This Sunday we again had the privilege of meeting to gather as His people, both in person and online. We looked at Matthew 1:18-25, which really is part two to the genealogy of last week. We saw that knowing who Jesus is changes everything. Matthew wanted us to see that Jesus is not only son of Abraham and son of David but he is: The Christ, The Saviour and God incarnate! Listen to the message here!
Your LG leaders will let you know all the details!
Guys, for your diaries - we are on again Sat 29/8, 7:30pm, my place most likely. Chapters 4 and 5 of the Masculine Mandate
During this time, one of the things that is hardest to know how to do is to practice biblical fellowship and hospitality. I don’t have any easy solutions to this but I read this this morning and it made me aware of just how important it is to be working on and cultivating our relationships with each other. Paul Tripp says:
“It really is true that the number one reason that relationships of all kinds go bad is neglect…Since it is a flawed person in relationship to a flawed person, you simply cannot let that relationship coast and expect that it will be OK!” (New Morning Mercies, Aug 17).
Perhaps, it may serve you in this season to think through your relationships: at home, at work, at church; and assess how they are going, if they need some attention, care, and investment; and then think through how you can best do that. It may be a Zoom chat, text message, coffee catch up, or a meal.
This season is robbing many things from us - let’s not let it rob our precious relationships too!
Dear SG Kids Workers!
Thank you for your faithful and joyful service in this utterly crucial ministry sphere! What an awesome job you guys do to serve our next generation! Thank you for your flexibility in these changing times.
We have rescheduled our Kids Workers Training Night to Tues 25th August.
Where: We are going to have it at the location where we do church on Sunday, JBrewers 267 Victoria Rd.
Time: 7:30-9:30pm
Who: All SG kids workers. If you are a married couple, please BOTH come. We only have two of these a year and Abigail has lots of important details to communicate!
Note: There will be a light supper and tea provided :)
If you are looking for a good commentary to help you read along Matthew’s gospel, i recommend the following, as they are not too technical or long!
On Sunday we had the joy of gathering in person again and beginning our study of the Gospel of Matthew! We looked at Matthew 1:1-17, which, at first glance, seems like a very boring way to begin this epic gospel story! However, as we saw, Matthew goes to pains to demonstrate a very critical point about Jesus, namely: That Jesus is King! He is the Son of Abraham, a blessing to all nations, the Son of David, the heir to the throne, and he is the Christ, the long awaited Messiah! This news is good news for all the world! You can re-listen to the message here!
If you found the overview of the Old Testament a bit fast and want a little more of an overview you can watch another Bible Project video here.
We also began our first Starting Point gathering at lunchtime. We had an awesome time getting to know each other and exploring the Mission and Values of our church. It’s not too late to join Starting Point, so feel free to invite people along.
Dear Church,
May I commend to you the monthly “Emerging Nations” email blog that gets sent out. Every month it is full of incredible stories of the work of Sovereign Grace Churches around the world! Use it to be encouraged and to inform your prayers! In the latest installment I was overjoyed to see this story: “Baptisms in Pakistan”
You can read it here: https://www.sovereigngracechurches.org.au/emerging-nations/2020/8/4/zkuws439iopjynfcfjafrsw7th9549
Also read this story of COVID gospel outreach in Zambia
If you would like to subscribe please CLICK HERE
Now that I have your attention! SG Wahroonga is running a Zoom Webinar for married guys on how to improve our romance game! This is based on a fantastic book by CJ Mahaney (founding pastor of Sovereign Grace Churches)!
Pop the date in your diary!
Listen to our sermons on by searching, “Matthew” on our sermons page here
This Sunday we begin our new series on the Gospel of Matthew. We will be spending about two years going through this incredible book. As we prepare for this series there are two resources I want to commend to you:
1) Watch the bible project videos on Matthew. The way they break up the book, and their particular views on Matthew are not the only way of viewing Matthew, however, what I love about these videos is the attention they pay to the literary features of the book, and the analysis they provide. Matthew’s Gospel is a piece of literary genius, each story is well chosen and perfectly placed. There is design and intentionality in every verse. I want us to look out for this as we study the book!
2) Buy a Matthew Journal. We will be selling $5 journals so that you can read through Matthew and make your own bible study notes and reflections.
This series will be a fantastic opportunity for us as a church to get to know Jesus better, learn how to follow Him, and invite others on the journey!
Here is a great quote from JC Ryle":
“The Gospels were written to make us acquainted with Christ. The Holy Ghost has told us the story of His life and death, his sayings and doings, four times over. Four different inspired hands have drawn the picture of the Savior. His ways, His manners, His feelings, His wisdom, His grace, His patience, His love, His power are graciously unfolded to us by four different witnesses. Ought not the sheep to be familiar with the Shepherd? Ought not the patient to be familiar with the Physician? Ought not the bride to be familiar with the Bridegroom? Ought not the sinner to be familiar with the Savior? Beyond doubt it ought to be so. The gospels were written to make men familiar with Christ, and therefore I wish men to study the Gospels. Surely we cannot know this Christ too well! Surely there is not a work nor a deed, nor a day, nor a step, nor a thought in the record of His life, which ought not to be precious to us. We should labor to be familiar with every line that is written about Jesus.”