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, 29 April 2018
Duration: 29 mins 55 secs
Peter (Cephas) knew first hand from Jesus that a person was not saved by the law, but by having faith and giving their life over to Jesus. In this passage, Paul challenges Peter to the way he was living and forcing Gentiles to follow Jewish customs. Peter's actions did not match up to what he said and his hypocrisy was leading others astray. As Christians, we need to ensure that our life reflects what we believe and that we live according to the truth of the gospel and as a good witness to others.
Sunday, 22 April 2018
Duration: 30 mins 37 secs
Paul focuses on the Gospel of Grace in his letter to the Galatians. In this passage, Titus is shown as an example of the grace given by God. As a Gentile, Titus did not need to follow the Jewish customs to have a relationship with Jesus. Paul is wanting to emphasise to the Galatians that grace is offered as a gift from God and does not require them to do good works to achieve it. God continues to work in the world today. His gift of grace is offered to everyone who wants to accept it. The challenges for Christians today is sharing the gospel with others so that they have the opportunity of responding in faith and obedience.
Sunday, 08 April 2018
Duration: 32 mins 19 secs
Paul reminds the Galatians about the gospel of grace and not having to continue with the Jewish law as part of their Christian walk. We need to be reminded of the gospel of grace for our lives as well. Grace is about rescuing us when we don't even know we need rescuing. It is very easy to fall back onto our own strength and to try to make ourselves right with God by our own actions. There is no good work we can do to win God's grace. Jesus has already done everything for us by His death on the cross. We only need to accept that and ask Him into our lives.
Sunday, 01 April 2018
Duration: 26 mins 25 secs
Forgiveness is at the heart of Easter. It has been extended to us by God and we must extend forgiveness to others. Forgiveness is a life choice - a daily practice we should always strive to do, despite the circumstances we face. In today's passage, Jesus shows us, through the parable, the circumstances that we face if we do not forgive. Are we any different to the unforgiving servant? Jesus' death on the cross wiped away an impossible debt of sin for us that we could never repay. A new life can be obtained by everyone who accepts Jesus' death and resurrection for themselves.
Sunday, 25 March 2018
In our society, we value people who show humility. We tend not to like the actions of those people who deliberately raise themselves at the expense of others. Jesus came to earth to show us how to live and He put into practice His own teachings. Jesus showed true servant leadsership. We are to show humility and value others more than ourselves. Our mindset is to be like that of the attitude of Jesus.
Sunday, 18 March 2018
Duration: 27 mins 43 secs
There would be very little places in our world today where care is not needed. Jesus showed great care for others in His time on earth, healing those who were rich, poor and outcasts. He showed compassion to all people, even those who apposed Him. Ultimately, God allowed Jesus to sacrifice Himself for the sin of all mankind because of His great love and care for us all. We need to care for all people and live as an ambassador of Jesus.
Sunday, 11 March 2018
The world is full of broken relationships, between each other and between us and God. God has a passionate heart for this world and sent Jesus to teach and care for all people, whatever their standing within society. Jesus treated all people with respect and invited them to Himself. God calls us, as Christians, to care and support those people who are in need and to show the love of Jesus to others.
Sunday, 04 March 2018
Duration: 22 mins 33 secs
We are all called to treat everyone as equals. This has not been always the case in world history, particulary in relation to slavery, and is still true today. Jesus came into this world and treated all people with equal dignity. All humanity is made in the image of God. At the core of our Christian belief, everyone is equal. This is sometimes not easy to accept when we see the actions of others, but we need to be accepting of everyone because they matter to God. We all have value and worth because of what Jesus did for us all.
Sunday, 25 February 2018
Duration: 31 mins 47 secs
From a world view survey, Jesus tops the list as the most influential person in history. Some think Jesus was a mythical figure but there is enough historical evidence to prove that Jesus was a real person. We know about Jesus from those who wanted to write His story, from those who followed Him and suffered and gave up their lives for what they believed. The reality is that Jesus changed the lives of people, one at a time, and He continues to do this today.
Sunday, 18 February 2018
Duration: 20 mins 12 secs
As Christians, we have all been appointed by God to serve as ambassadors in this world to bring a reconcilation of peace between God and humanity. God makes His appeal to the world through us. We need to fear the Lord, submit to Him and persuade others to follow Him. Jesus died for all people so that those who accept Him as their Saviour can live again. Jesus dies because of His love for us. How can we not live for Christ because of this love shown for us.
