Murphy Church Sunday Messages

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! 

“But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people (Luke 2:10).”   Christmas season is upon us. We know that Christmas is to be a season of joy, when we celebrate the good news.  But, do we really understand the good news and how vital it is to all people? The Bible calls the good news “the gospel”; it's the story of who Jesus is and what He has done.  Christmas is a celebration of the gospel.  This week, we begin our Christmas series, The First Noel, looking at Romans 1:16-17 in a sermon entitled “Good News for all People.”  

It’s the most wonderful time of the year:  a time when people pause to express gratitude, a time when we demonstrate our love by giving thoughtfully. For many, the holiday season is a time when we break our normal routine to spend time with our family.  Family is a “page-one" truth in Christianity.  God designed us to grow and mature in the context of a loving family.  When the family breaks down, we feel it, because everything else starts to break down.  In Ephesians 3:14-21, Paul reminds us that God is the source of our family, and, then, he prays for your family.  Join us this week as we conclude our series In God’s Presence with a sermon entitled Rooted in Love.  

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever, Amen (Romans 11:36).  Thanksgiving is so much more than a day to eat turkey and watch football.  Thanksgiving is a day of worship.  It’s a day when we pause to remember who God is and what He has done for us.  When we experience the freedom of His mercy, when we understand the wisdom of His ways, when we live in the depths of His grace, then we join the symphony of His creation praising God from hearts filled with gratitude. 

It happens every Sunday; a prayer request is made.  Sometimes we write down all the requests and send them to others asking that people pray.  What happens  then?  How should the church pray for one another, and what happens when God’s people pray?  In Acts 12:1-17, crisis had hit the early church: Peter had been arrested and was facing the possibility of death.  So, the church gathered for prayer.  As they faithfully prayed, God was at work.  It wasn’t until God was finished that they even realized what had been done.  Join us this Sunday at 9:45 or 11:00, as we continue our series on prayer looking at Acts 12:1-17 in a sermon entitled When the Church Prays.

At the heart of the Christian faith is a basic need for a new beginning.  None of us perfect; we all need grace and forgiveness. In Psalm 51, one of the heroes of the Bible, King David, finds himself at a low point in life.  Broken and humbled he cries out to God for a new beginning.  Join us this Sunday as we continue our series In God’s Presence looking at "David’s Prayer of New Beginning" in Psalm 51. 

Courage: the ability to do something that you know is difficult or dangerous.  Often we think courage is for super-heroes, or larger than life men and women who serve as first responders, fight in battle, or overcome disabilities. The reality is that the ordinary, well-adjusted, coffee-sipping, SUV driving, middle-class, metroplex, suburbanites also need courage.  Courage is an essential part of faith; it takes courage to follow God. Daniel was a courageous man of faith, who models courage in the most adverse of circumstances.  This week we continue our series In the Presence of God looking at Daniel’s Prayer of Courage from Daniel 6:10. 

Habakkuk was a good man who was often frustrated. He struggled with the evil and injustice of the world around him and wanted God to do something about it. When God revealed his plan to Habakkuk, he struggled even more. But, ultimately, the prophet pushed through his doubts and struggles to faith in God's sovereign plans. Habakkuk 3:16-19 is one of the great prayers of the Bible, revealing to us how to have faith in the midst of struggle.  

Jabez: a man whose name means pain; a man who had to overcome hardship and stereotypes, but believed that God had great plans. Jabez wanted to be a part of God’s plans and in I Chronicles 4:10 he took the jump of faith. Jabez appears only briefly in Scripture, but his prayer remains one of the great prayers of the Bible.

A woman of grace filled with sorrow, Hannah lived her days in quiet desperation. She was deeply loved by her husband, but mocked and isolated by others in her life. But God had a plan for her; she was to be the mother of the great prophet Samuel. In I Samuel 1:10-18, Hannah prays to the Lord for strength and help; it is one of the great prayers of the Bible. Out of her time in God’s presence, Hannah found joy and provision. Join us this week as we continue our series In God’s Presence. In this series, we are looking at the several great prayers of the Bible, and our prayer for you is that God will use these sermons to help you discover the deep joys of prayer.   

The Bible teaches us, "Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God (Philippians 4:6).” This is a great verse on which to dwell, but a challenging verse to live. How often do we dwell in the spirit of worry, when we should be dwelling in the presence of God? This week Lash begins a new sermon series entitled, "In the Presence of God." In this series, we will look at some of the great prayers of the Bible and see how God’s people found strength and peace in God’s presence. Join us this Sunday at 9:45 or 11:00 as we look at Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Text: Philippians 4:6, Luke 22:39-46

Have you ever had a moment when it feels like life is coming apart? Do you know someone who is going through a traumatic time? Peter had left everything to follow Jesus; he was a genuine believer. But, then, the script didn’t go as Peter envisioned. God wrote a different story, and for Peter it felt like everything had fallen apart. Peter’s story of denial and redemption is the story of every man. It’s a reminder that no one is beyond the reach of grace.

In the moments before the most significant event in history, the disciples took the ride of pride in a dispute over who is the greatest. Each of them wanted to make a difference and do something great with their lives. But their picture of greatness was skewed. In Luke 22:24-30, Jesus reminds us that, in the kingdom of God, greatness looks a lot different than the images we normally see. Join us this Sunday as Lash talks about “How to be a Difference Maker.”

In the "moments before". . . Jesus and the disciples gathered in the upper room to celebrate the passover meal. During that meal, Jesus would bridge the past to the future and initiate what we call the Lord’s Supper or Communion. The Lord’s Supper is special time when Christians remember both the sacrifice and new life that Christ brought near through his death and resurrection. Join us this week at 9:45 or 11:00 as we gather back in our new sanctuary, our special place of worship, to remember and celebrate our Savior!

Hope is one of the deepest needs of the soul; we all need hope.  It’s a talking point for politicians, inspirational memes, and fiery pregame coach talks. The Bible talks about hope often, but biblical hope is a different kind of hope.  Biblical hope is real, eternal, and guaranteed. In Romans 5, we are told to “hope in the glory of God.”  This Sunday, Lash concludes our series on Hope as he talks about what it means to hope in the glory of God in a sermon entitled, “A Different Kind of Hope.” 

Fear of the unknown is one of the greatest causes of worry.  In fact, the fear of fear is often worse than the fear itself.  We worry about the what if’s and the when’s to the point that our minds grow numb and our vision goes faint.  In Luke 21, Jesus teaches us to “Know and Watch.”  Christians know that the troubles of today are temporary and not beyond the arm of God. So, we stay alert and watch with expectation for the day when the son of man comes again to make all things new.  

The good news of the gospel is not complete without the hope of the second coming and Christ’s promise of eternal life in a new world called heaven.  In our minds, we often end the story of grace at the cross or the empty tomb.  When we do this it causes us to “stop short” in our knowledge, and, for many, stops our spiritual progress.  This week we will continue our series “Hope” as we look at Luke 21:5-28: a passage in which Jesus describes the signs of the times that will lead up to His glorious return.  

Eventually it will happen: A Christian leader that you admire will disappoint you. A loved one for which you prayed to recover will pass away.  You’ll go through a season where life keeps punching you. The church will make a decision that you don’t understand.  When it happens, it’s easy to get disillusioned and lose heart. In Luke 21:1-4, the Bible tells a story of poor widow woman who persevered in hope when it would have been easy to quit.  It’s a story of inspiration, a story of faith, and a reminder of hope.  Join us this Sunday at 8:30 9:45, or 11:00 as we continue our series on Hope with a sermon entitled, “An Audience of One.”  

The gospel is a story of hope set in a context of struggle. The pages of Scripture reveal this epic struggle as it unfolds from Genesis to Revelation. Onto the pages of struggles comes the son of David who brings life to death and hope to all. He comes as the innocent baby of Bethlehem and yet the son of David is also the Lord of David. Join us this week as we continue our series on Hope with a sermon from Luke 20:41-47 entitled Hope Wins. Text Luke 20:41-47, Psalm 110:1-7

Paul, the apostle, once wrote, "We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope (I Thes 4:13). Hope is a fundamental spiritual need and it is graciously provided to each of us who believe through our savior, Jesus Christ. Because of Jesus, there is hope both beyond this life and within this life. This week we begin a new series entitled “Hope,” and we will be asking the question, “Did Jesus really teach that there is life after death?” Texts I Thes 4:13 and Luke 20:27-40