Author: otsgef
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Malachi 4 — The Sun of Righteousness
Malachi ends with fire and sunrise, judgement and healing, warning and hope. The same day that consumes arrogance restores those who feared the Lord. Waiting was not wasted. God acted — and the dawn came.
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Malachi 3: Who can stand? Hope in the shadow of a holy God
If the holy God comes near, who can stand? Malachi 3 shows us a hope that survives judgment — not because God goes easy, but because he does not change.
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Malachi 2: Guarding the Future God Seeks
Malachi 2 exposes covenant faithlessness in worship, relationships, and belief — and names what God is truly seeking from His people. A careful, pastoral sermon on a hard passage, pointing to the covenant-keeping God at the centre of it all.
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Malachi 1: When the story stops defining reality
Malachi 1 exposes a comfortable, routine religion that keeps going while reverence drains away. God names what his people would rather excuse: worship offered on our terms, not his. This sermon traces the text’s hard honesty and calls us back to honouring the Father who will not be managed.
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The Ten Commandments #1 — No Other Gods (Exodus 20:1–3)
The first commandment is short — and ruthless. Exodus 20 starts with rescue, then demands exclusive allegiance: no rival gods. Mark 10 shows how a respectable life can still be ruled by a functional god. The only way through is Christ — fulfilment, forgiveness, and new desires.
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Mark 6:1-29 – from the archives from 2016!
Mark 6 is a chain of previews: Jesus rejected at home, disciples sent into rejection, and John’s death under a cowardly “king”. It’s all pointing forward — to the cross, and to the kingdom’s advance despite refusal.
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Fruit of the Spirit: Self-Control
Self-control is not willpower with a Christian sticker on top. It’s the Spirit pressing the grace of Christ into an ordinary life until a new steadiness grows.
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Jonah 1 — The Reluctant Evangelist (Mona Vale, 18 Sept 2016)
Jonah 1 — The Reluctant Evangelist Preached at Mona Vale Anglican — 18 September 2016 This sermon opens the Jonah series with three fears in the passage: • The fear of Nineveh — a brutal, violent superpower whose cruelty was legendary. • The fear of the sailors — terror that becomes worship when the storm…
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Word Matters #8 — “Saint”: Why Ordinary Christians Can Use the S-Word Without Blushing
“Saint” doesn’t mean spiritual hall-of-fame material. In the New Testament it’s the family name for every believer—ordinary Christians set apart for God in Christ. This piece clears the fog and gives the word back to Scripture.
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Word Matters #7 — “Church”: Why Buildings Aren’t the Church (They’re Just the Rain Shelter)
A deep dive into what “church” really means — why ekklēsia is people, not buildings, and why the “rain shelter” joke is good theology.