Crich Baptist Church

Elizabeth, Mary's cousin, had conceived in her old age and was visiting Elizabeth, and when the baby, in Elizabeth's womb, destined to be John the Baptist, hears the voice of Mary, he leaps for joy. Elizabeth interprets this action and prophecies about it.--Main Headings---1- Life begins at conception-2- Are we leaping for joy---3- Some reasons for joy

People go to great efforts getting ready for Christmas. Some people start planning next year's Christmas on Boxing Day. People are anxious that everything should go to plan. God had a plan, formed in eternity past, to provide the greatest gift. Have you received that gift, the most wonderful gift you will ever know. A gift, which will change your life for time and eternity.--Main Headings---1- God planned Christmas a long time ago-2- God's zeal-3- It has a purpose

What Jude wrote in the penultimate book of the Bible, applies, not just to the church of his day, but to us as well. In verse 3 of his epistle he urged people to contend earnestly for the faith. A lack of godliness, no sense of morality, dealing with false teachers, and the error that they sought to bring in to the church was what appeared to have troubled Jude. The call then, as now, was not to contend in our own strength, but with the strength that God has given to us, and to do so with every fibre of our being, that ultimately, we will be before Him spotless, faultless and clean. We will actually stand before Him with exceeding joy. This is because of what God has done for us in Christ. Therefore, press on, and persevere.

One of the most basic parts of what Christ-likeness will look like is that we will show mercy. This will not just mean that we do acts of mercy but that our whole life and outlook is geared to showing mercy. --Main Headings---1- This is God's character-2- Our calling-3- Roadblocks to showing mercy-4- Mercy received

What the apostle Paul does here is to establish that his ministry is to the Gentiles, which has given rise to some controversy, is valid and legitimate, and is not denied by the fact that he has been imprisoned on account of it. Paul's life and ministry was in the centre of the will of God, can that be said of us-- All, we are reminded, should be focussed on Christ.--Main Headings---1- Suffering negates nothing-2- High calling-3- Nothing outside of Christ

This verse -Matthew 5-6- takes us to the real heart of who we are. It makes us look at what is our heart's desire. In this verse there is a condition and a promise. Key to understanding this is the word 'righteousness'. Do we solely confine it to solely meaning justification- Or is there more to what God is showing us- Ought we not to also include the thought of inner conformity to the character of God. In other words, it expresses a desire to live as Christ lived.--Main Headings---1- Righteousness as justification-2- Righteousness as Christ-likeness

In the past, the Lord made a distinction by giving a special place to the ethnic people of Israel. To them only great revelation was given, and from them only the Messiah was to arise. That distinction had now been superseded. The Lord now gives light and revelation to all people, a people and a community that have faith in Christ, and a community that is composed of people, including Gentiles, of all backgrounds and ethnicities. All this meaning that ethnic Jews are no longer the sole recipients of promises and spiritual hopes.--Main Headings---1- This was the big issue of the day-2- What we belong to-3- Some implications

Does God experience joy- Luke 15 shows us the Lord's joy in the salvation of lost people. In all three parables in this chapter something was lost - a sheep, a coin and a son. Without the Lord Jesus people are lost and need Him. If we do not see ourselves as lost we will never see any need of Jesus finding and saving us.--Have we given joy to God by repenting of our sin- Do we rejoice with God when we hear of people repenting of their sin- Would we love to give God more joy by seeking to win lost people- We should go after lost sinners who need to hear the good news. --Main Headings---1- A losing-2- A searching-3- A finding-4- A rejoicing

It is important and valuable to recollect the past, with all its problems and difficulties. We were children of wrath, both Gentiles and Jews. We cannot over-estimate just how bad our situation was. Conversion is not a small thing but results in a great contrast, enabling us to know God's mercy, grace and kindness.--Main Headings---1- Once upon a time-2- But now--3- Living by the new nature

Being meek is not something that the world values greatly. It can be described as 'the capacity to absorb injuries to oneself without retaliating or being angry and vengeful.' It is a good trait of character and indicates that we have an inner strength. It does not mean that one is always silent and never resists, or that we never take a stand against injustices. What kind of character do we have---1- Meekness considered-2- Meekness and strength-3- Christ our sure example-4- Meekness inherits the earth

What we 'hope' for has a present and future reality. The Christian's 'hope' is in Christ alone, and comes, as we learn in Hebrews 11-1 by faith, a faith that is built on the very substance of the 'hope' that we look for. Is that the solid 'hope' that you look to know-

The mourning that is spoken of here is mourning that is a sign of spiritual health, and is actually blessed by God. It tells us something about who we are in relation to Him. It is a mourning that is actually good for us, in which we share God's insights and perspectives and draw closer to Him. It is not the entirety of what we are to be as believers. Indeed, we have seen recently that there is much that we are to know about and feel that is immensely positive -See Ephesians 1-15-22-.--Main Heading---1- A grief observed-2- Some fundamental conclusions-3- A time to weep

What blessings and inheritance are indeed ours when we believe. Election and the Redemption accomplished through Jesus Christ, mean that we receive the promised Holy Spirit when we are converted. We then have Christ more in our view and can look to our future in heaven with Him. We find our location in the wider purposes of God. It opens our eyes, not to our glory, but to His glory. We have all this before us, but we know that in the present there is His affection and care towards us. There was power that raised the Lord from the dead but that was only the beginning of it. He has now ascended on high, has been crowned and is now reigning. He is over all the angelic host, both the obedient and disobedient. He rules over all earthly rulers and outranks them all.---Main Headings----1- The need for understanding-2- What we see-3- We find our place in Him

'Blessed are the poor in Spirit' - The blessedness of which our Lord speaks is not something that we will only experience one day far off, but something to know now. This first of The Beatitudes is the foundation to all the others.--Main Headings---1- Getting off to a good start-2- Poverty of spirit is not self-manufactured-3- Poor in spirit is defined by God-4- Poor yet rich

The second part of what was originally intended as one sermon. As Christians, we are part of God's great plan of redemption from eternity past. We are assured by the Holy Spirit of what is to come for converted Jewish believers and Gentiles. Gathered together in Christ we can look forward to a great future in eternity for all the redeemed of the Lord. --Main Headings---1- We are looking forward-2- You have the Holy Spirit

This is a new series which we are beginning on the Beatitudes, the statements our Lord made pronouncing particular states in which various people are described as 'happy' or 'blessed'. Do any of these describe you---Main Headings---1- Who is speaking--2- To whom was He speaking--3- The prospect of blessedness

As Christians, we are part of something very big and significant. We are ever having to have our eyes opened wider to what we now belong to. It is easy to think we are nothing as we serve in small churches and face a whole range of problems and challenges in society. But Ephesians 1-1-14 is cosmic in its scope. It takes in eternity past, the present and eternity future. It looks at it all as a seamless whole. The Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, is at the centre of all these purposes of God.- The Spirit brings these things into our present experience, and we need to realise that all this was in the heart of God for us from before the very dawn of time. --Main Headings---1- Great plans-2- We are looking forward-3- You have the Holy Spirit