David brought the Ark of the Covenant up to Jerusalem with great fanfare. A thousand years later Jesus rode the same path on a donkey and entered the same gate as the King of Glory. Lord Jesus give us clean hands and a pure heart as we open the door of our life to you.
Psalm 139 teaches us some of the great truths about who God is and how we live our lives entirely encompassed by his presence. But the psalm is also a prayer of allegiance that declares the author’s zeal for God and articulates how God can be trusted to know our allegiance and lead us along the way everlasting in mercy and faithfulness.
Jesus Christ was the ultimate example of sowing tears that reaped joy and if you watch him suffer for you, if you keep your eye on him when you suffer, your sorrows will not be wasted - they will bring long-term great joy.
The Old Testament word "shalom" is so much richer than the English translation "peace". Jesus is the great peacemaker but in a surprising way...
The Christian idea of joy is counterintuitive as in James 1: 2 "Count it all joy brothers and sisters when you face trials". This sermon explains how joy is rooted in the very character of God and his wonderful purposes for us.
The final 4 chapters of Samuel explore the relationship between God's sovereign rule over history and the responsibility of human rulers to administer justice. They also touch on the cost of reconciliation between warring parties.
'At the cross God shows his determination to love sinners without sacrificing in the least his commitment to justice and to the victims of injustice.
God shapes human hearts for his own purposes, giving us confidence to live boldly in a world often perceived as being without meaning.
2 Samuel 13 is one of the most distressing chapters in the Bible as it tells the story of David's son Amnon raping his half sister Tamar. Her brother Absalom tells her to be silent, but her story is recorded in God's Word, to give voice to all who like her have been silenced, and so that we not turn a blind eye to sexual assault, but work to build safe communities. This sermon comes with a content warning.
Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the Comforter. We explore how God comforts us by the personal presence of Holy Spirit with us.