To hear recent messages, please click on the links below or visit Jeff's Blog.
May 19 - "Sliding In To Home"
There are many baseball analogies that have crept into regular English conversation; some of them work well in the life of faith. In this message, based on John 
3.1-21, I speak about what it means to “slide into home” – to be saved by God’s grace. Listen to it by clicking here.
April 28 - "A Costly Decision"
The decision made by Adam and Eve to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was a costly decision, and its consequences have been humanity’s lot ever since. But there is good news, for God made a costly decision to send his only Son to remedy our sin problem. Based on Genesis 3, Romans 5.1-11 and Romans 6.1-14, you can listen to this message by clicking here.
April 21 - "Maker's Mark"
Any discussion of creation needs to involve a discussion of humanity as the pinnacle of God’s creation. Early in the service, we read Genesis 1.1-2.3, and toward the end of the message, I read John 1.1-14. You can listen to the message by clicking here.
April 14 - "The Housefly in the Airplane"
One of my favourite analogies to talk about God’s sovereignty in the midst of human freedom is the story of the housefly in the airplane. I’m sure I heard the basics of it somewhere, but otherwise I made up the details to illustrate how God remains in control while we exercise a measure of freedom.
Based on Acts 17.16-34, you can listen to the message by clicking here.
April 7: "One?" Three?" Three in One?"
he Trinity is not an easy concept for us to understand as human beings; in many respects, it defies human understanding, because it’s an attempt to 
quantify the infinite God. Nevertheless, it’s worth a try once in a while! In this message, based on Mark 1.1-11, we take a stab at understanding God’s essence as One, and existence as Three. Listen by clicking here.
March 31, 2013: 20:20 Vision
Jesus is risen! He is risen indeed! A fine crowd gathered to worship God and celebrate Jesus’ resurrection at St. Paul’s, Nobleton this morning. We
rejoiced at God’s gift of new life to us. We read from Isaiah 65 and John 20. You can listen to the message, “20:20 Vision” by clicking here. Near the end of the message, we watched this video.
March 29, 2013: Not Criminally Responsible
In this Good Friday message, we learn that because of Jesus’ death on the cross, we are rendered not criminally responsible for our sins. Based on
Isaiah 52.13-53.12, you can listen to the message by clicking here.
March 24 - Sola Deo Gloria
What does it mean to give glory to God? Or do followers of Jesus even realize that they ARE the glory of God? God’s people are the glory of God, and 
they are called to give glory to God! As the Westminster Shorter Catechism says, our chief end, our aim in life, is “to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” Based on 2 Corinthians 3.7-18, you can listen to the message by clicking here.
March 17 - Sola Christo
Holding a position that says Jesus is the only way to God is not a popular view in our world today, but it is the view that is held by Scripture. That means Christians are expected to grapple with it seriously. It also was a hallmark doctrine of the Reformation, that Jesus is the only mediator between God and humanity. We see this illustrated in many places in the New Testament, not least of which is John 14.1-7. You can listen to the message by clicking here. I apologize if I sound in a hurry; I preached this message at the beginning of the service, so that I could travel to Fraser Church, Tottenham, to baptize the infant daughter of my colleague there. A busy day, but a blessed day indeed.
March 10 - Sola Gratia
There’s something very comforting about knowing that we are saved by grace, because that means it’s not up to us: it is God who works our salvation, not we ourselves. This third part in the “Flying Sola” series, on “Sola Gratia”, by grace alone, is based on Ephesians 2.1-10, and can be listened to by clicking here.
March 3 - Sola Fide
It can seem a bit elementary to talk about living by faith among Christian people, yet it’s astounding how many people live as though faith were less important than deeds. One of the pillars of Christianity is “sola fide”, that we are saved by faith alone. Based on Galatians 3.1-14, you can listen to this message by clicking here.
February 24 - Sola Scriptura
Preaching doctrine is not always popular, but it is necessary for God’s people to know, or be reminded, of the foundational truths of their faith. Among those foundational truths are the five “solas” of the Reformation: Sola Scriptura, Sola Fidei, Sola Gratia, Sola Christo, and Soli Deo Gloria. We’re spending five weeks exploring these truths and how they relate to our lives today. You can listen to the first part, “Sola Scriptura”, based on 2 Thessalonians 2.13-17, by clicking here.
February 17 - The Means of Grace
There’s lots about the life of the church that we do but would be hard pressed to explain. One of those things is the Lord’s Supper. In this message, I seek to help us understand a little bit more about what it means to share together in Communion. The Eucharist is, for us, the means of grace.
Based on 1 Corinthians 11.17-34, you can listen to the message by clicking here.
February 10, 2013 - "Dispenser of India's Destiny"
Today, it was my joy to share with the St. Paul’s Church family about my mission trip to India. Joining me in the dialogue was Lina van der Wel, mydear friend who was part of our Team, all of whom were sent through the Tyndale Spiritual Formation Centre. Lina is the Director of Marketing and Communications at Tyndale University College & Seminary. It was hard to compress into a half hour what a three-week journey was like, but by listening to it you should be able to get a tiny picture of our experience. Psalm 72 was read before our presentation. You can listen to our dialogue by clicking here.
At the close of the message, we showed a photo montage from the trip. The photos were contributed by several members of the Team. The musical accompaniment is “I will never be the same again”, from Hillsong’s “Shout To The Lord” CD. You can watch the photo montage in QuickTime here and in Windows Media Player here.
This presentation has been immensely helpful as I process what God is doing in my own life through this trip. My prayer is that it has in some small way encouraged others to grow an interest in mission involvement.
January 6, 2013: "Drawing the Circle Wider"
“Epiphany” – the feast that always falls on January 6. It means ‘revealing’ or ‘manifestation’. It recalls the time that foreign soothsayers followed a star and visited the child Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, marked in Matthew 2.1-12. I contend that this event, and not the giving of the Great Commission, marked the beginning of mission in the church.
You can listen to the message by clicking here.
January 30: "Hemorrhaging Faith
The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada recently co-sponsored a report on the state of faith of the younger generation, entitled Hemorrhaging Faith. The young people who were interviewed for this report were divided into engagers, fence-sitters, wanderers, and rejecters. Since we have focused our Christmas Offering on our ministry to youth in our community, I preached this message on some conclusions about the Hemorrhaging Faith report and how the church can respond to the hemorrhaging faith of our youth. Based on 2 Timothy 1.1-14, you can listen to the message by clicking here. View the PowerPoint slides (in .pdf) here.
December 23: "Light of Welcome" - Luke 1.26-38, 46-56
Light: it can be a welcoming thing, whether a sign that a home is expecting guests, or that the end of a dark place or time is near. As one of those lights that can get tangled up, though, we can sometimes forget how important the light of welcome can be – especially at this time of year.
Mary and Elizabeth offered their own kinds of welcome to the Lord Jesus; read their story in Luke 1.26-56. Listen to the message by clicking here.
December 16: "Light of Justice" - Micah 6.1-8
The prophet Micah calls God’s people to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with the Lord (Micah 6.8). When I initially prepared to preach this text, on the light of justice, I was going to focus principally on the poor; the tragic events of this past Friday, however, furnished me with a profound illustration of what God’s Word can say to even the most contemporary situations.
Based on Micah 6.1-8, you can listen to this message by clicking here.
December 9: "Light of Generosity" - Matthew 20.1-16
Among the many tangled lights in the string that is our life is the light of generosity. We tend to be more generous at Christmas, and the charities all know it, so they do their best to maximize the potential for expanding their donor base. In the church, we tend to see December as “miracle month” when it comes to giving to the mission of God, yet the need exists all year long. In this message, I use an in-house example of our youth ministry, to which our Christmas offering is going this year. It serves the church, but it also serves the community. And because we’re adding youth ministry to the general budget this year, it’s going to require that we all play a role in its support.
The message, “The light of generosity”, is based on Matthew 20.1-16, a passage more commonly applied toward Kingdom living as we think about the eternal rewards given to those who have served the Lord for many years, and those who confess him on their death beds. But as the vineyard owner is generous in his payment of workers, even those who worked only an hour, so God is generous toward us – which should make us grateful. And gratitude begets generosity.
Included in the message is a video, which you can view here.
Listen to the message by clicking this link.
December 2: "Light of Forgiveness"
When I was a kid, our Christmas lights were of the sort that if one bulb was blown, the whole string was dark. That can happen to us in life, too. In this series, “Christmas Lights”, we’re going to look at a few ‘lights’ of life that we need to keep life lit and untangled. Based on John 20.19-23, you can listen to”The Light of Forgiveness” by visiting Jeff's Blog.
November 18: "A Fruitful Prayer Life"
Concluding our series on prayer, “A Fruitful Prayer Life” is intended to encourage you to look at some more basic premises for making your prayer life more abundant. Based on Jeremiah 29.10-14 and Galatians 6.1-10, you can listen to the message by clicking this link. The sound quality is a little different on this recording, because I had to use the sound room recording as a backup; my digital recorder’s batteries gave out!
November 11: "Praying With Others"
Prayer isn’t just about “you in your small corner and I in mine” – it is something that can have tremendous power when we share prayer together. Based on James 5.13-18, you can listen to this message by clicking here.
November 4: "Formula One Praying"
Do you ever find your mind wandering while you pray – or while someone else leads you in prayer? One of the things that can help us pray well is structure. One helpful structure uses the acronym ACTS – adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication. Today’s message is about that structure, that formula, which can help us become better people of prayer. It’s based on Psalm 145, Psalm 51, Psalm 136 and Psalm 55. You can listen to the message by clicking here.
October 28: "The Whos of Prayer
Reformation Sunday, that which Protestants celebrate nearest October 31, commemorates the beginning of what Martin Luther had hoped would be a re-forming of the church from within. It took on a life of its own before he knew it, and the Protestant Reformation, as we know it, is said to have begun on October 31, 1517, when Luther nailed 95 propositions for the reforming of the church to the cathedral door in Wittenberg, Germany.
We look at the “whos” of prayer appropriately on this day, recognizing that it is God alone to whom we are invited to pray according to Scripture. Listen to this message by clicking this link.
October 21: "The Dos & Don'ts of Prayer"
Preachers are always telling people they should pray. Trouble is, unless we’ve been taught, most of us don’t know how to pray innately. And we often gather unhelpful ideas about what constitutes prayer, or who can pray. We’re looking at the value of prayer in this series, and today, specifically some do’s and don’ts. Based on Matthew 6.5-8, you can listen to the message by clicking here.
October 14: "The What & Why of Prayer"
Prayer: talking to God. So easy, yet so hard. In this series, we’re going to talk about prayer and how we can make it an enriching part of our lives.
In this message, based on Exodus 33.7-17 and Luke 11.5-13, we look at what prayer is and why we pray. Listen to the message here.
October 7: "The Pain of Rejection"
While it not may sound very Thanksgiving-like as a title, there is much for which to be thankful in understanding the rejection Jesus faced for our sakes. He knew what he would come up against, since he knew the prophecy of Isaiah 53. He knew his disciples (then and now) would face rejection, too, so he prepared his friends for that when he commissioned them to share their faith with Israel in Matthew 10.1-16. You can listen to the message, the last in the series, by clicking here.
Happy Thanksgiving!
September 30: "The Pain of Suffering" - 1 Peter 4.12-19
This is not the best news ever, but the Bible suggests, in many places (including 1 Peter 4.12-19) that people who follow Jesus will suffer for their faith. It was a regular occurrence in New Testament times, and in the life of the early church. Can it somehow be good for us to suffer?
Listen to “The Pain of Suffering” here and let me know what you think.
September 23 - The Pain of Loss (2 Samuel 12.1-25)
We all experience pain and we all experience loss – and there is pain in loss. How we deal with that pain, however, can shape our lives, whether we know it or not. This message, based on 2 Samuel 12.1-25, gives us some ideas on how constructively to deal with the pain of loss. You can listen to the message by clicking here. After the message, as a moment for meditation, we attempted to play the song that you can listen to on YouTube.
September 16 - Selling Out (Luke 18.18-30)
We might think that attachment to our stuff is a modern phenomenon, but it was just as prevalent in biblical times. Jesus talks more about money, in the gospels, than he does about prayer! So it’s no surprise that he has an encounter with a rich ruler in Luke 18.18-30.
In the message, I make reference to two pictures, which you’ll find below. The picture of the Needle’s Eye was taken by my friend, Duncan Cameron (and features John Vissers, Moderator of the 138th General Assembly of The Presbyterian Church in Canada). The picture of the modern version of our Bible story was borrowed from jonathanmerritt.com. You can listen to the message by clicking here.
September 9 - How to Host a Dinner Party (Luke 14.15-24)
A lot of important things happen around food – relationships are forged, deals are made, lives are changed. It was no different in Bible times. Jesus got invited to a lot of dinner parties, and one party in particular had him telling a parable about another party. The message is based on Luke 14.15-24, and you can listen to it by clicking here.
September 2 - Feeling Sorry for the Pigs (Luke 8.26-39)
Jesus had many encounters with demons, according to the Gospels. The one in Luke 8.26-39 is a bit different, because it happens in Gentile territory. Most western people don’t really believe in Satan, demons or the devil. In the global south, it’s another story, and it was definitely another story in first century Palestine. You can listen to this message, “Feeling Sorry For The Pigs”, by clicking here. Feel free to comment!
July 29 - The value of (somewhat) careless farming (Luke 8.4-15)
The parable of the sower (Luke 8.4-15) reminds us how how important it is for us to sling seed – the seed of the Word – in a somewhat careless and haphazard way, so that many hear the good news of God’s love for them. Successful seed slinging is sloppy seed slinging! Are you sharing your story of faith?
Listen to the message by clicking here.
July 22: Trying to Please Others (Luke 7.18-35)
Nothing seems less harmful than trying to please other people. But it really does no one any favours, and can be harmful, especially for those who follow Jesus (and therefore seek to please him first).
The message is based on Luke 7.18-35, and you can listen to it by clicking here.
July 15: Having Fith-Filled Friends (Luke 5.17-26)
It takes quite the group of friends to cut a hole in the roof to get Jesus’ attention! But that’s what a group of friends did for a paralyzed man in Luke 5.17-26. We need to be faith-filled friends who will help others come to Jesus. What keeps us from making it easy for our friends to come to the Lord? Listen to this message that will give you concrete steps to consider when keeping yourself from being a barrier to another person following Jesus by clicking here.
July 8: Dealing with Temptation (Luke 4.1-13)
Temptation is something we face virtually every day, but sometimes, we don’t even know it, because right and wrong have been so blurred as to remove the notion of the meaning or existence of temptation.
Jesus experienced temptation, and one place his testing by the devil is recorded is Luke 4.1-13. His experiences teaches us some valuable lessons in dealing with temptation. Listen to the message here.
July 1: The Antidote to Jabez
About twelve years ago, Bruce Wilkinson published a book called The Prayer of Jabez, which called readers to a sort of prosperity gospel: ”pray this prayer and good things will happen”. The prayer of Habakkuk, found in Chapter 3 of his book, can be seen as the “antidote” to the prayer of Jabez. You can learn about both, and how Habakkuk’s prayer can encourage your faith in hard times, by listening to this message.
June 24: God's Idea of Tolerance
“Tolerance” is a big deal today. But its meaning has changed over the years, morphed into something it was never intended to mean. In the book of Habakkuk, God’s idea of tolerance is different from either of the definitions we embrace today! Take a look at Habakkuk 1.12-2.20 and see what I mean! You can listen to the message I preached on this passage by clicking here.
June 17: The Odyssey of Theodicy (Or, It's Okay to Ask God, "Why?")
Theodicy: not a common word in our language. What it refers to is the study of the existence of evil and injustice in the world, amid the reality of God’s care and control over the world. The odyssey of theodicy is the path on which the prophet Habakkuk found himself, living in the later 7th and earlier 6th centuries BC as God’s prophet to the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
The first in a short series of messages on asking God, “Why?”, this message is based on Habakkuk 1.1-11, and can be listened to by clicking the link below. Just before the message, I showed this helpful introductory video found on YouTube.
My digital voice recorder’s batteries failed while I was preaching this message, so the recording found here is a re-recorded message in the home office. I appreciate my wife listening and providing the necessary (but entirely too quiet) laugh track! Listen here.
June 10 - ”Membership Has Its Advantages"
Remember when American Express used as its slogan, “Membership has its advantages”? I think they’ve mostly stopped using that because people today are not really “joiners”. Yet membership in the church is an important part of what it means to follow Jesus. Why? This message looks at why membership, biblically, is important.
It’s based on 1 Corinthians 12.12-27, Matthew 18.15-20, John 10.11-18, and Hebrews 10.19-25. You can listen to the message by clicking here.
June 3 - The Potter with Cynthia Stevens,
Listen here. This may take a few minutes.
May 27 – Take a Vow: Gross, God, or Gift?
Sex is a topic not often addressed in church. Our culture still sees it as somehow inappropriate for discussion among God’s people gathered. And that’s too bad, because the church, by its silence, condones society’s approach – which is decidedly not what Scripture teaches. The world says we should be free to “hook up, shack up, and break up”, while God calls us to get married, move in together, and then enjoy sex.
This was a difficult message to preach, and perhaps a difficult message to hear, but one that needed to be heard in the context of a series on marriage.
Based on Genesis 2.18-25, 1 Timothy 4.1-5, and Romans 1.18-25, you can listen to “Gross, God, or Gift?” by clicking here.
Feel free to comment. How have you sought to communicate God’s plan for sex to your kids? Or what do you wish you had done differently?
May 20 – Take a Vow: Taking Out the Trash
If you’re going to get rid of the stink, you’ve got to take out the trash. This applies in home economics and in marriage! We need to practise repentance and forgiveness to have good, godly marriages. This message is based on Ephesians 4.25-5.2, and can be listened to by clicking here.
It was noted to me after the worship gathering at which I preached this message that if, in fact, I could find an 80-inch television for $1500, I should probably buy it. (Guess I didn’t do my homework on that one!)
May 13 – Take a Vow: Love and Respect
As Emerson Eggerichs says in his book, what wives most want from their husbands is love, and what husbands most want from their wives is respect. Doesn’t seem all that challenging, does it? Marriage is not easy – it’s not a 50/50 proposition, but a 100/100 proposition! In this message, we tackle a difficult Bible passage, and do all we can to remove our ‘cultural goggles’ as we read it. It begins with a little lesson on the biases of Bible translation.
The message is based on Ephesians 5.21-33, and can be listened to by clicking this link.
You can watch the video that’s shown at the end of the message by clicking here.
Feel free to comment! How has your marriage lived out the truth of love and respect? Of Ephesians 5?
April 29 – Take a Vow: Friends With Benefits
The world has its own idea of what ‘friends with benefits’ means. But in reality, a marriage that includes a deep friendship with the spouse is a relationship with many benefits!
This message is based on Proverbs 27.5-10, and you can listen to it by clicking here.
Near the end of the message, I invited a couple from the congregation, married nearly 52 years, to speak about their experience of friendship in marriage. Their presentation was fantastic, and included the diagram and acronym pictured above.
April 15 - Take a Vow: New Marriage, Same Spouse
Pictured at right is a photo of two people, taken September 12, 1992. The lady looks exactly the same today as she did then. The guy, well, he’s changed
an awful lot over those years…
Have you ever wanted to have a new marriage with the same spouse?
This message offers us three ideas from the Bible that can help that to happen. They’re not the only ideas, of course, but they are three that can make a big difference in your relationship with your spouse.
Based on Genesis 2.18-3.19 and 2 Corinthians 5.17-21, you can listen to “New Marriage, Same Spouse” by clicking here.
April 8 - Take a Vow: A marriage made in heaven
Some think it strange to preach about marriage on Easter Sunday, but in beginning this series on marriage – which I like to do on a Sunday when there will be a few more folks around – I relate the gift of marriage to the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection. The message is based on John 3.1-17, and you can listen to it by clicking here. At the end of the message, I showed this video.
Stay tuned for the rest of the series, in which we will look at God’s purpose for marriage!
March 18 - "God's Invitation to Doing"
Last week, I spoke about how God invites us simply to ‘be’ with him, to spend time with him in Sabbath, solitude and silence. This week, the message is about how God invites us to ‘do’ – to put our faith to work, and to ensure that we ‘do’ for God out of the strength of our ‘being’ with God. Based on Matthew 12.46-50, you can listen to the message by clicking here.
March 11 - "God's Invitation to Being"
In our busy world, we regularly forget that we were not made to go hard 24/7. We were made to spend six days in our work, and one day in rest. And that rest – that gift of Sabbath – should include availing ourselves of God’s gifts of solitude and silence.
Prior to this message, based on Matthew 11.25-30, this video was shown. You can listen to the message by clicking here.
March 4 - "Life-Giving Four Letter Words"
We tend to think of four-letter words as nasty things, and many of them are – but there are some that can change our lives for the better. These two four-letter words will help us grow in holiness. Based on John 15.9-17, you can listen to the message by clicking here. Near the end of the message, I show this video.
February 26 - "The Real Place of Sanctuary"
We tend to think of a “sanctuary” as a physical place of worship, a building where we take ‘sanctuary’ from the world. But in reality, the real place of sanctuary is the human heart. When we make the interior journey, we can worship and pray anywhere, because God lives in our hearts by faith when we have trusted Jesus as Lord and Saviour. The church still is important, of course, because it is this community for which Jesus died, and about which his Spirit is passionate to build into.
This message begins a series on growing in holiness, and we begin by looking at God’s holiness in Isaiah 6.1-8, and then explore the value of worship, and prayer (based on Philippians 1.3-11).
You can listen to the message by clicking here; the video shown near the end can be watched here.
February 19 – "The Value of Name Dropping"
The closing verses of the apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossians include quite a variety: some controversy, some advice, and some greetings. Strangely, these all tie together! In this message we look at Colossians 3.18-4.18 (in three different sections). You can listen to the message by clicking here.
February 12 – "Chosen"
Those who are adopted understand God’s saving grace better than the rest of us, I think. They know what it’s like to be chosen to be loved. In Colossians 3.1-17, the apostle Paul reminds the church what it means to live as those who are chosen by God.
This message begins with one of our teens, Joyelle, talking about her experience of adoption. Then I talk about Paul’s desire for the church in Colossae – and for us – to be able to live as those who know they are God’s chosen. Listen to it here.
February 5 – "Weeding out the Bull" - Colossians 1.24-2.23
It was not lost on a few neighbours that on the week when the church sign announced the message title, “Weeding out the bull”, the contractors were digging in front of the church to decommission our septic system and install our hook-up to the new municipal sewers! However, this message is not about *that* kind of bull. It’s about all the stuff that competes with the truth of the gospel to attempt to deceive the church, and move it away from the focus of Jesus, who is enough!
This message is based on Colossians 1.24-2.23 and can be listened to by clicking here.
The three questions I ask you to ponder at the end of the message are:
•Do we live in unity and freedom?
January 22 – "The Glue" - Colossians 1.15-23
Colossians 1.15-23 lays the foundation for the apostle Paul’s encouragement to the church at Colossae as it seeks to maintain orthodoxy.
The Gnostics were trying to convince the Christians that the Gospel they had been given was insufficient, that Jesus couldn’t have really been God in the flesh.
Paul states clearly that the good news is that Jesus is the image of the invisible God, and that in him all things hold together.
In the message, I note that I was handed a sheet of paper before worship that would relate to my message. It was the concept of the laminin, a foundational protein that at the molecular level literally is what holds us together. I’ve copied a picture of it at right: it really does take the form of a cross! In Jesus, all things truly do hold together.
Learn about the Gnostic heresy, be challenged to accept Christ’s Lordship, and listen to the message here.
January 15 – " A Pastor's Desire"
In this message, we begin a series on the letter to the Colossians in the New Testament. The first part of chapter 1 contains a great deal of thanksgiving, which is the focus of this message. Read Colossians 1.1-14, and listen to the message by clicking here.
January 8 – “Free*”
Anytime we see an asterisk, we think we’d better read the fine print, right? So when we talk about our salvation being free, we know there must be a cost. And there is – but it’s not a cost to us. What, after all, is grace, if it’s free to us? Listen to this message, based on Romans 6.1-14, by clicking here.
January 1 – New Year’s Day/Epiphany Sunday – “A New Thing”
This message has certainly not been posted as an example of my finest work. In fact, this marks the first time I have ever sat through an entire worship gathering. I needed to save all the strength I had, because I was suffering through the stomach flu! You’ll notice that I stumble over some words – not my usual approach to preaching – but I hope you find the good news that exists within the message nevertheless.
Based on Matthew 2.1-12, you can listen to this message by clicking here. (And no, you won’t catch the stomach flu by listening.)
December 25 – Christmas Day -"Tinker Bell has left the Building"
I thought I’d mix it up a little bit with my Christmas Day message, and talk a bit about some angelic encounters. The message is based on Luke 1.5-20, Luke 1.26-38, and Luke 2.8-14. You can listen to the message here. Merry Christmas!
December 24 – Christmas Eve – “The Lord is Come!”
Listen to this message, based on Luke 2.1-20 - our message from Christmas Eve, 2011. There is hope. There is joy!
December 18 – Advent IV – “The Joy of Giving Away”
Christmas is about giving, right? Sometimes, it’s about giving away those things which we treasure.
Do you treasure your faith in Christ? Why not give it away? It will never be depleted!
You can listen to “The Joy of Giving Away” by clicking here. The Scripture focus is 1 Peter 3.8-22. There’s a video clip shown near the end which you can watch here.
December 11 – Advent III – Decluttering Christmas: “The Joy of Giving”
Why do we give gifts at Christmas? What makes it a special time for giving? Because God loved. God gave. We believe.
If we want to declutter Christmas, we can think about the joy of giving, and how God did not stop at giving his only Son to us, and for us.
Based on John 3.1-21, you can listen to this message by clicking here. Near the end, I show this video.
December 4 – Advent II – Decluttering Christmas: “Let Go”
Letting go of some things is integral to decluttering our lives. When it comes to our spiritual lives, decluttering involves letting go of control. But to whom do we give it up? The Holy Spirit, living within us as believers! Based on John 14.15-31a, you can listen to this message by clicking here. Near the end of the message, there is a video clip shown, which you can watch at this link.
Giving up control of anything isn’t easy. But God invites us to give him, who made us, control over the lives he gives us. Imagine the difference you and I can make!
By the way, I think you’ll find the sound quality of this message better than past recordings. I’m using a new digital voice recorder and different software on a different computer to produce and edit the recording.
November 27 - Advent I - Decluttering christmas: “Let Come”
This day marks the first Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the Christian year, and the start of a season of preparation in anticipation of our celebration of Jesus’ birth. Most of us, though, find that we are pretty cluttered at the best of times, and perhaps especially at this time of year. Yet the world around us practically dictates that we acquire more stuff. So how can we make room for what really matters?
In this series, entitled, “Decluttering Christmas”, we’re going to look at some ways the Bible suggests we can make room for the Lord. This message is entitled, “Let Come”, and can be heard by clicking here. It’s based on Revelation 3.14-22.
How do you declutter Christmas? Feel free to comment.
November 13..."Mission is giving"
The mission of God involves God’s people giving of their time, talent and treasure to make a difference in the world. Christ followers are called not to be fundraisers, but growing stewards. This message, which is partly instructional and partly formational, is based on 1 Corinthians 16.1-4. You can listen to it by clicking here.
November 6..."Mission is ours"
Mission work isn’t just something that takes place overseas. We can do mission in our own back yard! Sharing our faith is not always easy, but when we ask God to give us the courage, and the open doors to share, amazing things can happen. This message is based on the Great Commission in Matthew 28.18-20 and Ephesians 4.11-16. Listen to it by clicking here.
I’d love to have you comment with encouraging stories of when God opened doors for you to share your faith!
October 30..."Mission is nothing new" (A word about Bible translations)
The Bible didn’t fall from heaven in any language, let alone old English. It was communicated from God through people in the common language of the day – Hebrew for the Old Testament, Greek for the New. People have given their lives to the work of Bible translation, whether into understandable English or any other language.
The Bible says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119.105, NIV). We begin the message by reading that verse and a few before it, and then we learn about what the Reformation has done for the church in terms of making the Bible available in common language. Listen to the message by clicking here.
October 16..."Now What?"
To wrap up our series on parenting, I thought it would be good to spend some time thinking about how best to deal with kids who end up lost. If we haven’t had oneourselves, we know someone who 
has, or we may even know a lost son or daughter. What can we do? In this message, based on the parable of the lost son (in Luke 15.11-32), we learn God’s approach to dealing with lost children. Whatever you do, don’t give up. Listen to the message by clicking here.
Feel free to comment and share your story of lost and/or found children, and how you dealt with it (or are dealing with it). Know you’re prayed for!
October 9..."Are you disciplined enough to discipline your kids?"
One of the reasons we see so much crime among young people today is because they have not received sufficient discipline from their parents. And by “discipline” I don’t mean beating with a stick; I mean things like setting consistent boundaries, letting them experience consequences, and having a unified front among parents: correction driven by love.
It’s not easy to discipline kids. We want them to love us. But the best way we can show our unconditional love for kids is by giving them godly discipline. The message you can listen to here is based on Hebrews 12.5-11, and includes several quotations from the book of Proverbs.
Parents, you have a hard job! Count on my prayers as you do your best to love them in the Lord.
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October 2..."Unchanging principles of parenting"
Jesus’ disciples were not exactly kid-friendly. If you read Mark 10.13-16, you’ll see that Jesus’ friends hadn’t quite grasped what it meant to parents to have their children receive a blessing from the Lord. But Jesus taught them in his rebuke just how much kids mean in God’s kingdom. This story teaches us three unchanging principles of parenting, which you can listen to in this message.
September 25 "Parenthood"..."The Parent's Priority"
So we’re starting a series on parenting at St. Paul’s, and this message kicks it off. Parents are always seeking to help their kids to be less dependent on them, but to what end? We often think we should help our kids become independent, but that only works to a certain point. Ideally, we want our kids to be fully dependent on God. That’s the priority of every parent.
This message is based on Deuteronomy 6.1-9, and you can listen to the message by clicking here. (Just before I began talking, there was a short video demonstrating the need for help with parenting!)
So what works for you, as you seek to help your kids become less dependent on you and more dependent on God? I’d love to read your comments.
September 18..."Green doesn't always mean 'go'"
Green doesn’t always mean ‘go’. Sometimes, it’s got to do with our ‘green with envy’ attitude toward other people’s
stuff. The tenth commandment says, “You mus not covet your neighbour’s house. You must not covet your neighbour’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbour” (Exodus 20.17, NLT). What’s the antidote to coveting?
Take a listen to the message (here) to find out. It’s based on Luke 12.13-21.
Next Sunday is “Bring A Friend” Day…Will you be at St. Paul’s, Nobleton? If you go to our Facebook page, you’ll find a video that you can watch and/or download (using Real Player) to share with your friends that should encourage them.
September 11..."Exposition of Mark 17"
I asked people to read, in preparation for this message, the seventeenth chapter of the gospel of Mark. Several keeners remarked to me, through the course of the week, that they could not find a seventeenth chapter. I congratulated them for looking it up, and told them to keep my little secret until I preached this message.
There is, of course, no Mark 17, but there is a James 3.1-12, and that’s what this message – on the ninth commandment – is about. “You must not bear false witness against your neighbour” – seems easy enough, but most of us aren’t very good at it!
Listen to the message here to learn more.
September 4: The government hates competition.
Perhaps you’ve seen the bumper sticker, “Don’t steal. The government hates competition.” Stealing comprises more than just taking a chocolate bar from the store and not paying for it. There is active stealing, and there is passive stealing, about which you can hear in the message.
This message is based on the eighth commandment, “You must not steal” (Exodus 20.15, NLT). In the message, we hear the story of tax collector Zacchaeus’ encounter with Jesus in Luke 19.1-10. You can listen to the message by clicking here.
August 28 - Putting the 'adult' in 'adultery'
The topic of adultery can be uncomfortable for some people. Nowadays, many think that what goes on between two adults is nobody else’s business. Trouble is – and everyone who has engaged in sexual relations with someone not her or his spouse knows this – the whole “one flesh” notion that the Bible teaches is really true. We can’t get rid of the person with whom we have engaged in the act of marriage, no matter how hard we try.
If you’ve ever tried to unscramble two scrambled eggs before, you’ll know what I mean.
The seventh commandment says, “You must not commit adultery” (Exodus 20.14, NLT). Jesus took it a step farther in Matthew 5.27-30. You can listen to the message in which we seek to put the ‘adult’ in ‘adultery’ by clicking here.
July 17 - Weapons of murder
The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew, since that was the language people spoke at the time it was penned. And the Hebrew phrase for the sixth commandment is pretty simple. It translates, “No murder.” Sounds pretty cut-and-dried, right? Trouble is, there’s more to murder than “BANG! You’re dead.” Today’s message touches on some of the other forms of murder that the sixth commandment outlaws, but focuses mostly on what Jesus said in Matthew 5.21-26 about the letter and the spirit of the law. Sometimes, the tongue, and even the mind, can be weapons of murder.
But there is good news. God’s grace is greater than our sin, no matter how big we may perceive our sin to be. Listen to the message here and share your thoughts.
July 10 - God's gift of parents
Parents have a tough job nowadays – especially Christian parents, who seek to raise their kids to follow Jesus in a culture that doesn’t give them much support. Truthfully, the church hasn’t always helped much, either, simply because it has assumed that the parents knew what they were supposed to do in fulfilling their baptismal vows.
The fifth commandment calls us to honour our parents. What does that look like? You can listen to the message by clicking here. The Scripture that highlights the importace of fifth commandment is Proverbs 23.22-25.
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July 3 - God's Gift of Rest
When we think “Sabbath”, many people either think “Jewish Sabbath” or “Sunday – a day to do nothing.” But that’s not exactly right. To be sure, the idea of the day of rest as a day of drudgery and do-nothing-ness has been perpetuated by some folks’ legalistic understanding of the day of rest. But God has given it to us as a gift!
In this message, we learn that what some see as a duty is really intended to be a delight – Sabbath is to be a day when we cease from our regular work, do those things that give us energy and joy, including worship – and when we just rest and enjoy the world God has made.
It’s based on Mark 2.23-28, wherein Jesus reminds us that the Sabbath was made for us – not the other way around.
Preparing this message has been a really exciting thing for me personally, and I’m going to follow the steps I outline to try to reform my own understanding of Sabbath – for my own good, and for my delight. I invite you to do the same.
Because I believe this message has such importance, I will be going to the unusual trouble of preparing a written transcript of the message. If you would like a copy sent to you, contact me, or watch the blog for it.
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God's Top Ten List - June 26 - “Oh, $#@!”
Most of us, if we’re honest with ourselves, are not perfect at keeping the third commandment: “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord.” It seems almost instinctive that, when we hit our thumb with a hammer, or something like that, our immediate reflex is to curse God for what happened. It’s part of our sin nature – and God is full of grace to forgive us when we do that.
Even the substitute curse words we use – “gosh”, “golly”, etc. – can be seen as a back-door breaking of the third commandment by some. (I wouldn’t be dogmatic about that, though.) But how can we avoid it? Today’s message, based on Exodus 3.1-15, tells us that as our relationship with God deepens, our reflex action to curse him diminishes – just as our love for another person generally prevents us from misusing that person’s name.
Listen to the message here - and let me know if you’d like me to pray for you over the three-month “no cursing” challenge!
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God's top Ten List - June 5 - Idols aren't just Statues
The second commandment tells us not to have idols. And when we think of idols, often, we think of little statues and such. But there’s more to idols than statues!
To illustrate, today’s message looks at the story of the people forming a golden calf in Exodus 32.1-20. You can listen to the message, the second in the “God’s Top Ten List” series, by clicking here.
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God's Top Ten List - May 29 - God Hates Competition
That title can seem a little off-putting when we think about it; we don’t like to think that God ‘hates’ anything! But the first commandment says, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20.3).
Scripture offers us a great illustration of this truth in the story of Elijah squaring off against the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18.16-39.
During this service, we had the company of members of our regional police, EMS and township fire services, to thank them and bless them for their service to the community.
You can listen to the message by clicking here.
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May 22 – Blessed and Tested
There’s only one place in the whole Bible where God invites us to test him: it’s in Malachi 3. And recognizing how blessed we are as people living where we do and under the circumstances we do, it’s vital that we understand what it means to be blessed. Luke 16.10-13 shows us how difficult it can be for us to understand how blessed we are, because money tries to be a god for us.
You can listen to this message, “Blessed and Tested”, by clicking here.
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May 15 – Blessed to Bless
Do you know how blessed you are? So often, people understand their blessedness – maybe calling it ‘luck’ or ‘fate’ – but assume it’s all about them. Yet the Bible tells us that we are not blessed for our own sake, but for the sake of blessing others.
This message, which begins with the biblical maxim “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20.35), is based on 2 Corinthians 9.1-15, and you can listen to it by clicking here.
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May 8 –Blessed to Serve
It seemed appropriate, on Mother’s Day, to celebrate the gift of service. After all, mothers are what we think of as the
epitome of servanthood – they give so much of themselves for us.
Jesus, too, gave himself for us – in his life, death, and resurrection – and in his modelling of servanthood for us. One of the greatest examples of service that Jesus showed us was when he washed his disciples’ feet in John 13.1-17.
You can listen to “Blessed To Serve” by clicking here.
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May 1 – Anniversary – Blessed with Vision
When the Elders of our congregation, St. Paul’s, Nobleton, asked me to preach at our church’s 53rd anniversary, I knew I would need to speak about the importance ofvision. Our leadership team has worked hard to discern God’s vision for our future, and it’s important that it be articulated regularly.
There are many sermons to be found in Colossians 2.6-23, but I wanted to focus, in this one, on what the text tells us about the importance of our vision: connect with God, grow in Christ, serve in community. You can listen to the message by clicking here.
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April 24 – Easter – Blessed with New Life – John 20.1-10, 19-29
Easter – the day most celebrated by Christians all year, when we specially mark Jesus’ resurrection – is, as my friend Carey Nieuwhof notes, is largely tuned out by much of the world. Why? Perhaps it’s because the church has done well at telling the world that Jesus is alive, but hasn’t done so well in telling the world why that matters.
What does it mean for us to have new life? Why does it matter in the here-and-now? Was Jesus’ resurrection truly a physical, bodily resurrection? These are questions we consider when we look at John 20.1-10, 19-29. You can listen to this Easter message by clicking here.
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April 22 - Good Friday - More Than Mere Mortal
This is the message I preached on Good Friday, 2011, in response to the query as to why we are celebrating the Lord’s Supper on Easter Day instead of Good Friday. It’s more informational than formational, but you may find it interesting; it’s pretty brief. You can listen to it here.
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April 17: Hungry for an Escape - Mark 14.32-52
On Palm Sunday, we mark Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, and look to the last week of his life. Ahead of the day of his crucifixion, Jesus invited Peter, James and John to be with him at Gethsemane. You can read the story in Mark 14.32-52.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed like he had never prayed, seeking from the Father an escape that would enable him to avoid the excruciating pain he would endure the next morning. What did his discples do? Peter, James and John – all of whom had promised to stick it out with Jesus – slept. What happens when we are asleep, spiritually? We’ll answer that question in the message.
You can listen to the message by clicking here.
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April 10: Hungry for Sight - Mark 10.46-52
It’s possible to be able to see without having sight, making it seem unnecessary to seek true sight from Jesus, like Bartimaeus did. Based on Mark 10.46-52, you can listen to this message here.
In the message, I show this video (which is where the quiet spot in the recording comes in). At the end of the message, I recount a story told by my friend Bryn MacPhail, which he tells on his blog.
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April 3: Hungry for God's Will - John 4.31-42
Most followers of Jesus have a notion that they should probably be following God’s will, but if the truth were told, most of us probably don’t think much about it because we don’t often know how to discern God’s will.
This message offers eight ideas for discerning God’s will as we seek to make decisions. It’s based on John 4.31-42, and you can listen to it by clicking here.
To be sure, it’s a bit formulaic, and God isn’t formulaic – but these ideas can be helpful. Listen, and respond!
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March 27: Hungry for Living Water - John 4.4-30
I’ll acknowledge in this message that we’re probably more thirsty for living water than hungry, but it fits in the series this way! 
The story of the Samaritan woman at the well may be found in John 4.4-30, and you can listen to this message about Jesus’ invitation to new life – extended even to those whom society deems unworthy – by clicking here.
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March 20: Hungry for the Bread of Life - John 6.25-51
Today at St. Paul’s, Nobleton, we celebrated the work done by the King Township Food Bank. An appropriate occasion, then, to start a new preaching series called “Hungry…”. Today, we looked at John 6.25-51, and learned about Jesus, the Bread of Life.
It’s great to serve the needy the physical sustenance they need, and God calls us to do that. But we can’t stop there, because everyone’s spirit needs sustenance, too! That’s where feeding on Jesus, the Bread of Life, comes in.
Listen to this message by clicking here.
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March 13 - Prosperity Amid Judgment - Joel 3.1-21
The concluding chapter of Joel contains a word of hope for God’s faithful people – but also contains an alarming promise for those who are unrepentant. Reading Joel 3 with New Testament eyes is really helpful for followers of Christ to understand the text.
With apologies for the quality of my voice – I preached this with a very bad cold – listen to “Prosperity Amid Judgment” by clicking here.
By the way, the reference to changing my watch has to do with the “spring ahead” to daylight saving time.
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Feb 27 - Receive God's Grace Joel 2.18-32
Finally, we get some good news from Joel! In this week’s message, based on Joel 2.18-32, we learn that when God’s people pray, he responds; and when his people return to him, we see that he has never wavered in his faithfulness toward his people.
What’s more, we get a glimpse into the reality of his treasured people being expanded! In a sermon in Acts 2 by the apostle Peter, the latter part of Joel 2 is quoted as being fulfilled…and it is being fulfilled in us today!
You can liste to this message, and receive God’s grace through it, by clicking here.
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Feb 20 - Give Your Heart Joel 2.12-17
Repentance: it won’t earn us our salvation. If we look at it that way, it’s just another ‘good work’. But it should be the fruit of our salvation! And the great thing is that God always takes the initiative – that’s how much he loves us! God takes the initiative to encourage and seek our repentance.
Our continuing study in the Old Testament prophet Joel shows us that repentance can and should be corporate as well as individual. Based on Joel 2.12-17, you can listen to “Give Your Heart” by clicking here.
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Feb 13 - Turn Around! Joel 1.13-2.11
Christ-followers will often use the word ‘repent’. It’s a churchy kind of word that simply means “turn around”. When we repent of our sin, we are willingly turning away from it and walking the other way.
Joel, the Old Testament prophet, called the people of Judah to turn around, to repent, from the sin that was keeping them from a full relationship with God. The consequence of messing around with other countries in political allegiances was what Joel pictured as an army of locusts in our text, Joel 1.13-2.11.
You can listen to the message by clicking here.
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February 6 - Wake Up! Joel 1.1-12
This week begins an expository walk through the Old Testament book of the Prophet Joel. While it doesn’t open with really good news – you have to hang on toward the end for that – it does give us pause for thought, especially in this season of unrest in the middle east.
The message is based on Joel 1.1-12, and you can listen to it here.
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January 23 - "Moral Margin"
We’ve tackled scheduling margin and financial margin – and today, we’re looking at moral margin. There are many aspects of morality that we could explore, but I’ve chosen to look at sexual morality, since it is the one our society struggles with so frequently – and on which the church has tended to be deafeningly silent.
Based on James 1.12-18 and 1 Corinthians 6.18-20, you can listen to this message – which closes with good news of grace and forgiveness – by clicking here.
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January 16 – “Financial Margin”
Margin: the difference between what you have and what you need. And when it comes to finances, most of us find ourselves with less of what we have than what we need. Financial margin is not something many of us have, but it is something that the Bible says wise people have. Proverbs 21.20 says, “In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has” (NIV).
A maxim I taught the children of the congregation before this message applies to us all as really good advice: give ten percent, save ten percent, and spend the rest with thanksgiving. God, after all, can do more with our 80% left over than we can do ourselves with the 100%.
This message is based on 1 Timothy 6.6-10, and can be listened to by clicking here.
How are you doing with financial margin? Got any tips or tricks to share? Leave a comment at jeff@stpaulsnobleton.ca!
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January 9 – “Scheduling Margin”
When you ask someone, “How are you?” – and you take time to listen to the answer – do you ever talk to anybody who says, “Good; nothing much going on around here”? Probably not. In fact, we tend to think an answer like that belies a certain laziness in the person about whose health we’ve inquired. The culture has told us it’s good to be busy.
But at what cost do we find ourselves being busy?
This week’s message, “Scheduling Margin”, is based on three simple verses from Ephesians 5.15-17: “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is” (NIV).
Part of being careful how you live involves, sometimes, saying ‘no’ to good things in order to say ‘yes’ to the best things. Remember that the next time you pull out your smartphone!
You can listen to the message here. It concludes with a prayer. If any part of that prayer resonated with you, email me (jeff<at>stpaulsnobleton<dot>ca) and tell me about it. I’d love to pray for you!
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January 2 – “Margin”
The past month has reminded most of us that we live at an unsustainable pace and we choose to call it ‘normal’. This message begins a new series, entitled, “Margin” (the idea for which was borrowed from LifeChurch.tv). When we fail to create margin in our lives, we cheat ourselves out of what is often the very best. The message is based on the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10.38-42. You can listen to the message by clicking here. (Note that while the audio quality is pretty good on this recording, the sound may need to be turned up. I was a bit hoarse of voice.)
December 26 – “The gift of yourself” – Acts 6.8-15; 7.54-60
It’s a bit strange that the church celebrates Stephen – the first martyr – on the day after Christmas. I’ve never done so before, but this year, I thought I would celebrate Stephen’s leadership in dying for his faith, since December 26 landed on a Sunday.
In case what I say in the message does not convey what I mean, please know that, when I mention the underground church, I don’t mean to suggest that they do not share their faith – indeed, many do so vigilantly, and successfully – it’s just harder for them to do so because they lack the freedom we have to share our relationship and experience with God. Pray for the underground church around the world, please!
This message is based on the story of Stephen in Acts 6 and 7. You can listen to the message by clicking here.
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December 19 – Advent IV – Prince (Isaiah 9.1-7)
Through this Advent series, we’ve seen that Jesus is pure, our virgin-born Son of God; he is the pointer, the prophet who points us to the Father; and he is our partner, the priest who intercedes for us at the right hand of God. Today, in the final installment, we will learn that Jesus is our Prince, the King of Israel whom God has given reign over us.
Based on Isaiah 9.1-7, you can listen to the message by clicking here.
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December 12 – Advent III – Partner (Hebrews 8.1-13)
One of the great things about the new covenant, inaugurated by Jesus between us and God, is that we don’t need anybody to talk to God on our behalf. We can do it ourselves! Of course, it’s great to have others pray with and for us, but it’s not like their prayers are any more or less effective than our own. Jesus paved the way for us to have a full and complete and intimate relationship with God.
This message is based on Hebrews 8, and can be listened to by clicking this link.
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December 5 – Identity Theft: Would the real Jesus please stand up? – 2. Pointer
“God is far less interested in your past than in your future.” If I could point out the pivotal phrase in the message today (which you can listen to by clicking here), that would be it.
Jesus came, virgin-born, to be the Prophet – to point us to God the Father. Yet he is so much more. Read the text in Luke 7.11-17, and be encouraged by who Jesus is and what he came to be and to do.
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November 28 – Identity Theft: Would the real Jesus please stand up? - 1. Pure
Lots of people have lots of ideas about who Jesus is, but unless their ideas come from our only sourcebook on Jesus’ life and ministry – the Bible – they may not be correct! The purpose of this series is to help us understand who Jesus really is in light of Scripture.
In this message, based on Isaiah 7.1-17, we look at the purity of Jesus, and his virgin birth. You can listen to the message by clicking here.
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November 14 - Old Testament Lessons in Leadership: Fairweather Obedience
Noah was God’s man. In fact, he was God’s only man in the time he lived. In Genesis 6, 7, and 8, we read that the wickedness of humanity was so bad that God decided to destroy the world by flood, rescuing only two of every kind of animal, and Noah and his family.
It was still sunny when Noah began building the ark. What can Noah’s life teach us about obedience? Listen tthe message by clicking this link. (Early in the message, you’ll hear a video which you can watch here.
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October 31 - Old Testament Lessons in Leadership: Be A Mentor
As we think about investing in others, the relationship between Elijah and Elisha teaches us about the value of mentoring. After Elijah had poured himself into his prophetic ministry, he was spent, but found renewal for his work when God appointed Elisha to be his apprentice, his understudy – the one who would take on the prophetic role when Elijah’s time was done.
This message began with a reading from 1 Kings 19, where Elijah’s burnout was becoming clear. A few chapters later, we read about the hand-off, if you will, between Elijah and Elisha in 2 Kings 2.1-15.
Early in the message, we listened to a song by Relient K, called “Be My Escape”. A video accompanying the song can be found here.
You can listen to the message by clicking this link.
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October 24 – Old Testament Lessons in Leadership: Principles in the fire
When the people of Judah were sent into exile after being overtaken by the Babylonian armies, a few made it into positions of high authority, including Daniel and his friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They were strangers in a strange land, foreigners involved in a foreign government, but they stayed true to the Lord…even when death was likely the result.
In Daniel 3, we read this story, and see how principles can be maintained, even in the fire. Listen to the message here.
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October 17 - Baptism as an Act of God
“Act of God” – when heard in the context of an insurance claim, that’s never good news. But it can be good news, as in the case of the rescue of the 33 trapped Chilean miners! But when it comes to the sacrament of baptism, seeing it as an act of God is a very good thing, and very reassuring for families under the covenant.
In this message, based on 1 Thessalonians 1.1-10, we examine why it’s important for parents to be active in their faith when seeking baptism for their children. You can listen to it here.
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October 10 - Baptism as an act of gratitude
“Remember your baptism, and give thanks.” On this Thanksgiving weekend, we are reminded of the need to be thankful to God for everything. In this message, we are focusing on the importance of baptism as an act of gratitude – both something that happened for which we are grateful, and somethng we do to show our gratitude.
This message is based on Romans 6.1-14, and can be heard by clicking here.
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October 3 - Baptism as an Act of Faith
Baptism has many meanings in a society that has a Christian heritage but not necessarily a Christian development. By that, I mean that for some, baptism is a social custom, instead of a sacrament of faith. For some, baptism is an expected rite/right instead of an act of faith whereby we present ourselves, and our children, to God in faith, mindful of God’s promise to forgive and redeem us.
God makes promises – but until we believe those promises, they don’t mean much. That’s where our faith comes in.
This message is based on Romans 4.1-17, and you can listen to it here.
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Sept. 26 - A Fresh Start for Transformation
“Transformation.” That’s often a word we associate with a home makeover or a fashion makeover, but in a spiritual sense, it involves a makeover from the inside-out. It’s about letting God change us from the inside out.
That was the theme of the message at St. Paul’s, Nobleton this week as we celebrated Bring A Friend Day. We had numerous guests, and many of those I spoke to felt warmly welcomed by the St. Paul’s family. Being part of God’s family is about being forgiven, and giving ourselves to the process of being transformed, made into the image of Jesus.
This message, based on Romans 12.1-6a, can be listened to by clicking this link. After the message, we showed this video.
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September 19 – A Fresh Start for Information
We are bombarded with information every day, from every aspect of life. Yet the Scriptures remain a resource from which we can still receive information daily if we will spend time in the Word and allow the Holy Spirit to take what we learn and apply it to our lives. Information is most helpful when we apply it to our lives.
Listen to this message, based on Colossians 1.15-29, by clicking this link.
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September 12 - "A Fresh Start for Formation"
Like I said in my last post, September is a great time to make a fresh start. In this message, based on Romans 8.15-30, I talk about the importance of spiritual formation, and how important a fresh start can be in our spiritual formation. Listen to the message by clicking here.
August 29–"How were people saved before Jesus came?"
Having Scripture as our guide, we get that Jesus is the way to salvation. He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14.6, NIV). But what about the time before Jesus came? How were people saved then?
It sounds strange, but they were saved the same way then as we are now: by God’s grace, through faith. How was that possible? Listen here to find out.
This message is based on Hebrews 11.1-12 and John 8.31-59. There are other questions that are involved, of course, especially as it relates to the place of the Jewish people in salvation history, but grace and faith remain the criteria for salvation.
Your thoughts are welcome.
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August 15 - "What's the right church?"
Alliance, Anglican, Baptist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, etc., etc. – with so many different denominations (and that’s not an inclusive list!), how can we know what’s the ‘right’ church?
In this message, based on several Scripture passages that are read throughout the message, you’ll learn what are six important biblical criteria to look for when choosing a church family with which to worship.
Those six criteria tell us that the right church must:
- Proclaim Jesus as Lord;
- proclaim the Word of God;
- celebrate the Sacraments;
- administer discipline;
- have love as its primary motive; and
- have community as its key.
To learn more, listen to the message by clicking here.
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August 8 - "What does it mean to take Communion?"
One of the hallmark practices of the Christian church is the celebration of the Lord’s Supper – or Communion, orthe Breaking of Bread, or the Eucharist, whatever your tradition calls it. But what does it mean to participate in this unusual ritual?
It is definitely a mystery. In fact, simply calling it a sacrament makes it a mystery, etymologically. The Latin word from which we derive the English term ‘sacrament’ comes from a translation of the Greek word from which we derive the English term ‘mystery’. So a sacrament is literally a mystery!
What does it mean to participate in this mystery? Based on 1 Corinthians 11.17-34, you can listen to this message by clicking here.
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August 1 - "What will heaven be like? Will I know others when I get to heaven?"
-One of the questions often posed to pastors and theologians is, “What will heaven be like?” We often wonder if we will recognize our loved ones, and so many other aspects. In this message, we look at several aspects of what heaven will be like – as much as the Bible tells us, which is not very much at all! There are a few texts that we look at, including Matthew 24.36-42, Mark 9.2-8 and Revelation 21.1-4. This was a difficult message to preach, but I pray that as you listen to it, the Lord will encourage you. You can listen to the message by clicking here .
Near the end of the message, I cite the poem which is reproduced in the previous post.
If it’s helpful, appended below is the outline that people had in their bulletin:
1. Heaven will not be b___________________.
“In your presence is fullness of joy” – Psalm 16.11, NKJV
2. We will have b__________________ in heaven.
“For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies….Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man.” – 1 Corinthians 15.44b, 49, NLT
3. We cannot know e____________________ about heaven.
“However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.” – Matthew 24.36, NLT
4. Anyone who claims to be able to conjure up the spirits of dead people is either a quack or a child of S___________________.
“Do not defile yourselves by turning to mediums or to those who consult the spirits of the dead. I am the Lord your God.” – Leviticus 19.31, NLT
5. There is an i_______________________ state that Jesus himself called “paradise” where the faithful dead will dwell until the last judgment.
“I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” – Luke 23.43, NIV
6. It is possible that we may k__________ our loved ones in heaven.
7. Our f___________________ will get much bigger in heaven.
“The Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they couldn’t get to him because of the crowd. Someone told Jesus, ‘Your mother and your brothers are outside, and they want to see you.’ Jesus replied, ‘My mother and my brothers are all those who hear God’s word and obey it.’” – Luke 8.19-21, NLT
8. Deceased children of b______________________ are welcomed into heaven under the covenant.
“For the Christian wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the Christian husband brings holiness to his marriage. Otherwise, your children would not be holy, but now they are holy.” – 1 Corinthians 7.14, NLT
9. In heaven, we will have a different p_____________________ on those we have loved who go to hell.
“And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News on our Lord Jesus.” – 2 Thessalonians 1.7-8, NLT
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July 25 - "What is the perseverance of the saints?" - Romans 8.35-39 et. al.
I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to be a Christ-follower if I constantly had doubts about whether or not I truly belonged to Jesus. What could I do to lose my salvation? Would I know what that was?
One of the great doctrines of the Reformed tradition is called “the perseverance of the saints”. But it’s not about jus barely making it through the sermon so you can get at the donuts at coffee hour! No, this is the great truth of Scripture that reminds us that once we belong to the Lord, we are his forever.
This message is based on several texts: John 10.27-30; Philippians 1.6; Ephesians 1.13-14; 1 Peter 1.3-5; and Romans 8.35-39, all of which assure us of God’s love for us from which we can never be separated.
But what do you do with the person who seems to have had faith at some point but no longer believes that Jesus is Lord and Saviour? Listen to the message here to find out.
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July 18 - "What did Jesus do after the three wise men until he was an adult?" - Luke 2.21-40; 41-52
Do you ever wonder what happened in Jesus’ life from his infancy until his public ministry began? Unfortunately, we have very little information in the Bible. There are some stories that exist in extrabiblical literature, so why aren’t they in the Bible? Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a complete biography of Jesus?
In this message, we’ll look at what biblical information we do have about Jesus’ childhood, and learn what criteria needed to be met in order to have books included in the New Testament.
Six Bible passages are read in this message, from Matthew 1 and 2 and Luke 2.
You can listen to the message by clicking here.
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July 11 - "How do I know when God is speaking to me?" - 1 Samuel 3
People sometimes ask, “How do I know when God is speaking to me?” It’s a good question. After all, it’s fairly subjective, isn’t it? If someone says, “God told me…”, how does one refute that?
This message, based on 1 Samuel 3, seeks to offer some touch points for discerning when God is speaking to us. The main points are:
- God will never contradict his Word.
- God can use both familiar and unfamiliar means to speak to us.
- The meaning of what God is saying may not immediately be obvious.
- We can more clearly discern when God is speaking to us as our relationship with him grows and develops.
In the message, I share an experience I had recently where God used piped-in music in a store to speak to me – and I haven’t yet discerned what that means. As you listen, maybe you can help me understand!
The message in its entirety can be heard by clicking here.
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July 4: The Apostles' Creed: Yogi Berra was only half-right!
Yogi Berra is probably better remembered for his interesting use of the English language than for his ability in baseball. In this, the closing message in the “Christianity 101: The Apostles’ Creed” series, we discover that with Yogi’s most famous malapropism, he was only half right.
The message deals with the last two affirmations in the Apostles’ Creed – belief in “the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting”. It’s based on 1 Corinthians 15.12-58.
Click here to listen to the message, and find out which of Yogi’s famous sayings was only half right.
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June 27: The Apostles' Creed: “That ‘F’ Word, Again…” – 1 John 1.5-2.2
You’re familiar with the ‘F’ word, aren’t you? No, not *that* ‘F’ word, silly! You know the one I mean: forgive. Just as in the Lord’s Prayer, we ask God to “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us”, we affirm in the Apostles’ Creed that we believe in “the forgiveness of sins”.
Many people struggle with understanding the forgiveness of their sins, and seek to hold on to the remnant of what was forgiven. But when God forgives a sin, he wipes it away completely!
In 1 John 1.5-2.2, John writes to his community (which had been plagued with Gnostics) about sin and forgiveness. That’s what this message is based on.
You can listen to the message by clicking here.
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May 30: The Apostles' Creed - Catholic? Of course!
In many cultures, there still is a lack of understanding between Roman Catholics and Protestants – to the point that many on each side don’t understand the meaning of the term “catholic”. Yet in the Apostles’ Creed, we say, “I believe in…the holy catholic church.” What does that mean? (Further, we also say we believe in “the communion of saints”, which is what makes up the holy catholic church.)
Many Roman Catholics think it’s talking about them. Many Protestants think it’s talking about Roman Catholics, too. So why do Protestants say they believe in the holy catholic church? Based on Ephesians 4.1-16, you can find out why by listening to this message.
Near the end of the message, a video is shown, which you can watch here. (We stopped it at 6:16 when the story was finished!)
The LifeConnect Group discussion questions for this message can be found here.
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May 23: The Apostles' Creed - Fresh Breath
Pentecost is the birthday of the church, a feast that the Jews celebrate 50 days after the second day of Passover to rejoice over the Law; the church celebrates it 50 day after Easter as the time when the Holy Spirit descended on the followers of Jesus and manifested itself in tongues of fire and the people spoke in other languages. See Acts 2.1-13.
What significance has this today? Does the gift of tongues still apply today? I believe it does. Are there other gifts that God gave the church on the day of its birth? There are. Listen to the message here and find out more!
May 16: The Apostles' Creed - Judgment Day
”Judgment Day.” When you hear those words, what do you think of? Arnold Schwarzenegger or fire and bristone? Peace and love? Sheep and goats? In the Apostles’ Creed, we state that Jesus, from the right hand of God, “will come to judge the living and the dead.” What does this mean?
The Bible – Old and New Testaments – is replete with allusions to a coming judgment. In the Old Testament, it was most often referred to as “the Day of the LORD” (as in Joel 2.31). In the New Testament, Jesus’ return and judgment can be found in several places (check out the LifeConnect Group questions below for some references).
For this message, I chose the difficult passage from the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 25.31-46 to help us understand the reality of the coming judgment. Many people read this and think that our ticket to heaven is all about how we help the needy, but a more careful reading suggests otherwise. “These brothers (and sisters) of mine” actually refers to followers of Jesus!
You can listen to the message by clicking here.
May 9: The Apostles' Creed - To Infinity and Beyond
This Thursday is Ascension Day – the day when the church commemorates the time (noted in Acts 1.1-11) whenJesus went up into heaven. In the Apostles’ Creed, we say that Jesus “ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.” What significance can this have for the church today?
Listen to this message to learn the relevance of Ascension for God’s people today.
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April 25: Our Mission, Our Purpose: Gow in Chris, Serve in Community
At St. Paul’s, our mission, which is our purpose, is to connect with God, grow in Christ, and serve in community. Last week, we talked about what it means to connect with God through worship. This week, we talked about growing in Christ and serving in community and how we can do those things and be an effective church.
The message was based on Colossians 1.24-2.5; 3.22-24. Toward the latter part of the message, I showed a video that you can see here.
Listen to the message here. At one point I ask what you may think would help to engender a culture of service in the church. I welcome your ideas!
April 18: Our Mission, Our Purpose: Connect with God
Have you ever wondered what it means to worship – or why we even gather together to worship as followers of Jesus? In this week’s message, I looked at Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4.1-30 to help us understand the value of authentic worship as a day-to-day experience, and not just a Sunday morning ‘thing’.
The message began with this video to illustrate the point. Check out the message here.
April 4: The Apostles' Creed: You Can't Keep a Good Man Down!
Jesus is alive! That’s what Easter is all about! So when we say in the Apostles’ Creed that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, we can say it with confidence because God has revealed this truth to us.
There is a resurrection account in each Gospel, but the one we read today was John 20.1-18. And the message of hope through the resurrection of Jesus cn be heard by clicking here.
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Now go and tell
April 2: The Apostles' Creed: It’s All Uphill From Here!
Probably no other phrase in the Apostles’ Creed gives us so much theological angst as “he descended into hell”. Did Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, actually go to hell when he died?
What makes the conversation difficult is that there is very little Scripture to help us deal with this. What we do have, difficult as it is, is 1 Peter 3.13-20a.
You can listen to the message here. At the end of the message, I showed a video, which you can find here.
Jesus died for all. Will you believe?
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March 28: The Apostles' Creed: Six Feet Under
Jesus died. Yet many people choose not to acknowledge this, or seek to deny it through various ridiculous claims. The Apostles’ Creed affirms the biblical reality that Jesus “was crucified, dead and buried”.
Based on one of the accounts of Jesus’ death, in Luke 23.44-56, this message can be heard by clicking here.
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March 21: The Apostles' Creed: Unjust Suffering
The Apostles’ Creed says that Jesus “suffered under Pontius Pilate.” We read of this in Mark 15.1-20. But it seems to make so little sense on the surface: Jesus, who lived a sinless life suffered. That must be unjust suffering. When we understand that Jesus suffered for us, it makes more sense!
The apostle Paul explained this to the church in Corinth in 2 Corinthians 5.11-21. You can listen the message on Jesus’ unjust suffering by clicking this link.
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March 14: The Apostles' Creed: God, In our Image
The beginning of the second strophe of the Apostles’ Creed says, “…And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Hoy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary…”
Jesus is God, in our image – but we have to be careful in this discussion, because it’s tempting to create a god who looks more like what we want God to look like (which makes us comfortable) instead of understanding, with Scripture, that God has come to us in human form in the person of Jesus Christ.
Based on John 1.1-18, this message can be heard by clicking here.
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March 7: The Apostles' Creed: I Believe
The Apostles’ Creed has been around for some 1600 years. In some churches, it is said weekly; in others, around the time of a baptism or the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. In some churches, it isn’t said at all – but all people who are part of the Christian church can affirm the words in this creed. But what does it mean?
This series is looking at the Creed and its meaning for today. This week, we are looking at the first stanza: “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth”. Based on Psalm 24, the first part of the “Christianity 101: The Apostles’ Creed” can be heard by clicking this link.
The LifeConnect Group questions for this message can be found here.
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February 28: Olympic Determination
Olympians are marked by their determination. You can’t achieve the kind of results they seek without being determined!
The apostle Paul demonstrates in Philippians 3.12-4.1 that determination is part of the Christian life: a determination to press on, to forget the past, and to make a difference in others’ lives by the power of the gospel.
You can listen to this message here.
The LifeConnect Group Discussion Questions can be downloaded here.
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February 21: Olympic Sacrifice
When we think of the Olympics, we can’t help but think of sacrifice. Think about everything that athletes have to give up in order to focus on their sport, and their desire to be the best in the world at it!
God calls the church to make Olympic Sacrifices. If we are going to reach the community for Jesus, we need to step away from our comfort zones and be the church that has an irresistible environment in which people can encounter God and engage in a relationship with Jesus.
At St. Paul’s we seek to encourage people to connect with God, grow in Christ, and serve in community. And to live that out, we need to sacrifice.
Based on Paul’s words to the church in Philippians 3.1-11, you can listen to the message here.
The video used in the message can be viewed (though not with great clarity or completely) here.
The LifeConnect Group Discussion Questions can be downloaded here.
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February 14: Olympic Love
With the Winter Olympics taking place in Vancouver, I thought we’d spend a few weeks looking at “Olympic” characteristics for followers of Jesus. This week, with it being Valentine’s Day, we started with “Olympic Love”. What constitutes “Olympic Love”?
Based on 1 John 3.11-20 (with a bypath into Genesis 4.1-9), you can listen to “Olympic Love” here.
The LifeConnect Group discussion questions can be found here.
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January 31: MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS: The Buck Starts Here
How we handle our money is a sign of our spiritual maturity. Is that news to you? The Bible has so much to say about how we handle our money, and what it says really points to the reality of our use of money as a part of our growth in Christ.
Harry Truman said “The buck stops here”, relating to responsibility. When it comes to how we handle our money, the buck starts here, too – we need to be responsible for how we save and use our money. Scripture tells us much about this, including our text, Proverbs 6.6-11. You can listen to the message by clicking here.
The LifeConnect Group questions for this message can be found here.
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January 24: MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS: Eternal Investments
God has given each of us a business to manage, and he calls us to have a good business plan. As we’ve explored in earlier weeks, that means getting out of debt and living within our means. It also means being obedient and faithful to God in our giving.
Giving is a sensitive subject for many, yet the Bible does not shy away from it at all! Jesus spoke more about money than he did about prayer - a sign that money has always been something with which God’s people need to deal appropriately.
In this message, based on Malachi 3.6-12, we learn what the expectations were under the old covenant…and how the bar was actually raised in the new covenant. Click here to listen to “Eternal Investments”.
The LifeConnect Group questions for this message can be found here.
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January 17: MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS: Act your Wage
Canadians, like the majority of people in the western world, are both among the most affluent people and the most indebted. Jesus says we cannot serve both God and Money (Matthew 6.24), and being in debt puts us in the service of money. How can we dig out of it?
Live within, even beneath, your means. If you will do that, by saying ‘no’ to some things, the time will come when you will be able to say ‘yes’ to many things, and use the money God has given you to manage for his glory.
The message is based on Matthew 6.19-24, and you can listen to it here.
The questions for the LifeConnect Groups this week, based on this message, are here.
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January 10: Minding the Business
God has given each of us a ‘business’ of a sort – the business of managing of our own lives and livelihood. Today’s message focused on the importance of minding the business by steering clear of debt as much as possible. Debt is a major problem in our society, and left unchecked, it results in thousands of bankruptcies each year.
The message is based on Matthew 25.14-30, and emphasizes the wisdom of Proverbs 22.7: “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.”
Listen to the message by clicking here.
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January 3: On the Outside Looking In
The visit of the wise men, the “Magi”, to the child Jesus was a prettybig deal: it meant more than just the giving of gold, frankincense and myrrh. These visitors were Gentiles, being brought “inside” into relationship with God, who had formerly only been available to Jewish people. The wise men represented all Gentiles when they visited Jesus. They represented me and you.
I’m glad they made their way to see Jesus! Like a walk from Toronto to Lethbridge, these wise men gave sacrificially of their time and their treasure. How about us?
The message is based on Matthew 2.1-12 and can be heard by clicking here.
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December 27: Lessons from Seniors: Simeon and Anna Behold Their Saviour
The story that follows the birth of Jesus is his circumcision and presentation in the temple. Two venerable old folks, Anna and Simeon, are there when Mary and Joseph present Jesus (as any faithful Jewish family would). Each of them knows, and says, that the Saviour, the Messiah, has come in the form of this baby named Jesus.
In this message, learn some lessons from these seniors about the Christian life. Click here to listen to “OurEyes Have Seen Salvation”, based on Luke 2.21-40.
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December 20 "A GRINCH-FREE CHRISTMAS: Having a life that's grace-filled"
Grace: the unmerited favour of God. What a gift to receive at Chrismtas! Too often, we eschew this gift and end up, like the Grinch, with shrivelled hearts. How do we eschew it? By choosing works over faith! And it’s not just people who don’t follow Jesus who do this: think about the people who love Jesus but think they have to do certain things – often culturally sensitive but not biblically relevant things – in order to be ’really’ Christian. Based on Romans 3.21-31, which Martin Luther referred to as the central text of the epistle and of all of Scripture, you can listen to this message by clicking on the speaker icon above.
For previous messages, please visit Jeff's Blog.
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