Sermons on Predatory Birds:

Transformed Love Series

Contributed by Warren Bird on Feb 11, 2003

What is the nature of Christian love? It looks out for what is best; it persists; and it is practical.

Context/Reminder Romans 12:1-2 - the Christian mind is a transformed mind, not slipping easily into the same pattern as the world around us, but renewed by our relationship with our almighty and merciful God. Romans 12:3-8 - how that principle works out in the way we think about ourselves: ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:9-18

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Transformed Payback Series

Contributed by Warren Bird on Feb 11, 2003

Loving our enemies? Don’t payback evil with evil? What is going on here? Have you christians lost your mind?! We’ve gotta get even, haven’t we?

Introduction I have a confession to make. Some of you are already aware of what I am about to reveal, but to most of you it will be a new insight into my character. It is not a sin that I am going to confess, but an obsession. I am, right now, at this point in my life (when you would think I had ...read more

Scripture: Romans 12:17-21

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Schism With The Scribes And Factions With The Family

Contributed by Michael Bird on Jul 13, 2002

This sermon describes the opposition Jesus faced from both his own family and from the Scribes. It attempts to highlight how Christians today can face similar accounts of rejection by both the world and from family.

Schisms with the Scribes and Factions in the Family Introduction I would like set before you a couple of stories in order to illuminate the background to this passage. Scene 1: A Carpenter Shop in Nazareth The road for Sepphoris to Nazareth consisted mostly of rolling hillsides. It was a ...read more

Scripture: Mark 3:20-35

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Gospelizing 101

Contributed by Michael Bird on Jan 14, 2002

Gives an exposition of Rom 3:21-26 including all the technical terms. Seeks to apply the text by arguing that the Christian life is the process of gospelization.

Rom 3:21-26 In 1759 William Cowper was 28 years old, he had a total mental breakdown and tried three different ways to commit suicide. He became convinced that he was beyond hope. In December, 1763, he was committed to St. Alban’s Insane Asylum, where the 58-year-old Dr. Nathaniel Cotton tended ...read more

Scripture: Romans 3:21-26

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Supremacy And Sufficiency Of Christ

Contributed by Michael Bird on Jan 15, 2002

This sermon outlines the main ideas of Col 1:15-20 emphasising the pre-emminence of Christ over the cosmos.

Col 1:15-20 (Part 1) Intro [Illustration] When I was in the Army me and a few mates were tasked with piqueting a truck laden with ammunition on a Friday night. Well, as you can imagine most young men had other things planned rather than guarding a truck on a Friday night. So we sat around ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 1:15-20

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Andrew Lloyd Weber, A Journalist And 3 Guys Called 'jesus'

Contributed by Michael Bird on Jan 15, 2002

Examines various depicitions of who people say Jesus is and gives and exposition of Mk 8 concerning the confession of Jesus’ Messiahship

Mark 8:27-9:1 – Andrew Lloyd Weber, a Journalist and Three Guys Called Jesus. Introduction The odd sermon title is a smoke screen for a question I’d like to ask: “Who is Jesus?” It is the same question that the disciples asked when Jesus’ calmed the waters. Whether you’re an atheist or a ...read more

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Lord Bless You And Keep You

Contributed by Warren Bird on Jan 18, 2004

Grace, peace, blessing, keeping. God desires wonderful things for His faithful people! Blessing is a term that gets misused a lot - this sermon explores what it really means.

Have you ever noticed how the apostle Paul opens every one of his letters by wishing his readers “grace and peace”? It is also present in both of Peter’s letters, one of John’s and Revelation. When they said, “grace and peace” these Biblical writers were not merely using a polite form of words to ...read more

Scripture: Numbers 6:22-27

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Facing A Hostile World

Contributed by Warren Bird on Jul 24, 2003

The world is hostile to God and His people. It was to David, son of Jesse, also. How did he face spiritual opposition and what can we learn for the battle we are called to fight today?

Introduction I read something this week that reinforced a conviction that has been growing in my mind over the past several months. What I read was a news item about a plaque that has been taken away from a tourist centre at the Grand Canyon in the USA. Have any of you been to the Grand ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 26:1-12

Denomination: Independent/Bible

The Reality Of The Resurrection

Contributed by Warren Bird on Apr 17, 2004

Christ’s post-resurrection appearances establish its historical reality, its prophetic reality and its evangelistic reality. It really happened - to fulfil God’s plan, promised in the Old Testament. Thus, it is GOOD NEWS for us, to live and to proclaim.

Christ has died …… Christ is risen ……… Christ will come again. Do you believe it? {Extract a strong affirmation from the congregation.} In that case, you are a step ahead of the original disciples in those early hours and days after the first Good Friday and Easter morning. They found it very ...read more

Scripture: Luke 24:13-53, 1 Peter 1:3-4

Denomination: Independent/Bible

America Must Choose

Contributed by Dale Bird on Jun 29, 2004

Just as Joshua confronted Israel, Christian Americans must Choose as did Israel - Will we committ?

We all face choices every day. Some choices are big and some are small. Some choices have only a limited effect while others may affect the course of our entire lives and the lives of others. Today as Americans, and as Christians we continue to be called to choose. The days of free choice are ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 24:1-28

Denomination: Presbyterian/Reformed

John 1.1-18: What If God Was One Of Us?

Contributed by Michael Bird on Dec 6, 2003

This sermon attempts to demonstrate the importance, meaning and significance of the incarantion for Christian life.

John 1.1-18: What if God was One of Us? Introduction In J.B. Phillip’s New Testament Christianity, a senior angel is showing a very young angel around the splendours of the universe. They view the whirling galaxies and blazing suns, and then flit across the infinite distances of space until at ...read more

Scripture: John 1:1-18

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

God's Unique Sign

Contributed by Warren Bird on Dec 15, 2002

Why did the shepherds get excited when told that a baby had been born? Why did Simeon and Anna get excited when they saw the baby Jesus? A baby!! So what? So everything - this was the hopes and fears of all the years meeting in Bethlehem that night.

Introduction When a baby is born the new parents get all sorts of different reactions from family and friends: • “Oh, how lovely!” • “Look, he’s got his dad’s eyes!” • “Doesn’t she look just like her mum?” • or, simply, “oh!” But when Mary gave birth to her first son in a stable in Bethlehem ...read more

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Guidance

Contributed by Warren Bird on Dec 15, 2002

How does God guide us in the decisions we have to make? This sermon provides an outline of a Biblical model of guidance, using Colossians 3.

Introduction I don’t suppose many of you are old enough to remember the original TV Quiz Show, “Pick-a-Box”. It was hugely successful back in the very early days of television in Australia in the 1950’s and 60’s – so, yes, all the episodes were in black and white. The big moments in “Pick-a-Box” ...read more

Scripture: Colossians 3:1-17, Psalm 25:1-22

Denomination: Independent/Bible

Marriage - A Special Relationship

Contributed by Warren Bird on Dec 15, 2002

Transforming our attitudes to marriage to conform with Christian teaching

Introductory Discussion The relationship of marriage seems to be a pretty popular topic here at Padstow, with goodness knows how many engagements we have at the moment and maybe some more to come if what I see going on is any indication. And this is a really good thing. The lifelong commitment of ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 5:22-33, Matthew 19:1-6

Denomination: Independent/Bible

You Can't Mean That, God? Overview Of Habakkuk

Contributed by Warren Bird on Dec 15, 2002

When Habakkuk asked God to eradicate evil he got an answer he never expected. His reflections on that answer help us to consider how to respond to evil, how to understand why God allows evil to cause great suffering and draws us closer to our Lord.

Introduction One of the great literary achievements of the 20th Century has become one of the great cinematic achievements of the 21st Century. The first instalment of “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy is quite simply a phenomenal film that has brought to life a phenomenal book. And that is a ...read more

Denomination: Independent/Bible