Carnmoney Presbyterian Church Sermons

This is the second in a new series entitled "Things that Kill the Church" taken from our evening worship on 14/2/10.
Speaker: Mark Russell

This is the first in a new series entitled "Things that Kill the Church" taken from our evening worship on 7/2/10.
Speaker: John R. Dickinson

In this, our rememberance day service, Rev. John Dickinson contrasts the story of the forgotten war -the war in the east - with the life and suffering of Jesus Christ. Many unlikely heroes were involved in breaking the Japanese occupation of Burma, Malaya and Singapore, many of them were local tribesmen who had been despised by the people they were now helping. Likewise, Our Lord was rejected and despised, yet he still took the blame for our sin and won a victory for us that ensures a place for us in the only empire that will never fade. The Kingdom of Heaven.

If only - the curse of regret
We have a miraculous God who can restore even that which has been destroyed beyond repair - even things that we bitterly regret. But the apostle Paul warns us that there are two kinds of regret. One leads to salvation, the other to death. In this first talk of a new series Rev. John Dickinson examines the difference between the two.

"You are not alone" is a comforting thought when you are wrestling with some aspect of your faith. A big Church will almost certainly have someone else who is - or has - gone through the same difficulties. But a big Church like ours can be intimidating for new members or established members who want to get involved for the first time.
In this episode, Rev. John Dickinson confronts this size issue and explains why our new Pastorates initiative is so important for us all as we continue to grow in numbers.

The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me."
In this first talk of the new year as we gather together at the Lord's table, we consider how,  as Christ's body in the world, we need to be broken and shared out with our community.

"Do we really have God's heart and God's vision for Mission?" That is the question posed by Scott Sherman, our guest speaker on his first visit to Ireland from the USA.
Jonah eagerly anticipated God's judgement on the ancient and very violent city of Nineveh. Instead, God was greatly concerned about the 120,000 inhabitants of that great city who "did not know their right hand from their left". Jonah didn't get it and was so angry he wanted to die. A lot of us today don't get it either.
God's call to every Christian is to share His concern for the lost of whatever city or suburb they live in. If you are a Christian then reaching out to your neighbours is not an optional extra - it is at the very heart of what God wants us to do.

He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. (Luke 10 Vv 2 & 3)
Derek and Linda Roulston have been working in the harvest fields of Galana, Kenya for six years and the Lord of the harvest is using them to great effect. As the local commumity has reaped the benefit of a new school, new crop plantations and more, the Holy Spirit has moved powerfully in the region to establish a thriving community of new believers.
In this, our harvest celebration service, Derek describes the work underway and the amazing results that have been achieved so far.

Our Vision is that we will be a vibrant community of Christians devoted to the task of spreading the Gospel in our area and winning back the lost of our generation for Christ. When God answers our prayers, how will we deal with the increase in size of our already large Congregation? In what ways will we have to change our custom and practice to make "strangers" feel at home amongst us? And how can we change so that no-one amongst us fears ridicule from Spiritual "posers"?
The new-born Church faced and solved these tough questions when the Holy Spirit moved powerfully to build his Church in an incredibly short period of time. We need to do the same today.

How powerful is God? Can he heal terminal illness? Can he bring back someone who has just died? Sounds plausible enough. What about a 4-day old corpse?
We all say we have faith, but in our hearts there are times when we, in truth, have a "plan B" in case he fails. As the old saying goes "trust in God, but keep passing the bullets..".
That is not faith. We don't need a "plan B". We just need to really trust in plan A - God almighty. He never fails. We don't need to keep passing the bullets. May the Lord bless you as you listen to what he says.