We look at a neglected yet formative part of our worship and spirituality – lamenting. The Bible gives us a pattern of how to bring our sorrow to God. Marc Scheibe opens up Lamentations 5.

As the kingdom of God comes through the person and work of Jesus of Nazareth, we see the kingdom of darkness pushing back in opposition. As the clash of the kingdoms ensues, demonic powers are no match for the power and authority of Jesus. However to our Western ears, talk of demons and demon-oppression is […]

Jesus performs his most powerful miracle so far in the Gospel of Mark – the calming of the storm. As we see, this sign is part of Jesus’ overall mission to reveal to his disciples his true identity. Through healings and exorcisms Jesus has shown he has authority over the forces of evil. However in […]

Jesus expands his teaching on the Kingdom of God through a further series of parables. Most of his teaching about the Kingdom of God was given in parables which played a dual role: To those hungry for more the parables were the door which opened hearers to the Kingdom of God. But to those who […]

In order to understand Jesus on his own terms it is essential that we understand his teaching. As we have seen in the previous sermon in this series, Jesus’ signs and wonders are open to gross misrepresentation unless they are understood in union with his explanations. And so in this familiar parable of the sower, […]

Opposition to Jesus and the Christian faith comes from diverse quarters. In this sermon we consider two dramatically different forms of opposition to Jesus: the Scribes who are direct and aggressive against Jesus, relying on the ad hominem approach; and second, Jesus’ own family. This latter group are a surprising source of opposition. They are […]

Jesus calls his Apostles to be with him and commissions them to be sent out to minister in his name. He gives them his authoritative word to preach and his authoritative power to push back the kingdom of darkness. As go the Apostles, so goes the church. The call to Apostleship is first a call […]

Jesus often clashed with the religious establishment of his day. His teaching and miracles drew the criticism of many religious leaders who were less than pleased to see such authoritative teaching and power at work. Yet crowds of ordinary people flocked to him, desperate to hear his words or to experience his healing power. In […]

This Resurrection Sunday we dial right down to the ultimate question: how can messed up human beings get right with a perfect, loving and holy God. The answer is found in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Through faith in him, God counts us as righteous – right in his sight, pleasing to him. […]

Many people are facing severe trials and hardships already as we begin the new year. However Psalm 3 provides us a model of how to process our trials in a way that is constructive and not destructive. Here are the four steps we can take to move from trial to triumph: Present Confess Experience Empower […]