabez wanted to be a part of God’s plans and in I Chronicles 4:10 he took the jump of faith. Jabez appears only briefly in Scripture, but his prayer remains one of the great prayers of the Bible.

A woman of grace filled with sorrow, Hannah lived her days in quiet desperation. She was deeply loved by her husband, but mocked and isolated by others in her life. But God had a plan for her; she was to be the mother of the great prophet Samuel. In I Samuel 1:10-18, Hannah prays to the Lord for strength and help; it is one of the great prayers of the Bible. Out of her time in God’s presence, Hann...

The Bible teaches us, "Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God (Philippians 4:6).” This is a great verse on which to dwell, but a challenging verse to live. How often do we dwell in the spirit of worry, when we should be dwelling in the presence of God? This week Lash begins a new sermon series entitl...

Have you ever had a moment when it feels like life is coming apart? Do you know someone who is going through a traumatic time? Peter had left everything to follow Jesus; he was a genuine believer. But, then, the script didn’t go as Peter envisioned. God wrote a different story, and for Peter it felt like everything had fallen apart. Peter’s story of denial and redemption is the story of every man....

In the moments before the most significant event in history, the disciples took the ride of pride in a dispute over who is the greatest. Each of them wanted to make a difference and do something great with their lives. But their picture of greatness was skewed. In Luke 22:24-30, Jesus reminds us that, in the kingdom of God, greatness looks a lot different than the images we normally see. Join us t...

In the "moments before". . . Jesus and the disciples gathered in the upper room to celebrate the passover meal. During that meal, Jesus would bridge the past to the future and initiate what we call the Lord’s Supper or Communion. The Lord’s Supper is special time when Christians remember both the sacrifice and new life that Christ brought near through his death and resurrection. Join us...

Hope is one of the deepest needs of the soul; we all need hope.  It’s a talking point for politicians, inspirational memes, and fiery pregame coach talks. The Bible talks about hope often, but biblical hope is a different kind of hope.  Biblical hope is real, eternal, and guaranteed. In Romans 5, we are told to “hope in the glory of God.”  This Sunday, Lash concludes our series on Hope as he talks...

Fear of the unknown is one of the greatest causes of worry.  In fact, the fear of fear is often worse than the fear itself.  We worry about the what if’s and the when’s to the point that our minds grow numb and our vision goes faint.  In Luke 21, Jesus teaches us to “Know and Watch.”  Christians know that the troubles of today are temporary and not beyond the arm of God. So, we stay alert and watc...

The good news of the gospel is not complete without the hope of the second coming and Christ’s promise of eternal life in a new world called heaven.  In our minds, we often end the story of grace at the cross or the empty tomb.  When we do this it causes us to “stop short” in our knowledge, and, for many, stops our spiritual progress.  This week we will continue our series “Hope” as we look at Luk...

Eventually it will happen: A Christian leader that you admire will disappoint you. A loved one for which you prayed to recover will pass away.  You’ll go through a season where life keeps punching you. The church will make a decision that you don’t understand.  When it happens, it’s easy to get disillusioned and lose heart. In Luke 21:1-4, the Bible tells a story of poor widow woman who persevered...

The gospel is a story of hope set in a context of struggle. The pages of Scripture reveal this epic struggle as it unfolds from Genesis to Revelation. Onto the pages of struggles comes the son of David who brings life to death and hope to all. He comes as the innocent baby of Bethlehem and yet the son of David is also the Lord of David. Join us this week as we continue our series on Hope with a se...

Paul, the apostle, once wrote, "We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope (I Thes 4:13). Hope is a fundamental spiritual need and it is graciously provided to each of us who believe through our savior, Jesus Christ. Because of Jesus, there is hope both beyond this life and within this life. This...

Everyone has a worldview that shapes how you understand right and wrong and process the world around you. For the Christian, our worldview is anchored in our understanding of God and what He has revealed about Himself in Scripture. There are times, when what you believe about God will collide with the worldview of others. When those moments arise, how do you respond?

In each of our lives, God brings opportunities. Sometimes we seize the opportunity and sometimes we don’t. It’s ironic how much of life is balanced on a few critical decisions. The greatest opportunity in life is the ability to know God and live for His glory, through faith in Jesus Christ. Miss this opportunity and you miss it all. Text: Luke 20:9-19, Psalm 118:22-25

Happy Father’s Day 2018! Everyone has a dad. On Father’s Day, some of us enjoy time with dad, some of us miss our father being there, and other may even struggle because of things that have happened in the past. But everyone has a Father in heaven who is always there, always wise, and always loving. Join us this week as we celebrate Father’s Day looking at the Lord’s Prayer in a sermon entitled “O...

Authority issues come in many different forms. Sometimes they are felt when you work under a corrupt or incompetent leader. Other times, authority issues are felt when we try to live other people’s lives and worry about responsibilities that God has not placed under our care. Frequently, authority issues arise in our walk with God. Like the Pharisees of old, we limit God, and we seek to be His gat...

"As He (Jesus) approached and saw the city, He wept over it, saying, “If you knew this day what would bring peace. . . “ Ours is a world where we want to know all the answers and the answers must meet our expectations or consequences will follow. But often what people are trying to sell us as truth is actually an idol keeping us from the real truth that will set us free. This week we continue...

So what are you doing in the meantime? It’s one of the great questions of life, because what you do in the meantime usually determines what happens in the end. It’s the prayer before the sermon. . .the studying before the test. . . the preparation before the meeting. . .the organization behind the idea. . .the training before the race, these are the meantime moments of life that shape outcomes. In...