The first 10 minutes of Duncan's sermon wasn't recorded this week. We're really sorry about that.  Here are a few sentences summarising what you missed.
1. Isaiah 59:1 says "Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear"
This verse presents to us a God who saves and a God who hears us when we pray.
2. But there's a problem - sin.
Isaiah 59:2 says "but your iniquities have made a separation
    between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear."

This sermon proclaims the truth in these verses that God Saves. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ he saves us from our sins that once separated us from him. The impassioned plea of these verses is that we might hear and receive this salvation today!

A second truth is also proclaimed that God Hears. We can often be tempted to doubt that God listens to us because of our personal sin and/or extreme circumstances. But the wonderful promise of these verses is that God never dulls his ear to his children when they cry out to him. So, we are encouraged to boldly cry out to God in all circumstances and seasons of life. 

Oh, what an amazing God we praise and worship!

This sermon focuses on the glorious future that awaits all who believe and have placed their faith in Jesus Christ. The eternal hope believers share helps us persevere in challenging times and live joyfully knowing what awaits.

The new heavens and earth will replace all that is bad in this life. There will be no more evil, sin, suffering or mourning. Not only will these things cease but God will in his compassion will wipe away our tears. They will also enhance all that is good about this world to levels beyond our comprehension. The most significant of these will be that we will dwell in Gods very presence for all eternity. 

Clive begins this sermon by outlining the remarkable freedom upon which Jesus lived his life on earth. Jesus lived every day knowing the divine love of God the Father. Nothing compared to this and Jesus lived freely in this love. The amazing truth of these verses is that through our relationship with Jesus we can also know this love. God the Father pours out his love on his Son and this love is poured out on us! Once we know and/or are reminded of this wonderful truth we can start to drink in some of the freedom that Jesus felt and lived. 

Living in this love gives us the freedom to allow this love to overflow. As God lavishly pours his love onto us we cannot help but overflow abundantly with a radiant love for the creator who pours it out on us. This overflow also leads to a love for our brothers and sisters that is not sustained through human effort. But instead is sustained by dwelling actively in this amazing love. 

Living in this love also gives us a freedom to live. Abundant life itself is only found in the person of Jesus. Peace, eternal life, victory, forgiveness and so much more can only be received through relationship with Jesus. The Father delights in Jesus as seen at his baptism. Therefore, as we children of God knowing and living in this love, we receive these things Jesus earned and has a Father who also delights in us!

Christians are instructed to love another with a unique love that only originates from God. This selfless, perfect love is God and was demonstrated in Jesus the Son of God's death on the cross whilst we were still sinners. Therefore, how can Christians not want to imitate this unique love especially within the Church. As Christians do this it reflects this unique love to those who do not yet know him and shows them who God is.

God perfects his love in us through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. The result is that all Christians need not fear the judgement day that awaits us all. Gods unique love drives out these fears as we are reminded that we are right with God through grace alone. This gives Christians a freedom to go on expressing love lavishly to brothers and sisters all around just as God has done to us ten times over. 

The warning within these verses comes from a foundation of love. Firstly, Gods love for his children. Secondly, John the authors love for his brothers & sisters who he doesn't want to see fall into believing these falsehoods.

These verses contain two warnings. Firstly, that there are spirits operating that are not to believed. Secondly, these spirits should be tested to establish whether they are from God. We test by seeing whether these spirits declare Jesus came in the flesh and confess Jesus as Lord & Saviour. Any spirits and/or people that declare these falsehoods are false prophets and not to be believed. 

At the centre of Christianity is the doctrine of incarnation which false prophets seek to undermine. This is the theological truth that Jesus the Son of God who has existed eternally came to the earth taking on human flesh. All part of the perfect redemptive plan to restore our relationship with God in the most beautiful way.

So, believing this doctrine is important because it guards us from erroneous beliefs about who Jesus is. It also means we have a saviour who can relate to our bodily experience. Jesus has experienced temptation, hunger, tired, and pain. Finally, it means our bodies matter protecting us from the harmful view that we should seek to do away with and/or distort our bodies to mirror the current popular worldview. 

This warning from John is just as relevant for us today as it was for the first hearers. 

This sermon focuses on the role of the husband in a marriage. Husbands are instructed to lead their wives offering protection, provision, nurture and love. From the very first marriage of Adam & Eve this clearly defined role was established and Adam was held accountable for not fulfilling it.

A husbands leadership should be modelled on the perfect example of Jesus. He used his leadership to submit and to serve those he led. His authority was not used manipulatively or lorded over people. Jesus was also not afraid to express his love for those he led verbally and physically. Despite being a strong leader he was also gentle and kind.

Jeff proposes 5 clear aspects of healthy Christian husband leadership (SLEEP). Firstly, submission, we need to live in submission to God. Secondly, leadership, we need to actually lead our wives. Thirdly, example, we need to be an example for our wives. Fourthly, encouragement, we need to be the biggest encouragers of our wives in pursuing God. Finally, purpose, we need to lead our marriages in establishing and pursuing the direction of travel in what we are wanting to achieve.

This sermon expounds the wonderful, life giving truth that Jesus Christ is a loving saviour. He is the definition of love and this was displayed in his death on the cross. He alone felt the cost and price of salvation for all who believe in him. We must never lose the wonder of how amazing it is we can know his love personally through his grace. 

Following Christ's perfect sacrifice we are then instructed to lay down our lives for our Christian brothers and sisters both locally & overseas. This passage provides four ways we can do this. Firstly, we can lay down our financial resources to ensure no fellow Christians are going without what they need. Secondly, we can lay down ourselves in prayer for our fellow Christians, placing their needs first above ours. Thirdly, we can lay down ourselves by committing time to building relationships with fellow brothers and sisters. Fourthly, we can lay down our time and pride to use our God given gifts & talents to bless others. 

We must also be aware of little foxes that will seek to corrupt our marriages. This includes not being thoughtful of one another, allowing family members to have influence in your relationship, not understanding each others differences, and not having a clear understanding of your spiritual purposes/calling. In Gods grace we can stand firm against these things.

This talk concludes with some helpful biblical advice speaking into a variety of circumstances. This includes, singleness, relationships prior to marriage, and marriages where one person is a Christian.