St Matts Anglican Church Sermons

20240915 6PMp DT Psalm Two First in our series on Psalms that point to the Messiah. Psalms can be divided into different groupings, and Psalm 2 is ibn the group of “Messianic Psalms”. These psalms point to the Messiah: Jesus. In troublesome times, like ours, people plot against other people. People may plot against Christians, people may reject God and Christians may be greatly affected by what ot...

  20240908 6PMp CD The Mantle falls on Elisha Reading:  2 Kings 2:1-18 The most important day in my life.   The story, told from Elisha’s viewpoint, leading up the last day he had with his master and mentor, Elijah. Having crossed the Jordan river on dry ground, while walking along, Elisha was separated from Elijah by the sudden appearance of flaming horses and a flaming chariot, and Elijah was ca...

This sermon continues our series on Elijah. Bible Reading: 1 Kings 21: 1-29   King Ahab asks Naboth to trade his vineyard to him so that the king can make it a vegetable garden.  He sulks when, with good reason, Naboth refuses. Queen Jezebel writes letters to have Naboth falsely accused and killed, and, when Naboth is dead, tells Ahab to go and take possession.  The Word of the Lord comes to Elija...

20240825 6PMp TS Paul’s Mission and Method Mission Week Service: Speaker Tim Swan, Anglican Aid. In the year AD 48, Paul went to Jerusalem to confer with leaders in the church about the plan for mission.  It was agreed that just as Peter’s mission was to the Jewish nation, Paul’s mission was to be to the Gentiles. It was added that Paul should remember the poor,  “which he was glad to do”! There a...

What is persecution? What is its purpose and is it inevitable? Mission Week Service. Persecution and the spread of the gospel. Meet Kumran. From Sri Lanka, went to find work, but instead, found Jesus. He was persecuted for meeting as a Christian.    What is persecution, and why? Three key areas:  1. Persecution is painful.  2. Persecution is planned. 3. Persecution is purposeful. It can be difficu...

20240811 6PMp JB Elijah is recommissioned 1 Kings 19:10-18 No one likes to feel like a failure! No one likes that feeling – feeling like they’ve failed. Eljah is feeling devasted. Why does he feel like this? Is it like he has failed? Or is it the Israelites’ failure to turn back to Yahweh? Or like that God has failed him? Or like a combination of these? Yet in his devastation, God has cared for hi...

20240804 6PMp RI Elijah questions his self worth Ahab tells Jezebel everything that happened to the prophets of Baal, and Jezebel sends messengers to threaten Elijah.  Elijah sees that nothing has changed.  Elijah is disillusioned with God. He runs to escape. He is feeling despair.  And he questions his self worth, asking God to take his life. He lies down and sleeps.  But Elijah is sustained by a...

20240728 6PMp CD Elijah’s Message to us. King Ahab meets Elijah and after an altercation, the people are summoned to mount Carmel.  Elijah challenges the people to decide between the Baals and the LORD with a test by fire. If the Baal is God, serve him. But if the LORD is God, serve him!  God is claiming Israel back as part of his promise to Abraham.  The challenge is also to us! Choose this day,...

20240721 6PMp JB God, Why am I here? Elijah is told by God to present himself to king Ahab. Elijah meets the king’s administrator, Obadiah, who recognises Elijah, and is then fearful for his own life.  Obadiah has faithfully served the Lord God, Yaweh, and, in matters where there was no conflict, has served his earthly master, Ahab. At times, we may wonder, and ask the question, “What am I doing h...

20240714 6PMp CD Elijah the Prophet - God what are you doing? Elijah The Tishbite, of Tishbe, the prophet of God, appears about some 900 years BC. He brings a message from God to King Ahab, whose wife is Jezebel, that there will be drought in the land. The drought and ensuing famine affects Elijah and others in the land.  In the ensuing events, at the brook Cherith, and later at Zarephath, in the...

20240707 6PMp RI Check your heart! When jogging, and at various other times, we would do well to “Check our heart!” In this final sermon of our current series in Luke: “On the Road with Jesus” Jesus accepts the Invitation to a meal at the house of a Pharisee.  Jesus perceives that the Pharisee is critical of him because he does follow their practice of washing hands before the meal.  Jesus respond...

20240630 6PMp RI Don’t Just stand there Do Something In Ulladulla, 2004, There was a situation in church, that required decision and action. Continuing our series in “Luke’s Gospel: On the Road with Jesus” speaker Ron Irving explains the need for decision and action: siding with Jesus.  In the matter of casting out a demon, and focussing attention on various other issues, the one issue of importan...

20240623 6PMp GH Jesus Teaches his Disciples about Praying. Jesus shows us that knowing how to pray is about knowing what God is like, knowing who He is.  The more we know that, the more we are going to know how to pray.   In the Lord’s Prayer Jesus calls God “Father”. Even as a little boy, Jesus used that term for God. Teaching his disciples to address God as ‘Father’ is inviting them into an int...

20240616 6PMp CD Mary and Martha with Jesus c QandA In New Testament times, writings were written on scrolls, up to about 30 feet long. Luke’s writing in his gospel and in the book of Acts are the longest in the New Testament.  Why did Luke include this story of Jesus with Martha and Mary in his gospel?  The point in this story may readily be missed or misunderstood.  In keeping with the way our w...

20240609 6PMp JB Who is the Good Samaritan? An expert in the Law, comes to test Jesus, and asks him, “What must I do to inherit Eternal Life?” Jesus turns the question around and asks the expert what his answer is. This leads to the question: “And who is my neighbour?”  Jesus answers with a parable, the “Parable of the Good Samaritan”. In the parable, the priest, the Levite and the Samaritan see t...

20240602 6PMp FY The Kingdom of God has come near Bible Passage: Luke 10:1-24 In ministry, introducing Jesus is the key intention; getting side tracked from this a trap which must be avoided. In the passage, Jesus sends out 72, in pairs, ahead of him with specific instructions what to do, to preach and how to act. To preach: The Kingdom of God has come near. This message is a message of hope, and...

20240526 6PMp RI Don’t Look Back. Choose Jesus. 4th in our current series on Luke’s Gospel. Bible passage: Luke 9:51-62 Using an illustration of the disadvantage of looking back when running a race, “Don’t look back” is the key message when following Jesus.  When Jesus sets his mind resolutely to go to Jerusalem. Where death on the cross awaits him.  Multiple examples on this resolute path help to...

20240519 6PMp RI Check your baggage Third sermon in our series in Luke’s Gospel, On the road with Christ. Why do we follow Jesus? As we seek to follow Jesus, we need to check our baggage, to check our motives, our desires. If our motive is simply eternity I comfort, Bonhoeffer says, “Discipleship is not an offer that man makes to Christ”, and also, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and di...

20240512 6PMp CD Who do you say Jesus is? Second in our series: Walking with Jesus. On the road with the King. Questions, Questions, Questions. Do you like questions? What questions do you like? There are many questions asked and many to be answered. Who does the crowd say Jesus is? Who do the disciples say Jesus is? Jesus says who he is: that he is to suffer death, and on the third day rise again...

 20240504 6PMp CD Walking with Jesus We resume our series in Luke’s Gospel, ch 9., where Jesus calls his disciples together, gives them power to cast out demons, and to heal, and he sends them out to proclaim the kingdom of God.  Herod, the tetrarch hears about at what is happening.   When the disciples return, they withdraw to a quiet place, but the crowds find out and follow them.   Jesus welcom...

20240428 6PMp DT Facing Trials alone Being alone and feeling alone is something many people may experience and this may be especially true for people who are Christians. Christian ministry is often doing something for someone else.  But often this means being alone.  True for Jesus and true for his followers.  Paul has been through many trials, yet Paul held the view that God is faithful.  Paul wa...

20240421 6PMp RI Paul advises Timothy on Preaching God’s Word. What do you long for?  Paul’s word to Timothy is to preach the Word of God, (not just what people might want to hear!). Teach in patience and perform the whole duty. Advice to us, from the passage, is: Long for the appearing of Jesus.  And be open to hearing the message from God’s Word.  Look for a preacher who you can trust. Look for...

20240414 6PMp RI How to shape your trust, Timothy Continuing our sermon series on Timothy. 2 Timothy 3:12-14 Advice to Timothy to continue in the faith that he has learned, knowing those from whom he has learned it.  The preacher explains that it matters who you follow, because by following the wrong guide, you may end up in trouble or in the wrong place! Timothy has been guided by his mother and...

20240407 6PMp Advice to Timothy and to us 2 Timothy 3:1-13 Paul has been setting up churches, but now, from prison has been writing letters.  Paul is setting expectations for Timothy and explains what may happen in “the last days”.  People will be lovers of self rather than lovers of God, and some will be led astray.  This may happen from outside but also from within the church community.  Where c...

20240331 6PMp RI Jesus is risen! Mark 16: 1-8.  John 11: 25-27. When you witness something amazing, you don’t just watch. As you are invited into this empty tomb, what do you see? Do you see “He who is the resurrection and the life”? He who is risen invites you know new life. Jesus wants to call you “his friend”. If Jesus has been raised, then to just sit idly by makes a person irrelevant. Jesus w...