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Secrets of the Kingdom
God is searching desperately for the lost - and He invites us to join His search party too. This sermon on the Parable of the Lost Coin invites us to be part of what heaven is part of - to rejoice as the lost are found - as well as inviting those who are far from God to draw close to Him.
The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant reminds us that God’s forgiveness is a gift of grace that sets us free. By demonstrating such grace to others we can live free and whole too; otherwise the cost of not showing such mercy is just far too high. This sermon shows us how to live in God's gracious plan for our lives instead of being held captive by unforgiveness.
There is coming a day when God will separate the righteous from the wicked, the believers from the pretenders, the good from the bad - and the outcome for the bad will be ugly. This sermon on the Parable of the Net exhorts us to get serious about eternity and also encourages each believer to keep on casting the net in view of that last day.
As you listen to this message on the Parable of the Mustard Seed you will be reminded: from small seeds grow great things! There is purpose in the planting and also in the process. God also wants to use us to be a shelter to those in need too.
The Parable of the Persistent Widow tells us about the importance of persistence in prayer. It shows us that our persistence is not a plea to be heard but is rooted in being daughters and sons of the King, confident that God hears us when we pray. In contrast to the widow approaching the unjust judge, we persist in prayer precisely because we’re praying to God who loves us and cares about us.
In the Parable of the Shrewd Manager Jesus draws a positive truth from a negative example and reminds us about the need for both foresight about the future and faithfulness in the present. This sermon illuminates this surprising and often misunderstood parable from Luke 16 and shows how we can use our money in the present in such a way that it wins us eternal friends and makes an eternal impact in heaven.
Jesus is coming back again - we need to let the fact that Jesus could come back at any time dramatically impact the way we live today. There will only be two kinds of people when Jesus returns to this earth: those who are ready and those who are not. This sermon unpacks the Parable of the Ten Virgins and shows you how to have enough oil - how to be and live ready - for the return of Jesus.
The Parable of the Great Banquet shows us God’s amazing generosity in inviting us into His kingdom. But the invitation doesn’t just stop there - there is room at the table and God wants His house full, so we need to let others know that they are welcome, that they are invited to God’s great banquet.
A key question for the disciple of Christ is not "how much have I been given?" but "what am I doing with what I've been given?". Life is a gift from God; what we do with it is our gift to Him - and ultimately we will give an account to Him for our faithfulness, or lack thereof, in stewarding our life. In this sermon we delve into the Parable of the Talents; learn how to invest what God has given you - the resources, abilities, opportunities and everything else - for God's glory and the good of others.
Jesus brings the promise of new wine, but our old lives won't be able to accommodate it; new wine and old wineskins just don't mix - new wine needs new wineskins. The great news is that God is in the business of renewal; He makes all things new. So if we're willing, if we change our taste from old wine to new wine, if we thirst for more of the Holy Spirit, then God promises to make us into new wineskins. His promise is total transformation.
The parable of the four soils reveals that the Word of God doesn't operate mechanically or inevitably. Two people can hear exactly the same message: one can have their life changed yet the other can remain unmoved. The ultimate reason for this is explained in this all-important parable; Jesus teaches us how the conditions of our heart need to be right in order for us to experience harvest. This sermon unpacks Jesus' teaching here and shows how to transform the soil of our heart into good soil that can bear much fruit.
This introductory sermon to our series on the parables of Jesus will help you discover some of the wonder and power of the parables. The paradox of the parables is that they can both reveal and conceal spiritual truth depending on the state of heart of the listener. As you learn what parables are and why Jesus often taught using them, you will be inspired to keep on craving more revelation from God about the mysteries of His kingdom.
