The Solas of the Reformation - Faith Alone

/

Preacher: Alan Cameron

Verses: John 1:1-13, Romans 1:16,17

Solas.jpg

Note: There is no audio for this sermon as our sound desk was in for repairs at the time.

Martin Luther was convinced that faith is the key that opens the human heart to the heart of God. Faith is the key which enables us to understand the great Reformation truth ‘Justification By Faith’ or more precisely ‘Justification by Grace through Faith’. Luther was convinced that we would only understand faith in the light of the character of God and the reality of a battle for the hearts and minds of humanity.
Luther, slowly and painfully, saw that the righteousness of God in Romans 1:17 does not simply refer to his justice requiring judgement, rather a new status granted by grace. In Luther’s world there was a division between spiritual people like monks and nuns and secular people in the market place and everyday world. If you really wanted to be spiritual you took the monk’s cowl or the nun’s habit and devoted yourself to God in a monastery. However, Luther’s ‘monkery’ did not satisfy his soul. As part of the Augustinian order Luther was encouraged by his spiritual director to read the works of Augustine to address some of his doubts and an over sensitive conscience. Augustine spoke of a ‘restless heart’ that would only find rest in God....

A Life Transforming Connection

/

Preacher: Jones Liwewe

Verses: John 15:1-17

Jesus' death is near

He has taught, healed, cast out demons and performed all kinds of miracles in the whole of Israel. Everywhere He has been people glorified God because of the fruit that came out of His life. Unfortunately, unlike Jesus, the nation of Israel has not borne any fruit. And now in chapter 15 of the Gospel of John, Jesus addresses their failure to produce fruit by using a parable of the true vine, with Him being the true vine, His Father the Gardener and His disciples the branches...

Pause to Reflect, Believing is Seeing.

/

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...