Murphy Church Sunday Messages

One of the greatest ways to “Be Different and Make a Difference” is to be genuinely grateful. The Holy Spirit, who invades our lives the moment we receive Christ, is totally committed to cultivating within our lives an attitude of gratitude. In Luke 17:11-19, Jesus heals 10 men suffering from the terrible disease of leprosy, yet only 1 returns to express his gratitude and worship to the Lord. Far too often, we are thankful for things rather than the One who gives all things. Join us this week, as we look at what an incredible difference a heart full of gratitude can make.

In Luke 17:5, the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” The Bible says that faith is "the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen (Hebrews 11:1).” Without faith it is “impossible to please God.” So how do we get faith? and How does life look when we are truly living by faith? Join us this week as we answer these questions from Luke 17:5-10 in a sermon entitled Faith and Faithfulness.

Jesus said in Luke 17:1, “Offenses will certainly come.” We live in a fallen world saturated by sin. People will do and say things that are wrong, and when they do, others will be hurt. But Christians are to "Be Different to Make a Difference.” We are to deal with our conflicts in a Christ-like manner seeking the restoration of others in the spirit of forgiveness. Conflict cannot be avoided in life, but how you deal with conflict will often shape your life. Join us this week, as we look at Luke 17:1-4 in a sermon entitled Live Forgiven.

In Luke 16:19-31, Jesus told a parable of two men who lived just a few feet away from one another, but whose lives could not have been more different. One was prideful; the other was humble. One was wealthy and lived life lavishly; the other was poor and just tried to survive. One thought he knew it all and refused to listen; the other heard the message of the kingdom and responded in faith. Then, both men died, and, suddenly, everything changed. The one who had it all but refused to listen spent eternity apart from God. The one who had nothing gained it all in the presence of God. Join us this Sunday, as we continue our series Be Different, Make a Difference with a sermon entitled “Listening.”

Marriage is the foundational human relationship through which family and community are built. Marriage drives a man and a woman to leave the homes of their youth and bond with one another in a life-long covenant. It is a covenant between husband, wife, and God, that unites them as one family, so that they might reveal the image of the creator. Join us this week as we talk about what the Bible has to say about marriage as we continue our series Be Different, Make a Difference.

Food—water—shelter—we all agree that it is vital to our well-being to have these things. We also know that we need money to help us acquire and manage the needs of life. All tax-brackets struggle with perspective when it comes to money. In Luke 16:1-15, Jesus tells a parable designed to help us get a grip on the role of money in our lives. When we get a grip on money, it allows us to “Be different and Make a Difference,” because it frees us to be both wise and generous. We look forward to seeing you in worship this week. Don’t forget with our new schedule worship is at 9:45 and 11:00.

It’s a new year full of hopes and dreams. We are thankful for what has been, but we also look forward to what is to come. Join us this week as Lash discusses the importance of living with hope from the God of hope. Our text will be Romans 15:13, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Simply Christmas is Christmas worship with the simple, relational joy of Christmas. It's what Christmas used to be before it all got so big and busy. Bring your family and join us on Christmas Eve as we gather to sing the carols of Christmas, hear the story, make memories, and find the joy.

The parable of the Lost Son is among Jesus’ most beloved teachings. It’s a story of forgiveness, hope, new beginnings set within the challenges of family-life. Most of all it’s a story of grace. It reminds me that even though life can take you far away from God, you can come home, and it also reminds me not to be envious of how God treats others, but instead be thankful for how He has treated me. Join us this week as conclude our series Reconnected with a sermon entitled Coming Home: The Lost Son from Luke 15:11-32.

It’s easy to get lost at Christmas. Sometimes you can be lost in all the busyness: trying to get things done and trying to be at all the places you need to be. Busyness can make it hard to find the true joy of Christmas. Sometimes we feel lost at Christmas: like everyone has life figured out but me. People often feel the loss of loved ones at Christmas and struggle to find joy in the midst of grief. There are also many who are spiritually lost and in need of a savior. Here’s the good news: God isn’t lost. God knows exactly what you’re doing and where you are and Christmas reminds us that at just the right moments God shines His Light of hope into the lostness. Join us this week as we look at Luke 15:8-10 in a sermon entitled Lost and Found.

Does God care? It’s a rarely voiced but often thought question. Christians looks at the darkness of our world and long for God to intervene. Others distance themselves from God and wonder if they could ever come home. The Christmas season is a time when we show others how much we care, and it’s a time for each of us to remember just how much God cares. This Sunday Lash begins a new series of sermons entitled Reconnected from Luke 15. We look forward to seeing you for worship.

So many choices, so little time. In our fast-paced, you only live once (YOLO), world we rarely struggle to find something to do. Usually, we struggle with finding the best something to do. In Luke 14:15-24, Jesus tells a parable about a man who invited his friends to a great dinner, but they all had something else to do. In the parable, the dinner represents the kingdom of God. This week we continue our series . . . a humble spirit as Lash talks about saying no to the good things in life in order to say yes to the best things in life in a sermon entitled Choices.

In a world of sound bytes and 280 character tweets, a humble spirit may seem like a virtue of the past. We are taught that leaders must be forceful, loud, supremely confident. To sit at table #1 you must want it, claim it, and take it. Yet the greatest leader the world has ever know, Jesus, had an entirely different approach: an humble approach to leadership. Join us this week as we begin a new series, “. . . a humble spirit.” with a sermon from Luke 14:1-14 entitled “The Humble One at Table #1.”

What are the hard things that you are facing in life right now? Often, fear of what might happen or remorse for what has happened keep us from facing the challenges and opportunities to which God has called us. In Luke 13:31-35, the humanity of Jesus wrestles with the realities of his mission. This week we see how Jesus pushed through his fear and remorse and kept his eye on His call.

The major religions of the world call you to believe in a set of teachings: obey them, and you will be saved. Christianity calls you to believe in Jesus: trust in Him, and you will be saved. Jesus doesn’t leave you wondering about how you may know God, experience grace, and live forever. He tells you precisely how to be saved. Join us this Sunday as we look at Luke 13:22-30 in a message entitled “The Narrow Turn.”

Jesus calls me to faith—not fear. Faith allows me to dream BIG in a world that tries to scare me into a settled smallness. In Luke 13:18-21, Jesus tells two parables about the kingdom of God and faith. Sometimes you have to trust God, have faith, and keep moving until the mountains get out of the way. Join us this Sunday was we continue our series Turns with a sermon entitled Turning from Fear to Faith.

Crippled for 18 years, unable to straighten up at all, a poor woman fought through life in constant pain. Then, she met Jesus and was “set free.” For the first time in years, she had her life back. But not everyone was happy, through legalism’s eyes Jesus had committed a terrible sin: healing on the wrong day. One of the struggles in Christianity is the pull of legalism against the anchor of the cross. Jesus died to set you free don’t let legalism hold you captive.

Being a Christian is more than believing facts about Jesus Christ. A Christian turns from sin and places complete faith in Jesus. The turn from sin to grace, from facts to faith, from fear to trust is a critical turning point in life. Join us this week as Lash begins a new series called Turns with a sermon entitled Turning Point from Luke 13:1-9

A disciple is a person who lives life like Jesus lived life. Disciples are fully devoted followers. God calls his children to lives of joy, purpose, and community. We live for Him with people that we love. This week we continue our series Above the Line with a sermon from Acts 2:41-47 entitled What it’s Supposed to Look Like. We will also be taking the Lord’s Supper in each of our services.

A disciple goes "above the line" and aligns all of life with the glory of God. A disciple goes above the line, growing in knowledge and seeing the world through the truth of Scripture. But it doesn’t stop there! What God does in the heart of a disciple overflow into the life of a disciple. Each of us have been uniquely equipped by God to serve. Join us this week as we continue our series Above the Line with a message from Ephesians 4:7-16 entitled Gifted to Serve.