MBM Parramatta / Bible Talks

The Sunrise After the Long Night

God unveils the details of the who, what, how and when of his promised rescue plan. In the process, we see a model response from Mary - one who takes God at his word, and responds in praise. 

By flagging that the end of all things is near, Peter gives a glimpse of what life can look like in the meantime while we wait. First he outlines how our relationships are to be other-person centred. Then, he describes how Jesus still cares for his church. 

Deep down, we’re all afraid of something. But Peter writes to assure us that in Jesus, we’ve got nothing to fear - even if we get harmed for doing good. 

The call of 1 Peter is to live such good lives to a watching world. This can be displayed in our relationship with authorities, between slaves and masters and with an unbelieving spouse.

Peter challenges us that because we are different thanks to Jesus, we’re to live differently. Specifically, how we hope is different, how we live is different and how we love is different. 

Knowing who you shapes the way you approach life

Putting God first part is a non-negotiable for a follower of Jesus. But we all know it's easier said than done. Haggai helps us hear the importance of this again with clarity and urgency - that God is to be loved first and He’s to be loved best!

Loving others well is difficult. Every day we either fall into old unloving behaviours or we make completely new mistakes in how we treat others. 3 John is God’s call for us to have a love for others that is grounded in the truth, is consistent and is incredibly practical.

For any church the challenge is to love the truth and love others. 2 John wants to say that we can love others by guarding the truth