Faith Speaks — Reverend Neil Taylor — Sermon Podcast

Read Exodus 34:29-35 and Mark 9:2-12

The only reason we don’t have a God-like glow about us is we choose to veil his Glory by not being renewed in our minds, By not spending time daily in His Word, by not praying daily, by not allowing all of those things to transform us as we surrender to Him and His will. We are to be a reflection of the Lord Jesus, and unlike Peter, James, and John, we do not have a command of silence. We must trust God completely and allow Him to mold us into what He wants us to be even when we go through the peaks and valleys of life.

Read Matthew 13:44-46

Many years ago, I read a newspaper article entitled “Who am I, and What am I worth?” The article talked about what the human body is worth from a chemical or raw material point of view, and so we have enough iron in our bodies to make six nails; we have enough calcium in our bodies to paint one chicken coop; we have enough phosphorous in our bodies to tip 1000 match heads; we have enough potassium and sulfur in our bodies to blow up one toy car; we have enough fat to make 10 bars of soap; we have enough sugar to sweeten 1 cup of coffee. However, when you add all 39 chemical components together by weight, we are worth $1,985.77. That will buy a top-of-the-range laptop computer or 2,722 Snickers Bars, or if you can find seven friends willing to donate their bodies to you, you can buy an early-model Compact SUV. So who am I, and what am I worth?

Read 1 Corinthians 3:1-8 and Matthew 13:24-30, 36-44

"Wheat has a natural principle of increase, but the tare is reprobate or degenerate wheat. Tares look like wheat and have all the outward principles of wheat, but they are degenerate and baseless and bring forth no fruit." — Rev. Adam Clarke, Methodist Theological Scholar.

At the end of the message, Bishop Mark Engel's prophecy to Holy Spirit Anglican Church is included.

Read Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Good soil is out there, even though it’s not always easy to find. If we keep sowing the Word, we will reap a harvest in God’s time, by his grace and for his glory. Amen.

Read Matthew 11:25-30

This message was preached at Holy Spirit Anglican Church's outdoor event—Church Without Walls—it was recorded on an iPhone, so apologies in advance for the sound quality.

Jesus talks about rest in our passage but not just physical rest or mental rest. He is talking about a rest, which is much more important. He’s talking about a deeper rest and spiritual rest – a rest for your soul.

We are restless people our lives are often filled with hurts, regrets, and guilt, and to top all that off, there are many distractions. Sometimes we try to tune it all out with music, television, or various activities. But none of that cures the restlessness in our souls; none of that can make us whole again.

Augustine once prayed, “O Lord, you have formed us for yourself, and our souls are restless until they find their rest in you.”

Read Ezekiel 22:30

Week Four | A Grander Vision

I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so that I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one (Ezekiel 22:30).

 “Someone” (Hebrew) אישׁ – ‘eesh’ means a human, but in this context, it infers a certain person, a constant or a consistent person, a steward, a champion, a worthy person.

The Hebrew word “gap” פּרץ – ‘perets’ means space and emptiness between two places. God says I looked for someone to fill the gap to minimise the space, and there was no one to be found, not one man or woman who would stand in the gap.

A gap, by definition, represents a place of weakness a place of vulnerability and danger. So today, I am asking you to be the “eesh” of our text to be that certain person, that worthy person that champion that man or woman who recognises gap situations and trusts God to use them to make a difference even if it is the smallest difference.

So the question is, are you that person? Because, in reality, God is still looking for somebody to stand in the gap.

Read Proverbs 11:24-25

Week Three | The Generous Life

The generous life remembers where our blessing comes from because generosity is the most natural response—in all of life—to a generous God. To a God who first gave toward us, generosity is a natural response.

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:17-19).

Read Romans 1:18-32

Week Two | How God Revealed the Ingratitude of My Own Heart

Thankfulness and Gratitude are, first and foremost, a matter of the heart. It’s not about what we do or don’t do; it’s the heart that must be changed. After all, we may do many good deeds, and yet we might do them in bitterness or reluctantly or resentfully or out of a sense of duty or to win God’s favour because we believe that mercy is earned and not given.

I have learned and am learning that thankfulness is a gift. First and foremost, if you want to exercise a spiritual gift, show some gratitude, be thankful and then you might, and we might see some fruit of the Spirit.

Thankfulness and Gratitude are a Gift of the Spirit and a matter of the heart, and it flows down to us, dropping like the gentle rain from heaven. Mercy and Gratitude always go together; what starts as mercy in heaven ends as Gratitude on earth.

Read Jeremiah 29:4-6

Week One | Defeating Discouragement

So how should we apply the truth from this passage?

• Bloom where you are planted.

Finally, that brings us to a fundamental spiritual truth; the only thing that matters is knowing Jesus and growing closer to God daily through him. Nothing else matters; if we know God in Christ, then we are the most blessed and highly favoured of all people on planet Earth.

Read Psalm 23 and John 10:1-11

Fourth Sunday of Easter (Year A)

Like most people today, chances are you do not know any shepherds. For the first Christians, who were familiar with shepherds, the Good Shepherd was a favorite image to associate with Christ.

The shepherd has a rod to fend off wild animals that might harm the flock. Jesus saved us from evil.

Jesus restores our souls. Shepherds feed their flocks. Jesus feeds us with the excellent bread of the Eucharist and brings us to living waters: baptism and the Holy Spirit.

The image of shepherds is that they are kind, loving, patient, strong, and self-sacrificing. They are a good image for Jesus. And sheep, who can be rather stupid and foolish creatures, are a good symbol for us!

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want!