Staines Congregational Church Sermons

Jesus Presented in the Temple
22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”[a]), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”[b]
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,    you may now dismiss[c] your servant in peace.30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,31     which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,    and the glory of your people Israel.”
33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.[d] She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.

Philippians 4:10-23
Reading:
10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Following Paul’s Example
15 All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
17 Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. 18 For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
 
Sermon Notes
Intro: gospel and religion
Religion: I obey; therefore I’m accepted
Gospel: I’m accepted; therefore I obey
Religion: Motivation is based on fear and insecurity
Gospel: Motivation is based on grateful joy
Religion: I obey God in order to get things from God
Gospel: I obey God to get God – to delight and resemble him
 
Intro: gospel and religion
Religion: When circumstances in my life go wrong, I am angry at God or myself, since I believe, like Job’s friends, that anyone who is good deserves a comfortable life.
Gospel: When circumstances in my life go wrong, I struggle, but I know that while God may allow this for my training, he will exercise his fatherly love within my trial.
 
Intro: gospel and religion
Religion: When I am criticized, I am furious or devastated because it is essential for me to think of myself as a “good person.” Threats to that self-image must be destroyed at all costs.
Gospel: When I am criticized, I struggle, but it is not essential for me to think of myself as a “good person.” My identity is not built on my performance but on God’s love for me in Christ.
 
Intro: gospel and religion
Religion: My prayer life consists largely of petition and only heats up when I am in need. My main purpose in prayer is to control circumstances.
Gospel: My prayer life consists of generous stretches of praise and adoration. My main purpose is fellowship with him.
 
Intro: gospel and religion
Religion: My self-view swings between two poles. If and when I am living up to my standards, I feel confident, but then I am prone to be proud and unsympathetic to people who fail. If and when I am not living up to standards, I feel humble but not confident - I feel like a failure.
Gospel: My self-view is not based on a view of myself as a moral achiever. In Christ I am at once sinful and lost, yet accepted. I am so bad he had to die for me, and so loved he was glad to die for me. This leads me to deeper humility as well as deeper confidence, without either sniveling or swaggering.
 
Intro: gospel and religion
Religion: My identity and self-worth are based mainly on how hard I work or how moral I am, so I must look down on those I perceive as lazy or immoral. I disdain and feel superior to others.
Gospel: My identity and self-worth are centered on the One who died for his enemies, including me. Only by sheer grace am I what I am, so I can’t look down on those who believe or practice something different from me. I have no inner need to win arguments.
 
Intro: gospel and religion
Religion: Since I look to my pedigree or performance for my spiritual acceptability, my heart manufactures idols—talents, moral record, personal discipline, social status, etc. I absolutely have to have them, so they are my main hope, meaning, happiness, security, and significance, whatever I say I believe about God.
Gospel: I have many good things in my life—family, work, etc., but none of these good things are ultimate things to me. I don’t absolutely have to have them, so there is a limit to how much anxiety, bitterness, and despair they can inflict on me when they are threatened and lost.
 
Where there’s salvation there’s…
Giving
• As Brian Jones used to say, you can tell the health of a church by the prayer meeting and the offering bag.
• He’s not wrong…
• Just look at Zacchaeus
• As a reaction to Zacchaeus change in heart to money, Jesus says: Luke 19:9 ‘Today salvation has come to this house…’
• Paul rejoices in the Philippians’ gift
• It shows that they are the real deal
 
Where there’s salvation there‘s:
Contentment
• Paul is not angling for another gift
• He has learned contentment
• The ability to live in both humble and exalted circumstances
• I can do all this in him who makes me able
• Knowledge of Jesus grabs the heart
• Example of Jesus shows the way
• Power of Jesus makes it possible
 
Where there’s giving there’s:
Reward
• Every earthly resource is vulnerable
• It can be lost
• Our giving will come back to us with heavenly compound interest
• Our giving will come back to us as heavenly assistance on earth
2 Cor 9:6-15
 
Where there’s giving there’s:
Partnership
• Partnership is all the way through…
• Partnership in the gospel - Phil 1:5
• Partnership in grace - Phil 1:7
• Partnership in the Spirit (Phil 2:1) leading to humility
• Partnership in Jesus’ sufferings - Phil 3:10
• Partnership in giving and receiving Phil 4:14
 
In practice
• Do you believe the gospel?
• Or are you stuck in a religion of your own making?
• Start with thankfulness
• Then get giving!
• Cheerfully, regularly, generously and proportionately
• To the church and to the poor
• Whilst you live and after you die
 
Summing up…
• Come and be a member of our joyful partnership!
• This is church

Reading - Phil 4:1-9
Closing Appeal for Steadfastness and Unity
4 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!
2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.
Final Exhortations
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
 
 
Sermon NotesJoy in partnership
Intro• Have you ever entered a conversation or read a long email that starts out by praising you…• And you think: when is the hammer going to fall?• Imagine Euodia and Synteche listening to this letter being read out for the first time?• Oh no! He has me in mind!• E and S are right!• This is the point of the letter• It’s done from friendship…• He can’t bear to seeing them being unfruitful• He doesn’t take sides• He mentions them by name• Maybe it is Luke who is called to help out• Women are really significant to the church• They are equals to men• But men are called to headship• We believe this (in theory)• But maybe we need to come to one mind(set) in practice• Unity is where the anointing is• It enables women
1. Rejoice in the Lord! Phil 4:4• Christians have a joy that is independent of circumstances• So rejoice!• But it is easy to fool ourselves• You need God’s help even to understand your own heart
2. Gentleness Phil 4:5• Under pressure don’t get vicious, angry, slanderous, short tempered• Gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit• The Lord is near
3. Don’t be anxious Phil 4:6-7• Don’t be anxious…• No circumstances excepted• Ask God what you need• Get to the point!• There is a promise of peace but…• Get to the point!• There is a promise of peace but…• It is community activity• It is a continuous activity
4. Think carefully Phil 4:8-9• You can get involved in culture but..• Is it godly?• Is it worthy of honour?• Does it reflect God’s character?• Is it tainted?• Does it have artistic value?• Does it enhance your record?• Emulate Paul• And the saints of the past
Summing up…• Paul has got to the point• Our strength is in our single-mindedness• What is the point for you?• Don’t be knocked off-course by…• Misery (rejoice!)• Ferocity (be gentle)• Anxiety (keep asking)• Conformity (question yourself)

Psalm 16
A miktam of David.
1 Keep me safe, my God,    for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;    apart from you I have no good thing.”3 I say of the holy people who are in the land,    “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”4 Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.    I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods    or take up their names on my lips.
5 Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;    you make my lot secure.6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;    surely I have a delightful inheritance.7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;    even at night my heart instructs me.8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord.    With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;    my body also will rest secure,10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,    nor will you let your faithful one see decay.11 You make known to me the path of life;    you will fill me with joy in your presence,    with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Luke 7:11-17
 
Jesus Raises a Widow’s Son
11 Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12 As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”
14 Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” 15 The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
16 They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” 17 This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature[a] God,    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;7 rather, he made himself nothing    by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,    being made in human likeness.8 And being found in appearance as a man,    he humbled himself    by becoming obedient to death—        even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place    and gave him the name that is above every name,10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,    to the glory of God the Father.
Do Everything Without Grumbling
12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”[c] Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.

Harvey's combined SportsReach and children's talk.

Romans 15v1 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. 3 For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”[a] 4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.
5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, 6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. 8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews[b] on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed 9 and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written:
“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles;    I will sing the praises of your name.”[c]
10 Again, it says,
“Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people.”[d]
11 And again,
“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles;    let all the peoples extol him.”[e]
12 And again, Isaiah says,
“The Root of Jesse will spring up,    one who will arise to rule over the nations;    in him the Gentiles will hope.”[f]
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Paul the Minister to the Gentiles
14 I myself am convinced, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with knowledge and competent to instruct one another. 15 Yet I have written you quite boldly on some points to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. He gave me the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
17 Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. 18 I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done— 19 by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. 20 It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation. 21 Rather, as it is written:
“Those who were not told about him will see,    and those who have not heard will understand.”[g]
22 This is why I have often been hindered from coming to you.
Paul’s Plan to Visit Rome
23 But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to visit you, 24 I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to see you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while. 25 Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the Lord’s people there. 26 For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the Lord’s people in Jerusalem. 27 They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings. 28 So after I have completed this task and have made sure that they have received this contribution, I will go to Spain and visit you on the way. 29 I know that when I come to you, I will come in the full measure of the blessing of Christ.
30 I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. 31 Pray that I may be kept safe from the unbelievers in Judea and that the contribution I take to Jerusalem may be favorably received by the Lord’s people there, 32 so that I may come to you with joy, by God’s will, and in your company be refreshed. 33 The God of peace be with you all. Amen.

Psalm 145 - A psalm of praise. Of David.
1 I will exalt you, my God the King;    I will praise your name for ever and ever.2 Every day I will praise you    and extol your name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;    his greatness no one can fathom.4 One generation commends your works to another;    they tell of your mighty acts.5 They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—    and I will meditate on your wonderful works.[b]6 They tell of the power of your awesome works—    and I will proclaim your great deeds.7 They celebrate your abundant goodness    and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate,    slow to anger and rich in love.
9 The Lord is good to all;    he has compassion on all he has made.10 All your works praise you, Lord;    your faithful people extol you.11 They tell of the glory of your kingdom    and speak of your might,12 so that all people may know of your mighty acts    and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,    and your dominion endures through all generations.
The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises    and faithful in all he does.[c]14 The Lord upholds all who fall    and lifts up all who are bowed down.15 The eyes of all look to you,    and you give them their food at the proper time.16 You open your hand    and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways    and faithful in all he does.18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,    to all who call on him in truth.19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;    he hears their cry and saves them.20 The Lord watches over all who love him,    but all the wicked he will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.    Let every creature praise his holy name    for ever and ever.
 

Matthew 6v5-15Prayer
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name,10 your kingdom come,your will be done,    on earth as it is in heaven.11 Give us today our daily bread.12 And forgive us our debts,    as we also have forgiven our debtors.13 And lead us not into temptation,[a]    but deliver us from the evil one.[b]’
14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.