City Church Sheffield Podcast

Habakkuk doesn't just rush to God with a complaint; he determines to wait on God and listen to this answer.

The writer finishes the letter by requesting that his readers pray for him and bear with his word of exhortation. He also prays to the God of peace and of power, that God will equip his readers through his Word, his Church and his Spirit, to the glory of God.

Habakkuk confronts God when it looks as if God has forsaken the covenant. Like him, our faith should enable us to wrestle with God when we are perplexed. This involves taking the problem to God, being honest with God about our questions, not prescribing the answers, and learning to wait when God does not respond straight away.

We must guard the treasure we have received by remembering its value and putting it to work. NB - The sound quality improves after a minute or so

We are called to live a certain way because we have come to the holy one who makes us holy. The exhortations in this passage are not just a list of rules but are part of our DNA.

Paul's plea is for contentment, not to think too much of money or whether we have to much or too little, but instead to worship God, who is our treasure.

Like Timothy, we are men and women of God, holy people and children of God, and so we are encouraged to live accordingly.

Jesus has inaugurated a new exodus. God's calling us to to enlarge the borders of our tent, and our children will go to the nations.

The gospel leads to godliness, being content with the essentials. If we drift from the the gospel we will be led in a totally different direction, where we are greedy for money.

We stand not at Mount Sinai, which was a place of fear, but at Mount Zion, a place of joy, because of Jesus who is a mediator of a new covenant.

Paul wants both slaves and masters to be transformed by the Holy Spirit. and to recognise that they are united together in Christ.

God commands us to rest, and Jesus frees us from four burdens - the pressure to prove ourselves, the pressure to meet other people's expectations, the pressure to try and stay in control and the pressure to live life to the max.

We are meant to run the race together as a body, encouraging, challenging and sharpening one another. All are encouraged to run the race.

It is right that we should honour the Church elders, whilst avoiding a misplaced loyalty.

The life Jesus calls us to is a life where we can expect hardship. There's nothing wrong with lamenting or wrestling with God in difficulties, but we must also remember that God is treating us as sons.

God cares for the destitute and the church must too. Our life should be shaped by compassion, wisdom, responsibility and dignity.

The gifts of the Spirit are given to us to glorify Jesus. They show God's generosity, and they are for the good of the whole body. [The first few minutes of this message were not recorded - apologies.]

Walking by the Spirit is not for the select few, but is for all of us. It involves conflict within us, cultivating fruit and crucifying the flesh, and involves us as a community not just as individuals.

Leaning on somebody is a sign of weakness, but when we lean on Jesus God's power is seen in our weakness. People should be able to ask "Who is that, and who is it they're leaning on?"

Just as David defeated Goliath by holding on to the word of God, we too can exercise reckless faith in the face of giants as we remember the promises that he has made to us.

God's great plan was to bring people together. We ought to relate to one another as family; with respect, love and purity.

We can react badly when hardship and trials come, but we should not look to our circumstances for ultimate truth. We mustn't forget that God is treating us as sons.

Fasting can help us to draw close to God. God's people fasted in the Bible when they were in trouble, when they needed a breakthrough, when they were on the brink of something new or when seeking direction from God.

In order to train ourselves to be Godly, we need to eat healthy spiritual food and be disciplined in our everyday routine.

Discipline from God is seen in the context of family relationships. It is fundamental in the relationship between father and child. It is painful but fruitful. Parental discipline is just a poor imitation of God's discipline.

God directs his people for a purpose, but we can easily become discouraged when things go wrong. Are we willing to step back and pray; obey him; step into the impossible; and worship even before we reach our destination?

We belong to God because he made us, bought us and won us. In what is an amazing exchange, God also gives himself to us.

Jesus is the pioneer of our faith. He didn't just lead the way but he made the way. He is also the perfecter of our faith who finished the work of redemption on the cross.

The church is called to match the gospel. The church is God's household, the dwelling place of the living God, and the pillar and foundation of the truth.

We need to get rid of sin, but also of anything else that hinders us running the race. We are not to focus on the cloud of witness, or their faith, but on the object of their faith.

Jesus came to serve, not to be served, and God's people are called to be a community of servants, but some people have a specific calling as servants / deacons.

Jesus equipped his disciples by giving them peace, opening their minds to understand the Scriptures and promising them power. He equips us in the same way.

Phinehas was jealous for God's honour. We should have the same attitude towards God's honour. Sin does not honour God and so it needs to be killed.

Living by faith takes us out of our comfort zones, but the people of God in the Old Testament had their weaknesses turned to strength. We can trust God in all circumstances.

It was worth Satan's while to discourage Elijah, and it is worth his while to discourage us as individuals and as a church. God overcomes Elijah's discouragement by refreshing him, by restoring him with a still small voice, and by reinstating him.

God is a generous God who loves to give, and loves it when we give generously and cheerfully. [A small section of the message at around 38 mins was not recorded due to technical difficulties]

We need to remember and understand the resurrection of Jesus in order to believe it.

Jesus teaches us to approach God with personal reverence, addressing him as our father, and also with shameless persistence and childlike confidence.

It's time to seek the Lord because God wants to bless his people and make us more fruitful and so we need to break up our unploughed ground. It's good to sing his praises, confess our sin, ask things of him, fast and meditate on him.

It is easy to focus on ourselves rather than on Jesus, and make excuses why we can't trust him. But it's not about us, it's about him, and we are called to trust and obey him.

There is still room for more people in the Jubilee Centre and in God's Kingdom. God has blessed us all with wonderful gifts, so let's cast out the nets for a fresh catch.

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.