Delhi Bible Fellowship Dwarka Congregation: Recent Episodes
Delhi Bible Fellowship Dwarka Congregation
In this sermon we are talking about one of the fruits of Biblical faith – contentment! Contentment is borne out of Biblical faith. Only when you take God at His Word; trusting in His promises, can you be content and happy in life. It is about having a divine view and perspective on things, which we can have through the Word of God.
Just to be clear, contentment does not mean that we can lazy or unplanned. It doesn’t mean that we don’t work hard. The Bible has enough to say about hard work, diligence, laziness etc. Contentment is really about being able to live life joyfully, not matter what the circumstances, because you trust in the Lord.
The Scripture portion for this sermon is Matthew 6:19 – 34.
This morning we look at Romans 4:16 – 25 that describes Abraham’s faith for us and defines Biblical faith and what it looks like. This is important, because biblical faith can be such a misunderstood word and concept.
We say biblical faith, because there is an unbiblical kind of faith as well. There is a faith that is a cerebral or mental belief with no resulting action or transformation, which is wrongly called faith! “I believe in God”, is what they say, but they fail to follow him. James talks about that kind of belief when he speaks of how the demons also believe and shudder (James 2:19 - 20).
The other unbiblical faith is just faith in itself without Christ as the object of that faith. People in the world says things like, “You just gotta have faith.” Or they talk about being sincere in your faith with no reference to Christ. Sincerity doesn’t save anyone.
Biblical faith is rooted and grounded in a confidence in God and in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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What is a follower Christ promised beyond this life? Is that even a reasonable question to consider? In Hebrews 11:26 we read of how Moses thought about the promises of God concerning the future. “He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.” Looking forward gives us courage to live each day for God.
This sermons looks at Romans 4:13 - 16 with a focus on the inheritance of believers. There was a promise made to Abraham and his offspring that they would be heir of the world. Some of the related passages are Galatians 3:29, Romans 8:17, Titus 3:7, Ephesians 3:6.
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Romans 4:1 - 12 is all about how we are saved. Are we saved because of our ethnicity or Christian heritage, or because of our good works, or because of our religious practices? The answer is that we are saved or declared righteous before God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Bible in 1 Corinthians 15:1 - 23 shows us why the resurrection of the Lord Jesus is absolutely crucial to our faith. Not only does it matter for mankind, but for us as believers, it is fundamental to our faith. Throughout history there have been attempts to disprove the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, because if Christ did in fact rise from the dead, then everything else He says is absolutely credible. This sermon takes us through this text in 1 Corinthians showing us how crucial the resurrection of the Lord Jesus is.
This sermon takes us through the sixth word of the Lord Jesus on cross when He cried out in John 19:30, "It is finished." Why would the Lord Jesus say, "It is finished?" Was he finished? Did his enemies finish him off? Was it a cry of defeat?
In truth, this was a cry of triumph and victory. The Lord Jesus had finished paying the price for sin. He had paid the price that satisfied God's justice. The debt is clear for those who put their faith in Jesus Christ.
What is the significance of the events of Palm Sunday? (Mark 11:1 - 11). This sermon looks how the actions and words of the Lord Jesus Christ on Palm Sunday led to His enemies urgently looking for a way to put Him to death. The Lord intentionally confronts the political and religious establishment of the day, in order to hasten His death. This reminds of His words in John 10 where He speaks of His willingness to die for His people. He says in John 10:17–18, "For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. [18] No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
We're also reminded that Christ came with the purpose of offering Himself as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). When the Lord entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday it was clear public proclamation of Himself as the Messiah. This provoked the religious establishment, who unwittingly fulfilled God's plan in putting Christ to death a few days later on "Good" Friday.
This sermon is from James 3. The text talks primarily about the dangers of not controlling our tongue or our words and speech. It is interesting to note that every chapter of James cautions us against giving free reign to our tongues. We are to be careful, thoughtful and wise in the way we speak. In fact, the latter part of chapter 3 speaks of how wisdom is manifest in our actions, even our words.
Listen to this sermon on the importance of wise and thoughtful speech.
This sermon looks at James 2 where James deals with partiality that oftens rears its ugly head in the church. Christians are to conduct all their relationships according to "the royal law" which is that you shall love your neighbour as yourself.
Moreover, living faith is always manifest in our works because faith without works is dead.
Listen to this sermon from James 2.
We begin a five part sermon series looking at the book of James. This sermon is from James 1. The Lord allows the testing of our faith because of the positive effect it has on producing godly character. Godly character is then manifest in the way we live. We are to be doers of the Word and not just hearers.
We look at the account in 2 Chronicles 20:12 - 23 where the people of Jerusalem and Judah are faced with an overwhelming enemy. Jehoshaphat and the people pray and the LORD God promises to deliver them. The next day the singers and musicians went before the army and as they worshipped and sang their enemy was routed before them.
This story highlights an interesting thing about worship singing. We may not fully understand the weight and importance of Sunday morning singing, or even your own family singing or maybe your own private singing. This is not just something we do to fill time before the message. It isn’t something that we do, just to get young people to church. There something far deeper going on during the time of singing.
Listen to this sermon to understand the importance of our worship singing.
Human beings have a huge problem! This world has a huge problem. We call that sin! We’re born with it, each one of us. None of us can escape its clutches. It infects and affects everything, corrupting our very nature, so that every inclination of our heart is only evil all the time. We have to work to do good. Sin comes to us effortlessly.
It is our sin that separates us from God, leaving us in a state of enmity with God and estrangement from Him. One possible, but improbable way, to set things right is if we can keep God’s law perfectly. The Bible makes it clear that no one is righteous, not even one.
God justifies us, or places us in a right standing with Himself through Christ. But it is more than placing us in a right standing with Himself, he declares us righteous in His sight, clothed with the righteousness of Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is God giving us all the rights and privileges of sonship; we are the children of God.
In Acts 13:36, Paul was preaching in Pisidia Antioch when he said, “For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers…” What a wonderful commendation of David - He served the purpose of God in his own generation. What about us? Can this be said of us toward the end of our life? That we have served the purpose of God in our own generation. That will be a worthwhile commendation.
There are general purposes of God, but there are also specific things that God calls us to do. For us in this generation as Christians and the church, what is God’s purpose? In specific sense it is what the Lord Jesus commissions us to do as a church in Matthew 28:18–20,“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
This is what the early church did and gave themselves to. They were mums and dads, students, workers, businessmen and women, politicians, lawyers, farmers, doctors, even slaves. They did all of those things faithfully, but the special calling on their lives as followers of Christ was the Commission that Christ gave them.
In Romans 3:1 - 20 the Apostle Paul will show how both Jew and Gentile are equally accountable to God and under His Law. There is no special preference given to the Jews in regard to the Law. They may have the law, know it, and even teach it, but if they fail to keep it, they are law-breakers and are answerable to God.
This is important for us as Christians to pay attention to. God is much more concerned about our obedience than our knowledge of His Word. Knowledge that does not lead to obedience is futile.
Through this text, the Scriptures teach us that every human being, whether Jew or Gentile, is a law-breaker and is accountable to God. Our understanding and acknowledgement of this is foundational to our understanding of the Gospel of Christ and our need for a Saviour.
We take a look at Romans 2:17 - 29 in this sermon. The Scriptures challenge the religious Jewish person concerning the way they live as the people of God. This relates well with us as Christians today. Our knowlege of God and His Word ought to affect and impact the way we live. Or to put it another way, knowledge of God and His Word is futile if we do not live according to what we know.
Secondly, there are also those who presume to teach others, but fail to live out God's truth in their own lives. That is hypocrisy, and is something that the Lord Jesus took most issue with.
A third point that Paul makes is that true Jewishness is not from circumcision, but from the heart. A person is truly a descendent of Abraham the man of faith, if they love God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength and so obey His Word. Likewise, a true follower of Christ is someone who's heart is truly turned to the Lord.
God is most glorified when our knowlege of God and our teaching of God's Word also affects the way we live for God. If our knowlege of God and our teaching of God's Word leads us to love God more then God is glorified through our lives.
Bro. John Darlong takes us through Isaiah 40:28 - 31 and shows us how God purposes renewal in our lives. Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. Just as an eagle goes through renewal, so also God may take us through a process of renewal. A new year is a good opportunity to take stock of our lives and set things in their right priority.
As a church, God has given us a vision and a mission. We envision a Christ-centred, Spiritual community, passionate for the glory of God in all things. Our mission in order to accomplish this vision is to Gather, to Grow, to Give and to Go.
Listen to this sermon to understand what this looks like.
This sermon is based on the angelic announcement to the Shepherds in Luke 2:8 - 20. The Lord Jesus was born in the time of the great Roman emperor Caesar Augustus. Christ was born in the most humble of circumstances, but His lineage was in the line of David, the great king of Israel, the one to whom the Messianic prophecy was made (2 Samuel 7). Christ's birth was announced by a host of angels singing, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased." God's peace is on those who are justified according to God's sovereign election and through their faith Christ (Romans 5:1).
This is the third and final message in the series on the family. The first message dealt with marriage. The second message was about parents and children. The third focusses on how relationships change when children leave their parent's home, usually around the time that they get married.
The new relationships formed when children leave are each important and have their place. They can also often become a source of conflict. How should married children relate to their parents and the parents of their spouse and vice versa? What about the role of grandparents in the family? Do they have any significant role beyond caring for the grandchildren occasionally? And finally, the relationship between siblings as they grow up and leave their parents home is an important one to consider. Listen to this sermon as we discuss these relationships and what the Bible has to say about them.
The idea of a family was created and purposed by God at the time of Creation itself in Genesis 1:28. When God created the man and woman and instituted marriage, he also mandated them to have children and to "fill the earth." Children and parenting is a part of God's good purpose in His creation. This sermon looks at the responsibility that parents have to their children and the responsibility that children have toward their parents.
This is a short three-part series to talk about the family unit. We Indian’s pride ourselves on our family values. In many ways, the family unit is much stronger than other places in the world. However, that does not mean that families in India are perfect or that everything is right about how our families work.
What we want as believers is not to be Indian in our family values, but Biblical in them. Neither do we want to try and be Western. We need to get back to the Bible to see what the family unit is all about.
This first sermon deals with marriage and God's design for marriage. It examines five Biblical truths about marriage:
- Marriage was instituted by God
- Marriage is between one man and one woman for life
- Marriage is between two equal partners
- Marriage is a partnership
- Marriage is a union
This sermons takes a closer look at Romans 1:24 - 27, focussing on human sexuality, particularly on homosexuality. There are several objections or reinterpretations of the orthodox Biblical understanding on homosexuality. Some people view at Paul being sensitive because it was not widely practiced in his time. Some people say that it is "lust", "shameless acts" and "dishonourable passions" that this text is condemning, and not homosexual relationships that are loving and committed. Another objection to the orthodox and historical Biblical understanding is that some people are simply born homosexual, and it would be contrary to their nature to only pursue heterosexual relationships. A final objection dealt with in this sermon is that Jesus did not expressly condemn homosexuality in the Gospels.
Listen to this sermon to understand the Biblical responses to each of these objections and the clear way in which Christ affirms God's creation of human beings as male and female.
Romans 1:24 - 32 is a discussion on God's response to man's rejection of Him. Even though God's eternal power and divine nature are clearly manifest in the things that have been made, people reject God and they worship created things or the image of created things. In effect they exchange God's glory for things that have been created. God responds to this by giving people over to their sin, or handing them over to their sin. This may sometimes have a reforming effect (Luke 15:11 - 24; 1 Cor. 5:5). However, at other times this may have the effect of hardening people in their sin (2 Peter 2:12 - 14).
This sermon discusses the effects of God handing a person over to their sin - there is an increase in their desire for impurity; there is a loss of a sense of what is natural, good and right; there is a loss of rationality. This text serves as a warning to us to not persevere in sin, lest there be no way back. It also ought to create in us a sense of urgency to proclaim the good news of the gospel to people and to pray earnestly for their salvation.
This is the second message in this series on our Mission as a church. We are to Gather, to Grow, to Give, and to Go. This sermon looks at the second two aspects of the Mission - To Give and to Go. As members of the body we are to Give of our time, our resources, our energy, for sake of the gospel of Christ. The health and growth of the church is directly proportionate to the way we give. We also Go because that is intrinsically part of giving.
Bro. Sajan looks at it in this way. When the early church took seriously the commission to Go, they willingly Gave their time and resources. As they did that, they also increasingly Gathered together as believers. That gathering led to them growing. This sermon looks more specifically at the aspects of Giving and Going.
The Mission of DBF Dwarka is fourfold - To Gather, to Grow, to Give and to Go. This first sermon looks at the first two aspects of our Mission - to Gather and to Grow. Our vision is to be a 'Christ-centred Spiritual community passionate about the glory of God in all things.' In order to accomplish this vision, we need to be committed to the Mission of gathering and growing as a community. To Gather means to be committed to the body of Christ. To be a meaningfully engaged believer in the local church. Like the early church in Acts we gather on Sundays and in homes for Life Groups.
To Grow - The church is also a community that grows together. It is through our fellowship with one another that we can grow in accordance with God's Word. We're called to pursue spiritual growth individually and corporately, and the two are not mutually exclusive.
In Romans 1:18 - 23 the Scriptures describe for us how people suppress the truth about God. They first ignore God's clear revelation of His eternal power and divine nature in creation. Psalm 19:1 - 3 talks about the heavens declaring the glory of God. Secondly, they do not honour God as God. They do not give God the highest seat of honour and glory in their lives. Thirdly, they do give thanks to God. Thanksgiving is an act of faith that speaks of our confidence and satisfaction in God. Those who suppress God's truth in their lives, are those who grumble and complain about life. Fourthly, they exchange the glory of God for images of created things. In a refined way, people idolize things like money, their qualifications, their career, children, marriage, their reputation etc., giving them ultimate importance in their lives. While these things are important, they should never take God's place.
A life without God leads to futility of mind and darkness of understanding. Only the presence and power of God in the life of a person can enable them to live a fulfilled and joyful life.
Romans 1:18 - 23 speaks of God's righteous anger against sin. The section from Romans 1:18 to 3:20 is a discussion on the absolute dominance and pervasiveness of sin in the world and over all mankind. Paul discusses this subject within his presentation of the righteousness of God that is gifted to all those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. This gift of righteousness is the most glorious and wonderful news in light of the dominance and pervasiveness of sin and God's righteous judgement against sin. Those who trust in Jesus are set free from the punishment, the power, and ultimately the presence of sin.
Romans 1:16 - 17 tells us that the righteousness of God is received by faith in Jesus Christ. Our good works, or righteous deeds cannot justify us before God. In fact, there is no human that is righteous before God. God therefore sent His Son Jesus to become our righteousness so that through Him, and by faith in Him we might be saved. This sermon take a deeper look at Biblical faith. Biblical faith is believing from the heart (Romans 10:9, 10). Biblical Faith is a gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). Biblical Faith is persevering in nature (Hebrews 10:39; cf. Romans 1:17). Biblical faith is evidenced by a changing life (James 2:17).
Peter in his first epistle, provides a wonderful description of faith in 1 Peter 1:8–9, “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
Romans 1:16 - 17 are key verses in Paul's letter to the Romans. They form the basis of all that Paul is going to discuss in the rest of his letter. Paul is not ashamed of the gospel because the gospel is the power of God to save people. There is nothing that can change lives like the gospel of Christ can. Paul experienced it in his own life, and he saw the effects of it when he told other people about Christ. Moreover, in the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed. God freely and graciously credits or imputes His righteousness to those who put their faith in Jesus. It is because of these things that Paul is unashamed of the gospel of Christ, and is eager to proclaim it whenever and wherever the Lord gives him opportunity to do so.
True Christian concern is borne out of a heart and life that understands the gospel of God. When we begin to comprehend the depth of the love and grace of God for us in Christ Jesus it changes us. This happened in Paul's life. He was a mob leader, arresting and even killing Christian's before the Lord Jesus met him and changed his life. What we see in Romans 1:8 - 15 is a wonderful expression of that changed life. His example of Christian concern is instructive for us. True Christian concern is evident in these four ways:
- Celebrate one another’s faith
- Care for one another through fellowship
- Encourage one another through the Word
- Engage with those who don’t know Christ
What is the Gospel? It is the good news that the Lord Jesus came into the world to save sinners. This gospel originated in the heart of God, and it is about God. Another way to say it is, God is the gospel. He is what the gospel is all about and what we are saved for. This gospel was something that God had purposed before the foundation of the world. God had planned, in eternity, to send His Son Jesus, who was descended from David according to His flesh, but was manifest as the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead. This gospel was taught and brought to us by the apostles, one of whom is Paul. Listen to this message as we begin this series in the book of Romans.