SLE Church Sermons

The dragon flexes his muscles in Revelation 12 and unleashes two beasts forming an unholy trinity to devour and destroy believers in Revelation 13. As we turn the page to Revelation 14 we will see ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/to-the-one-who-conquers-the-saved-and-the-judged/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

Satan, the defeated dragon has been cast down to earth, unable to destroy the church, yet he remains dangerous, seeking to do as much damage as he can. Satan raises up two beasts in this ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/to-the-one-who-conquers-the-two-beasts/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

Ever since the resurrection and ascension of Jesus the church has faced persecution and Christians have lost their lives simply because they chose to follow Christ. Blood continues to be spilt even to this day, ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/to-the-one-who-conquers-war-of-the-dragon/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

The Book of Ezekiel seeks to reveal the LORD God to us in judgement and in hope. In the final vision of Ezekiel (chapters 40-48), we are given one last and very great revelation of ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/that-we-might-know-the-lord-in-judgement-and-hope-hope-for-all/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

Israel’s (and humanity’s) hope lies in the LORD Himself who acts to vindicate His holy name, who acts by giving new life through His very own Spirit. Nothing short of re-creation is needed for new ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/that-we-might-know-the-lord-in-judgement-and-hope-hope-for-israel-part-2/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

Finally! Finally, we get to the great ‘hope’ we’ve been longing to hear in the second ‘half’ of Ezekiel’s book. This section of hope kicks off with the reversal of Israel’s bad leadership that has ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/that-we-might-know-the-lord-in-judgement-and-hope-hope-for-israel/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

Chapter 33 brings to the end the first half of Ezekiel which has the singular point of revealing God’s judgement, which will fall upon both Israel and all the nations. At the centre of this ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/that-we-might-know-the-lord-in-judgement-and-hope-the-fall-of-jerusalem/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

After weeks of judgement messages upon Israel for her well-deserved sins, God gave them the final word last week. Babylon had now surrounded Jerusalem; their judgement had arrived. With these words, God’s focus moves. From ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/that-we-might-know-the-lord-in-judgement-and-hope-judgement-on-the-nations/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

Over the past 20 chapters of Ezekiel the warning of judgement to come has rung out again and again. Well, the end has now begun. Nebuchadnezzar has marched his forces to Jerusalem to begin his ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/that-we-might-know-the-lord-in-judgement-and-hope-the-weighty-arrival-of-judgement/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

Many of us proclaim that Jesus is Lord and Saviour – but in our heart of hearts do we actually trust something else to give us security in life? Have we made an alliance in ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/that-we-might-know-the-lord-in-judgement-and-hope-false-hope-and-true-hope/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

One commentator writes: “No one presses the margins of literary propriety as severely as Ezekiel (does in chapter 16).” It’s a shocking chapter telling the shocking story of Israel’s treatment of God couched in the ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/that-we-might-know-the-lord-in-judgement-and-hope-abhorrent-whoring-amazing-grace/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

The remnant in exile is to be clear on the reasons and the tragedy of the LORD’s judgement, so that they would commit themselves to being faithful to the LORD, rejecting idolatry, longing for the ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/that-we-might-know-the-lord-in-judgement-and-hope-judgement-against-jerusalem/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

Last week we saw that God’s patience had run out. Ezekiel was being commissioned as prophet of doom and gloom. Well, that doom and gloom is here. And it is perhaps more worse and more ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/that-we-might-know-the-lord-in-judgement-and-hope-wrath-against-jerusalem/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

There is a timer counting down slowly for all of us – with an unknown quantity of time on it. Every moment it counts down until at some point we will have run out of ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/that-we-might-know-the-lord-in-judgement-and-hope-ezekiel-commissioned/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

Ezekiel is one of the most challenging books to read and understand, but it is worth our effort, because it is the word of God, and it seeks to give us a deeper and clearer ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/that-we-might-know-the-lord-in-judgement-and-hope-vision-of-gods-glory/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

What is a ‘Vision’? It is what we hope we will become. A vision acts as both a guide (where do we want to go) and a measure (how are we going at the moment). ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/mission-values-vision-our-vision/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

We believe that the saving grace of Jesus Christ has broken down all barriers among believers. Through the gospel, believers from all backgrounds are reconciled to God and with each other. We relate to each ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/mission-values-and-vision-valuing-our-unity-in-christ/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

Every Christian is encouraged to be continuously and actively involved in discipling others, whatever your age or stage of life.

Prayer is the privilege of every believer to speak to our heavenly Father. We believe that God calls His people to pray in response to His Word, expressing our trust in and dependence on God’s ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/mission-values-vision-valuing-prayerful-dependence/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

We believe the Bible is God’s word and that it reveals to us His plan for salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. We believe it is one unified story that was inspired by God and ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/mission-values-vision-valuing-the-right-handling-of-gods-word/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

God seeks his honour and glory above all else, achieving that through the proclamation of the death and resurrection of his Son to believers, that they might mature into the likeness of Christ, and to ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/mission-values-vision-our-mission/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

Judgement is held back from the earth until all of God’s people are sealed. An encouragement about the identity of God’s people, a comfort that their pain and suffering is not forgotten, and a reminder ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/to-the-one-who-conquers-sealed-before-the-seventh-seal/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

The Lamb opens the seals showing his sovereignty in judgement on the earth and in the persecution of believers, as final judgement awaits. This brings understanding, comfort and perseverance to believers as they await final ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/to-the-one-who-conquers-the-six-seals/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

The vision of heaven sees God on His throne in charge and in control over all rule and all creation, and sees Jesus the Son as the slain lamb who reveals and fulfils God’s plan ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/to-the-one-who-conquers-the-throne-and-the-lamb/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

We have a happy ending as Job is restored by God in the sight of all, helping us see how good and gracious Yahweh is.

When Yahweh appears with questions, Job recognises the ignorance behind his words and repents. He realises he has been too demanding and is reminded that God is God and in control, worthy of his trust, ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/wisdom-in-the-eye-of-the-storm-wisdom-revealed/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

Our search for wisdom must find its destination in the fear of the Lord. As Christians, we need to recognize the heightened, yet ultimately limited, human ability to seek and get what we need and ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/wisdom-in-the-eye-of-the-storm-a-key-word-about-wisdom/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

When someone is suffering and grieved, there is commonly five stages of experience during these difficult times. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. What sometimes makes the book of Job hard to understand is that ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/wisdom-in-the-eye-of-the-storm-when-wisdom-fails/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

Job’s friends’ wisdom about suffering is wrong in content and attitude. True wisdom that comforts and helps consists of proper understanding as well as humility and grace. That is, true wisdom is both theological and ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/wisdom-in-the-eye-of-the-storm-the-unhelpfulness-of-narrow-wisdom/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

Job, a prosperous and faithful man, has everything he has destroyed in a test – yet he passes, establishing for us that he has done no wrong in God’s sight.

More important than the truth of the resurrection of Jesus is our desperate need for it to be true. Without the resurrection of Christ Jesus, we live life in the shadow of death without escape ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/resurrection-of-christ-desperately-needed/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

Laodicea, rich and successful, became self-sufficient and Jesus-deficient. The church thought greatly of themselves, yet Jesus has the opposite assessment. The church needed to renew their zeal for Jesus and for what Jesus gives or ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/to-the-one-who-conquers-conquer-self-sufficiency/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love, was not showing much love to Christ’s church. Opposition was not new, the other churches were encountering it as well. But in the face of discouragement and hostility, Jesus ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/to-the-one-who-conquers-conquer-doubt/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

In a time of increasing persecution and the need to persevere under trial, Sardis was a bright shining light: a church that had it all together. The envy of all other churches and the place ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/to-the-one-who-conquers-conquer-a-good-reputation/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

The church at Thyatira, an insignificant trade city, faced great socioeconomic pressures to conform to false worship and works. The church were strong in doing the works of Jesus, but they made the grave error ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/to-the-one-who-conquers-conquer-tolerance/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

Pergamum, at the very centre of Roman Religious Worship, where ‘Satan’s throne is’, posed a huge challenge to the Pergamum Church. The great threat of compromise to avoid pain or to enjoy gain was exacerbated ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/to-the-one-who-conquers-conquer-compromise/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

Following Jesus is hard – not just because our sinful nature wants to keep rebelling against our loving saviour, but also because our world (and even some who claim the name ‘God’s people’) press hard ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/to-the-one-who-conquers-conquer-fear-of-suffering/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

Ephesus is enduring and discerning but has lost its first love. Jesus, the ruler of his church, calls them to repent, warning them of failure to listen and encouraging them with a promise for those ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/to-the-one-who-conquers-conquer-loveless-orthodoxy/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

In our first part of this series, we will be exploring the letter to the churches (Revelation 1-3). John’s message to the seven churches is a message that God’s church needs to hear through every ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/to-the-one-who-conquers-the-revelation/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

In what is one of the strangest parables Jesus ever taught, we are challenged to be better than the world in living in light of the future. The people of this world cleverly and consistently ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/discipleship-money-matters/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

“Forgiveness… can you imagine?” A line sung at one of the most poignant moments in the musical Hamilton when the main character’s wife shows him forgiveness after an adulterous affair. The lyric rings with astonishment: ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/discipleship-three-times-found/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

Following Jesus is hard. The past few weeks we’ve read Jesus laying down challenge after challenge to our discipleship. But I think that in this week’s passage Jesus will throw down the ultimate challenge: if ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/discipleship-count-the-cost/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

As Jesus feasts with the Pharisees, we see clear reasons why they will NOT be a part of the heavenly feast when the Kingdom of God comes in full in the future. Their attitudes and ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/discipleship-faulty-feasting/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

Life is full of BIG questions, but none are more important than questions about salvation. In this passage, an unnamed questioner asks Jesus: “will those who are saved be few?”. Jesus responds by urging his ... <a href="https://sle.church/2021/discipleship-entering-the-kingdom-of-god/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

A disciple of Jesus walks daily in personal repentance be it through suffering or blessing.

Christmas is coming! With that deadline, despite all that is happening in our world today, we’re busy preparing ourselves: getting presents ready, making travel plans to (hopefully) be able to see family, and generally organising ... <a href="https://sle.church/2020/discipleship-you-must-be-ready/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

Money and material possessions are good gifts from God, but they have a way of troubling all people – fostering greed in those who want more and more and inducing anxiety for those striving after ... <a href="https://sle.church/2020/discipleship-troubled-with-greed-and-need/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

The Christian faith will always be lived out amidst disapproval, opposition and persecution. What Jesus experienced will be unavoidably experienced by all his disciples. So then how are we to deal with this fact of ... <a href="https://sle.church/2020/discipleship-right-fear/" class="more-link">Read More</a>

It’s not often we get to see the anger of our Lord Jesus on full display. Imagine standing in the room as Jesus scolded the Pharisees with some of the harshest words you’ve ever heard ... <a href="https://sle.church/2020/discipleship-with-him-or-against-him-part-2/" class="more-link">Read More</a>