Matthew 10:34-39

The characterization of Jesus as a peace-loving hippy that the general population holds of our Lord does not actually square with the Biblical account of the Gospels. Jesus said some truly shocking and radical things that polarized the people of his day: Jesus came to bring a sword? Does that sound like following Jesus will mean an easy life? With these words Jesus cuts to the heart of what it means to be his followers: division, opposition, even combat with the world. As Jesus is embraced and accepted by some with joy he will also be vehemently rejected by others with contempt. The result is inevitably a sword: even among those we hold dearest. This is the cost of following Jesus; this is what it means to be his disciple. He must have our supreme allegiance. There can be no middle ground. The call to faith is the call to forsake all and follow Jesus. Have you counted the cost?

Matthew 10:34-36

We often picture Jesus as gentle, compassionate, and the “Prince of Peace.” But in Matthew 10, He says, “I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” These aren’t two different versions of Jesus. The same Saviour who brings peace with God also divides. Drawing a clear line between those who follow Him and those who don’t, even within the closest relationships.

Deuteronomy 20:16-18

The accounts of God’s commands to the Israelites to devote the peoples of Canaan to destruction have at times been used to portray God as vindictive or even as a moral monster. Yet when these texts are read carefully in their broader biblical context, a different picture emerges: while God’s judgment on sin is real and at times severe, He consistently reveals Himself as one who delights in mercy. That truth reaches its clearest expression in the sending of His one and only Son, who bore the judgment we deserved so that we might receive the mercy we could never earn.

Deuteronomy 20:16-18

The first passage in our “My Weird & Wonderful Bible” summer series seems both bizarre and unsettling – a text where God instructs the Israelites to completely eradicate the Canaanites from the Promised Land ... a text that some have mistaken as a divine mandate for “ethnic cleansing” ... a text that seemingly highlights an extreme disparity between “the God of the Old Testament” and “the God of the New Testament.” This sermon will point out that neither objection is true ... that the character of “the God of the OT” is more patient, loving and gracious than people often assume, and that “the God of the NT” is much more consistent about judgment from OT to NT than people often assume. Ultimately, there is also bloodshed in the NT that it is levelled against Jesus – a game changer in the unfolding history of redemption.

Deuteronomy 20:16-18

As we embark on our summer series called My Weird & Wonderful Bible, this sermon addresses a common difficulty people have with the Old Testament: The number of texts where God instructs the Israelites to completely eradicate the Canaanites from the Promised Land. The key questions at hand are, 1. Is this Divinely mandated “Ethnic Cleansing”?; 2. Why does the God of the Old Testament seem so different from the God of the New Testament? This sermon will seek to address these questions and how God-ordained violence in the Bible fits into redemptive history and Good News to all nations.

Luke 6:27–36

Loving our enemies doesn't come naturally, and it may be one of the mostdifficult things Jesus ever asks of us. But in Luke 6:27–36, we discover that this commandisn't rooted in human effort but in God's incredible mercy toward us. In this challenging yetbeautiful passage we see how God's love changes our hearts and empowers us to extendgrace and mercy to those who need it most.

Luke 6:27-36

When Jesus said ‘love your enemies and do good to those who hate you’, could he possibly have known about all the evil in the world? Of course he did. It was because of that evil, our sinfulness, that He came to this earth. Does our Christian walk seek to imitate that kind of love?

Luke 6:27-36

When Jesus said ‘love your enemies and do good to those who hate you’, could he possibly have known about all the evil in the world? Of course he did. It was because of that evil, our sinfulness, that He came to this earth. Does our Christian walk seek to imitate that kind of love?