Reconciled521/FBC

Expository Sermon series from Florida Baptist Church South Africa. 

An Expository sermon preached at the REAP Conference 2022

There are many who start so well in their walk of faith but yet they do not finish so well.  

A New Year sermon series from Florida Baptist Church

As we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, it is easier to become so dull and indifferent and even be  caught up with a worldly notion of what this season is about. 

We can as well fall into the trap of misunderstanding the essence of it. 

Take time and listen as Pastor Frank Expounds from the Word of God looking at Mary's Magnificat and the timeless  truths entrenched in this song and how its implications must birth in us a Joyful and Jubilant response..   

In the midst of false teaching, trials and tribulations of this world, what will make us stand firm? 

Listen to this sermon preached on the 4th December 2022

Paul gives a charge to Parents in this passage (Ephesians 6:1-4) and there are two commands one in negative then another in positive.

First the negative command and then the positive. The negative was necessary because in the ancient culture of both Gentile and Jewish households, the father often ruled the family in a rigid and domineering manner, with little concern for the desires and welfare of the wife and children.

The gospel changed these Gentile fathers, and Paul reminds them of their new way of living now possible because of the filling and empowerment by the Holy Spirit.

They are to throw off the filthy garments of the old man they used to be in Adam and put on the new garments of righteousness they now are in Christ.

Ephesians 5 Sermon Series 

The Spirit Filled Husband has one divine duty - to Love His Wife...

Ephesians 5 Expository sermon series by Gideon Macgovern Mpeni, senior Pastor of Florida Baptist Church in Roodepoort, Johannesburg South Africa

Coming to the end of the Ephesians 5:22-24 sermon series we come to affirm as it is stated in the Danvers statement that distinctions in masculine and feminine roles are ordained by God as part of the created order, and should find an echo in every human heart (Gen 2:18, 21-24; 1 Cor 11:7-9; 1Tim 2:12-14).

We there echo as a body of believers that;

1. Both Adam and Eve were created in God's image, equal before God as persons and distinct in their manhood and womanhood (Gen 1:26-27, 2:18)

Therefore ,

WE AFFIRM that God has designed marriage to be a covenantal, sexual, procreative, lifelong union of one man and one woman, as husband and wife, and is meant to signify the covenant

love between Christ and his bride the church.

WE DENY that God has designed marriage to be a homosexual, polygamous, or polyamorous relationship. We also deny that marriage is a mere human contract rather than a covenant made

before God.

And to that end,

WE AFFIRM that God’s revealed will for all people is chastity outside of marriage and fidelity within marriage.

WE DENY that any affections, desires, or commitments ever justify sexual intercourse before or outside marriage; nor do they justify any form of sexual immorality.

We submit to the testament of the Word of God that the Fall introduced distortions into the relationships between men and women (Gen 3:1-7, 12, 16).

o In the home, the husband's loving, humble headship tends to be replaced by domination or passivity; the wife's intelligent, willing submission tends to be replaced by usurpation or servility.

o In the church, sin inclines men toward a worldly love of power or an abdication of spiritual responsibility, and inclines women to resist limitations on their roles or to neglect the use of their gifts in appropriate ministries.

This we state while maintaining that distinctions in masculine and feminine roles are ordained by God as part of the created order, and should find an echo in every human heart (Gen 2:18, 21-24; 1 Cor 11:7-9; 1 Tim 2:12-14).

We Give Praise to God for His Sovereign Grace that we know that redemption in Christ aims at removing the distortions introduced by the curse.

o In the family, husbands should forsake harsh or selfish leadership and grow in love and care for their wives; wives should forsake resistance to their husbands' authority and grow in willing, joyful submission to their husbands' leadership (Eph 5:21-33; Col 3:18-19; Tit 2:3-5; 1 Pet 3:1-7).

o In the church, redemption in Christ gives men and women an equal share in the blessings of salvation; nevertheless, some governing and teaching roles within the church are restricted to men (Gal 3:28; 1 Cor 11:2-16; 1 Tim 2:11-15).

Therefore it's not true, as some feminists charge, that Christianity is anti-female and horribly oppressive to women. In fact, nothing has elevated the status and value of women as biblical Christianity.

The Need for a Spirit filled Marriage is crucial and essential before the watching World. And if any marriage is to survive and stand against the wisdom, the schemes and the tactics of Satan, it must be a union that finds its strength, sanity, dignity, delight and devotion in God, the Father, Son and the Spirit – who designed this union - discharged its duties and declared it – “It is very Good!”

But let us sit back – Look at the tapestry – the once beautiful picture frame

• Moments captured and memories shared in      all laughter and happiness
• A Place where love and humility were      paraded in melodies of Christmas Carols and harmonies of the Psalms,      Songs, Hymns and Spiritual songs (5:19)
• A place where the virtues of wisdom were      on great display – with wives dressed in virtues of the Proverbs 31 women      – and men who feared God like the Psalm 128 man – where both in unison      walked in the Awe of God and declared – Unless the Lord builds the house      they labour in vain those who build it (Psalm 127)
• All that Shattered as by Satan – Sin and      the World!

No one needs to prove to us that we may be watching the death of the germ cell of civilization, the family. All the signs are abundantly clear all around us. We could drag out all kinds of statistics to indicate the dire situation of the families in our culture. We are all constantly looking at the parade in the media of divorce, sexual rebellion, abortion, sterilization, delinquency, infidelity, homosexuality, women’s liberation, children’s rights, and so on. That has been continually paraded for us for the last 10 or 20 years.

We are watching the formation of the rope that strangles the family to death.

• And many, frankly, are gladly carving out the tombstone      for the family, and really, doing it happily.
• Many      have join the tag of war pulling the either side – wanting to win the      fight for their personal rights – Wives

The Outcry and the onslaughts are not new, for the enemy is using the same modus Oparadi – Attack the family – disturb every element of life.

More bizarre experimentation and wide spread perversion.” A frankly frightening picture and we are watching it being painted right before our very eyes. There is no question about the fact that the family is under a major assault that people want to redefine family in absolutely any terms they want.

There is no question that we are watching a generation of young people rising up who have no socialization skills and no moral sense at all.

• There is chaos. There is murder, there is      crime at a rampant level.
• There is even pleasure in shooting people      incidental to you, just for the sheer thrill of killing.

THE WORLD IS IN A DILEMA

Sociologists, psychologists, analysts and so called marriage and family experts, psychiatrists and all the rest are scrambling all over the place to try to come up with some kind of solution, and they have been doing that now for a couple of decades with absolutely no impact on the slide.

Nothing that they are doing seems to slow down the process of the disintegration of human relationships at the very core of life which is the family. You can tamper with society in a lot of places, but if you destroy the family, you destroy society.

The first member who was and continues to be under attack is the woman, we must understand her mission as ordained by God

An Expository sermon from the Gospel of Matthew 

A helpful way to understand this important topic is to ponder on the questions that the teacher took to ask the audience in her introduction. 

What is fellowship? Communion, intimate relationship with someone

else. With others, with God.

Say you’re going out to coffee with your best friend…what does that

look like?

Do you get dressed up? Maybe wear the earrings she gave you for

your last birthday? (Preparation)

Do you try to get there on time, or do you completely forget about it?

Do you linger long, or do you spend your time trying to get away

from the conversation so you can go back to normal life? (Priority)

Do you pick a place to meet that you know she likes? Do you greet

her warmly when she arrives? Do you LIKE being with her?

(Knowing him well, preferring him)

When she talks, do you listen, or do you ignore her and try to think

about what you want to say next? (Listening)

Do you laugh with her? If there are things bothering her, do you

empathize or just leave her to her own sorrows and troubles? (Heart

conformed to his heart)

When you chat with her, do you hide your true feelings from her, or

do you let her see the real you? Do you need her help and advice, and

do you ask for it? Do you respond to what she says? (Honesty, open

and free communication)

Thankfully, God has told us how to commune with him.

(Take time to listen to the  the teaching. Feel free to share with other ladies) 

In a day that is marked by evil, and the evil we see is escalating and has infiltrated every aspect of our Society, what manner of life ought we to live?

What kind of people must we be?

In this Ephesians series we were blessed to hear God's Word preached faithfully and we were Challenged to live a life not as fools but as those who fear the Lord, the wise.

Take time and listen to this Expository Sermon by Kevin Khosa. 

LISTEN & SHARE

WHY TRUE LOVE MATTERS TODAY?

As we live in the 21st Century Africa, a post-modern era where truth is relative. Everyone is fighting for their personal rights – personal space – personal privileges and a lack thereof such that when it comes to commitments and relationships, they are all entered with one chief goal – what can I get Out of this?

If things aren’t done my way then this isn’t good for me!

You soon begin to realize that this mindset has crept into the Church too!

Many who profess to know Christ, do think and live just as the world around them, no care – no compassion – no concern for the Lord, His Word, Ways, His Will, His Work, needless to say His people and His World that is languishing in Sin. No wonder the whole understanding of what love is is not defined by the author of Love but the very people who have denied it and are devoid of it! 

I fear that we who profess and have been known as “the people of the book” have so quickly not only doubted the book, we have damned the book, disobeyed the book and degrade it to the lower shelf of our lives and in many homes and hearts it has been divorced for some hobby but sadly at most best mere form without substance – Duty void of Devotion!! 

What should really be important in the life of the local church?

What are the correct Christian priorities and attitudes?

What is the one character trait that sets believers apart?

To grow to full spiritual maturity, we must build our lives on love and have God’s power to lay hold of and know the unknowable love of Christ.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones (The Unsearchable Riches of Christ [Baker], pp. 181-301)

“God is Love” or the Love of God is one of the common well known attributes that everyone is willing to accept. But why is everyone so eager to embrace this attribute, unlike many other of God’s attributes? Arthur W. Pink tells us:

There are many who talk about the love of God, who are total strangers to the God of love. The divine love is commonly regarded as a species of amiable weakness, a sort of good-natured indulgence; it is reduced to a mere sickly sentiment, patterned after human emotion. The truth is that on this, as on everything else, our thoughts need to be formed and regulated by what is revealed in Scripture.

That there is urgent need for this is apparent not only from the ignorance which so generally prevails, but also from the low state of spirituality which is now so sadly evident everywhere among professing Christians. How little real love there is for God. One chief reason for this is because our hearts are so little occupied with His wondrous love for His people.

The better we are acquainted with His love—its character, fullness, blessedness—the more our hearts will be drawn out in love to Him.

In this Text the Apostle Paul binds all the imperatives he has given perfectly in this one perfect virtue that binds them all - LOVE. 

We are taken into the exhortation to "Walk in Love" and we will take time and examine the mandate itself, the motive, the models finishing with the manner we are demonstrate Love for God and for each other. 

Take time and listen to the first Part of this sermon series. 

A young Adults and Youth Teaching

Joseph takes us into the Biblical view of Sexualities' and the implication of the redemptive work of Christ in this area. A teaching to young adults and youth during the Reconciled 2022 Conference.

An Expository sermon series

In this Expository preaching by Pastor Gideon Mpeni from Florida Baptist Church we look at Ephesians 4

A. The Godhead has worked a Complete Redemption (Eph.4:17-24)

1.  This Brings New life (v.17-21)

i) To a people once in a Sinful Condition(v.17-19)

(a) Their Intellect Darkened (v.17-18)

(b) Their Inclinations Depraved (v.19)

ii). By the Power of the Holy Spirit; Now a Saint Converted (v.20-21)

(a) The Change (v.20)

(b) The Challenge (v.21)

2. This makes a New Look possible (Ephesians 4:22-24)

What Must Be Put Off (22–23)

(a) The Old Disposition (v.22a)

(b) The Old Desires (4:22b)

(c) The Old Direction (4:23)

What Must Be Put On (4:24)

Take time and listen to the full sermon and visit our podcast platform Reconciled521/FBC for all Audio version of past and most recent sermons.

An Expository sermon series from Florida Baptist Church. 

In this Expository sermon from 2Tim.4:1-8 by Pastor Gideon Macgoern Mpeni pointing out,

The Five Cardinal marching Orders that should propel your heart to pass the baton of the Gospel to the next generation.

1. Execute the Divine Charge (v.1-2)

2. Expect the Deadening Challenges (v.3-4)

a) The Maladies prophecied - middle ear infection (v.3)

b) The Myths are  pursued (v.4)

3. Exemplify the Divine Character (v.5)

a) As the Distinct son – “as for you”

b) Compete as a Disciplined sportsman or Athlete

– “be sober minded”

c) Called to War as a Determined soldier

– “endure suffering”

d) Commissioned to Work as Diligent sower

– “do the work of an evangelist”

e) Consecrated to work as a Delighted servant – “fulfill

your ministry”

4. Exit and Depart in Confidence (v.6-7)

- As a final Sacrifice in the temple

• As a triumphant Soldier

• As a victorious Sportsman in a competition

• As a faithful steward of great worth –

5. Earn  & Expect the Crown

An Expository Sermon through Philippians 2:1-11

Prayer, simply put, is talking to God. It is irreducibly relational.

It’s personal—he is the Absolute Person, and we are derivative persons, fashioned in his image.

In a sense, prayer is as basic as persons relating to each other, conversing, interacting, but with this significant caveat: in this relationship, we don’t chat as peers.

He is Creator, and we are creatures.

He is the great Lord, and we are his happy servants.

Prayer, for the Christian, is not merely talking to God, but responding to the One who has initiated toward us. He has spoken first. This is not a conversation we start, but a relationship into which we’ve been drawn.

Fathers (v.2-4; 11-13)

In this text we  have two kinds of fathers –

a. Heavenly Father

i. Perfect – “Hallowed be your name” – Worthy of Your Adoration

ii. Powerful – “Your kingdom come” – Demands your submission

iii. Provider – “give us each day the bread we need”

iv. Pardoner of Sins – “forgive us our sin”

v. Protector – “lead us not into temptation”

vi.  Personally present –

1. His Son to redeem us (Matt.1:21; John 1:1-14)

2. His Spirit to seal us for our inheritance

b. Earthly Father (v.11) 

i. Providers

ii. Protectors

iii. Perfect not - "father among... you who are evil"

To understand the implications of these, listen to this sermon. 

In this episode Gideon takes questions from Chizu, who used to be agnostic but now by the Grace of God has been saved and desires to understand the Christian faith. 

These were the Questions that he wrestled with before Coming to faith. 

Notre thème de méditation, El Shaddai signifie littéralement le Dieu tout-suffisant. Cela signifie tout simplement que Dieu se suffit à lui-même ou Dieu tout-puissant.

Un auteur, Andrew Jukes a expliqué que l`idée exprimée dans le nom Shaddai décrit le ‘‘pouvoir’’, cela ne sous entant pas le pouvoir de faire la violence mais c`est le pouvoir de la générosité. Donc le nom de Dieu sous examen ne signifie rien d`autre que le Dieu tout-puissant.

Dans la bible, Dieu s`est identifié à Abraham entant que Dieu tout-puissant dans Gen. 17 :1.Ainsi Abraham a marché devant Dieu en le craignant et en le servant entant que Dieu tout-puissant.

Alors une question nous est posée aujourd`hui, connais-tu Dieu ? Il se peut que tu connaisses son nom et même celui de son Fils, et tu portes même son nom ``Chrétien``. Malheureusement il se peut que tu sois encore très loin de lui.

Comme vous le savez, tout être humain a des faiblesses ou des défauts ou encore des limitations, mais malgré cela nous voulons tous être aimés. Que nous soyons bons ou mauvais, pauvres, malade, lait ou laide, moins intelligent ou faible nous voulons tous être respecter, aimer, considérer et honorer. Nous oublions malheureusement que nos limitations … nous empêchent aussi à aimer parfaitement.

Seul le Dieu tout-puissant est capable de nous amer d`un amour parfait par ce qu`il a tous ce qu`il faut pour prouver cet amour, il est amour. Il est capable de pourvoir à nos besoins tant physiques que spirituels, il est capable de nous protéger contre tout et alors tout danger ; il est capable de nous guérir de toutes maladies même celles déclarées incurables. Il est capable de pardonner nos péchés et nous élever même lors que nous ne le méritons pas.

Je voudrai juste vous exhorter de chercher à connaitre réellement Dieu, comme le Dieu qui a tout le pouvoir sur votre vie ; pas juste le confesser de la bouche, ou faire partie d`une église ou encore vous conduire comme un chrétien, mais plutôt examinez votre conscience pour voir combien loin ou proche de Dieu êtes-vous?

Vous savez que même Sara a douté de l`omnipotence de Dieu, elle n`avait pas une appréhension claire de El Shaddai. Dans Gen. 17 Dieu a voulu que Abraham le connaisse comme le Dieu tout-puissant pour qu’il n`ait aucun doute sur les promesses qu`il allait lui annoncer par la suite. Malheureusement au versé 17 de ce même chapitre, ce que Dieu voulait prévenir a eu lieu ; Abram a ri à l`annonce de la promesse de Dieu et au chapitre suivant 18, lors que les trois hommes dont le texte parlent ont annoncé à Abraham que Sara allait concevoir malgré son âge avancé, celle-ci rit en elle-même dit la bible, elle murmura en disant au verse 12

Alors que parmi ces 3 hommes l`un d`eux été l`Eternel lui-même, qui dans son omniscience connait tout et est capable de sonder les cœurs, ainsi l`Eternel dit à Abram : pourquoi donc Sara a-t-elle ri ? Ya-t-il quelque chose qui soit trop difficile ou impossible pour Dieu?. En d`autres mots, Y a-t-il quelque chose qui soit étonnant ou qui le dépasse ?

The truth is we have started the New year, can you believe that we are in the second month already? 

What are some of your plans for this year? 

Are you desiring to know and serve the Lord than last year? Why or why not? 

Are you finding prayer so boring and mechanical? - 

The take time and listen to this sermon and feel free to share. Let us pray that the Lord will revive us again and grant us grace to seek His face.

An Expository Sermon preached at William James McLellan 

This Expository Sermon was preached at Florida Baptist Church in Roodepoort, Johanesburg, South Africa. 

You can access many other sermons he has preached on sermon Audio:

https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/mukhanyo/sermons/speakers/Glyn%20Williams/

In this Episode we answer the Question:  Can I trust the Bible? Such a historic document must be inaccurate or mistranslated somewhere down the line - like a game of broken telephone. 1a) How was scripture written, formed, edited, discovered, critiqued, and inspired? 1b) Almost all Christian beliefs and traditions come from the Bible — but where did that come from? 

This is an eye opening discussion on what are some practical issues that every leader must focus on. 

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training

in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every

good work”. 2 Tim 3:16-17 NIV

All Scripture is inspired by God[a] and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for

correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete,

equipped for every good work. 2 Tim 3:16-17 CSB

This means God’s word is appropriate for any and every situation that we face:

• It is breathed out by Him therefore it is legit – not man theories

• Profitable for teaching – useful tool in teaching us about all things on earth

• It rebukes us – our thinking needs to be confirmed to God’s word Romans 12:1/

Proverbs 27:5

• It corrects us – because our ways are foolish and only the word can truly convict us

• It is useful for training in righteousness – not secular or man’s thinking/ opinions/ ways

So based on that foundation we now turn to our topic today

Definition of depression:

Jay Adams:

...[Depression is] a cyclical process in which the initial problem is mishandled in such a way that

it is enlarged in downward ... spirals that eventually plunge one into despair.

.... The downward cycle enslaves one in hopelessness and guilt, thus bringing a slowing down

or cessation of activity, called depression. (The Christian Counselor's Manual, 375)

We were created in the image of God (Gen 1: 27; Col. 3:10). God has emotions, which are

reliable and untainted with sin, it is ever the same and trustworthy. Our emotions are the

reflection of our thoughts, motivations and desires. They follow our thinking. Most of the time our

thinking is false, corrupt, fallen because of what happened in the garden.

Wayne Mack gives us a quick breakdown of different types of depression:

Mild depression or “normal sadness” is the kind that most of us experience when something

precious is lost (Hodges 2012:Chapter 5; Mack 2006:4-18). There is nothing abnormal about

this response at this time as it is appropriate to the occasion. Moreover, this kind of sadness

does not result in the loss of hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

Moderate depression results from a sinful response to sadness (Mack 2006:8-11; Adams

1970:148; 1973:376-377). This entails not recognising it and keeping our gaze on our

circumstances rather than on God and His Word. In the Bible, we see many examples of men

and women who in their depression were controlled by sinful patterns of thinking, feeling and

acting, tempting them to submit to their feelings and nearly abandon hope (see Moses in

Numbers 11:10-16; Elijah in 1 Kings 19:1-18; Asaph in Psalm 73; and Jonah in Jonah 4:1-11).

Severe depression “is a permanent spirit of heaviness or gloom that affects, controls, and

dominates every area of a person’s life” (Mack 2006:15-18). Psalm 32 and 38 [km1] are very

helpful in describing the total effect that this kind of depression can have on a person – on their

body, emotions, actions, thoughts, motives, speech and so on. And Elijah’s hopelessness as a

consequence of his circumstance in 1 Kings 19 is a hallmark of severe depression.