Murphy Church Sunday Messages

The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ are the most significant events in human history.  Why are these moments so meaningful?  Because of who it was that died and rose again. Many people in antiquity were crucified, and the Bible even tells of other people being raised from the dead.  But there is only one Jesus: the eternal son of God!  This week we will be looking at Luke 23:44-49 and Colossians 1:15-20 in a sermon entitled Reconciled. 

The cross is a victory disguised as a defeat.  Through Christ’s suffering, salvation was made available for all people.  God took the initiative to ensure that no one has to live separated from Him.  Woven into the story of the cross are the scarlet threads of grace seen in the lives of three men:  Barabbas, Simon of Cyrene and the thief on the cross.  Each of these men came face to face with Jesus, and like each of us stood in the shadows of the cross in need of God’s grace.  

Pontius Pilate was a man of great earthly success.  He was a powerful person commanding a province of Rome.  Pilate was wealthy: able to live well and travel enjoying the fruit of his labors.  Yet, Pilate was also a man of great inner struggle.  He struggled with doing the right thing versus doing the easy thing.  He struggled with truth, and he struggled with God.  One day his inner struggle faced a reality check, when the son of God came face to face with Pilate.  Join us this  week as we look at Luke 23:1-24 in a sermon entitled Reality Check.  

How does God grow us spiritually?  Often God uses relationships, spiritual disciplines, and and trials to grow us in faith and prepare us for service.  As believers, we usually run to godly friendships, Bible study, worship, and other spiritual disciplines, but when it comes to trials and pain we often run the other way.  Yet, even Jesus faced the pain of rejection, lies, and struggle. Without the struggle of the cross, the resurrection never happens.  This week we look at one of humanity’s darkest moments, when the Son of God was placed on trial in Luke 22:63-71 in a sermon entitled Lessons from the Trial.  

Peter grew up in a community where everyone believed in God and everyone went to synagogue each week. He was taught to love God, love the Scriptures, and love his people. Yet, he was also raised in a generation when there was much false teaching and corruption which led to much confusion.  When he met Jesus, his heart was changed.  He became a man willing to leave everything behind in search of the real thing.  Yet, Peter remained a complex man: the confusion from his past often conflicted with his hope for the future.  Jesus’ arrest brought crisis to Peter’s soul.  His denial in many ways mirrors Judas’, but unlike Judas, Peter’s story ends in faith.  Join us this week as look at Luke 22:52-60 and Matthew 16:13-16 in a sermon entitled In Search of the Real Thing.  

As Jerusalem slept, Jesus prayed.  Beneath the twisted canopy of ancient olive trees, Judas and his ban of soldiers arrived. The man Jesus had trusted to be part of his inner circle; the man the disciples had entrusted to manage their money was now betraying Jesus with a kiss.  How does the kiss of love become the kiss of betrayal?  How did those who truly loved Jesus want to react?  How did Jesus react?  Where was God in it all?  Join us this week as we answer these questions in our return to Luke’s gospel with a message entitled Betrayal's Kiss from Luke 22:47-53.  

One time Jesus was asked, “What is the greatest commandment?”  Jesus immediately answered love God and love your neighbor.  All the spiritual disciplines are built on our love for God.  When we love God, we desire to grow closer to God.  Love drives us to spend time with Him and grow in His word.   This  love for God also leads us to love others.  In fact, Jesus said it is by our love for one another that people will know we are his disciples.  Love for one another is the end result of our love for God. 

A healthy church loves one another and appreciates the strengths that each person brings to the body.  We realize that we are many parts but we are one body in Christ. The Bible teaches that God has given “a measure of faith” to each one of us that we call a spiritual gift, and these gifts are to be used to build up the body of Christ.  Church health fades when we abuse our gifts: taking on an attitude of exclusivity and forgetting our basic call to serve and love one another.  Join us this week as we conclude our series on the Spiritual Disciplines looking at Romans 12:3-9 in a sermon entitled “Gifted for Service.”  

Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship (Romans 12:1).  Worship is vital to our spiritual growth.  Yet, worship is often one of the most misunderstood ideas in our faith. In Romans 12:1-2, the Bible reveals to us what it looks like to live the life of a worshiper.  Join us this week at 9:45 or 11:00 as we continue our series on the Spiritual Disciplines with a sermon entitled "Living Worship.”

Is the dream of life to reach a place where all of life is safe and comfortable, or is there more? In Luke 12:13-20 and Matthew 25:13-30, Jesus tells two parables designed to teach us the importance of generosity, faith, and hope in a Christian’s life.  The call of Christ leads us to invest our lives in the few things that last forever.  This investment stretches me to reshape my thinking, trust God, and see the finish line through the lens of eternal hope.  Join us this week as we continue our series on The Spiritual Disciplines with a sermon entitled Changing Perspective.  

One of the ironies of life in the “google-age" is that all the things we bought to make life easier, make life exhausting. There are so many choices, so many inputs, and so much awareness that it’s often hard to just stop and listen. Yet learning to stop is an important spiritual discipline that is taught throughout the Bible.  When we stop, we can listen and hear the still-small voice of the Holy Spirit speaking God’s truth into our lives.  Join us this week as Lash discusses the spiritual disciplines of resting, praying, and fasting in a sermon entitled “Stopping to Listen ” from Matthew 6:5-18 and Exodus 20:8-11.  

Join us as we hear from Shannon Hopkins, Missionary to Honduras, as he brings a message titled "Walk With Me." We were not designed to walk alone on this journey alone.

There was a time when the early church was growing spiritually and seeing people come to Christ everyday.  Their message wasn’t complicated; their style wasn’t edgy; their lives weren’t cluttered. They were fully devoted to seeking the truth and presence of God, and they enjoyed a simplicity of heart that led a season of deeply meaningful spiritual growth. Simplicity is a lost art in our culture. We often wonder, “How did it all get so complicated?” and long for a calm heart. Join us this Sunday at 9:45 or 11:00 as we continue our series, “The Spiritual Disciplines” in a sermon from Acts 2:41-47 entitled Finding Simplicity.

2019 is here, and with it comes a new opportunity to evaluate your life and make some needed changes. One question all of us need to ask is, “Am I growing spiritually?” Spiritual growth occurs through a relationship with God. But just like any relationship in life, there are things you can do to strengthen the connection you have with God. Things such as reading the Bible, praying, fasting, simplicity, generosity, faith, and service are the spiritual disciplines of Christianity that help you connect with God and be able to say, “Yes, I am definitely growing in my spiritual life.” Join us this week, as Lash explains 2 Timothy 3:10-17 and discusses the first spiritual discipline in a sermon entitled,  “Abiding in God’s Word.”  

Please join Dr. David Allen, Dean of the School of Preaching, Distinguished Professor of Preaching, Director of the Southwestern Center for Expository Preaching and George W. Truett Chair of Ministry at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, as he bring a message from Romans chapter 1.

Join John Fletcher, our Student and Media Minister, as he shares a message from Psalm 15.A person is known by their character. Character is something that speaks loudly, yes many times without words, and tells a story of the person. What does our character say about us? This Sunday, at our 11:00 AM, service we will look at a biblical blueprint of Godly character, from Psalm 15, that will not only bring glory to God but will let others see Christ in and through us.

Merry Christmas from Murphy Church!

The calm of Christmas cannot be purchased, cooked, baked, or attended.  The calm of Christmas is the gift of God: Jesus Christ.  The eternal son of God crossed the cosmos and took on flesh. He was born to die as an atonement for our sins and raised from death to bring eternal life to all who believe.  This is good news of great joy that the angels proclaimed.  It’s the gospel, and this is where the calm of Christmas is found.  

"Don't be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”  Christmas is all about good news, specifically, the good news of the gospel.  The eternal God who creates and sustains, sent his only son to live a sinless life, die on the cross as an atonement for my sins, and overcome death to bring me eternal life.  This is the good news and it’s for all the people.  The Wisemen were a long way from God.  Yet, God went out of his way to make sure they knew the light shining in the darkness was for them too.  Join us this week at 9:45 or 11:00 as we continue our series, The First Noel, with a sermon entitled Good News: The Light Shines.  

What are you afraid of today?  For the shepherds it was pretty obvious. They were out in the field watching sheep, when, suddenly, the sky was lit up with the angels of heaven. We all have our fears:  those pressures, noises, responsibilities, challenges of life that fill us with anxiety and threaten to rob our joy.  Sometimes the fear of Christmas even steals the joy of Christmas.  But the message of Christmas is that we fear not, because God did not leave us in darkness. This week we continue our Christmas series The First Noel looking at the message of Christmas as told by the angel to the shepherds.  Remember Hope > Fear!