Craig Dobbie preaching on our desperate need for forgiveness Luke 5:12-28

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Craig Dobbie preaching on Compassion and Pride Luke 4:14-30

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Craig Dobbie preaching on “I doubt Christianity because so many Christians are hypocrites”

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Craig Dobbie preaching on conviction

The survival of Christianity as a religion is quite incredible.  But is has thrived against the odds because of conviction. 2 Cor 4:5 Paul says that we believe therefore we speak.

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Craig Dobbie preaching on 2 Corinthians 12 & 13

What is the cross?
- is it just the means God chose to save sinners?
- no, God chose the cross because it teaches something and provides a ’culture’

In Pauls day, boasting was common practise. Worldly boasting stemmed from outwouldly appearances. Clothes, CV, power of speech etc.  Paul responds to this by ‘boasting as a fool’ to demonstrate the difference between the culture of the cross and the culture of the world.

Culture of the Cross

- Gentleness not Arrogance
- Suffering and Humiliation (Paul’s body bore the marks of suffering)
- Weakness not Power (Paul came to Damascus thinking he was a hero and left in a basket, lowered from the wall). Knowledge of our weakness comes with Christian maturity. We are all broken and need to avoid the illusion of worldly power.

We are not called to be powerful, but rather God wants people who are fearful and weak, people who are despite suffering and weakness can put their trust and reliance on the cross!

Pray that you might continue to grasp the ‘cross culture’.

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Craig Dobbie preaching on Proverbs – Work 28th Aug, 2011

Creation
God himself is a worker, unlike the pagan gods. When God created humans, work was part of the blessing of life.

Fall
Lazy people lack discernment. The sluggard thinks that the small surrenders e.g ‘just a little more sleep’, won’t make any difference. Prov 26 tells us that laziness brings a whole family of other sins such as pride. Lack of discernment is a lack of spiritual discernment.

Restoration
1 Cor 15 – Jesus is the beginning of the restoration and his reserection the proof that Gods promises are true.
Who you are working for matters. Work to bring honour to God in your work.

It matters the way we work.
Whilst we often ask what does God want me to do? Instead we should first ask with what work character does God want me to exhibit.
There is a kind of work that always matters – 1 Cor 58 “Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because this work is never in vain”

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Craig Dobbie preaching on Proverbs 4-5  31st July, 2011

How do we live the ‘good life’?

1. Importance of listening. Wisdom is the pay off for having the discipline to listen rather than talking. Prov 4:10
2. The moral dimension to wisdom. Prov 4 explains the judgement required to chose right against wrong. Prov 5 advises to invest in marriage. Sin hardens our hearts and therefore makes it hard to see objectively.
3. The need to protect your heart.Prov 4:23 Above all else guard your heart. Recognise that you have a sinful nature and can easily fail if we rely on our own strength.
4. The wise man always takes the long view
5. The wise man comes to Jesus for mercy

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Craig Dobbie preaching on Supremacy in Christ – Romans 8:18-25 (17/7/2011)

The great hope of the Christian life is the certainty of heaven.  Matt 6 – Jesus commands us to not lay up earthly treasures, but to focus on heavenly treasures. Make sure you chose the right treasure because your heart will follow.

Where is heaven?
The place where God is.  The permanent eternal home. Why did God create us? For the display of his glory!  Rom 8:20-21 gives us a hint of why God deliberately allows the world to live in chaos before finally being liberated, transformed from old to new.  The new testament talks about the restoration of all things (Matt 13)  Most probably, if we die before Jesus returns we will be spiritually in paradise, until Jesus returns when we will be given new bodies.  Rev 21:3 God will dwell with his people, Rev 22 the new garden of Eden,  a place on earth!

Why should we be certain about it?
Because God won’t allow Satan to win. (Gen 3) God will crush the serpents head, God will not allow his glory to be defiled.  Jesus being resurrected body gives us solid hope that we too will be given new bodies in heaven.

What is heaven like?
Sure it will have Peace, a place where there is an end to suffering & illness, a place to see those that we love again. But the main element of heaven is God – dwelling with man. The presence of God brings an end to futility. 1 John 3:2 When Jesus appears, we will be made like him, and will see Him as he truly is!  God will still be God. There will always be more of God to know, there will be work to do, responsibilities, sunsets, oceans, plants and trees all proclaiming the glory of God.

Pray that you will treasure heaven above all things, and therefore have a heart that says no to sin, to have a passion for sharing the gospel with others.

Note: We will kick off our study of Proverbs and Song of Solomon next week and you can sign up to receive daily emails of the study notes here

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Craig Dobbie on Titus 2:6-10 12/06/2011

What truths create a good community? Pauls doctrine aimed to teach the people of Crete how to live as God commanded.

1. Necessary relationship between individual and the community.
Ultimately the way a community exists is shaped by the values that are held by it’s members. Most Australians are individualists, placing our own issues above that of the community. Paul understands that although we are individuals made in Gods image, we are also members of the community and require self control to protect community values.

2. Self control is saved minded.
Self control is the only command Paul gives to Young men. Self control is an important antidote for Pride, love of pleasure, sexual temptation, tendency to be thoughtless and rash with comment. Seriousness is not prized in today’s society, because it is perceived as boring and negative restraint on freedom. However Paul calls us to take the gospel seriously, exhibiting a “saved minded” approach to living.

3. Make the gospel attractive by the way we live.
We have a responsibility to the great community at large, but an even greater responsibility to the Christian community. Paul calls Titus to live in a way that doesn’t let the gospel come into ill repute.
How does my life make the gospel attractive to outsiders? Do they know I’m a Christian? Good words without works is ambiguous . We need to be thoughtful enough to critique  individualistic society values to uphold the Christian community.

Pray that you will have a commitment to and a conviction about the importance of Christian community.

Get Titus study notes delivered to your inbox daily http://evchurch.info/titus/

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Craig Dobbie preaching on Titus 1:1-5 15/05/2011

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Post Modernism over the last 40 years has shown that 75% of adults, and 85% of teenagers don’t believe in absolute truth. When you remove objective truth, society becomes a society where life is all about self pleasure.

The Bible in contrast offers a truth that is different.  The Bible’s hope isn’t wishful thinking, it’s about certainty. And yet, within our sinful self we often see God as a restriction on freedom which leads to massive contradictions between belief and behaviour

The purpose of Paul’s message is for the sake of the Christian elect.

• God determines everything
• Our choices are subordinate to God, even if we don’t wish that.
• Faith in Jesus is the most valuable thing you have

We should insure the things we value, and therefore need to be lovers of the truth

• know Gods goodness
• appreciate Gods way of living
• nurture this love
• repent of drifting along with the world, gaining a maturity in knowledge of right & wrong.

Pray that you will value God’s truth and strengthen your desire to know & appreciate God’s goodness.

Note: LIFE starts again this Wednesday 18th May (6 nights) 7:15pm for 7:30 sit down dinner

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