City Church Sheffield Podcast

We need to recognise the danger of becoming conceited, and be careful to avoid sin by fleeing to God, so that we don't fall into disgrace.

Moses' parents were helpless to protect Moses against Pharaoh, but they trusted God. Moses could have remained a prince of Egypt but he trusted God and chose Christ over comfort.

Paul urges us all, no matter who we are, to keep on being filled with the Holy Spirit. It is our calling to be people of the Spirit.

An elder should be an ordinary guy, devoted to his wife if he has one, and of excellent character. He must be an example of what the gospel does in the life of a believer.

Isaac, Jacob and Joseph all looked ahead to the future. Isaac knew that God had chosen to bless Jacob and Jacob knew that God had chosen to give Ephraim a greater blessing the Manasseh.

Elders have the noble task of shepherding the flock, which includes guiding the sheep, governing them and guarding them against danger.

We don't know what 2018 has in store for us, but as followers of Jesus, we follow Jesus wherever he leads. We may pay a cost, but we also get to be with Jesus.

There are four ways we can celebrate Christmas: We can walk in the darkness, or we can cope with it by partying once a year, or we can forget it, or we can acknowledge it but recognise that a great light has dawned.

Abraham believed God when tested, when it didn't make sense and with everything. Like him, we too are encouraged to trust God in all circumstances.

We need to see why Paul says different things to men and women. We need to make and celebrate three affirmations - the equality of men and women, their differences, and their unity.

God wants to stir in us a passion for Jesus. Our passion for him is a response to his love for us and will stir us to action.

David wanted the presence of God in Jerusalem, but he needed to take both the holiness and the word of God more seriously. Similarly, we need to take the teaching of Jesus seriously.

Abraham had faith to go where God told him to go even though he wasn't told initially all that God would do for him. We like to see what God's plans are for our future, but God wants us to take a small step of faith even when we don't know what will happen.

God's kingdom extended beyond Israel and it extends beyond our church. The kingdom extends when we have faith and are forgiving, like Naaman's servant girl, when we are unimpressed with the things of this world and seek to heal the sick, like Elisha, and when we are obedient to God's word, like Naaman.

We idolise ourselves by making ourselves the centre of our lives, and there are two symptoms of self-worship - worry and guilt. God wants his people to worship only him.

There are positive accounts in the New Testament of women teaching, but what Paul has in mind is women teaching when the whole church gathers together. This is what is prohibited. This message looks at three ways in which this text is sometimes unhelpfully softened. It then looks at three key words that help us understand what Paul was specifically prohibiting, before considering three possible reactions.

When the church misses the grace of God there can be quarrels and disputing, and also an unhelpful focus on outward appearances. There are four steps to real beauty: receive acceptance from God, believe in Biblical beauty, serve God gladly and choose clothes wisely.

Moses faced a big decision: should he merely accept God's promises for Israel, or should he ask for something more, relationship with God himself?

We can often rely on other things. God calls us to primarily rely on Him, and when we do, he strengthen us.

Like Jonah, some of us need a change in direction, a change in action and a change of heart.

Noah's faith is described as a holy fear. He is commended, not because he built the ark, but because of his faith.

Let's be courageous, holy and gentle when we come to pray.

We don't see great exploits with Abel and Enoch, but we see two men walking with God day by day which are examples for us.

We are called to pray for kings and rulers, including our own MPs, for peace and health, rather than getting involved in political arguments with people who disagree with us. Like the Roman emperor, our leaders can unwittingly enable the spread of the gospel.

Faith helps us not only to look forward to our hope, but also to look back at what God has done. We can be creative with what we already have but only God creates the world out of nothing. Faith is not blind but is based on God's revelation through his Word and through his Son.

In order to increase our faith to pray, Paul reminds us that there is only one God, who is the God of everything and is our only Saviour who cares for everyone. There is also one mediator, who takes us by the hand to take us to the Father, and there is only one ransom which was paid to set us free.

Faith is described: it is believing God. Faith is commended. In Hebrews 11 we see faith in action.

The call to prayer is urgent, the way to pray is varied and the focus of our prayers is everyone. Talking to God is important, and it is also our greatest privilege.

Daniel faced a whole range of challenges in Babylon, how did he remain in the culture and honour God? How do we make Godly decisions in a society which does not honour God.

It doesn't matter how weak I am, what matters is that I am called. I don't need a perfect life and unquestioning faith, just a humble heart and a commitment to be obedient to God.

Ruth, a widow from the despised people of Moab, is embraced by the covenant love of God. She finds hope and a future through Boaz her kinsman-redeemer. Jesus is the ultimate redeemer: let us enjoy his wonderful love and faithfulness and extend his heart to the vulnerable.

We must be careful not to drift. Paul does two things to help the church in Ephesus: firstly he tells Timothy to stop people teaching false doctrine, and secondly he tells Timothy to teach sound doctrine.

Without Jesus, there is only judgement. We are called to persevere by remembering God's faithfulness in the past, by looking forward to what is coming, and by holding on to what is true.

When we follow Jesus, we get a new identity. We get caught up into God's plans rather than catching him up into our plans. Without always knowing precisely where God is leading us, God transforms our character in community and through trials.

Paul knows Timothy is facing significant challenges but encourages him, and us, to remind ourselves of the glorious gospel of Christ and allow worship and gratitude to flow.

Jesus is the new and living way - he is the way to the Father, and the only way.

The Law is good at warning us, convicting us, pointing us to Jesus and teaching us what holiness looks like. But unlike the glorious Gospel, it can never change our hearts, never save us, nor make us more like Jesus.

Dan talks us through the importance of water baptism for believers and follows of Jesus.

This is spring, a time for new life. It is also a time for those who have been pressed down to spring up, and for springs of living water to flow through us. We are to live as Spirit-filled Christians not just on Sundays but wherever we are and however dry we feel.

We have confidence to enter the most holy place, but are we confident when we come before God? Let's draw near to him, hold unswervingly to the faith we profess, and spur each other on.

Prophets engage with God face to face, but Jonah fled from God's face, and fell asleep instead of calling on God. But the turning point comes when he acknowledges his identity as a Hebrew who worships the Lord. God is calling us back to face to face fellowship with him.

The Law is good, but it is a shadow pointing to Christ. It cannot make us perfect but Jesus does; it reminds us of sins, but now God remembers our sins no longer; sacrifices don't please God, but Christ does, and they have to be repeated but the work of Christ is finished.

The Law is good, but it is a shadow pointing to Christ. It cannot make us perfect but Jesus does; it reminds us of sins, but now God remembers our sins no longer; sacrifices don't please God, but Christ does, and they have to be repeated but the work of Christ is finished.

Our goal is love, and we can grow in love by cultivating a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith.

Paul is passionate both about the glorious gospel of grace, which is received by faith, and also about the church, and so he urges Timothy to remain where he is to ensure that the church doesn't move on from the gospel. [Download Dan's slides](https://d2lpchbt6qg0df.cloudfront.net/uploads/1_Timothy_intro.pptx)

Jesus commissions his followers to take the message of hope to the world, but he doesn't just leave us to get on with it. He gives us his Holy Spirit and so we can expect him to work through us.

Mary didn't believe initially, and neither did the two on the Emmaus Road or the eleven apostles. But Jesus doesn't start again with a new group of disciples, he gently rebukes them. When God rebukes us for our disbelief, this should lead to repentance not discouragement.

Without Easter Sunday, Good Friday would have been a disaster, but we see the power of God over sin and death. The resurrection of Jesus changes everything, and the power of God that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in us

We are encouraged to be convinced that Jesus really did die on the cross, to be faithful like the women who stood by Jesus at the cross and to be bold like Joseph of Arimathea.

We see the most awful and also the most awesome moment in history, as our sin is transferred to Jesus and he is forsaken by God. But when he dies the darkness disappears and the centurion recognises who Jesus really is.