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, 11 January 2015
Duration: 38 mins 26 secs
It can be easy so say 'no' to God about the direction we should take in our life because we can't see how it might turn out for us. 'No' is an important word as it goes hand in hand with the word 'yes'. Sometimes we can't say 'yes' to do one thing without saying 'no' to something else. In using our abilities for God we need to recognise that God already owns everything we have, He gives us abilities to use for Him and we are to use those abilities. What keeps you from using your God given abilities for Him? Will you say 'yes' or 'no' to Him?
Sunday, 04 January 2015
Duration: 26 mins 15 secs
Paul has been accused of deception because of his change in plans of not returning to Corinth. For us to make plans with a clear conscience we need to, (1) be serious about the will of God; (2) glorify Jesus so that our witness and walk go together; (3) be on good terms with God's Spirit by being authentic servants of His call. If in our planning we live to please people there will be misunderstandings that will be difficult to resolve, but if in our planning we live to please God, we will be enabled to handle any misunderstandings. Whatever issues or conflicts we experience on our journey with other Christians, we know that we can all rejoice together at Jesus' return.
Sunday, 21 December 2014
Duration: 28 mins 52 secs
We live in a sinful world, but there is hope in Jesus. He is the Light of the world in which darkness will not overcome. To meet our physical needs we require light, air, water and food which is provided by God. Jesus is the way in which we can meet our spiritual needs. He the the Light, the Breath of Life, the Living Water and the Bread of Life. Satan tries to keep us in the dark and it can be easy to feel, as we look at the world as it is today, that darkness has the upper hand - but this is not the case. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Is the Light of Jesus a part of your life?
Sunday, 07 December 2014
Duration: 27 mins 54 secs
John first identifies Jesus as the eternal God, the Word of God, then the Light of this world, the Son of God, The Lamb of God, the Messiah, the King and the Son of Man. Jesus says He reveals the Father to us. He is the Alpha and the Omega. Jesus is the last word of God, the climax of God's relevation to us. Jesus took on humanity and can identify with us from birth, through life and to death. The Old Testament law was a fading glory, but Jesus' glory is eternally bright. Christmas is an opportunity for us to speak the truth about Jesus and to contemplate what He has done for us.
Sunday, 30 November 2014
Duration: 38 mins 46 secs
The first 3 chapters of Ephesians are about doctrine - the truth of what God has done and what Christ Jesus has done in our lives. The last 3 chapters are about duty - how we live out the truth of what God has given us. In this passage, Paul reminds us that we are to walk in unity. Belief determines how we behave and how we behave will be determined by what we believe. We have a wonderful calling in Jesus and now it is our responsibility to live up to that calling, and in doing so, do it in unity with other believers. What do you need God to work on in your life to maintain the unity of the Spirit?
Sunday, 23 November 2014
Duration: 19 mins 39 secs
Jesus had an amazing ministry in His teachings, with many miracles performed, and yet some people did not believe and turned away from Him. The people found Jesus' teaching hard to understand but some found it even harder to accept because they misunderstood His words and therefore rejected Him. We need to keep coming to Jesus every day by spending time in His word. Are you going to accept or reject Jesus?
Sunday, 16 November 2014
The Assyrians were looking to attack Jerusalem, in the reign of Hezekiah, after conquering all the fortified cities of Judah. Through Hezekiah's prayer, Isaiah is able to pass on God's message that He would protect the people of Jesrualam and detroy the Assyrians, 185,000 in all, without lifting a sword. The focus in this passage is about God being our strength and refuge. When we put our trust in God, we have nothing to fear, for when trouble or difficulties come upon us, we can have the confidence that God is there with us. We need to remember that the things we do in our own strength may fail, but if we put our strength and hope in God, then the things we do will never fail.
Sunday, 09 November 2014
Duration: 27 mins 34 secs
Divisions in the church at Corinth had prompted Paul to write to the Christians worshipping there. In this passage Paul reminds the people about the foolishness of following worldly wisdom. This wordly wisdom proves to be worthless when compared to God's wisdom. As Christians, we know that the only way to an eternal life with God is through the salvation of Jesus Christ in His death and resurrection of the cross. Unbelievers using wordly wisdom see all of this as foolishness. Do you know God but do not have a relationship with Him? To have complete fullness in God, we need to submit our life over to Him and allow Him to work in our life.
Sunday, 02 November 2014
Duration: 37 mins 32 secs
What is it that gets you to fret? In this passage David give us some alternatives we need to do to overcome things that concern us and cause us to fret. We need to: (1) trust in the Lord when we go through difficult times; (2) live out our life for Him; (3) recognise and delight in what God has done for us; (4) commit our ways to God and (5) be still before the Lord, wait patiently for Him and listen to what He has to say. Whilst it is a good plan to follow these 5 steps, it is recognised that sometimes we can be totally overwhelmed with the pressures of life and that God can provide for us professional help and/or counselling that can be of great assistance in getting our life 'back on track'.
Sunday, 19 October 2014
Duration: 31 mins 53 secs
We often find getting ready and set is normally the easy part of any task we face in our lives. It can be more difficult to take the next step and go! God tells Joshua to be strong and courageous and this would come not from his own strength but from relying on what was written in God's law. Victory through submission was true for the Israelites, it was true for Joshua and it is true for us today. We need to submit our time to spend in God's word. The bible has been inspired by God. We need to saturate our life in reading it then apply and put into practice what we have read. If we seek to find true success in our life, then this will only come from spending time with God in His word.
