Liberti Sermons: Recent Episodes
Liberti Church Lark Lane
Sunday sermons unpacking the Gospel message of the Word of God in the Bible that tells of the good news of Jesus - with particular application to life in Lark Lane, Liverpool.
For more information on how to join us on a Sunday or during the week, please visit www.libertichurchlarklane.org
Hebrews 11 gives us a star studded cast of faithful men and women, who gave so much and received so much from God. Yet, this side of the cross we have received so much more. This week, we're looking at the life of Abraham.
Hebrews 11 gives us a star studded cast of faithful men and women, who gave so much and received so much from God. Yet, this side of the cross we have received so much more. This week, we're looking at the life of Noah.
Hebrews 11 gives us a star studded cast of faithful men and women, who gave so much and received so much from God. Yet, this side of the cross we have received so much more. This week, we're looking at the life of Enoch.
Hebrews 11 gives us a star studded cast of faithful men and women, who gave so much and received so much from God. Yet, this side of the cross we have received so much more. This week, we're looking at the life of Abel.
Uncertainty is all around us, but God's promises cut through all of it. We wrapped up our series in Haggai looking at God's Power, Peace and Presence.
The curse of sin hangs over all humanity that is, until Christ comes. He redeems us from the curse so now God's people can live in the grace of His blessings.
This Old Testament book of prophecy has great significance for the church today. We, too, like the saints of old, are commanded to build God's house, and do so under the command of the Lord to be strong and not fear.
This Old Testament book of prophecy has great significance for the church today. We, too, like the saints of old, are commanded to build God's house, and we start as they did, by considering where our priorities lie.
In this last part of his letter, John demonstrates a better way to navigate disagreement. Rather than toxic pride - the way of Jesus - is a way of tender hospitality and tangible presence.
A long walk of obedience in the same direction. That's the Christian life - one step at a time, with our faces set towards Jesus, walking with him to the joy's and trials.
John writes to the church again to ground them in abiding in God's love and to warn them of the dangers of the false gospel
John closes out his first letter with a six-word exhortation to the church - little children, keep yourself from idols. A short, love-filled call to obedience in response to the love God has shown us.
Christian, you know you know Jesus because you know, and because you say "no" and that gives you great confidence in prayer.
We were created for God, to find our joy and life with him for all eternity and to live in light of that gracious gift here and now.
Christian faith isn't a concept or a theory - it's Jesus Christ. As brothers and sisters, we stand in the faith of the victory He has won over all our enemies every day.
The Gospel gives us a family with sisters who have strength that flows with gospel wisdom and is shown in the Gospel.
The Family of God is marked by the love of the Father, and so we examine our hearts and put to death those sinful desires of anger and lovelessness
“And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him. See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.” ~ 1 John 2:28-3:10
There is something particularly sinister about the antichrists that John warns us about in this part of his letter - they looked so much like us. And so we must be discerning.
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”1 John 2:15-17
The evidence of our salvation to the watching world is our love for one another. This is the "ABC" of the Christian faith, but it's easy to move past the basics and when we do, the results can be disastrous
For those struggling with sin, overwhelmed by sin, we have an advocate who has taken its penalty for us. There is great assurance there; there is rest and peace that will truly lead us into obedience. The grace of God meets us in our sin. And that grace is what motivates us to stay away from it.
When we confess, we bring our sin into the light where we can see. What do we see? Our penalty has been paid, our sins have been forgiven, and the blood of Christ has cleansed us.
There are so many unhappy people in the world as there were in the church John was writing to because of the Chaos they were experiencing. But there is an offer of complete joy in their chaos through what he will teach us in this letter
When we pray for the glory of God in our prayers, we’re asking 4 God to move in our lives, in a way that is grounded here in His church.
In the midst of the darkness, let us not be formed by our feelings, but by the true promises of God's Word who promises to never leave us or forsake us, who promises to be working in the darkness, who promises to take our worst darkness for us and give us a sure and certain future.
Thankfulness is a good command, and we have a lot to be thankful for - even in the valley and darkness of 2025, God was providing and present through the ministry of His people.
The root of Jesse has come, so we can be filled with Joy as we are a people who have a sure and steadfast hope that we have been welcomed into the peace of God.
The Incarnation is the watershed moment of all history, the moment all of history has been waiting for and the most wondrous moment of history.
Mark 16 ends with a hanging question - what will you do with the truth of the Resurrection, a truth that is real, revives and is the good news of gracious restoration from Jesus?
“There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem. And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.”Mark 15:40-47 ESV
“And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!””Mark 15:33-39 ESV
“And Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has Jesus done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him.” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.”Mark 15:14-15
If we want healthy friendships that flourish, God’s wisdom shows us how we must seek out friends that are wise, not foolish. Proverbs shows us that truly flourishing friendships are with friends who are faithful, righteous, wise counsellors, encouraging, rebuke us, are real, and they sharpen us - but there is only one Friend “who sticks closer than a brother”…
Work is not a curse, it a God-ordained opportunity to serve Him heartily for His Glory and other's good.
We can and should expect to give generously not just because we’re told to but because it's our story. God is so generous to us and as it's our joy to reflect that generosity to the world around us.
We're all being discipled by someone or something, we're all being called to follow a set of values or a way of thinking . Nowhere is that more acute than with our children - but in this book of Proverbs we're pointed straight to the Way a child should go and how to lead them to flourishing.
The thing our hearts crave, Shalom, is broken but God restores it to us through his wisdom. Beware though not to treat wisdom like a genie, wisdom is far more to us that just wise sayings - wisdom to us, is a person - Jesus.
You are not were you are by accident. The Lord has sovereignly placed you were you are for his glorious purpose (to make disciples).
Our homes, streets, our city need more of Jesus. We need more of the character of Jesus in our lives. So let's pursue transformation into his image in Word, Spirit and with each other.
We stay flat footed on God’s Word. We hold onto it and hold it out. We build our lives on it, we believe it, hear it and apply it and the promise as we do, graciously is that we receive life.
There’s no command in the bible that u have to fast. Jesus will not love you more if you fast. But there is joy and growth from intimacy with Jesus we are forfeiting if we choose to pass on this invitation from Jesus.
God knows us. He knows every part of us and yet wonderfully he still loves us. Psalm 139 brings us into that wonderful intimacy that is ours in Christ.
We give thanks to the Lord for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks for who he is, what he's made and what he's done.
Psalm 89 teaches godly lament. We learn the way of reverence, recall and getting with God.
The Psalmist leads us in a better way. A way away from sin and destruction towards life and flourishing.
If Jesus is who he says, the judged one who has judged you faithful , the right response, is not to sit on the fence, it's not to keep our distance, the right response is to fall at His feet, call Him Lord and God and follow him.
Jesus was forsaken in the garden so we don't have to be. He willingly takes the cup of God's wrath and walks the path of forsakenness that we deserve.
Jesus has given us faith to believe, he has shown us unconditional, incomparable love and he has taken the cup for us so we are asking for his help to watch and pray.
Jesus is clear, forgiveness, salvation from sin and our future with God is not dependent on the strength of your commitment to Jesus, it's his commitment to you.
Jesus wants to use the outlandish, overconfident, impulsive, brazen man, Peter. These traits, Jesus would by the power of the Holy Spirit refine in Peter and sanctify him to serve the Church.
Nothing we give up will come close to matching the glory of Jesus, but when we give what we have, from a heart of devotion he looks at our life and sees it as beautiful.
We are saved by faith and we live by faith - faith that is strengthened by knowing that God is real and he is Good.
We have an ocean of grace in Christ and long for others to take hold of those treasures. So we pray and we plead.
The primary purpose of the church is to glorify Jesus and we can do that most fruitfully by going and telling -it's why you're still breathing, because there is work to do and we've been commissioned to to do it.
The Ascension of Jesus opens the door for our free and fruitful worship. It enables us to live the life we've been created to live
Without the Ascension we are in big trouble. But praise God, Jesus did ascend and when He did, He left us with help from His Spirit and help from His church
The Ascension is good news for God's people today. As we lift our heads to where he is now, we are given confidence for today and bright hope for tomorrow.
Jesus is risen and the undeniable truth of his resurrection brings about our undivided worship.
Jesus is the promised Saviour and we can have faith in Him to do what we can't, because He is God
Jesus will return - that is a promise filled with hope and a promise that should motivate us to go.
On the cross, the true temple, the holy son of God Jesus is destroyed for our sin, but on third day he rises again to bring us into the eternal temple.
True greatness is found in knowing Jesus and making him known, not in our own perceived greatness
The question is a good question but the answer that Jesus gives requires much more than what we think.
Jesus' authority is a good authority. The change he wants to bring is a change 4 your good. The institutions who hold authority in our world have a long track record of corruption, broken promises and unfaithfulness but Jesus does not.
With an eternal perspective we get to resist the rebuke of the world, get up and follow Jesus.
The disciples get a bad rap in this passage but they're actually only asking Jesus for something he's already promised to them - they're asking for greatness but true greatness is not what they think it is.
Jesus is able to do the impossible work of salvation for all who ask by faith but his salvation doesn't end there. There is a world of comfortable mediocrity out there that he’s able to save you from too.
Satan will do all that he can to destroy the path to flourishing that God gives us. He is waging war in every marriage and every desire for marriage but faith filled fidelity will lead to flourishing
Stand out as imitators of Jesus, be servant hearted in your communities, be righteous in your acts, because it evidences Christ.
Our day to day reality is a cross shaped life. It's struggle, it's suffering, it's hardship but it's hopeful.
If you want to grow in holiness, look to Christ and his Cross. Take hold of him and watch ur pockets be emptied of sin. Get serious with your sin like never before.
The mission of God is our priority - we’re `given the same commission to make disciples, to baptise and teach and we're charged to labour with Christ to seek and save the lost.
Without the cross we can only regret sin. With faith in Christ we are able to repent - truly walk away from it knowing the power sin has over us has been defeated, knowing we have the Spirit in us that helps us in our weakness and knowing that even if we stumble again, His grace is sufficient.
One of the things the advent story teach us this is to get greedy for Joy and to hurry towards Gods people to see the gospel again.
The angels brought tidings of "Great Joy", the good news of salvation in Jesus which is good news for anyone and everyone who believes.
There is times of struggle for us all. There are times we are walking in darkness - when you do, take hold of the truth of the true king because the truth of the true King feeds our joy in every circumstance.
We were made for Joy. Isaiah 9 points us to where our Joy is found and how it comes to us as light in the darkness.
In the midst of struggle, apathy and difficulty, the saint have always been drawn to the same thing, a big vision of Christ
Just as Jesus was rejected, if we take up our cross of allegiance, we will be rejected too. That is an increasingly hard path to follow in our cultural moment. It is hard but he given us help.
Jesus is moved for his enemies, he is moved for sinners. He enters in our brokenness so much so he dies for us. Jesus compassion costs.
In the end, when our lives here are over, whatever the provision Jesus gives us as his people, we can trust him. In the end we’ll be able to look back and say, like the crowd does in this passage “He has done all things well.”
Jesus has cleansed us through his one time sacrifice and his power in the new hearts he has given us is working its way out in what we say, what we do and who are are. Bring your guilt to Jesus and let him point you to the cross where he took it for you.
Jesus knows your heart and he sees who you really are. And that’s terrifying, unless the person who see’s us, actually really loves us.
A people of prayer are a people who are abiding in God’s love. If prayer fuels our mission and love fuels our prayer, then the gospel fuels our love.
'Jesus said, I am the way the truth and the life' . We say at Liberti we want to be a people who "will enjoy and practice a tangible presence in our community through Word and deed"
'Jesus said, I am the way the truth and the life' . We say at Liberti we want to be a people who “pursue transformation in our lives and the lives of others'.
'Jesus said, I am the way the truth and the life' . We say at Liberti we want to be a people who “hold onto and hold out truth.”
Christlike culture requires Christlike leadership. It's the Spirit of Christ working through the Church of Christ that leads to a Christlike culture but that church needs Christlike leadership.
The righteous will never be moved. That the promise for God's people. When we are found in his Son, we are covered in his righteousness and we are able to endure through this life.
The Psalmist honestly describes the tension we feel when we see the wicked in the world seemingly prosper. What do we do when we feel that tension and who do we turn to?
"Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away."
“The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one. Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread and do not call upon the Lord? There they are in great terror, for God is with the generation of the righteous. You would shame the plans of the poor, but the Lord is his refuge. Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.”Psalm 14:1-7 ESV
“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers, but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on it he meditates day and night.” ~ Psalm 1:1-2
The miracle of the feeding of the 5000 with just two fish and five loaves is Jesus addressing the physical needs of the people but it also communicates a spiritual truth - God satisfies his people with his word.
Men who have the privilege of leading are called to more than just following worldy passivity, foolish wickedness & sins of the flesh. They are called to lead like Jesus.
We all respond to Jesus. We either reposing with rejection or we respond with astonishment that leads to mission. Which response will you make?
Just like the Father did with his son, God delights to use our pain, our brokenness and our weakness 2 bring about a beautiful work in our lives. He is working in the waiting so cold of God “Do not fear, only believe.”
The pain, darkness and trauma that we're experiencing now, will not be wasted in Christ. Jesus doesn't just neutralise our darkness he makes it light.
What the disciples needed most in the midst of the storm, wasn't the absence of the storm, it was absence of fear and the coming of divine peace and the peace of God, Jesus says was there’s to have if they had just exercised their faith
The Gospel is a seed that grows by God's Grace, grows by God's Power and blesses as it grows
The gospel is a seed of power, a seed that penetrates and a paradox of weakness and power.
God is a just God. His justice is brought by his Son, His justice is settled in his son and His justice is shown through his people.
God's standard in marriage in complete fidelity, which he shoes to his church, the bride in every way.
God despises half-hearted worship - the right worship he delights in is bringing our devotion and dependance to God with a holy fear and holy honour.
In love, God chose his people and in love he secures their future. We don't deserve his love but we have it, we don't deserve to be chosen, but we are, we don't deserve the glorious future promised but it's ours.
The Ascension of Jesus bring us hope now through the presence of the Spirit and hope for the future when we will be with him in our promised eternal home
The resurrection of Jesus changes everything for those who believe - our past, present and our future.
Jesus' trial reveals the accusations of the devil to be the lies that they are. We are not guilty of judgement for our sin, not because we don't sin, not because we don't deserve judgement because our guilty verdict is exchanged with Christ's innocence.
The suffering of Christ in the garden teaches us how we, as his disciples, can suffer now with hope.
The Christian life is breaking free from the shackles of sin and the bonds of the strong man satan to receive eternal life in Christ but its also giving everything we have to follow the will of God.
You are who Jesus says you are. Don't question that. Here's a better question to ask - what does it look like to be who he says you are?
The man with the withered hand coming for healing restoration and health from Jesus on the Sabbath, is the most sabbath thing he could have done, and yet those with religious hearts miss the point entirely.
Your greatest problem has been dealt with if you are a believer in Jesus Christ through his death and resurrection. Your greatest problem, and we should view all of our other problems through this lense.
Like the leper in this passage, come to Jesus, take the knee, receive him as your saviour and allow him to lead you into the loving presence of the Father, again and again and again as you draw near him in prayer.
The driving out of the unclean spirit and the healing of Simon's mother in law were just skirmishes before the great battle that would be played out in Jesus' death on the cross.
"The Kingdom is at Hand - Repent and believe the gospel". Those are Jesus' first recorded words by Mark and they are words that ring in the ears and hearts of every disciple.
For those who are tempted to sin and for those who suffer in a broken world, Jesus gets it - lean into him and receive his comfort.
The wilderness teaches us that our works will never be enough to bring us life. We need to be cleansed by another and saved by another. That's the King Jesus reveals himself to be in this gospel.
God's people have a continual posture of thankfulness in all seasons and the Gospel gives us immeasurable reasons to be thankful in both word and deed. A standalone sermon to kick our prayer week in 2024.
In the coming of Christ, the eternal light of God broke into humanity. His life was full of grace and truth and his death, seemed like the darkest of days but in his resurrection, a light far more powerful than all the suns combined rose on humanity.
Christ promises to supply all of our needs - we must recognise first that we’re needy and then we must lean into him
A life lived in the loving presence of Christ will look different, it will stand out and be attractive and it will draw others to see his beauty.
We all sin. The important question is what do we do when we do? The Song shows us a picture of true repentance that has us coming back to the love of our faithful friend and saviour Jesus.
Christ loves your love of him, so give it to him, and be encouraged, he isn’t looking for the extravagant displays of affection - even the smallest glance thrills his heart.
When you feel the felt absence of Christ, it's good to examine your heart, but there are also times when we feel distance with Jesus not because of our sin, but because he is testing.
When we come to Christ in our sin the banner he raises over us says "you are mine”. He conquered us when belonged to the Kingdom of Darkness, he disarmed us, subdued us and won us to himself - and the power that turned us to him was his love.
Our sin creates a moral ugliness in us but the Song leads us to see something astonishing. When Christ looks at us, he doesn't scowl or look away, he doesn’t turn away his face, he walks towards us. He delights in us, adores us and he says, "I’ve come to make you beautiful".
This Song is ultimately about our relationship with Jesus. That sense of longing and the unfulfilment we constantly feel, every human feels - it is there to draw us to Him
When we look at the scale of the mission in front us, we need to fight to be united in prayer, urgent and unceasing and looking at what God has already done, in your own story, praying with expectation that God would do it again.
It often feel like we're on the back foot with mission in our context as christians - however as we look at Acts 8, we can be encouraged, motivated and empowered that the Gospel is stronger than any opposition. Jesus will make his appeal through us his church and he can and will do amazing things when we're present in Word and Deed
Our desire is to pursue transformation in our lives and others through the formation and multiplication of discipling communities.
He is our King. He is our Great High Priest. And he calls us to follow him and share about him.
The most terrifying thought is being separated from one who loves us and cares for us - Jesus saves us from that eternal reality through taking it for us on the cross.
Jesus calls his people and we joyfully follow him into his mission to gather his church - we build relationships, speak into their lives with truth and we invite others to come and put their trust in him.
In the face of evil and sins committed against us, those in Christ don't retaliate, don't control, don't seek revenge. Instead, we leave it to the wrath of God and do what is honourable, live peaceably and display spectacular grace and so see evil overcome with good.
The gospel calls us to a better way to live. A way of humility that shines bright in a world of darkness.
Overcoming evil with genuine generosity starts with the work of Jesus for us and flows from the power of Jesus in us.
Genuine love hates what is evil and holds fast to what is good and seeks to life one another up with deep affection and deep honour.
Out Father is a God of grace who gives gifts to build up the body that is His Church. Our charge is use them in response to all that we've received from him.
Be transformed, into the image of Christ, so that you'll be able to understand the will of God, so that you'll be able to live in ways that are good and acceptable and one day perfect.
Throughout this incredible book, God has been sovereignly working to open Jonah’s eyes. He appointed a storm, a fish, a plant and a scorching wind. He’s been working throughout to help Jonah see the futility of a life that settles for comfort and the desperate need to share in his heart of compassion.
As we look out at the brokenness across our city remember God has done a work of dramatic transformation before and he can do it againand let's step in with his Word on our hearts and on our lips, resting in Gods sovereignty to save, daring too pray that he’d pour out his Spirit and transform this place.
Jonah finds himself in a place where he needs salvation from the judgment of death. This is the ultimate need of every human and yet so many around us don’t seem to know it or recognise it. Jonah Chapter 2 is laid out to demonstrate Jonah being judged by God with death, saved by the mercy of God and “re-born” by God into a new life - a transformation we should long for in every person around us.
Obedience to the mission of God is hard, but it always leads to joy. We engage in the mission with Jesus, God's obedient missionary, holding fast to him, drawing on his strength and falling on him when we fail.
God desires to save sinners & send saved sinners to save more sinners.That’s the message of Jonah and in fact its the message of the whole bible. Its the message of God for us to receive for ourselves and it’s an invitation from God for us to take others.
At Easter we celebrate that Jesus died for us and rose again for us, but the gospel accounts don't end there - Christ also ascended in bodily form to the right hand of God the Father. Surprisingly, Jesus said that "it is better" that He departs from earth and goes to Heaven. Listen as we unpack why it is good news for each of us that Jesus Christ is now ascended, and the impact & application of this in the commission He has given us.
As Jesus stands before the women at his resurrection, he shows us that life in him isn't constrained by death, it brings peace beyond the grave and is more powerful than the sin that held him to the cross 3 days earlier. An impossible story of life from death.
God's command for submission is not about stealing your joy, it is a path towards joy and we're in good company we do submit, for our example is Christ.
Now that we've put off sin, we hear the call to put on Christ. In this part of the letter we see the new clothes given to God's people - righteous clothes that make the right kind of impression in a sinful world.
The wrath of God is coming 4 sin - so put it away. Come to Christ, receive his grace, fill your heart with love for him and put off your sin.
The old self is dead, the new life in Christ is alive because he is alive. How do we walk well in this new life? Set your mind on things above - set your mind on Christ.
Nothing grows well in the shadows and yet we are lured towards them with empty promises of growth and fullness. If we want fullness, we need Christ.
Jesus is the only path to spiritual fullness and we can be convinced that he is because he fills his people with his power, saves his people from spiritual death and brings them eternal life through his resurrection.
The minister of Christ joyfully toils for the maturity of the church. Are we prepared like Paul and Christ before him to give our all for the sake of the church?
The world is constantly trying to de-stabilise the Christian from their faith. What is the remedy? Look at who Christ is, Christ he has done and we are in Him.
In some of the most important verses on Christ in the bible, we are given what the Apostle Paul knows is the most effective remedy for strengthening the weak believer - a picture of the supremacy of Christ.
The world presses in on us all time pushing us to conforms and submit. Suffering always seems to lurking around the corner. Struggle is a daily battle. What should the christian do in the difficulty of life - just keep on going? There is a better way - keep on remembering.
Hope and faith come to us in Christ Jesus through the Gospel and this Gospel of love moves us to be a people of love.
Prayer is an act of dependence on God and its act of defiance against Satan. We are demonstrating that more than anything we want to see him push back the darkness and shine the light of the glory of the gospel into the hearts of more and more people across this city. darkness & shine the light of the glory of the gospel into the hearts of more and more people across this city.
Isaiah looks forward to our today and sees a people overflowing with thankfulness. That is a distinctive mark of God's people - drawing up joy from the well of our salvation and overflowing with thankfulness.
There is no better way to end this year then looking to Jesus and putting your hope firmly in him. Eternal joy, safety and peace is ours because of Him and so much of it is our to have now as his Spirit dwells in us. Put your hope in Jesus this advent season.
Waiting is one of those human experiences that is a real struggle sometime. We all experience it, in the every day irrelevance to the significant life moments and how we wait matters. The Advent story leads us to wait with hope in the promises of our faithful God.
How do we work through the frustration of slow or no fruit in the christian life? We tend to our spiritual life so the fruit of the Spirit can grow unhindered through clearing out sin, soaking in the gospel, watching out for our enemy and seeing God's hand in the season of suffering.
When we're struggling to live the fruitful life that God calls us into, we can look to his character and see that he is faithful to finish the race for us.
An impatient and unkind christian is one of the ugliest things you can see because a heart filled with the love of Christ wouldn’t act like that. If you want to grow in godly patience, goodness and kindness, fill your heart with the love of God. What that look like? It’s listening to his voice in his word, looking to his cross and walking by the Spirit
A look at how the first three characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit show us the path to inner fruitfulness
"By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit." We can bear nothing of eternal worth outside of Christ - but there is a profound beauty that flows from our union with Christ - the glory of God, the very thing that we were created for. Would it be our joy to pursue that and celebrate it in our lives and others this week.
Those who are saved have not just been saved to be free, we've been saved to be free to follow the Spirit. What does it look like to follow the Spirit? Firstly it is to put away the desires of the flesh.
here are two kingdoms in this world. A kingdom a darkness that leads to death and the kingdom of God which leads to life. The kingdom of darkness has been defeated and its evil ruler Satan knows it - but he will still tempt you to stay and even if you have already left, he will invite you to come visit. He is a liar who hates God and loves death. Resist him - flee from him. Shine the light of Gods truth into his face and turn your back to him.
Jesus tells a parable to help us see the gracious love of the Father in the midst of our failures and fascades
The foundation of our language of prayer starts all the back in the Eden. When we pray we is speak in the language of prayer, once lost because of sin, now redeemed cos of Jesus.
We are a church who seek to practice tangible presence in our community, in Word and deed.
The christian life is a life of transformation - being continually transformed into the image of Jesus. We grow in the likeness of Jesus through beholding him, feeding on his Word and driving our roots deep into his community.
We are committed to hold onto and hold out the truth of God's Word as truth our world needs to hear. Listen as we walk through Psalm hearing why we can delight in God's Word.
God has given us much and how we use what he has given us matters. He wants us to use what he has given us for his glory and our good and at the end of our lives hear 'well done, good and faithful servant'.
The greatest treasure that we can take hold of is Jesus. Let us not be distracted by lesser pearls but treasure Jesus for all that he is.
The Kingdom of God is like a Mustard Seed and Yeast - it is distinctive, it spreads and it is a home for the lost.
Parables are ‘earthly stories’ with ‘heavenly meanings’ taking every day objects and situations to teach spiritual truths. Join us as we listen to five of these stories which lead us to Jesus.
We’ve been on a beautiful journey working through this book. We’ve learnt that we can expect God to speak to us, expect him to lead and protect us through his people, expect him to transform lives in the face of his Son, expect him to welcome us onto the New Heavens and the New Earth when all this over but until then, he has called us into literally a Glorious Calling-to be his people that carry his glory to the nations.
Where we know God is pressing on an area of our life, pursuing transformation in our lives, where we feel God is encouraging change and we are resisting - we are resisting the revealing of true beauty in our lives.
Take your sin seriously, plead for sinners around us and praise God that your sins have been atoned for. Exodus 32 is a stark warning to those who would want to entertain sin but it shouts hope to those who who seek to put it to death.
Stop running, stop trying harder, stop work to earn God's favour. Stop thinking you are enough. Come to Jesus and see that he has dealt with your sin once and for all and rest. We don't need to do more better. Ours sins have been paid for and the work of the cross is finished.
The deep, gut longing for home is found in Jesus. Jesus is our true home and we will continue to feel restless and feel the need to create until he finally welcomes us home.
All of the talk of blood in the the Old Testament is prompting Gods people. It's preparing Gods people for Jesus, who’s blood was shed on the cross for them and for us.
There is a path that leads away from chaos into joy and its found when we walk in obedience to our gracious God.
God's law is good, for those who are found in the perfect law keeper Jesus. For those who aren't it hangs over us in judgment but for God's people, we are free to keep it and are covered in grace when we fail - all because of Jesus.
"The lines for me have fallen in pleasant places," says the Psalmist, but are rules and laws and commandments really 'good' for us? Explore with us the account of God giving the 10 Commandments for the first time and explore their meaning for us today.
We are a long way from Sinai but God hasn’t changed. He is still awesome in his holiness and he still desires to gather with his people. And we haven’t changed - we are sinful sinner who can't approach him lightly - which is why we need Jesus, our great mediator.
The story of God's salvation in your life is God’s means for showing his glory to your colleagues, your family, your neighbours and your friends. All of whom, if they aren’t following Jesus, are currently lined up as his enemies. God has given us a story to share and a story to live by.
At the cross, God in Christ stands as the innocent party and we stand as the guilty and yet the Father says ‘strike the Rock’ and the rod of his judgement falls on his son. Jesus, the bread who satisfies our needs is the rock who bears our judgement.
As radical as it might sound when we read it, the evidence for the resurrection being true is overwhelming. But Jesus doesn’t just want us to believe in the resurrection, he wants us to be transformed by it and to live radical lives in light of it.
And as we look out across our city, thinking of our neighbours, our friends, family who are blind to the beauty of Jesus, let’s take the truth of Gods Word to them to overpower the lies and cultural powers that are leading them away from Jesus and let's pray that God's Spirt would open their eyes to see Jesus for who is.
God has worked in miraculous, jaw dropping ways and Moses doesn’t God's people to forget so he leads them in a song. It’s a song that helps to remember, it’s a song that teaches them, it’s a song that unites them and strengthens them and it’s a song that speaks to their soul. Thats what singing does in the believer and that’s what we see in this song
The message of the gospel isn’t that following Jesus will make life easy, or make every moment like Disneyland, it's that Jesus has come to cover your sin and turn away the judgement of God through the shedding of his blood on the cross. Put your faith in him, and live in light of what he has done.
The plagues in the Exodus aren’t random. God is deliberately exposing the fragility of the human life outside of God. God wants us to see, the things of this world will never give you truly what you want or what you need and will eventually lead you into darkness.
Obedience to God is hard and is a battle at times, especially when life feels like a stinking mess. God's people pray and they obey, looking to promises of Gospel to sustain.
God desires our worship but sin blinds us & deceives us into thinking God isn’t who he says he is and so sssume to little of God and presume too little of ourselves. The stark reality of this chapter is that the just penalty for our sin is death…but the beauty is there is a way to escape it, provided through the shed blood of God's son, Jesus.
The cries of the people of Israel have come up to God and He has heard them. He has chosen to act. He has chosen to reveal Himself. What kind of God is He? And how can we approach Him? Moses finds himself on holy ground asking these very questions much like each of us do today, and the answers he finds in the LORD are breath-taking...
When we come home, God is not an angry Father waiting too reprimand us. No, he runs towards us with his robe pulled up and his arms spread wide ready to lavish us w his love and his cry of ‘WELCOME HOME’ drowns out our feeble excuses and apologies.’ Do you want to leave your slavery to sin? Come to the Father
There is no rest for our weary souls outside of God but he never leaves us without hope. Jesus has come to draw us out of the darkness of this world and into his eternal rest.
We live generously becuase we have been shown the ultimate generosity by Jesus in the Gospel. And so it is the gospel that is our motivation, the measure and the mission for our generosity.
The breaking of bread is more than a memorial. It is a meal of thanksgiving, unity, presence, rememberance, proclamation and hope and the church is devoted to it.
True christian fellowship is deeper than just gathering together, it is a ministry of helping each grow in our relationship with God.
God's Word is not just a book, it's God's living Word to us, it's not for us to grow our knowledge of Him but our relationship with Him and its not someone else's story, its God's glorious story which his followers are caught up into.
The first in our 'Devoted' Series looking at how the church is marked by a gospel devotion. This week we heard how the church is devoted to prayer which is the natural response of a cross shaped people.
700 years before Jesus was born, his prophet Isaiah prophesied of his coming. This prophet tells Judah, who are on the bring of exile that the Messiah is coming. The Messiah will be many things but most hopeful for Judah is that he will come as their righteous King. Their landscape for generations has been one of corrupt and weak kings and even those who were good ended up being taken by death. When Jesus comes, he comes as the ruler we all desire and the ruler we all need.
Suffering now, Glory later is our song and the path to glory is held up by the Grace of God. God has graciously given us leaders a community and himself to supply grace to our every moment.
Suffering is our present reality but in the midst of the pain we can know joy when we see God's gloryfying purposes
We suffer, but not in vain. As we endure the pain of suffering now, it opens up sweet opportunities for us to serve and receive grace from one another.
The beautiful example of Christ's death on a cross fuels our faith as we seek to live honourable lives in situations and with people that we often feel don't deserve it. We live good lives because Christ has done so much good for us
Being born again brings us into an eternal family with a glorious eternal inheritance with Christ. That is guarenteed - but what do we do while we wait, especially as suffering, trial and sin continue to confront us. The answer? We live holy lives in an unholy world.
The ressurection of Jesus Christ changes everything. That was the experience of the Apostle Peter and it's a truth that he wants the church to hold onto as he writes to encourage them in the face of hostlity.
When faced with the struggle, sacrifice and suffering that accompany the christian life, we can find ourselves asking the question 'is it worth it'? Peter's emphatic answer in the first two verses of this letter rich in hope is, 'it is!'.
If we are a people who are transformed by the truth, we will be empowered by God's presence in us to be present in the world around us that needs Him so desperately.
In a world of "let your truth be your truth," we are constantly searching and never satisfied. What is truth? There is good news for those seeking the answer. Jesus leads us to truth, which leads us to life, which when proclaimed leads us to joy.
A meal of love, a meal of peace, a meal of hope.
The Lord's supper is a tangible gift God has given us to really know how much He loves us, in remembrance of His saving death for us on the cross.
Do you feel like God's love for you is nearly spent? Like it's running out? Is your grip on God loose right now? These amazing words of the reality of what the Gospel means for us in Jesus answers these fears in an overwhelming way we can't even calculate.
God's Spirit, who graciously gives us victory over sin in His Son Jesus, enables and empowers us to be changed into what we were always made to be - truly human.
Jesus stands apart from all other hopes offered to us in the world - this is a hope that delivers.
Because we are free & alive in Christ and have received His Spirit, we are God's children, and He is our Father.
'Be killing sin or it will be killing you' We put our sin to death through ruthlessness and rememberance with the help of the Spirit.
The things we set our minds on determine our journey and our destination so set your your mind on Jesus
There is no condemnation for those who are In Christ - none. Our right response to this beautiful truth is to go an sin no mmore
We all change under trial. We can try to fix things oursleves by doing better or being better but that will ineveitably lead to exhaustaion. Or we can throw oursleves onto Jesus, finding joy in our salvation and confidence in His strength - a way that leads to peace.
Looking back at God's faithfulness in redemption history and applying it to our uncertain futures brings the hope we need to our present
We were created for balance in our hearts. Balance that sees God in His glory outweigh anything that he has created And it's when we find that balance and walk in it that we find true life.
The unrighteous will receive the wrath of God for their rebellion, but how do should the righteous understand the pain and suffering they experience? In his loving goodness, our Father is gently disciplining us for our good and His glory.
God speaks a better word than the world and our hearts, sometimes we need to turn the volume down to hear it.
We are seeking to develop a culture of prayer through a passion for the Father, His Church and Prayer
One of the most liberating, comforting things you can hear is that you are not God. Habakkuk finds that to be true and when we do, we find ourselves to be standing on solid ground
God is not irrational or inconsistent in his judgement. He is just, fair and for those who are his, he is scandalously gracious.
The infinitely holy and majestic God who is ‘out there’ is also an intimately personal God who knows you and hears you.
We can take our heartache and our doubts and struggles to God. He does not despite our brutal and raw prayers. In fact he relates; the Spirit intercedes with groans beyond too deep for words.
The local church needs Elders. What do Elders do, who are they and should the church receive them? Paul instructs Timothy to commisison men of good character to fulfill this role, and today at Liberti we do the same
The Resurrection secures our past justification, future glory and present intercession from Jesus.
Isaiah 53.
Being generous is hard, especially in a world of comparison, envy and greed. But the Gospel teaches a better way, a way of eternal reward where our counter cultural generosity leads to growth to be like Jesus and see the gospel advance around us.
Living with an eternal perspective with Jesus in view is the means for lasting peace and joy
Christians are only passing through this life. Our prize is eternity in heaven with our King Jesus. Each day until then is a day of growing more like him, for Him and His glory.
The rational response to the mercy God shows us in Christ, is to counter culturally, genuinely, joyfully and generously consider the needs of others before our own.
The gospel leads us towards humble, joyful obedience that shines like light in the dark
Jesus has given us the greatest example of it is to live well in this world - and it isn't what many would think. True joy and contentment are found in following Jesus' example of living a humble life, counting others before oursleves. That kind of life, seen most powerfully in the life , death and ressurection of Jesus, is a life that leads to eternal glory.
What we live for will determine what we die for. If we live for the things of this earth, even good things, then the prospective of death will be fearful and dark. Yet that doesn't have to the case. Treasuring Jesus above anything else will lead to joyful service in life and eternal gain in death.
The Apostle Paul wrote this passage from prison, under guard, in chains, unable to be out taking the gospel to Spain as he was so desperate to do and suffering opposition from preachers on the outside, yet he says he rejoices in his situation. It's his perpective and courage that make all the difference.
The goal of the christian life is growth into the likeness of Jesus - it' growing for glory. Hwo do we know if we're growing? Well, look at the content of your prayer and the focus of your study. A sure sign of a community that is growing in love for each other is regular prayers of thankfulness and biblically informed acts of love for each other.
Jesus, his Gospel and his church were central to the Apostle Paul's life and he desired for that also to be true for the church in Philippi as he wrote them from prison. This diverse church had a beautiful legacy of seeing and knowing the power of the gospel of Jesus to save and transform in the most spectacular ways. God wants the church today to know and the see his power and grow in maturity just like the church in Philippi did.
Jesus puts on human flesh and in so doing, brings light into the deep darkness which humanity are trapped. The light that he brings shines through his death and resurrection which open the way to freedom from our enemies sin, satan and death - our response? Repentance and Joy.
When we talk about God's Sovereignty, He is the biggest, greatest, most powerful being, he is all powerful, all knowing, all wise, all true, and he is good. Nothing happens in creation without God's prior Knowledge or permission. He is in complete control. That control extends over everything, including our will to believe or reject him as Lord.
At the same time, the bible is crystal clear that you and I are responsible for our own actions.
Our storms can be brutal but God does not waste one wave that crashes over his people. Trust him, that he knows what you need, he knows what he is doing and that he has a beautiful purpose for every drop of pain, suffering and emotional struggle. When we do, is it there that we will find great rest, joy and peace for our weary souls.
Christians are brought into the body of Jesus through all that he has accomplished through in his life, death and resurrection. This body is not a club - it is a means of God helping us through life. It's here that we lead each other to see Jesus and we help each other see ourselves and our sin more clearly. We cannot live this life without Gods son, or his body, so let's throw ourselves in!
There are a chorus of voices that are trying to lead us in the storm. Listen to Jesus; the one with power and authority, the only one who knows the future and the one who truly understands how we feel. To listen, we need faith in Jesus and if you're a christian, you have it, you received it from God at your salvation-maybe its time you began to walk it.
Jesus calms the storm, Matthew 8.
“Storms are real, but so is Jesus. Depression. Anxiety. Low mood. Feelings of emptiness. There is no stigma for these with God. The passage we’ve just read allows us to acknowledge that storms are real, so we can stop hiding. But the disciples here exhaust their human effort and go to Jesus for help. Storms are real, and they will come if they aren’t here already, but knowing the real presence of Jesus in your storms will bring hope like nothing else.” ~ Neil Forsythe, Lead Pastor
From the Book of Esther (please note that unfortunately Esther 3 from Feb 16th is missing in our archive - we're so sorry!)
Part 3 in our series on Zeal. (We apologise that week 2 unfortunately did not record and thus cannot be provided - sorry for any inconvenience to your listening experience!)
"Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,
To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."
~ 1 Corinthians 1:1-9
"Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes," ~ 1 Cor 1:1 ESV.