MBM Rooty Hill / Bible Talks

In a world of such chaos it is easy to become overwhelmed, sad, and despairing. Yet into this broken chaotic world God entered and took on flesh. In the angel’s announcement in Luke 2:10–11 we find reasons why we can have joy, even in the midst of our broken world.

In 2 Cor. 8-9, Paul continues to unpack his favourite topic of grace and here he applies it to giving. In this sermon we ask three questions about this text: 1. What is this grace of giving? 2. What would is the goal of grace giving? 3. What is God actually promising about giving?

Have you ever felt a ‘block’ in your relationship with your pastor? Are you struggling with something they said to you? Have you ever felt similarly about God and His words to you? This talk is a challenge to cheer up your pastor by rightly dealing with such issues.

Followers of Jesus have the great privilege, and the great responsibility, of representing the good news of Jesus. In 2 Corinthians 6 Paul lays out how we represent Jesus in a way that doesn’t discredit the good news he came to bring.

In the Bible having a good relationship with God is described in a few ways. God’s people are ‘redeemed’ reflecting the idea of payment. God’s people are ‘justified’ reflecting the idea of justice. In 2 Corinthians 5 Paul is going to emphasize a new idea of ‘reconciliation’ which reflects the idea of restoring a broken relationship. In this passage we have the astonishing good news that we can have a good relationship with God and are called to share this news with others.

Christians worship the God of comfort in the midst of pain and hardships. But the temptation is to serve the idol of comfort and seek to escape suffering. Paul shows us that as our bodies waste away, we can have confidence that our home is in heaven, not on earth; not in a mortal body, but an eternal one.

Discouragement is a real part of life. While many of us have great days, there are frequently in experience days where we lose hope, we lose heart. The Apostle Paul was deeply familiar with disappointment and had many moments of losing heart. Yet as he writes to the Corinthians he exhorts his readers ‘do not lose heart.’ In this section we explore where we can find encouragement as we follow Jesus, even in difficult times.