Role: Pastor |
Hi my name is Phil Irvine and I’m the Pastor at Emu Plains Community Baptist Church. My family and I moved all the way from the Blue Mountains and to live in the community here in Emu Plains. Jesus said “I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full.” Sometimes we find that our lives are so full with things to do, but we don’t seem to be fulfilled. I enjoy running, spending time with my family, playing Xbox and a good coffee. But what fills my life is Jesus. If you are wanting your life full, the best it can be, why not check out Jesus and take him up on this promise?
Sunday, 16 September 2012
Duration: 25 mins 47 secs
There are two ways you can walk in life: as one of the many enemies of the cross whose god is their own personal satisfaction, justify their undisciplined desires and set their minds on earthly things, or as imitators of Christ, allowing Him to set our direction and values. The answer is determined by where our mind is set.
Sunday, 09 September 2012
Duration: 36 mins 15 secs
Anything not of Christ is a loss and we need to give up all earthly things in order to obtain the heavenly treasure that Jesus offers. We are to carry our cross and this call to follow Jesus is not some things or sometimes, it is always and everything every day.
Sunday, 02 September 2012
Duration: 31 mins 28 secs
What does it mean to be a man? We see examples from this passage of Paul, Timothy and Epaphroditus who had different gifts, different characteristics and different temperaments, but they all had come to resemble one person - that of Jesus Christ. These guys may have been examples of the model Christian, but Jesus is the Christian model that we need to reflect our lives upon.
Sunday, 26 August 2012
Paul tells us how we achieve a Christlike attitude. There is a balance between what we are to do and be and become, and what has already been done and is being done by God. The mark of a true Christian is obedience. We are to take responsibility for what God has placed in us. We need a self feeding program to grow in Christlike actions and character, not wait to be fed. We should view our salvation with healthy respect and fear to disappoint God. We are to be different from this world, as both our actions and words should reflect Christ. We are to commit ourselves to this, no matter what. We can not do it alone, but God enables us.
Sunday, 12 August 2012
Duration: 26 mins 36 secs
What do you stand for in life? Paul stood for one thing - the advancement of the gospel. What he stood for took priority over everything else. It determined where he went, and what he said and did. There are causes and injustices we need to stand against, but the gospel must be at the centre of all we do. This is a challenge for us as a church as we look to discern God’s vision for us among so many opportunities.
Sunday, 05 August 2012
Duration: 32 mins 17 secs
Philippians is a letter full of joy and doctrinal truths. It gives insight into Paul’s mind, Christ’s mind and what the Christian mind should be. Paul reminds us that as God began the good work in us, so He carries it on and will complete it. It is not up to us, but Paul tells us that we are to be ready when Christ appears. It is God’s grace that enables us to obey what we read in His Word and do what He has planned for us. We need to live in partnership with Him.
Sunday, 29 July 2012
Trees by a river are always growing because they have a source of life next to them. Jesus is the life we all need to source, so we can grow personally, and so that our church can be a life giving shelter to our community. To be Christians who are authentic, inside and out, we need to be reading God’s Word daily - to be informed, inspired and most importantly, incarnated to become like Jesus. We must “look hard” into it, until we see God’s image reflected back to us.
Sunday, 22 July 2012
Duration: 39 mins 46 secs
The Father is the gardener, Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. Jesus is the true vine that Israel was not. The purpose of the vine is to bear fruit. Branches that do not bear fruit get cut off and even those that do are pruned. The key to bearing fruit is our connectedness to Jesus. Hearing and doing God’s Word is how we remain in Jesus.
Sunday, 15 July 2012
Duration: 33 mins 52 secs
The application Jesus is drawing from the Sermon on the Mount is “just do it”. There is danger in a verbal response, where there is outward conformity, but no inward submission to Christ’s lordship. There is also danger in an intellectual response which does not go beyond a superficial foundation and cannot weather storms. Salvation is not based on works, but those who are truly saved will obey Jesus. It is a sign we are saved.
Sunday, 08 July 2012
All of us are given the same amount of time each day. How do we spend it? Sitting at the feet of Jesus is the source of life for all Christians. To achieve anything in this world we need to practice. The Bible is the Christian’s core fitness regime. If you skip practice it will show. If we are not in God’s Word, we are playing church. We are not being shaped and we will not have the fullness Jesus promises. We need to get back to the source.
