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, 24 December 2017
John the Baptist was one of the first people to recognise Jesus as the Messiah, even when he was in the womb! John understood who Jesus was in God's Kingdom and what He ws called to do. John prepared the people for repentance, waiting for Jesus to come. John pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God, the one who came to save us from our sin. Where do we point - to ourselves or to Jesus?
Sunday, 17 December 2017
Duration: 21 mins 51 secs
Christmas is a time where joy and peace is promoted. Jesus came as a peacemaker into this world but, as Simeon prophesied, Jesus' coming was also going to cause conflict between people. This conflict was also going to challenge people within themselves. This inner battle we face is when our own desires conflict with what jesus wants for us. We will only find peace when we allow God to take control of our life. We see a lot of conflict in the world today because people are looking in the wrong place. True peace only comes through Jesus as people align themselves with Him.
Sunday, 10 December 2017
Duration: 33 mins 48 secs
Joseph was the earthly father of Jesus but showed great humility in standing in the background to allow the focus to be all about Jesus. Everytime that God speaks to Joseph, he responds immediately with faith and trust. Joseph was engaged to Mary but when he found out she was pregnant his first thought was to break the engagement, but instead, he obeyed the words of God and followed God's agenda. We need to follow God's agenda and not ours. In becoming a Christian we need to realise that we are a sinner and that we need to be forgiven. We give up our own rights to follow Jesus and we need to follow Him without conditions.
Sunday, 03 December 2017
Duration: 27 mins 27 secs
Isaiah tells the people of the day that they live in a land of darkness - not a physical darkness but a spiritual darkness. The people had turned away from and were ignorant of God. God's people looked from amongest themselves for guidance in life rather than relying on God. Isaiah prophesied the coming of Jesus, the only way our world could be saved. Jesus is the light that comes in this dark world and provides the hope of salvation to anyone who receives Him as their Saviour.
Sunday, 26 November 2017
Duration: 29 mins 29 secs
Prayer enables us to be soldiers for Jesus. With prayer we can defeat Satan because we are always in communion with God. Our prayers need to include praise, thanks and confession and not just requests for our needs. We need to watch and be alert to Satan's plans and always keep praying for God's victory in our lives or the lives of others as we pray for all of God' people.
Sunday, 19 November 2017
Duration: 31 mins 22 secs
The armour of God we have looked at to date have been defensive tools. Today we look at the sword. If the bible is the armour of God we have to protect us from Satan, then the sword is the sayings of Jesus that can pierce through our armour and speak directly to us. We can use the sword to fight against Satan. In the three temptations Jesus faced in this passage, Satan tries to get Jesus to act under His own authority, away from God. Jesus uses the Scriptures to respond accordingly. We need to use the Word of God in our own life to defeat Satan and not rely on our own strength.
Sunday, 05 November 2017
As Christians, we need to stand firm in the spiritual battle we face daily. We can do this because of the truth of the gospel - the good news of what Jesus Christ has done for us through His death on the cross. We do not have to face this battle alone, but can walk together as one, with other Christians, by our faith and by caring and supporting each other.
Sunday, 29 October 2017
As Christians, we have Jesus, who is greater than anything we might have to face in this world. Jesus is our salvation and He is the truth. Truth is not found from what we see in this world but is found in God's Word. We need to know this truth so that we can be ready to battle anything that Satan may throw at us. As we our live our lives and witness to others, we are to be people who are walking in the truth. When we accept Jesus into our life, we receive His righteouness. Because of what Jesus has done for us on the cross, we now have a direct relationship with God.
Sunday, 22 October 2017
Duration: 30 mins 42 secs
In our Christian walk, we can be oblivious to who our enemy is, which can leave us unprepared. Satan does not live in Hell but roams throughout the earth. We need to stand firm against Satan, but in doing so, we need to now who he is. Satan rules over those who are not children of God and is always trying to destroy anything of God. We cannot underestimate or overestimate the power of Satan. We cannot fight Satan with our own flesh and blood, but only with the power of God. God gives us everything we need to defeat Satan.
Sunday, 08 October 2017
Duration: 26 mins 46 secs
In this passage we see that there are two ways to travel through life - one that leads to heaven, the other leading to hell. The easy road leads to destruction, the more difficult road, with Jesus, leads to eternal life. The question we need to be asking ourselves in our Christian walk is, does our faith in Jesus cost us anything, did our decision to follow Jesus change our life and is this reflected in our life? When we come to stand before God, it is only what Jesus says that will matter in the end. Obedience to God is true evidence that we have faith in the Lord. Do you hear God's Word and then do God's Word?
