Covenant l 18-July-2010
(Duration: 21:18 | size: 13.5MB)
Preacher : Rev. Dr. John Illsley
Bible Reading : Genesis 1: 26 – 28, Genesis 17: 1 – 7, Exodus 3: 1 - 8

Our theme today is ‘Covenant’. It is perhaps the key to our spiritual life. It is the basis of God’s relationship with us. Without God’s covenant to and with us, we would not even know God, never mind have any hope for the future.

We will discover today that at its heart God’s Covenant is unconditional – God says “I will be your God; you will be my people.”

Our obedience to God is NOT a condition of this covenant – God will still be our God. Obedience is a response to the Covenant. As our obedience and commitment to God is not always perfect we need to regularly come back to God, confess those failings, commit ourselves to a different way of life, and God will do the rest in Christ. This is what the pastors of the church did last Sunday; this is what we will all be invited to do today.

Repentance and Recommitment l 14-July-2010
(Duration: 19:51 | size: 12.7MB)
Preacher : Rev. Dr. John Illsley
Bible Reading : Revelation 3: 14 - 22

At the start of the book of Revelation, there are seven letters from Jesus to seven churches in Asia. We can either read these letters as pure history, written to churches long gone, or we can read them prophetically, as Jesus speaking to us. In the passage today, Jesus writes to the church at Laodicea. His criticism is that they are ‘luke-warm’ – neither hot nor cold. It is worth noting that at Laodicea there were hot springs. The criticisms in the letter were hard, but it finishes with a most significant verse: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3: 20). It is a vital personal invitation to each of us to DO SOMETHING. If someone stands outside your door and knocks and you do not answer, that person cannot get in. The challenge for us over the next 2 weeks is to do something, to open that door to Jesus.

Worship l 04-July-2010
(Duration: 26:49 | size: 17.1MB)
Preacher : Rev. Dr. John Illsley
Bible Reading : Acts 15: 15 – 17, 2 Samuel 6: 12 - 23

Most of us have lived in many different houses and flats. I wonder if, as you look back, you have a favourite one. If so, why is that one your favourite? Today we will look at the idea that God too has a favourite house. Over the centuries God has been worshipped in tents and temples, cathedrals and churches, homes and offices, hotels and warehouses. Does God have a favourite one? If so, why is that his favourite? Does God go in for grand buildings, wonderful organs, impressive stained glass, lofty towers? If so, what does he feel about David’s tabernacle consisting of nothing more than a piece of tarpaulin over a box? Is there anything for us to learn from this?