Sermons on Parker Brothers:

Grace And Worship

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Oct 7, 2007

The grace of God challenges our delusions of being able to do it on our own. The grace of God leads us to worship our gracious God.

Sermon for CATM – Thanksgiving 2007 – October 7, 2007 –“Grace and Worship” An atheist once said, “If there really is a God, may He prove Himself by striking me dead right now.” Nothing happened. The atheist proudly announced, “You see, there is no God.” His friend responded, “You’ve only proved ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 2:4-9

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Problem Of Faithfulness

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Nov 18, 2007

Faithfulness is a quality we aspire to, yet there are serious road blocks on the way. How can we overcome those barriers to this essential quality of character?

Sermon for CATM – November 18, 2007 – The Fruit of the Spirit - Faithfulness Galatians 5:13-25 I went for a walk the other day in the crisp autumn air to clear my head and to prepare to work on today’s message. Do you ever do that? Nobody else around you, or at least nobody there to judge your ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:13-26

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Advent Iii: Peace In The Storm

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Dec 14, 2008

With the world’s economy melting, with mayhem in Canada’s government, what possible port is available for us as we face this storm. The port is Jesus Christ, God made flesh, God made approachable.

Sermon – Advent III – Peace in the Storm – December 14, 2008 Recently the father of our bass guitarist, Denis Allman, read this Scripture, a passage that has layers of meaning and has brought strength and consolation to millions over hundreds of years: Psalm 23:1 A psalm of David. The LORD is ...read more

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Most Important Thing

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Aug 29, 2010

When we're tempted to focus on lesser things than the cross of Christ, Paul's closing argument in Galatians is a helpful reality check.

Yesterday 15 of us from this church gathered to pray and then to go out into the community. 12 in total went out and 3 stayed back both to pray for the teams that went out and to prepare a remarkably yummy lunch for the team on its return. We went out in teams of 2, and we went out for one reason. ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 6:11-19

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Two Feasts, One Story

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Jan 20, 2013

There will be an enormous feast in heaven. It will be awesome. Other feasts recorded in Scripture point to the One Big Feast.

Do you enjoy weddings? I actually love weddings. In the past few years, I've done two weddings in restaurants-quite a popular trend actually. I've done one in a vineyard in Niagara Falls. I’ve done one at a yacht club. I've done two or three in large backyards in the city or suburbs. Perhaps ...read more

Scripture: John 2:1-11

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Remember, Forget, Trust, Press Onward!

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Dec 26, 2021

This is the final message of the year, focusing on God's transforming power as we move beyond past darkness and focus on Jesus as we look to the future.

December 26, 2021 Sermon Isaiah 43:16-21, Jeremiah 29:10-14, Philippians 3:10-14 “Remember, Forget, Trust, Press Onward!” I hope you are having a meaningful Christmas, where you find yourself drawing near to God or longing to draw near to God. And here’s the thing about the meaning of the ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 43:16-21, Jeremiah 29:10-14, Philippians 3:10-14

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

How God Sees Our Community

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Sep 2, 2007

As a church, the first step in developing a great connection with the community is to give serious thought toward our attitude to the community. Are we its judges, or our we the ones who bring blessing?

Sermon for CATM on September 2, 2007 - “How Does God See our Community?” Luke 13:34 Jesus said: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:37-38

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Reconsidering And Renewing Faith

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Sep 6, 2009

What does it mean to be a Christian in the sense that Jesus meant when He talked about what it meant to be a Christian?

Sermon for CATM – Fall Launch – Reconsidering and Renewing Faith - September 6, 2009 What does it mean to you to be a Christian? If you are a Christian here today at the start of September 2009, what does being a Christian mean to you? Does it mean that you live in a country founded on Christian ...read more

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Life For God Series

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Nov 9, 2008

Peace should not be a goal of life. It is a by-product of a life lived in good conscience toward God and in service to the risen King!

Sermon for CATM – November 9, 2008 – Philippians 4:10-23 – A Life for God Today we finish up our course on Philippians. This has been a nine-week journey through a fascinating book, and we’ve had opportunity to reflect on this book and to worship, and for those who chose to take the course ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:10-23

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

How Safe Is Your God?

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Mar 11, 2012

Jesus was a zealous man. He was passionate about God. He was passionate about God's temple, that day that He tossed out the money changers. He is passionate about His Church - We are the temple of the Holy Spirit, after all.

What do you do with the passage that Breda just read? Is it very familiar? Is it troubling to you? The gospels can be seen as a series of moments in Jesus’ life. We’re presented here with a moment in Jesus’ life that a lot of folks have struggled with. What do you do with Jesus ...read more

Scripture: John 2:13-22

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Great Commission: Populating Heaven

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Apr 21, 2013

The Great Commission invites us, amazingly, into the joy of sharing faith and, by God's power and grace, having a real impact on the future population of heaven. Weird but true.

Let me ask a couple questions about our home planet and its population to begin today. How many nations/countries are in the world? Anyone want to guess? Ballpark? 196 [ (not incl. Puerto Rico, Bermuda, Greenland, Palestine, Western Sahara, and even the components of the United Kingdom (such as ...read more

Scripture: Revelation 7:9-17

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Living In The Joy Of The Lord

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Jun 1, 2014

“Joy, which was the small publicity of the Pagan, is the gigantic secret of the Christian”. - G.K. Chesterton This message looks at the avenues and barriers to living in the joy of the Lord.

Sermon for CATM – June 1, 2014 – Living in the Joy of the Lord - Nehemiah 8:1-10 Robert Louis Stevenson once entered in his diary what he considered to be an extraordinary thing. He said, "I have been to Church today, and (Surprisingly) I am not depressed." I hope that your ...read more

Scripture: Nehemiah 8:1-10

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Ascension Of Jesus Christ

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on May 19, 2019

The ascension of Jesus forcefully wrapped up his post-resurrection appearances to the disciples and many hundreds more. It made it glaringly obvious that Jesus came from God, is God, and was returning to God.

The Ascension - May 19, 2019 Sermon - Acts 1:1-11 [The 'memes' described below were found, and the link was active on May 17, 2019 here: https://www.boredpanda.com/famous-last-words/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic] Last words. Do you ever wonder about ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:1-11

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Freedom In Christ

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Jan 15, 2023

A message about freedom in Christ, and some of the things that can impede that freedom.

January 15, 2023 Sermon - Boundaries: Burdens and Loads Freedom in Christ. I don't know how you respond to just those three words, but those words bring me joy. They bring me joy because they remind me of my experience of coming to faith, leaving behind a way of living and thinking about ...read more

Scripture: Galatians 5:1-25, Romans 7:14-25

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Lavish Grace Of God

Contributed by Rev. Matthew Parker on Jul 13, 2024

This is message for an outdoor, outreach service in downtown Toronto. It's a message about the amazing and lavish love of God that will change our lives now and for eternity, if we say yes to God's offer of salvation in Christ.

July 14, 2024 Message for Outdoor Service - The Lavish Grace of God There are a lot of really stunning passages of scripture in the Bible. There are so many, that I probably could not choose if I had to which is my favorite. But today’s passage does come very close. There are many ways to read ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-12

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational