Good disciples of Christ as ready and faithful slaves – a sermon by Rev. Colin Pretorius on Romans 6:15-23 and Luke 12:35-48. The two passages we read this morning tell us about being followers of Jesus. Paul writes about becoming and being slaves of God. Luke, on the other hand, tells us about what being […]
Divine instruction for living in a world of evil – a sermon on James 1:19-21 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. When I did a speed-reading course many years ago, the instructor explained to us that people on average read at about 300 words per minute. That’s fast enough to be able to read through a normal […]
Dare to be a Daniel and stand up for your King – a sermon on Daniel 1 by Reverend Colin Pretorius Introduction. Sue was a young believer who worked at a company that distributed medicines. During the Covid pandemic, she had the important job of making sure no vaccines were sent out if they hadn’t […]
Fan into flame the gift of God that is in you – a sermon on 2 Timothy 1:1-7 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. One of the highest ranking television shows in Australia at the moment is “The Good Doctor.” It is about Sean, an autistic doctor who has to get to grips with the difficulties of […]
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God – a sermon on Matthew 5:9 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. About 2600 years ago, the prophet Jeremiah wrote: They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace. Not much has changed since that time. Peace […]
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven – a sermon on Matthew 5:1-3 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. Introduction Pride, passion, pretence, pain, and poverty of spirit. These are the themes of Tolstoy’s novel “Father Sergius.” As a young man Sergius had been very ambitious. He worked his way up through […]
Eight beautiful attitudes that go with kingdom living – a sermon on Matthew 4:23-5:12 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. The Sermon on the Mount is probably the best-known part of Jesus’ teaching. If you google it, you’ll find more than 4 million results. But sadly what Jesus teaches in His sermon is probably also the least-obeyed […]
Honourable vessels are useful to the Master – a sermon on 2 Timothy 2:20-26 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. When Leonardo da Vinci was painting The Last Supper, he sought long in the churches of Rome for a model for Jesus. At last he settled on Pietro Bandinelli, a noble young man who was quite lovely […]
Contend for the faith! – a sermon on Jude 3 by Rev Colin Pretorius. In 2009 the priest Patrick Kennedy was sacked from the Catholic Church in Brisbane after 28 years’ service. He wasn’t sacked because of any sexual impropriety – as one would in these times so easily assume – but for his beliefs. […]
Called, beloved and kept – a sermon on Jude 1 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. This morning we turn our attention to the second-last book of the Bible. It’s only a short letter – just 25 verses – but it is a letter that gives us much encouragement, instruction and assurance. And today we’re going to […]
Jesus bids us shine – a sermon on Matthew 5:14-16 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. In the heart of the business district of Dallas, Texas, there’s a unique but slightly weird-looking building. If you look at this grey-white concrete structure that stands about 28m high, it doesn’t really look like much. I mean, those spirally things […]
There have been many times over the past two years when we couldn’t get together in the hall after church for a cuppa or a chat. We couldn’t enjoy that bonding as fellow believers of being able to have a bit more in-depth chat about what God has done in our lives or perhaps about […]
Serve the Lord without reservation, without retreating and without regret – a sermon on 2 Timothy 4:9-22 by Rev Colin Pretorius. It has become fairly common today for children to be given big gifts when they turn 18 or when they finish school. Some might even get a new car. But very few would get […]
Christ is supreme! – A sermon on Colossians 1:15-23 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. Between May and October 1893, the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Christopher Columbus in America was celebrated at what came to be known as the Chicago World’s Fair. It was a huge event, with more people attending than are currently living […]
So just who is Jesus to you? – a sermon on Luke 19:28-40 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. A hundred-and-twenty five years ago Nicholas II was crowned as the last emperor or Tsar of Russia. The festivities ran for weeks, with thousands upon thousands of people crushed together to catch a glimpse of the royal couple. […]
The people of God are devoted – a sermon on Acts 2:42-47 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. It was just after Pentecost. The disciples had been filled with the Holy Spirit. God’s Spirit rested on them and filled them. And then, filled with the Holy Spirit and with words anointed by Him, Peter started preaching. It […]
Jesus is the Good Shepherd – a sermon on John 10:11-21 by Rev. Colin Pretorius If you’ve ever been to one of those massive farms or stations we have here in Australia, you’ll have seen how farmers herd their sheep. They get on motorbikes or even utes and drive the sheep ahead of them. It’s […]
Four unexpected blessings – a sermon on Luke 6:17-26 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. What a world it is that we live in! Yes, there are wonderful people out there involved in fighting for things like justice for the poor or for refugees or for the rights of children. But in general that’s not what the […]
Scatterlings live and serve in humility – a sermon on 1 Peter 5:1-11 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. The sermon today, as you may have guessed from the sermon title, has to do with humility. And as we look at what humility means and how it plays out in the life of believers, I’d like you […]
Seek ye first the kingdom of God – a sermon on James 4:1-3 by Rev. Colin Pretorius. This passage has different titles in our various English translations: submit yourself to God, drawing close to God, warning against worldliness, friendship with the world, or things to avoid.[1] The first 12 verses comprise all of those things […]
1 Peter 2:11-25 – Shining for Jesus in all we do, by Rev. Colin Pretorius. Some of the worst crimes against humanity occurred in the 16th to 19th centuries when the slave trade was at its height. Millions upon millions of people – men, women and children – were enslaved, sold as property and in […]