The Solas of the Reformation - Christ Alone

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Preacher: Gordon Hay

Verses: Colossians 1:15-22, Philippians 3:10-14

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It was 500 years ago that Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg launching what became known as the Reformation. If you were here last week you would have heard that we are looking at what have become known as the five “solas” of the reformation. These are:

  • Sola scriptura ("by Scripture alone")
  • Sola fide ("by faith alone")
  • Sola gratia ("by grace alone")
  • Solus Christus or Solo Christo ("Christ alone" or "through Christ alone")
  • Soli Deo gloria ("glory to God alone")

Alan commenced last Sunday by looking at “Grace alone”. And he said this:
Grace is “not simply a theological concept to discuss and debate, grace is the means whereby we start, continue and finish our faith journey on earth and beyond.”

As we look at “By Christ alone” this morning I want to continue with the picture of our faith journey and how we are to respond to the five solas. And I want to look at this:

  •  Against the context in which Luther found himself;
  •  The supremacy of Christ; and
  •  Our response.

There Was Once a Man Who Planted a Vineyard. Accept or Reject?

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Preacher: Gordon Hay

Verses:Romans Isaiah 5:1-7 and Matthew 21:33-46

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The mayor of Johannesburg is on a campaign to get rid of tenants who have hi-jacked buildings belonging to others. The tenants have moved in, refused to pay rental, refused to recognise the landlord and in some cases representatives of the landlords, have been killed when trying to intervene. It is not just tenants.
The law reports record many instances of employees, agents, franchisees, and representatives who have either misused or stolen the property entrusted to them.
These are persons who have been given every opportunity to do well both for themselves and for the owner, but have turned rogue and ignored the owner. The owner who had trusted them and entrusted to them the property in question.
What does the owner feel? Completely disappointed, let down, and betrayed. And retaliation follows. Applications for interdicts, termination of the contract and claims for damages.
And as we consider the passages read for us this morning we will realise that this is the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden....

Pause to Reflect, Believing is Seeing.

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Preacher: Gordon Hay

Verses: Psalm 46 and John 20: 19-31

Verse 10 of Psalm 46 has a special place in my heart. “Be still and know that I am God”. In 2002 I contracted cerebral malaria and spent 8 days in hospital drifting between times of being conscious and aware and times of incredibly real hallucinations with no sense of where I was. But through all of this what kept constantly in my mind was that verse:  “Be still and know that I am God”.

And as I recovered and had time to reflect I looked at those 8 words. And as I did so I came to see a deeper meaning in these words. It seemed to me to say the following...