Here are Pastor Pete’s notes on the first sermon series of 2010. Please attend our Sunday services and join the conversation…

Series 01/10 Journey with Abraham

Sermon One The Call of Abraham Genesis 11.29-13.4

What is the Christian Life? It has been described in many ways, I like the idea that the Christian life is a WALK. This word gives the impression that being a Christian is all about progress, purpose, presence, pace and perseverance. We may not recognise it, but the simple fact is that we are either making progress or slipping away, no one remains static in the Christian life! Over the coming weeks we will journey with Abraham, learn the lessons of his life and develop insights in how to walk more closely with God.

Beginnings

• Abram was a man in his mid 70s, married to Sara they were childless
• Living in Ur, a sophisticated centre of culture and commerce over 4000 years ago
• Abram was at the time an idolater, worshipping the moon goddess
• He appears to be quite wealthy and influential

Abram’s Call ( Gen 12.1-3)

• God spoke to Abram, telling him to leave is country and family and go to the place God would show him
• We do not know why God called Abram, maybe it was some crisis or cry from Abram’s heart. The call certainly was not some random act by God. What we do know is that God called Abram and Abram heard and responded.
• GOD IS CALLING PEOPLE TODAY… HAVE YOU HEARD HIS CALL?
• Gods call was crystal clear, He promises to change Abram’s life radically.
• All God asks is that Abram trusts him and leaves everything behind! Leave his city, his comfort zone, all that is familiar, his commercial contacts and even his family.
• Incredibly Abram obeys. The first step of obedience is often the biggest.

A personal call and a promise

• Some 17 times personal pronouns are used in the first verses of Genesis 12, God knows Abram personally, has revealed himself personally and makes both the call and promises personally.
• God calls us personally by name, he knows us completely
• Gods personal call comes often in the ordinary times and places of life.  We do not know what he was doing at the time, evidence from other Bible characters underlines God calls us in the rough and tumble of  normal life
• God promises to saturate him with blessing, God will bless him and make him a blessing to others. God will give him a child, who will grow into a  nation who will in turn be the instrument of blessing . GOD PROMISES TO ENLARGE HIM

Series 02/10 The Parables – insights to the genuine Christian life

Jesus used parables to present a picture of spiritual truth, a picture that we need Gods help with f we are truly to understand and apply them to our lives.  Jesus was of course the great story teller, catching his hearers interest, rousing both emotion and questions. Most important of all each parable requires a response. In this series we will be looking at a selection of parables and applying them carefully to our situations and circumstances . The best way to study a parable is to just focus on the main theme and not get too distracted with the detail. The notes that follow are not an outline of each sermon as such, they are rather a brief summary  focused on the main theme and application of each parable.

Sermon One – Mustard and Yeast

Everyone loves a story! Rich characters, interesting plots, surprises! A good story catches our interest, makes us think and helps us to remember. Jesus used stories as effective teaching vehicles to press home what he was saying. Today we are going to look at two parables dealing with tiny, small and seemingly insignificant things. Both give us important insight in how God asserts his presence and power in our lives, e ach can begin a revolution within you, the church and community in 2010

Matthew 17.20 (13.32) The Parable of the Mustard seed

Here Jesus gives us a potent picture of the work God does within us and though us. The mustard tree was the biggest tree found in Palestinian gardens, it was huge. The surprise of how big it is ,is all the more when  we see how very very tiny its seed are. When asked to describe the Kingdom by his disciples (Mark 4.30), Jesus speaks of how a small, seemingly insignificant mustard seed can grow into a huge tree

The best way to understand a parable is to focus on its one central meaning or picture, Jesus is saying that small beginnings can have great consequences. A prayer, an action, a gift, a commitment, a decision,  a conversation – all may seem just tiny insignificant acts but may grow into something truly tremendous . God Loves to take the feeble, inconsequential things of life and make them great. God can take a small church, a lone Christian at work, a small prayer meeting and do something awesome. Very often things in the kingdom begin small and turn out life changing.

Never underestimate small starts, little steps or tiny beginnings. In 2010 what exciting small step are you going to take?

Luke 13.20-21 The Parable of the Yeast

Like the mustard seed yeast is tiny but it can have a big effect. In Bible times a lump of leavened bread was kept in the “pantry”, a piece being added to new dough as a new loaf was being made. Jesus spoke often about Yeast, sometimes in a negative way when he spoke of sin and the Pharisees. He also used the illustration of yeast to describe the principle of multiplication. How influence, either positive or negative, may spread.

Yeast is essentially an alien component added to the dough, as it is kneaded(worked into the dough) it changes the nature of the dough enabling it to expand and rise.  What a great picture of Gods work within us.  It just takes a little Gospel truth, a small word from God, a touch from the Holy Spirit to have great effect. The fact is that just as the year needs to touch every part of the dough, so God must gain access to every aspect of us.