Sermons About Religion
Sunday, October 4, 2009 am
A message from Jeff Smith, on October 4, 2009. From: Matthew 14:24-32 entitled "In the Storms of Life, We Need a Touch From Jesus"
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Walk in Christ, Not Human Philosophies
The Christ-Centered Life, part 4: Christianity is all about staying close to Jesus. Sadly, human philosophies and traditions tend to make us drift from him. This message calls us to cling to Jesus and watch out for some of the common human ideas that lead us astray.
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Authority Over Religion
Continuing in our series 'With Authority,' we look at authority and religion. Are religion and faith the same thing, or are they opposing realms? Can one have faith without religion, or vice versa?
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Have This Mind Among Yourselves; Philippians 2.1-11
Humility is the mindset....servanthood is the outworking.
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But For This Purpose I Have Raised You Up; Exodus 9.13-35
Pharaoh serves as a model of false confession.
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He Has Done All Things Well; Mark 7.31-37
The opening of the ears and the loosing of the tongue is the key to moving from death to life.
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But the LORD Will Make a Distinction; Exodus 9.1-12
God often allows our sin to become our judgment.
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Sunday, September 27, 2009 AM
A message from Jeff Smith, on September 27, 2009. From Matthew 14:22-23.
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The Ethiopian finds Christ
There are three ways to live: You can be true believer in Jesus Christ; you can be a non-believer in Jesus Christ, or you can be a religious person. OR Is it good enough to be religious? In this recorded incident, Dr Luke the careful historian and medical doctor, wants us to look at a god-fearing religious man from a pagan country. A religious person is not necessarily a Christian. To be religious literally means to be regular; its usually connected with being devout or pious. We discover this man is so fascinated by the OT that he purchases one of the scrolls of the major prophet Isaiah which he reads on his return home. You may be very religious but you are not necessarily a believer; you can be very devoted to religious practices but not be a true follower of Jesus the Christ. A Bible reader is not necessarily a Christian person. This man’s difficulty was that he couldn’t understand the text. All he had was the OT; what he needed was the NT that would connect him to Jesus. This is what Philip adds for him. He takes him from Is 53 to Jesus. God usually uses another believer to help us believe. As Dr Luke writes up this story here, he is keen for us to see two things: the preparation that God has gone into – to help this man believe, and the process God has used to bring him to faith. A true believer confesses Christ to a watching world. This man moved from being religious; interested in the Bible, to becoming a follower of Jesus. But not merely in his heart; as a private faith. No, he stopped the chariot and presumably all his retinue saw him getting baptised. This man’s faith was public. Baptism is a public confession of faith in Jesus. It says that just as Christ died, so I have died. Just as Christ was buried, so he has taken away my sins and they too are buried. And just as Jesus rose again, so too I have been given new life in Christ – resurrection life.
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