The Lakes Evangelical Church » sermons

Genesis 1: some bits from the sermon

Dave Sheath — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:43:47 +0000

Last Sunday we began our Genesis series in chapter 1. We began considering ancient and modern alternatives to the Genesis account. I spoke of two works that were published around 150 years ago:

As we came to the text of Genesis 1 we noted the repeated phrases and their significance:

We also noticed the way days 1 to 3 are about God separating things and creating spaces, and days 4 to 6 are about God then filling each of those spaces. The seventh day really stands apart as something of the climax of creation:

Resources

Genesis 1-15 by Wenham, Gordon J.
http://bestcommentaries.com/book/3967/genesis-gordon-j-wenham

Beyond Eden (Genesis 1-11) from Matthias Media
http://www.matthiasmedia.com.au/beyond-eden

Beginning with God (Genesis 1-12) from Matthias Media

http://www.matthiasmedia.com.au/beginning-with-god

In the beginning : the opening chapters of Genesis by Blocher, Henri.

http://orders.koorong.com/search/product/view.jhtml?code=0851113214

Hope for a shattered world by Simon Smartt

http://cep.youthworks.net/category/92-hope-for-a-shattered-world-for-yrs-10-to-12.aspx

A couple of terrific online articles to get you thinking…

The Genesis of Everything: An historical account of the Bible’s opening chapter by John Dickson

http://www.gwac.org.au/Upload/Docs/DicksonGenesisofEverythingOLJ.pdf

Creation, Evolution, and Christian Laypeople by Tim Keller

http://biologos.org/uploads/projects/Keller_white_paper.pdf

Isaiah 40 to 66 – current sermon series

Dave Sheath — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:43:51 +0000

During August and September at The Lakes we are preaching our way through the Old Testament book of Isaiah. Last year at this time we worked through the first 39 chapters.

The predominant theme of Isaiah chs 1-39 is the coming of God’s judgment on his people Israel because of their sin. There are wonderful moments of joy and promises of salvation through these chapters but the overwhelming theme is judgment. Throughout this period the dominant threat was the Assyrian Empire. However, God rescued his people from the Assyrians (Isaiah 36 to 37). But God does declare to them that it would be the Babylonians who would bring his judgment on his people (Isaiah 39). That judgment came in 587 BC when the Babylonians invaded Jerusalem, destroyed the city and the temple and carried off many Jews into captivitiy in Babylon.

The predominant theme of Isaiah 40 to 66 is salvation beyond judgment. These chapters speak of salvation and restoration coming in both a physical and spiritual dimension. Physically, Isaiah speaks of a return to Jerusalem brought about by the most unexpected deliverer – God raises up the pagan king Cyrus the Great to bring his people out of captivity, to return them to their land and rebuild the temple (Isaiah 44 to 45). You can find out more about Cyrus the Great here.

But God’s plans for spiritual salvation go well beyond the capabilities of Cyrus the Great. Through Isaiah God promises his perfect servant who would establish justice and peace for all nations (chs 42, 49, 50). Central to the work of this servant would be his death in the place of God’s people and his subsequent resurrection from the dead (chs 52-53). These are prophecies that will ultimately find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ.

Ultimately through Isaiah God will promise the ushering in of a new heavens and a new earth (chs 65-66). Promises that have been fulfilled in part already but await their consummation in the return of our Lord Jesus!

We’ve called this series “from darkness to dawn” because it moves from the heavy message of God’s judgment, to the light of his wonderful salvation and promises. These chapters of Isaiah are breathtaking in the way they reveal the true glory, majesty, power and compassion of our great God. May he be glorified as we hear his word over the coming weeks. If you’ve missed any of the sermons you can download them from the sermon library.

Can I get a bible in a more familiar language?

Dave Sheath — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 18:33:38 +0000

There are some really good English versions of the Bible that are translated directly from the original languages. At The Lakes we generally use the New International Version which is a good translation and very easy to read.

We have lots of copies of Luke’s gospel that we are happy to give away for free either in book form or on CD. If you’re just finding out about Christianity we would love to give you one. Feel free to contact the church office or just drop in. One of our staff would love to give you a copy of Luke’s gospel or give you some advice about buying a Bible.

There are also some great on-line Bible resources. You can download free e-bibles in English or many other languages be clicking here.

Our sermon page includes not only audio copies of our sermons but also automatically shows you the passage from the Bible that is the subject of the sermon.

Current Series: The King Revealed

admin — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 05:13:09 +0000

We are currently working our way through the second half of the gospel of John. We’ll be taking a close look at the suffering and glory of the messiah… At Jesus completing his mission as the long awaiting Christ by dying on the cross. It is a story of determination in spite of the confusion and faithlessness of those around him. Jesus is a man with a clear mission, supremely in control in spite of the horrific circumstances surrounding his death. The story is dripping with irony as the great moment of defeat and humiliation turns out to be the great victory and glorification of God – demonstrated in the resurrection.

Please join us as we are confronted with the extraordinary events that make up the very heart of Christianity. The events that transformed those who witnessed them and which have shaped the course of the world ever since.

31/1/10	John 13	David Sheath
7/2/10	John 14	David Sheath
14/2/10	John 15	David Sheath
21/2/10	John 16	Michael Plaege
28/2/10	John 17	Darren Box
7/3/10	John 18	David Sheath
14/3/10	John 19	David Sheath
21/3/10	John 20	Darren Box
28/3/10	John 21	Michael Plaege
2/4/10	Good Friday	David Sheath
4/4/10	Easter Sunday	Michael Plaege

David Sheath

admin — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 19:17:15 +0000

David is our Senior Pastor and has been since The Lakes commenced in 2002. David oversees the Growing areas of church and is the main Bible teacher in our church meetings. He also has oversight of our staff team and is responsible for ensuring our church continues to reach our goals and build Christ’s church.

David is also Secretary of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches and plays a key role facilitating church plants and providing ongoing encouragement to various churches throughout Australia.

David is married to Ruth and they have three children: Daniel, Micah and Sarah.

p: 4389 1660
e: dave@thelakes.net.au
e: ruth@thelakes.net.au

Current Sermon Series – Dec / Jan

Dave Sheath — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:35:31 +0000

After Christmas we kick off a new sermon series. We are wrestling with God’s purposes for our church. We will see how the Bible shapes the goals of our church and our lives as individuals. This is a great opportunity to realign our thinking to God’s as we head into another year together. If you are new to The Lakes it is a great chance to get a feel for what we are on about as a church.

27/12/09 Building Christ’s Church (9am only) – sermon download available
3/1/10 Engaging with our community (9am only)
10/1/10 Helping people start following Jesus (9am only)
17/1/10 Connecting people into fellowship (8.30, 10.30 & 5pm congregations resume)
24/1/10 Growing God’s people
31/1/10 Serving one another in love

iTunes Podcast- The Lakes Evangelical Church Sermons

admin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:50:41 +0000

The Lakes has a podcast of sermons within the itunes store.

If you haven’t already done so, you need to install iTunes free software.

Then you can subscribe to The Lakes Evangelical Church Podcast for free.

Click here to learn more about podcasts.

Revelation sermon series online

Dave Sheath — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 00:25:48 +0000

The book of Revelation one of the most breathtaking books of the whole Bible. It is full of bizarre creatures, dramatic battles, secrets and mysteries. It takes a heavens-eye view of reality and helps us understand our world from God’s perspective.

Earlier this year we worked our way through Revelation at church. Here are the sermons you can download…