Dwelling Place

[Speaker: Ps Doug Parker] God says the good life, the deeply happy life is for those that mourn. It sounds sadistic! Happiness is in your hurt. But the answer to riddle is found in the concluding part of the riddle. Matt 5:4 God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

There can be no comfort where there is no grief for they are intrinsically entwined. 

[Speaker: Ps Doug Parker] In Matthew 5, Jesus is making massive cultural statements and redefining happiness. He’s creating new categories for ‘the blessed’; for ‘the happy’ and in this message, we begin to explore what and why the poor would be included in this group of 'blessed'

[Speaker: Doug Parker] An introduction to a new series 'LYBL - A New Reality'. Jesus’ 'Sermon on the Mount' opens up with the beatitudes or blessings. Some have called it a manifesto for his followers. Jesus pronounces blessings to people seemingly incompatible with the blessings of Genesis. A radical alternative, prioritising humility, mercy, and peacemaking.

[Speaker: Ps Doug Parker] 2 Corinthians 8:1-11

The direction for our life is determined by quality of our decisions.

Incompletion opens to the gateway of chaos, but to finish is both respected and admired. 

[Speaker: Doug Parker] The contradiction of our life is that our pursuit of purpose is epitomised by remaining at the starting line. ‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭16‬ ‭NLT ”You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit...“ ‬‬

[Speaker: Ps Doug Parker] John‬ ‭15‬:‭1‬-‭17. There's a tension in the process of producing; we say, ‘to produce - go’; but Jesus says ‘to produce - remain!’

[Guest Speaker: Ps Junior Broodryk] 

[Speaker: Ps Doug Parker] Temptation creates the greatest twists in tales and has the ability to detour our lives towards devastation. That's a reason to be ahead of the game and not make decisions based on feelings in a moment but on a future we foresee. 

[Speaker: Ps Doug Parker] Making decisions ahead of time can create a better life and good intentions can never compete with the power of consistency. 

[Speaker: Ps Tiana Wotherspoon]