Micah 4:1-4; 5:2-5 - Kingdom Restored
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- Written by: George Hemmings
Kingdom Restored audio (6MB)
Micah 4:1-4
Before we came to St. Thomas’, Sarah and I were at Deep Creek. It had been Sarah’s home church for about 12 years and after we were married I started a student placement there. So when Deep Creek decided to sell their old pews to buy new seats, we leapt at the chance. We had grand plans for it, but the pew sat in our garage for a couple of years until this past summer, when we finally got around to restoring it. Now to be fair, we’d tackled a number of other projects in the meantime. Over the years we’d restored two cabinets, a dresser and two cots. (Not to mention having three kids!) So we kind of knew what we were doing.
I wonder if you’ve had any experience restoring or rebuilding something? Taking something that was broken, or worn, or used and bringing new life into it. Maybe you’ve tried tackling something bigger than a piece of furniture, like a house. Or maybe just seen it on TV.
Micah 2:1-11 The Kingdom Defiled
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- Written by: George Hemmings
Kingdom Defiled audio (4MB)
Micah 2:1-11
It doesn’t take a genius to realise there’s something wrong with our world. I mean, I guess on the surface things look pretty good. We live in an age of wealth and prosperity, of innovation and exploration. Our day to day lives are pretty peaceful. Sure we’ve had our share of questionable leaders in the past, but the current guy’s better than anyone we’ve had in the last 30 years. Who’d want to go back to having Ahaz as King of Judah? He was a king who didn’t walk in the way of the Lord, if there was ever one. There were shrines going up to Baal everywhere, pagan sacrifices in the temple. There was even talk that he made his sons pass through fire like the you know who do. We’re lucky Hezekiah survived and took the throne after Ahaz died. Talk about chalk and cheese! He’s nothing like his father. You can tell Hezekiah’s a man after God’s own heart, he’s working to clean up the streets of Jerusalem and restore right worship in the land.
Series: 33: Micah
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- Written by: Chris Appleby
Micah
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The Kingdom Defiled |
Micah 2:1-11 |
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The Kingdom Restored |
Micah 4:1-4; 5:2-5 |
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The Kingdom Lived |
Micah 6:6-8 |
Matthew 18:10-22 - Lost Sheep and Broken Fellowship
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- Written by: George Hemmings
Lost Sheep and Broken Fellowship audio (5MB)
Matthew 18:10-22
When I was growing up we ran sheep on our farm. Now sheep all, mostly, look the same. But there’s one sheep I’ll never forget. It was a ram actually, and we took to calling him Houdini because no matter what paddock he was put in, he wouldn’t stay in it for long! Even when we fixed the fences and added another strand of wire to make them taller, he always managed to get out. Whenever we went to count the sheep he’d be gone, so we’d have to start looking for him. First we’d try in with the ewes, but often once he’d frolicked with them for a while he’d move on. Sometimes make his way the entire length of the property. It became quite a chore, finding him, chasing him, catching him and bringing him back, knowing that in a few days he’d just as likely have gotten out again! After the thrill of the chase wore off, I didn’t often feel like rejoicing when I found him!
Read more: Matthew 18:10-22 - Lost Sheep and Broken Fellowship
2 Timothy 4 - Preach the Gospel
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- Written by: Naomi Gebert
Preach the Gospel audio (5MB)
2 Timothy 4
So we’ve come to the end of this letter – after 5 weeks, we finally get to see how Paul’s going to conclude everything that he’s told Timothy and all the advice he’s given. This part of Paul’s letter to Timothy is his closing commission – it’s his sign off from duty. You might be surprised that only 5 verses in this chapter are spent instructing Timothy, and the other 17 are largely about Paul’s experiences and the people he’s known. He doesn’t focus on his own experiences to get sympathy from Timothy.It’s not because he wants somebody to complain to about the difficult time he’s had. The reason Paul includes such a personal description of the challenges he’s faced is to train Timothy, to prepare him for what lies ahead. As a Christian who professes his faith publicly and strives to make Jesus known, Timothy has difficult experiences ahead of him. And the best authority on any experience is somebody who has already done it.
2 Timothy 3 - Living in the Last Days
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- Written by: George Hemmings
Living in the Last Days audio (6MB)
Living in the Last Days - Youth Service Sermon audio (6MB)
2 Timothy 3
2 Timothy 2:1-13 - Share in Suffering
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- Written by: George Hemmings
Remembering audio (6MB)
2 Timothy 2:1-13
It’s great to be with you again and great to be sharing as we continue looking at 2 Timothy. Speaking of sharing, I’ve got something I’d like to share with you today. I'm sorry there’s not enough for everybody, but I wonder who’d like to share one of these with me? In our house it feels like we’re spending a lot of time talking about sharing at the moment! In today’s passage Paul has something he wants Timothy to share in. But it’s not as nice as a packet of Tim Tams. Instead he wants Timothy to join him in suffering for the gospel. In fact, Paul wants all of us to know that we have to share in suffering for the gospel. I wonder how that makes you feel? I wonder if I invited you to share in suffering with me, if you would’ve come up as eagerly?
