The Christian life produces three enduring qualities: faith, love, and hope. Faith serves as our gateway to salvation through God's grace, not through our own works. God's Love, demonstrated supremely in Christ's sacrifice, transforms us, and enables us to love others. Hope extends beyond mere wishful thinking—it represents the certainty of Christ's return and the completion of our salvation. These three qualities work together as the foundation of authentic Christian living, with the Holy Spirit both the empowerment as well as serving as our guarantee of the outcome to come.
The path to genuine Christianity is through a narrow gate that few find, not because it is physically restrictive, but because it demands costly commitment. Many religious activities and outward displays of faith—even miraculous gifts and prophecies—cannot substitute for true knowledge of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit's work of conviction and call for genuine repentance marks the difference between authentic faith and mere religious observance. Without this deeper work, one's spiritual house, though impressive on the surface, may collapse when tested by life's storms or the final judgment.
True Christian witness flows not from memorised doctrine or intellectual knowledge alone, but from a heart overflowing with love for Jesus Christ. Just as a person in love cannot help speaking about their beloved, those who spend time with Christ and worship Him deeply will speak of Him to others naturally and authentically. This principle is demonstrated through Scripture and live examples. Authentic spiritual authority and effective witness come not through eloquence or education alone, but through a genuine, heart-level relationship with the Lord Jesus. When others recognise that we have "been with Jesus," our words carry His authority and power.
God has placed within human nature a natural capacity to believe in Him—what theologian John Calvin called the "sensus divinitatis." This innate ability to believe is most clearly seen in children, who trust God naturally without needing evidence or proof. When Jesus truly loves someone, as He did the rich young ruler, He offers them not just forgiveness or blessings, but the invitation to follow Him personally. The greatest expression of Christ's love is His desire to share Himself and His mission with those who trust Him like children.
Jesus' raising of Lazarus from the dead is more than a miraculous event; it's a powerful demonstration of His identity as the Son of God and the source of eternal life. This account challenges us to examine our faith, especially in difficult circumstances. Do we truly believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life? His power over death offers hope not just for this life, but for eternity. Even when all seems lost, Christ calls us to trust in Him, for He has conquered death and offers life to all who believe.
The sermon emphasises the importance of truly knowing Jesus beyond mere belief in God or adherence to religious practices. The preacher recounts an anecdote about a bumper sticker and explores how superficial expressions of faith can sometimes misrepresent our deeper convictions. Through key scripture references, including a poignant interaction between Jesus and His disciple Philip, the sermon underlines that being a Christian is fundamentally about having a personal, transformative relationship with Christ. This relationship goes beyond simply knowing about Jesus or following religious rituals; it involves an intimate, experiential knowledge that impacts one's entire life and identity. The sermon invites listeners to reflect on the depth of their faith and encourages a journey towards truly knowing and experiencing Jesus.
"He claimed to be the good shepherd. He claimed to be the one that spoke from God. He did it with authority as we've been learning in the morning surfaces. And, looking at the Beatitudes there, and Jesus, this one, was somehow not accepted by the Jewish leaders, and they couldn't grasp the fact that when they challenged Him. Tell us plainly tell us plainly whether you are the Christ or not and his answer was basically don't my works display when you see the Father's works turning up through me, when you see I'm doing the works of my Father, doesn't it show you who I am. My identity with the father. By identity I mean that the Father's the Father, and He's the Son."
"People say to me coming into the church that this season it's great to see the idea of joy being expressed by the church and our singing people have done that for us today in leading us and it was excellent and we thank you. And that's a part of why Christmas carols are so loved and utilised around the world... Now I like the one that we just sang because it's capturing another point of the truth of why Jesus came. He came to bring an answer to a problem that we had and it's been a very honest worded song. Come all you unfaithful."
"Have you ever wondered why the Gospel calls us to make a confession of Christ? And it's rather interesting in evangelism when you know that the message itself is asked for people to believe. But the way that Jesus talked to the crowds, he sometimes finished up with calling on them to make a response."
"When I came here, I was full of crises, and I want to share with you some of the things that God did in my life, from the Book of James."