Sermons

This morning we continue our study through the book of Acts. As I’ve mentioned many times, Acts is historical theological narrative, that’s the genre or kind of literature the Holy Spirit chose to communicate God’s message through. A narrative, a ...

7 principles for powerful prayer: Be zealous for God’s glory. Get to know God’s character. Identify with God’s people. Pray God’s Word. Recognize God’s power. Remember your adoption as God’s children. Ask for specific things. Israel rebelled again...

The responsibility of an evangelists is to faithfully preach the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit and leave the results to God. If we get obsessed with gaining converts or avoiding a bad response – we are going to change the message into som...

Ephesians 2:8–10 is a summary of God’s work of salvation with an emphasis on salvation being by grace, through faith, of God, thus not by works, but for good works. When believers understand who they are in Christ, because of God’s gracious salvat...

Open your Bibles to Acts 15. We been working our way through the book of Acts and have come to Acts 15. Acts 15 is the central chapter in the book. It deals with one of the most important counsels in church history and settles 2 central doctrines ...

The Law is powerful to condemn (7:7-12) The Law is powerless to change (7:13-23) The Law points to Christ (7:24-25)

There is a tendency in all of us to want to elevate certain people above others. It’s one thing to honour a person in authority, or a person who has been used by God to bless us and encourage us – it’s another thing to venerate them and accord the...

3 truths that should shape your thinking and living more than Covid-19 this year. 1.   The Completeness of Christ’s Sovereignty 2.   The Significance of Spiritual Realities 3.   The Privilege of our Priestly Calling

6 biblical principles for dealing with sin. 1: Sin is to be dealt with privately. 2: Sin is to be dealt with personally. 3: Sin is to be dealt with specifically. 4: sin is to be dealt with lovingly. 5: sin is to be dealt with objectively. 6: Sin ...

This morning we continue our study through Acts as we look at Paul’s next series of trials before Festus and Agrippa in Acts 25. I’ve called this message “Out of the fire pan into the fire” because Paul seems to make it through one trial only to f...

People cannot live without hope. A person who has lost all hope has died before they’re dead. What is hope? Well there are two major elements, the one is confidence or certainty and the other is expectation or anticipation. Those are the two major...

3 ways justification changes God’s view of me. 1. God sees me just as I am 2. God sees me despite who I am 3. God sees me irrespective of who I am

God brings us from our emptiness to His fullness through the accomplishments of the Redeemer 4 accomplishments: 1. The Redeemer fulfils the law 2. The Redeemer purchases the bride and her inheritance 3. The Redeemer secures covenant blessings 4....

This text records one of the most important meetings in church history. The ruling of the counsel confirmed the churches understanding of : The nature of salvation: Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone and cannot be earned or merited b...

Obviously the first question we need to ask of this text is, why is it here? Why did God inspire Luke to include this portion of Paul’s testimony? What is the main theme of this text? The suffering that awaits Paul in Jerusalem. The text clarifies...

Because God has determined to love us, He will always provide for our every need, forgive our every sin, be with us in every circumstance and strengthen us through every trial until every loving purpose of His is fully fulfilled in our union with ...

We’ve been looking at the providence of God in the life of Elijah and applying what we learn to some of the realities we might be facing in the midst of this pandemic. Elijah appears out of nowhere in 1 Kings 17:1 with an announcement for the king...

In the book, “What’s so Great about Christianity” Dinesh D’Souza summarizes the impact of Christianity like this, "Christianity is responsible for the way our society is organized and for the way we currently live. So extensive is the Christian co...

We are approaching another election, political tensions are running high.  A friend of mine is doing a doctrinal thesis on immigration in South Africa and told me that there are more South African’s leaving the country than at any other time in ou...

The Lord promise us that if we seek what is pure, lovely, commendable, excellent and do what is worthy of praise, and think on these things and apply it to our lives, we will have God's peace that surpass all understanding.

The key elements/ features of sin are: 1. Corrupt thinking 2. Idolatrous worship 3. Depraved Emotions 4. Degraded bodies and actions 5. Broken Relationships

This morning we continue our study through the book of Acts as we come to Acts 18 and see how Paul’s second missionary journey ends. It’s a passage which gives us so many helpful insights into gospel ministry, into what we are supposed to be doing...

So here I am, in my kids wendy house which is exactly the right setting for this sermon, which I’ve called caged, confused, concerned. I think that describes what many of us are feeling at the moment. It’s a funny thing, we can sit Sunbathing on a...

We are putting forward 6 new elders and 4 new deacons to serve the church in these official capacities, so I thought it would be helpful to teach on these 2 offices and remind you what they are all about, why we have them and what you can do to ma...

The sure confidence we have of a changed life now 1: You are dead to sin (6:1-4) 2: You are alive in Christ (6:5-9) 3: You must live by faith (6:10-11)

India is number ten on Opendoors persecution watch list. One of the 10 most difficult countries for Christians to live in. One of the fastest rising levels of persecution. Was 31st in 2012, 15th in 2016. I was last there 5 years ago and can see th...

For the last few weeks we’ve been looking at Acts 15. Acts 15 is the central chapter in the book. It deals with one of the most important counsels in church history and settles 2 central doctrines in theology: 1) The nature of salvation and 2) the...

Freedom (8:1-3) Fullfilment (8:4-7) Faith (8:8-11)

1: The reign of death in Adam (Rom 5:12-14) 2: The reign of grace in Christ (Rom 5:15-21)

3 defining features of our pathway to glory 1 Profound weakness (26) 2 Perfect Intercession (26-27) 3 Providential Circumstances (28-29)

So today as in Jesus day the question is who is the wise man and who is the foolish man and by application am I the wise man or am I the foolish man and HOW CAN I KNOW? To answer these critical questions, we will look at: 1. The parable itself 2....

When we look at the world around us, the wicked often seem to enjoy many blessings while the righteous suffer. This is vexing. What we need is a God centered perspective so that we remember the ultimate end of the wicked and the great blessing of ...

As C.S Lewis explains in a letter: “The great thing, if you can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions to your ‘own’, or ‘real’ life. The truth is, of course, that what you call the interruptions are precisely your real l...

3 sins that hinder us from living for the glory of God and the extension of His kingdom. Worldly Covetousness. Worldly Concerns. Worldly Complacency. The purpose of the sermon is essentially the same each year – to remind us all that I am not the ...

Ephesians was written by the Apostle Paul whilst he was imprisoned in Rome sometime between AD60–62 (cf. (Phil 1:12, 24-25; Col 1:10; Philemon 23–24). During that same time, Paul wrote Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon. Ephesians and Colossian...

In 1 Thess 2, Paul is defending the Integrity of the Gospel by defending the Integrity of the Missionaries, their character and their conduct

3 perspectives that inform and motivate fervent prayer. 1.   The privilege of our calling 2.   The greatness of our Saviour 3.   The importance of our prayers

The Bible wastes no time in introducing us to a great spiritual battle which is going on. It began in Gen 3 and will only be concluded in Rev 21. It’s a battle, not between God and Satan but between mankind and Satan. Because God’s sovereignty and...

There are many reasons why people do not really hunger for God's Word, devote themselves to be in it and they do not see themselves being transformed by it. Paul offers his younger minister some sound reasons why God's Word is so essential for eve...

We know that the early church was severely persecuted for their faith. In this sermon we learn how Paul set about to build the Thessalonian church up and to help them to stand firm in their faith. Paul sends Timothy, one of his best men, to stre...

Ephesians 2:4–7 falls within Paul’s doctrinal section of his Epistle whereby he explains who believers are in Christ and within His church (Chapters 1–3). He begins in chapter 1 by explaining the gracious work of God, which began before He founded...

Summary: What is the greatest problem that mankind faces? • Not violence and crime and war – but what causes it. • Not sickness and disease and death – but what causes it • Not poverty and famine and oppression – but what causes it What is the gre...

The good news doesn’t mean anything, don’t have any reason to rejoice and be glad and celebrate unless we understand who this king is, who this savior is and why we need him. Often we present the gospel that way – I’ve got good news, God’s son die...

The gospel is: 1.   God's Glory (1:16) 2.   God's Power (1:17) 3.   God's Righteousness (1:18)

God sends his messenger to tell His nation why they are struggling. Because of....Oppression (4:1a), Feminism (4:1b), Idolatry (4:5), Legalism (4:5), Hypocrisy (4:6). South Africa is not only self-sufficient in virtually all major agricultural ...

4 facts that accompany our adoption as God's children - Our new leader (12-14) - Our new relationship (15-16) - Our new inheritance (17a) - Our new calling (17b-18)

For the last 7 chapters Luke has been tracing for us the 4th missionary journey, a journey which Paul had conceived of in the Spirit with gospel goals and intentions. A journey which would take him from Jerusalem to the center of the Roman empire ...

4 motivations to worship God for our justification 1) God's work on us (3-4) 2) God's Spirit in us (5) 3) God's son for us (6-9) 4) God's favour toward us (10-11)

Over the last few weeks I’ve tried to take a key passage and apply it to some of the things I believe we will be facing  as we face this pandemic. This morning I want to cover one last thing I believe we need, one last essential for facing this pa...

In Romans 3 we enter the courtroom where every single person is charged and found guilty 1: The charge: All people are completely sinful (3:9-12) 2: The evidence: our words, works and worship (3:13-18) 3: The verdict: Guilty as charged (3:19-20)

The problem (Rom 9:1-6) The solution (Rom 9:7-13) The implications (Rom 9:11)

When faced with a pandemic, some people run around frantically, trying to do everything they can to stop it, or control it, or protect themselves from it. Others passively resign themselves to it and let fate or nature take its course.  All of us ...

As we begin to rebuild our country, families, lives and livelihoods in the wake of the destruction caused by the Coronavirus pandemic. Let's be careful to makes sure we put God and His glory first. 3 questions we must ask ourselves about our prior...

It’s been many years since we’ve seen such a strong leadership team come to the fore. On average we lose one elder or deacon every year, so we wanted to grow the number of leaders so that we could have greater continuity and stability at the leade...

This text has been used to support apartheid and the oppression of black Africans but in fact it highlights God's plan to bless all nations. God has an international program. His plan of redemption concerns the nations, peoples, tribes and languag...

In this message God wants to encourage you to persevere in living for Him first and foremost by calling you to consider how the choices you make today – set the outcome and direction of your life in the long run. What you choose today, will have a...

For the past 2 weeks we have been looking at the topic of spiritual warfare. We’ve looked at the reality of Satan, the sovereignty of God, the battle for truth, the victory of Christ. We’ve considered the whole issue from the perspective of author...

In this message we learn from Ephesians what the church is to Christ: the fullness of Christ, the family of Christ, the temple of God, the wisdom of God the body of Christ, and His beloved bride. If you missed part 1, you really need to listen to ...

Let me ask you a lead question as we look at 1 Thessalonians. What is your deepest concern for the ones you love? Surely there can be no deeper concern than you Wife, husband, child, friend, neighbor, IS SAVED AND LOVED BY GOD and growing in the ...

• Sacrifice yourself to make much of God (Rom 12:1) • Saturate your life in the Scriptures (Rom 12:2) • Serve in specific ways in the church (Rom 12:3-8) • Show love and build relationships with others (Rom 12:9-13) ....and Covid related sickness ...

A new nighteousness (5:1) A new hope (5:2) A new boast (5:3-5)

a) What is truth and wisdom? b) Why is truth and wisdom important? c) Truth and wisdom in practice.

Positional sanctification Progressive sanctification Glorification

Imagine, on your way out this morning, the door stewards were standing there with packs of dynamite and handing a pack to each person as you exited. Imagine I told you that it’s your duty to faithfully discharge that dynamite in the world this wee...

Christ is supreme in - Creation - Authority - Time - Church - Death - Power -Everything

The parable of the sower - the seed of God's word is choked out by the worries of this world, the desire for riches, the temptations of the devil - which kind of soil are you?

In this text, these two worldviews meet head on in a titanic clash, which has reverberated down through the centuries to the present day as Athens hears the gospel: debater meets preacher, Mt Olympus meets Mt Zion, Philosophy meets theology, human...

How does one become a member of God’s people? Not by circumcision. Not by physical ancestry. By faith in Christ (evidenced in water baptism). What identifies church members ?(distinguishes God’s people from the world?) Not circumcision. Not physic...

Frustration of not knowing the length of load reduction. If you knew details of the future, you will live differently now. Likewise, if you knew how heaven will look like, you will live differently know. Therefore – God has given us a descripti...

The particular truth our text highlights is the truth about baptism. It gives us important insight into a very significant transition which was happening in the first century and it gives us an important corrective to many wrong views of the bapti...

The reality and reward of active faith: • The antithesis of faith: works (13-16) • The object of faith: God (17) • The content of faith: Scripture (18) • The struggle of faith: Human experience (19) • The nature of faith: Growing (20-21) • The rew...

This is our 4th week of being in a state of lockdown in South Africa. From the feedback we’ve been receiving it seems inevitable that the Coronavirus will sweep through our nation, many lives will be lost over the coming months and our economy wil...

9 evidences that the resurrection really happened: Definite Death (public, certified). Eye-witnesses (mentioned by name, who died for their testimony). Sunday worship (change after thousands of years of Sabbath worship). Sealed tomb (Large, guarde...

You have a new righteousness (for today) (Rom 3-7) • You have died to the Law (7:1-3) • You have been married to Christ (7:4-6)

5 gospel remedies for Covid sickness. Two are covered in this message, 3 covered in the next message 1: Sacrifice yourself to make much of God (Rom 12:1) 2: Saturate your life with God's truth (Rom 12:2)

6 characteristics of the gift of justification : 1) It is a personal gift 2) It is an unmerited gift 3) It is a priceless gift 4) It is a God exalting gift 5) It is a man humiliating gift 6) it is a lawful gift

We live in interesting days. We had Jandre’ wedding and 2 police cars came to check up that we were not more than 100 people, so we are likely to get some more inspections this morning. This pandemic is likely to go on, not for weeks, but for mont...

Who is my neighbour?

Luke-Acts is a 2 volume series which according to Luke 1:4 was inspired by God to give his readers confidence concerning the gospel message they had heard and believed. So Acts is written in story form, as a history of the spread of the gospel and...

This morning I want to launch our annual missions conference with a message about missions which I’ve called “One Master, One mission.” As Christians we have been called to serve on master in His one great mission. This master and this mission is ...

5 obstacles that need to be overcome in relationships that glorify Christ 1: Persecution (14) 2: Disparate circumstances and experiences (15) 3: Diverse culture and social status (16) 4: Wrong doing and sin (17-18) 5: Injustice (19-21)

This morning we continue with our study of Acts. One of the reasons why Luke was inspired to write his theological history of the early church – was to give Gentile believers assurance that they had believed the same gospel and were part of the sa...

1. The reality of slavery (6:15-19) 2. The result of slavery (6:20-23) 3. The response to slavery (6:12-14)

The narrative can be broken down into 3 sections – what happened leading up to Paul’s imprisonment, what happened during his imprisonment and what happened after. Or the narrative can be broken into its characters -The servant girl, the rich busin...

As Christians we should live for God's glory and be a light onto the world whether we are going through trials or easy seasons. In the midst of financial difficulties, corruption, immorality and lawlessness. This sermon calls on the church to kee...

We have been studying through the book of Haggai. Written to a community who became distracted as they were trying to rebuild their lives and nation and faith after a time of national disaster. The clarion call from the book of Haggai is – put God...

This morning we are going back to our study through the book of Acts. I think it’s good that we get back to studying systematically through the Bible as is our custom and the book of Acts is a good book to get back to… It’s the inspired history of...

The weekend of 19th we are celebrating our heritage as a church. Midrand Chapel was constituted 30 years ago this year and we want to remember and rejoice in all that God has done over these 30 years. Please make the effort to be a part of these c...

After only 6 weeks of rebuilding the temple, the people become discouraged and want to give up. But God sends a message of encouragement to His people: I am with you. I will finish the work. It will be more glorious than you think. Doing God's wor...

At this time of year people are coming and going, so I tend to break away from our normal preaching series and look at something relating to Christ and Christmas. This year I thought I would work my way through the opening chapters of Luke’s gospe...

The Purpose of the Christian Life. The Process & Participation of as Building Blocks for Gods Design. The Process of Gods Sovereign Work (Rom 8:28-29). The Participation of Man’s Sacrificial commitment (Rom 12:1-2)

This describes the journey that Chris and Megan Woolley took on the road to adoption and what they have learned along the way. First delivered at the "Together for Adoption" conference in Pretoria (March 2013).

We are still very much in the middle of a worldwide crisis which is radically challenging what we value, what we believe how we live and what we live for. Who would ever have thought that over a billion people in the world, in over 35 countries, w...

Last week we worked out way through the second half of Acts 16 and in that section came across an account of Paul driving out a demon from a servant girl. I said that I would first cover the passage in its own context and then come back and look a...

• The value of circumcision (25) • The significance obedience (26-27) • The way to obedience (28-29)

Rom 2:6 says “God will render to each one according to his works…” Repeat. Stop for a moment and think about this question, “Does this statement encourage you, exhort you, or terrify you?” • Does it encourage you that God sees and knows my sacrif...

Church is not a building, an event, a series of progams, a social club, a welfare organization, a religious ritual, supernatural experience or unseen spiritual reality without local expression. We should be asking, not what does church mean to me,...

As John Stott puts is, Here the slave of Jesus stands alone and in chains “before this representative of the world, ambitious, morally corrupt family of the Herods, who for generations after generation had set themselves in opposition to truth and...

Luke is giving us a very selective history, showing us this pattern, in order to accomplish this specific purpose of giving us confidence in the gospel. The next half of Acts is going to trace Paul’s missionary journeys and we will see this patter...

The Christian walk is to walk to please God. The Christian walk is a walk in holiness. The Christian walk is a walk of love. The Christian walk is to walk properly before outsiders.

This morning we continue our study through the book of Acts. We will be looking mostly at Acts 24. The narrative portion in Acts 24 is all about Paul before the Roman governor Felix. Most of the chapter revolves around a court case, but it’s not j...

Those who reject the revelation of God in His law are guilty and will be punished accordingly. The Gentiles who didn't receive the Law through Moses, have the law written into their human nature and their conscience confirms that they are guilty o...

Four anchors to hold on to in uncertain times: - The reality of present suffering (18-19) - The splendour of future glory (20-22) - The ministry of the Holy Spirit (23) - The faith of persevering hope (24-25)

Christian leadership is one of the hardest things any man can engage in. It’s a spiritual battle for the souls of men and women against a formidable foe against impossible odds. It’s a battle in which you are seldom prepared, never adequate, often...

2 Hallmarks of God's love 1: God's love is selective (8:28) 2: God's love is effective (8:29-30)

Paul's argument for why the self-righteous are not right before God. 1: You are guilty (5:1) 2: God is Just (5:2-3) 3: You are storing up wrath (5:4-5)

This year Midrand Chapel Baptist Church is 31 years old. Until last year our church has never had more than 100 members at any. We have 16 men who are past members who are now in full time vocational ministry mostly as pastors of churches.

Do a search on the internet on gender identity, or what makes someone male or female and you’ll encounter a storm of massive proportions. Our society is no longer sure on what it means to be a male or a female, or whether it is even right to ident...

Who is the first person to believe that Jesus is the messiah? Mary. Mary not only has the unique privilege of bearing Jesus, but she is the first to receive the revelation that Jesus is the messiah, the son of God and to believe.

Firstly we asked the question, “What is providence.” We said providence is basically God controlling all things, all people and events and situations – worldwide and international and down to the very smallest details of our lives. He’s controllin...