The initial passion and devotion we experience when first meeting Christ can gradually dim as worldly pressures and responsibilities crowd our lives. Like the church at Ephesus, many believers maintain good works and sound doctrine while losing their burning love for the Lord. The solution lies not in mere activity but in genuine repentance and returning to those practices that marked our early walk with God - earnest prayer, hunger for His Word, and wholehearted worship. Our invitation into the King's garden demands nothing less than our first love restored.
True Christianity requires more than correct doctrine—it produces a burning heart for Christ. The Lord's letter to Laodicea speaks against spiritual complacency, where believers are neither cold nor hot in their devotion. When we grow lukewarm, Jesus stands at the door of His own Church, knocking and seeking renewed fellowship. Although Christ owns the Church, He pictures Himself outside of it and knocking to come in. The path to spiritual fervency comes through an individual hearing His voice and responding to let Him come in to His own Church. When an individual responds to the call of Christ, the Lord answers by coming up to that one and creating fellowship with him or her and deepening their relationship with Himself, allowing His presence to rekindle their first love.
Post-millennialism is one of three major theories about the Biblical millennium, the other two being Pre-millennialism or A-millennialism. These three descriptors are actually adjectives describing the Return of Christ with reference to the timing of the 1000 years of the “Millennium”. Post-Millennialism pictures the 1000 years as being a successful period of Church influence such as to bring about the dawn of a better world. Initially, in times of conservative Christianity, this was seen as due to the success of Christian mission introducing “a bright new world of peace and happiness”. Later Post-millennialism, still with an optimistic note, but with more liberal understanding of the influence of the Church, explained the expected uplift as due to scientific advancement, ethical improvement of society and/or evolution. Post-millennialism of this sort sees the societal uplift due to causes such as evolution or technological advancement. Post-millennialism today sometimes seeks to fit in with Liberal theology reinterpreting the Gospel, with the uplift as caused by social or technological progress. Finally, when focus is taken back to what the Book of Revelation actually says, Revelation 20:4-6 describes events that seem to contradict post-millennial interpretations.
God's love for us precedes our love for Him. This truth is central to understanding spiritual awakening and growth in the Christian life. Many believers struggle to live out their faith fully, but there is a deeper work of the Holy Spirit available—an awakening that leads to spiritual vitality. This awakening often begins with prayer and a renewed awareness of Christ's constraining love. His love holds us fast, like a safety cord for mountain climbers, allowing us to persevere in our spiritual journey despite our weaknesses and failures. The Western Church is in great need of such an awakening to rekindle its love for Christ and experience His transformative power.
The sermon explores the concept of the Church as Christ's home and possession. It emphasises that Jesus considers the Church His dwelling place on earth, even as He resides in heaven. The speaker challenges common misconceptions about church ownership, stressing that neither pastors nor congregants own the Church—it belongs solely to Jesus. He highlights the importance of recognising Christ's authority in building and directing His Church, and calls for a deeper, more personal relationship with Jesus within the context of church life. The message encourages listeners to view church attendance not as a mere ritual, but as an opportunity to encounter and fellowship with Christ Himself.
Jesus considers the Church His current home on Earth, but He has gone to prepare a place for believers in Heaven. At the Second Coming, Christ will return to collect His followers - both the dead and the living - in an event known as the Rapture. We will then be eternally united with Him in our heavenly home. This promise offers great comfort and hope, but it also emphasises the urgency of ensuring a personal relationship with Jesus now, before His return. The Church isn't just a building or tradition, but a family of those who do the Father's will and know Christ personally.
The sermon explores the deep, intimate relationship between Christ and believers, using the Song of Songs as a metaphor. The speaker emphasises that Christianity is not merely about doctrines or duties, but rather a loving relationship with Jesus. He shares personal experiences of powerful prayer meetings and encourages listeners to find their unique calling in partnership with Christ. The key message is that true Christian life involves actively seeking and responding to Jesus' presence, leading to a joyful, purposeful walk with Him.
This sermon explores the profound meaning of Revelation 3:20, addressing a debate on its interpretation and extending its application beyond conversion to the fervent love and fellowship Jesus desires with each believer. It challenges the notion that Christ's knocking at the door is solely an invitation to non-believers, emphasising also His call to believers to rekindle their first love and commit to a deeper relationship with Him. By juxtaposing this with references to the Song of Solomon, the preacher illuminates the mutual love between Christ and the believer, advocating for a personal response to Jesus' gentle but persistent invitation. This call to both conversion for non-believers and renewal for the lukewarm believer underscores the sermon's core message: Jesus seeks a passionate, loving relationship with each of us, inviting us personally to open the door to a more profound fellowship with Him.
"I think a New Year's resolution often is when we come to a place of realising we need to make a decision as to direction. And we don't need to necessarily carry it all out or know everything about it, but we sometimes do need to take one step. And if I can help you today to take a step, an important step that the Scriptures help us to see is a part of what it is to be a disciple of Jesus."
"He said, 'not just because there are signs should you necessarily believe they're from God'. And he had a list of Bible verses which were actually telling of how some signs are not from God. And I thought gee that's something that we all should learn more about. And so that's where I've gotten this idea of a message tonight and we'll start a very obvious place in the book of Exodus."