Central Church Contemporary Service

by Aubrey Botha https://cpcchurchimages.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/18115449/May-17-Sermon.mp3 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (MSG) 16-18 Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live. Matthew 8:5-10a,13 (NLT) The Faith of a Roman Officer 5 When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer[a] came and pleaded with him, 6 “Lord, my young servant[b] lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.” 7 Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. 9 I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,' and they go, or ‘Come,' and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,' they do it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven't seen faith like this in all Israel! Transcript (Transcribed by TurboScribe) We’re ending our series on prayer today, and starting a new series next week. The new series will be called, At the Right Time. You’ll have to come listen to know what it’s all about, but gonna have some fun with that. That’s a four-part series that we’re doing, kind of just before we hit the summer. And then I’m gonna be gone, I’m gonna leave you alone, and you’ll have some other people that’ll preach for you. Lord, thank you for your word. Thank you that the word always speaks into our lives, calls us to that moment to stand before you and ask, so, so Lord, what do you ask of me? In this morning, as always, we pray. We want to see Jesus. And only Jesus. The road of life can sometimes be long and hard, right? Especially when we hit those lonely, those desolate, those broken sections that seem to just kind of go on and on and on. And all you have is prayer. But it’s also true that even the most desolate road will sometimes have its moments of beauty and comfort and care. Maybe you’ll find it sitting in the shade on a hot summer’s day and just being alone for a moment and being able to speak your heart with the Lord. Just talk to him about everything in your life. Maybe it’s in finding that solution for a problem that’s been bugging you for so long and you’ve been struggling with so long. And all of a sudden, there’s the solution that you’ve been waiting for. Maybe it’s in an answered prayer when a prodigal son or daughter finally returns home. No, the thing is this. It is easy to be grateful and to give thanks when things are going well, things are working out for you. But it’s a little more difficult to say a prayer of thanks when life is hard and things are difficult and you’re struggling. So how do we do that? How do we live that? That first congregation that I told you about this morning was huge. But the cool thing about that congregation was it was 4,000 members strong. Just, it’s crazy. The average age was 43. So that’s why I baptised 23 babies. You’ll understand now. So we didn’t have a lot of senior folks there, but there was one beautiful, beautiful lady in that church. 75 years old. I think she was one of the oldest members in the church. 75. The most godly, God-fearing, Christ-following person that you could ever meet in your life sold out to the Lord Jesus. It just radiated from her. Served the Lord with everything in her. And then she got sick. And it was a horrible illness that there was no cure for. It just sucked the life out of her. And we just saw this just going down until at some stage she was bedridden. I would often go visit her. And one day I stopped at her house and we sat talking. I just could see it was a hard, hard day. And I said to her, I can see it’s a tough day for you. She says, oh no, I’ve never been better. And I said, yeah, you’re a good liar like most of us. I can see that. I said, you know, your daughter called me and she said, you’re not sleeping lately. She says, yeah, that’s true. I don’t really sleep much at night. She says, but you know what I can do when I’m awake? I can pray. I talk to the Lord. So every time I’m awake, I just have this wonderful time in the presence of the Lord, just talking to Him and giving my life to Him and allowing Him to speak into my life. And I sat there and boy did I have to swallow because I wanted to cry in that moment. And I’m supposed to be this pastor guy who’s there for her. I just was quiet for a little bit. And we spoke more and we read and we prayed together as we did. When I got in that car, I bawled my eyes out. It was about five o’clock that afternoon. I got a call from her daughter. She said, mom’s gone home to be with Jesus. How do we obtain this kind of victory? How do we die with gratitude despite what’s going on and the struggles and the hurts and the pains? How do we do that? How do we live that victory? Can I give you an answer? By living a life of gratitude. Listen to what the Word says. This is not me. The Bible says this. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verses 16 to 18. I’m reading from the message for you. Be cheerful no matter what. Pray all the time and thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live. Be cheerful no matter what. Thank God no matter what happens. This is how God wants you who belong to Jesus to live. In Scripture, giving thanks is not just something that I could decide that I want to do every now and then. In Scripture, it’s written right there. It’s not a suggestion but a command. More than a hundred times you’ll find it written. Give thanks to the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. Do not be anxious about anything but through prayer and petition and with thanksgiving. Give your requests to God over and over and over. Give thanks. Thanks. How do we obtain that victory? By living a life of gratitude. I think the first sin was the sin of ingratitude. Remember the story right? This man called Adam and Eve or the man called Adam and his wife Eve. They lived in this beautiful garden called Eden. Eden that means this place of beauty and provision. God put them there and there was everything you could see, you could love, you could want, you could eat, everything. They needed nothing. It was so beautiful that God came and just walked through this garden. That’s how amazing it was. And then the snake slithered in and asked the question about a forbidden tree. They had everything they needed. But all of a sudden Eden was not good enough. There should be more said the devil. And ingratitude moved in like a bully on the block. Can you imagine what would have happened if gratitude won the day? If Adam and Eve scoffed at the devil and said, you get out here you snake. You have no idea. Have you seen this place? It’s got orange groves. It’s got strawberry patches. It’s got apple trees. It’s got blueberry bushes. It’s got it all. You want a tour? Get yourself out of here. But he hissed and he hissed and oh the hisses we hear every day. You need more. You don’t have enough. More cars, more horsepower, more money. More fame, more of this, more, more, more. Sounds like a song, doesn’t it? But here’s the thing. God has given us a way to break that and to step on that thing’s head. It’s called gratitude. Living before the Lord with thanks no matter what. Praying with thanksgiving no matter what. As I was preparing, I was looking for an example and I read this kind of funny, sad story. The lawyer won a case for his client and the client was really grateful for that. And he said, can I take you out for lunch to say thank you? And then we can just square up there. I’ll pay you your bill and everything is well there. But let’s go for lunch and just celebrate this. So they went for lunch, had a wonderful lunch. At the end of the lunch, the client took out of his jacket pocket a brand spanking new genuine leather wallet. And he handed that to the lawyer. The lawyer looked at the wallet, he gave it back. He said, no, no, no, I’m sorry. My fee is $500. Client smiled, took the wallet, opened it up. And he took out 10 $100 notes, counted out five, put five in the wallet. He gave him the wallet back, right? Don’t be too quick in your assessment of God’s gifts in your life. Also in the broken and the desolate and the difficult moments. Thank God every moment, every day, I think of that woman again. It’s been a tough, no, no, I’m doing well because I was in the Lord’s presence. You don’t sleep. Oh, but I’m awake and I can talk to God. Don’t be too quick in your assessment of God’s gifts in your life. Thank you. Father, you are good. Sermon number one. I need help. Sermon number two. They need help. Last week, today. Thank you. But there’s one little element that still comes with that. In the name of Jesus. Why? Another story for you. It comes from Matthew. For this one, I need my glasses because I couldn’t print it as big as the other one. Thanks, Ted. Matthew 8, 5 to 13. When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him. Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralysed and in terrible pain. Jesus said, I’ll come and heal him. But the officer said, Lord, I’m not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say go and they go or come and they come. And if I say to my slaves, do this, they do it. When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. And then I’m skipping to verse 13. And then Jesus said to the Roman officer, go back home because you believed it has happened. And the young servant was healed that same hour. This Roman officer understood authority because he stood under authority, but he had authority and understood to listen to him. But when he looked at Jesus, he knew what real authority was. You don’t have to come to my house. What you have, you can stand right here and you can heal that servant. He understood the authority of Jesus. Do we? Do you know the power of the name of Jesus Christ? Do you know the authority that it has when you speak that name? Do you know that Satan and all of his devils, every time we say that name, they cringe. When he was in their presence, you read that often. What did those devils do? Don’t hurt us. Don’t do this because in the name of Jesus Christ, there is so much power. Just think about it. The Roman authority, what did they try to do? They tried to get rid of Jesus. The false religion, they tried to silence Jesus. The devil tried to kill Jesus and they all failed. Even death couldn’t hold him. He could speak a coin from the mouth of a fish. The wind and the storm and the waves listened when he spoke. He spoke to a tree that died. He spoke to a basket and it became a banquet. That’s why we pray in the name of Jesus. Because does he not remind us, Matthew 28, 18. Anyone know what that one is? For I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. All authority. When we pray in the name of Jesus, we talk to our Father because of what Jesus did and because of what Jesus can do in our lives. When I pray in the name of Jesus, it’s not the talisman that I’m using. It’s a declaration. Sickness is not in charge of my life. Jesus is. The economy is not in charge. Jesus is. My grumpy old neighbour that thinks he’s in charge of the world is not. Jesus is. Because in the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that he is the Lord. And we pray in the name of Jesus. Why do we pray? Because prayer matters. We pray because prayer is good because God is good. And when you come to those moments where you feel I don’t know the words, try this. Father, you are good. I need help. So do they. Thank you. In Jesus’ name, amen. Take a few moments, silent prayer. Father, you are good. Your goodness and your mercy follow us all the days of our lives. Even if we tried, we could not get away from your goodness. Many of us sit here today, Lord, and we say the words, good Father, I need help. And that might be a need for many things. Thank you that we know that you’re here, that you understand, and that you are there. But Father, there are other people too who need your help. And we pray for each other. We pray that you will hear the prayers of those that we love. We pray that you will hear the prayers of those that we struggle to love. Thank you that you love all of us compassionately. Lord Jesus, thank you for the name above all names. Thank you for what you are, who you are in our lives. We pray this prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.

by Aubrey Botha https://cpcchurchimages.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/13224917/May-10-Sermon.mp3 Luke 11:5-10 5 Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend's house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, 6 ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.' 7 And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don't bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can't help you.' 8 But I tell you this—though he won't do it for friendship's sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.[a] 9 “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Isaiah 65:24 I will answer them before they even call to me.    While they are still talking about their needs,    I will go ahead and answer their prayers! John 14:13-14 13 You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. 14 Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! Transcript (Transcribed by TurboScribe) Good morning. What an amazing church this is. I had to go for some tests this morning here at the hospital, and I wasn’t sure that I was gonna make it back, and sure what the tests were gonna do. So late night, I text my brother Jimmy, and I said, Jim, I know this is late night. I’m not feeling all that great, and I don’t know about tomorrow. Would you stand in and just be on call if maybe I need you to get up there and preach, and Jimmy said, not a problem. I’ll be there. He made a mistake, though. He said, if you want to, I can take your notes, and I said, Jim, you don’t read hieroglyphics. You won’t be able to read that, and Alexander, I just said, Alexander, maybe Jim’s gonna be there and take care of this and take care of that, and this morning I said to Scott, Scotty, if I can sit for a little longer, it will be really neat. Can you just do the prayer song, and Scott just did the prayer song, and what an amazing place this is, where people give and give freely of themselves. Thank you, Central. You’ve been like that. I’ve been here 25 years. You’ve been like that for 25 years. Our prayers go to David DeVisser’s family. David passed away. It’s in the bulletin. The funeral is Friday at 11 o’clock, Thursday evening, 6 to 8. We’ll have a visitation here at the church. Please continue to pray for David’s family. We’re gonna miss him. He was much loved in this place. As we, in these moments, prepare, Lord, to be in your word and to listen for your word. Thank you that you prepare our hearts. Thank you, Holy Spirit of God. Not only are you the one who inspired these words, but you are the one who takes them and puts them in our hearts, and then you guide us as we live the word. And this morning again, as we pray, it’s always that we want to see Jesus and only Jesus. In your precious name, we pray, Lord. Amen. The phone rings, and on the other end, you just hear this distraught voice of a friend or a loved one. And as they continue talking, and you hear the fear and the hurt and the struggle, and you hear the tears, you sit on the other end, and you wonder, what can I do when the challenge that comes to me from someone else is greater than I am? What I want to help but I feel so helpless, so hopeless. Where do I turn? What do I do with this? This is a problem that Dr. Helen Rosevere faced in her fourth year of 20 years that she would work in the Congo, way back, days before cell phones and all these great things. She was a missionary doctor from England working in the Congo at a small orphanage, a little bit of a hospital there as well. And on this day, in that fourth year of working there, Helen was helping a mother who was giving birth, but it was premature birth, and the mother died during giving birth. She left behind a little prematurely born baby and a two-year-old little girl. She sent one of the teacher midwives to go fetch a warm water bottle, fill it with water, and bring that because they had no incubators. There’s no electricity, none of this stuff to help this little baby. The nurse comes back, and she’s crying. She says, doctor, you won’t believe it. When I poured the water into the hot water bottle, it just burst, and that was the only hot water bottle we have. Here’s this little baby. What do you do? So, they set up a little team that would sleep with the baby and hold them close and put the blankets all over, and they would just do that through the night to keep this little thing going. Next day, during lunchtime, all of the kids of the orphanage was there as well, and Helen would always tell them what’s going on and pray with them. And this day, she told them about the little two-year-old and about the little baby. And their need. Because how would they get a warm water bottle there in the middle of nowhere? There’s no contact. The only way that would happen is if someone would send a parcel from England. But who’s going to send a hot water bottle to someone who lives on the equator, right? So, she tells them, and then they pray. And then this little girl, and you can go read this. Helen wrote this in a book called Living Faith. She writes, this little girl gets up. Her name is Ruth. She’s 10 years old. They all prayed, but one 10-year-old girl named Ruth took it on herself to take the problem directly to Jesus. Please, God, she said, send us a water bottle. It’ll be no good tomorrow, God. The baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon. And while you’re at it, would you please send a doll for the little girl’s sister so that she will know that you really love her. Helen said she struggled to say amen after this prayer, because how is this ever going to be possible? Where’s this gonna come from? In the four years she’s been there, she’s never even received a parcel from home. So, how? Went along the day, and she was working, and someone came running up and said, there’s someone with a car at your door. She ran out, got there, car was gone, but there’s this huge box, 22 pounds in weight, all beautifully wrapped. So, she thought this must be gifts for the kids. So, she calls the kids. They open the box. They unwrap it. She opens it up. Yes, there’s supplies, bandages, special wool for the folks with leprosy, some sultanas in a bottle, some raisins in cans, and then, as she calls them, jerseys, sweaters for the kids. And as she’s taking them out, her hand feels something, and she’s thinking, no, this can’t be. And she takes it out, and there’s a hot water bottle in the box. True story, I’m telling you right now. As she takes that out, little Ruth sees this, and she comes flying up to the box, and she says, if there’s a hot water bottle, there has to be a doll, too. And she’s in the box, and there’s this beautiful little doll. When Ellen looked at the label on the box, it was sent five months earlier from England. It reminded me of this beautiful word in Isaiah chapter 65, and Ted, you have that on the screen. I will answer them before they even call to me. And while they’re still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers. Do I have to preach? Here’s your sermon. I will answer them before they even call to me. While they’re still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers. The Lord answered little Ruth’s prayer even before she prayed that prayer. As I read that, I not only got emotional about this little girl, but I thought to myself, do I have that kind of faith? A faith that prays so boldly, God, we need a water bottle this afternoon. Tomorrow’s too late, and a little doll while you’re at it. Bold. Right there, right before the Lord accepting the challenge that Jesus gave us. Can you remember the challenge Jesus gave in John 14? It’s up there, Ted. Ask anything in my name, and I will do it. Why? To glorify the Father. Put the rest on there, Ted. Ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. Ruth took God up on that challenge. What about us? What about us? We all need help, right? We said that in the series. Father, you’re good. Last week we said, I need help. We need help for those moments when that engine light comes on and life breaks down, that God needs to step in, and we ask that. But here’s the thing. So do other people, that friend, that neighbour, that loved one that gets on that phone. And God who is faithful in his word and promises to meet my needs is also the God who promises to meet others’ needs. All we have to do is to ask. Father, you are good. I need help. So do they. And with those words, we intercede for other people. Asking God to do his miracles in their lives. It’s a huge gift to be able to do that, but it’s also this awesome responsibility. Father, they need help. Listen to what Jesus says about this. Here’s a scripture passage for the day, Luke 11. Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story. This is Jesus. Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, a friend of mine has just arrived for a visit and I have nothing for him to eat. And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you. But, here’s that biblical but, I tell you this, though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence. And so I tell you, keep on asking and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking and you will find. Keep on knocking and the door will be open to you. For everyone who asks receives. Everyone who seeks finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. See, this is intercessory prayer. In its purest form. It’s a combination of of paucity, that just being succinct, they need help, and audacity. Not tomorrow, Lord. Today, Father, they need help. I can’t help them. But you can. This is the kind of prayer that gets God’s attention. And even that grumpy old neighbour in the end actually got up and opened the door and gave. How much more will my heavenly Father open that door when I knock? The one who never slumbers or sleeps, the one who says my ears are not deaf, that they cannot hear, my hands will always give. How much more will he give when I knock on that door? Father, they need help. Think of Jesus, his whole life. He never refused any intercessory request. Peter brought his mother-in-law. The centurion brought his slave. Jairus brought his dead daughter. And one by one by one by one by one, Jesus continued to take those requests and fulfil them. I’m reading Mark for my own quiet time again, and you read those first three chapters. They just were bringing them to Jesus all the time, and just heal, and just do, and he just did that. He never refuses that. That is the joy of his heart. He did lose it on the disciples once. Matthew chapter 17. I don’t know if you remember the story. His father brought his son who was struggling with epilepsy, brought him to the disciples, and he said, please help. The disciples couldn’t help, so they said, sorry, we can’t help you. Go home. The father didn’t give up, and he went to Jesus. He said, they couldn’t help me, and that’s when Jesus lost it. Why didn’t you bring the boy to me? He said to them. And then he uses a word in verse 20 to explain a little something. He talked about this is unbelief. Belief is to take it to Jesus and to accept that Jesus can do what I cannot do. Unbelief is to say, well, I’m going to try it on my own, and if I can’t do it, sorry, there’s nothing I can do for you. His joy is to hear our requests and to take care of those requests, because here’s the thing. The privilege of intercessory prayer is that we are called, 2 Corinthians 5.20, we are called the ambassadors of Christ. It’s an interesting word in Greek. Here’s your Greek lesson for the day. Do you know what the Greek word for ambassador is? I still owe you a coffee, Dave, now that I think of it. I’ll have to make it two coffees for this one. The Greek word for ambassador is presbyteros, presbyterian. Same word, same word. Ambassadors. We are the ambassadors for Christ so that we speak for Him. We speak on behalf of our neighbours. We speak on behalf of our loved ones. We speak on behalf of those who have needs. You just did it this morning, Scott, and this wasn’t written in the sermon, but you just did it this morning. You prayed for people in the church. You prayed for me. You prayed for David’s family. That’s what we are, ambassadors for Christ to speak for the needs of others when sometimes they cannot speak for their own needs. Father, He puts that in our hearts. Father, they need help. I can’t help them, but you can. When we come and we intercede like this, we acknowledge that I can do it, my inability, but I also acknowledge God’s ability. I come with my empty hands, but I come with high hopes. Ephesians chapter 3. For He can do so much more than we could ever think or dream or fathom. Philippians 4. And He will provide for us from the fullness of His riches. All I have to do. Father, they need help. I want to tell you a little story and I’ll end with that from my own life where I experienced this and when you experience this gift of God, it’s just it’s overwhelming. Back in South Africa, we had this wonderful two people in our church. She was one of the most godly women, Anna Kroenier. Anna and Chris Kroenier. We would go there every Christmas. She would have this Christmas dinner for a few of us and we would just celebrate the birth of Christ with each other and share a meal. And we would always end with worship and prayer. This evening was a little sad because the couple that would always come with us couldn’t be there because the cancer was so intense in this woman’s life. That evening we decided that we were going to pray for her and we were going to lay hands on her. She wasn’t there, but we were going to lay hands on her just as we stood there and say, Lord, we’re doing this and we all stood in a circle and we lay hands on this woman who was not there and we prayed. Father, she needs your help. Father, will you bring healing? Two weeks later, she saw the doctor. They couldn’t find a single cancerous cell in her body. Our inability in intercessory prayers, God, it’s your ability. I can’t do it, but I can pray. I can ask for a hot water bottle in the middle of nowhere and you could do it. The thing that brings so much joy to Jesus’ heart is when we trust him audaciously. With the lives of others, bringing them to Jesus. And the moment I do that, he just opens that pantry door and he says, come on in and come and take as much as you need. We’re never closer to being like Jesus as when we pray for others. So please pray. Pray for those you love. Pray for those you don’t love. And knock. Don’t stop knocking. Father, you are good. I need help. But so do they. And then bring the biggest shopping basket you have because he’s going to fill that basket with so many blessings that you can take to them. Take a few moments of silent prayer. Father, you are good. They need help. And you know who they are. Thank you that we may pray. Thank you that we may be bold like little Ruth, Lord. Audaciously bold. Help us. Help us to remember who you are and what you can do. Thank you. We will pray, Lord. In Jesus’ name.  

by Aubrey Botha https://cpcchurchimages.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/04214447/May-3-Sermon.mp3 John 2:1-10 The Wedding at Cana 2 The next day[a] there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration. 3 The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus' mother told him, “They have no more wine.” 4 “Dear woman, that's not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.” 5 But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Standing nearby were six stone water jars, used for Jewish ceremonial washing. Each could hold twenty to thirty gallons.[b] 7 Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled, 8 he said, “Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.” So the servants followed his instructions. 9 When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called the bridegroom over. 10 “A host always serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!” Matthew 20:29-34 Two Blind Men Receive Sight 29 As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30 Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 31 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” 32 Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. 33 “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.” 34 Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him. Transcript (Transcribed by TurboScribe) It’s been an interesting week in our household. You get one little germ factory coming home, and then Omar works with the other germ factories, and then she becomes a germ factory, and she comes home, and then germs go everywhere. So it’s been an interesting week. I think I’ve done the best of the three. So yeah, it’s one of those silly, silly weeks that happen. That anthem that the choir sang this morning, boy, you took me back many, many, many years. When I worked at the Christian radio station in South Africa, that was one of the favourite songs I played, but I can’t remember the artist who sang that. There was another woman. It wasn’t just Gloria. There was another… It’s still not the right one, but I’ll find it. She sang it better than any of them, but you did it so beautiful this morning. It just touched my heart, and I just thought of those words again. Jesus, you’re the centre of my joy. All that’s good and perfect comes from you. You’re the heart of my contentment. Jesus, you’re the centre of my joy. Isn’t that true? When we find Jesus, and he touches your life, you find that joy. Not the joy that the world brings that’s here today and gone tomorrow. The joy that carries you through happiness, that carries you through those moments when it’s just hard and tough and difficult, and you can still sing Jesus. You’re the centre of my joy. Thank you for the gift of your words, Lord. Thank you for the gift of prayer, and that we may speak of this amazing gift. May we in this morning, as we speak of our need before you, Lord Jesus, may we see you and only you in your beautiful name we pray. Amen. There’s nothing that can take you from being so happy and life is good to almost having a heart attack faster than when you’re driving in your car and all of a sudden, that little orange engine light comes on, especially if you’re in the middle of nowhere. Now, sometimes you’re lucky and it can still get you to where you need to go. Sometimes, car goes slower and slower, starts making some noise, and it stops. And you know, that’s it. I need help. Sometimes life can be like that too, right? We’re just cruising along on this wonderful path of life and all of a sudden, bam, and something breaks. And you know, I can’t fix it. I need help. So what do you do? Well, if your car breaks down, not so bad. Take out your cell phone. Hopefully, in the middle of nowhere, you have cell phone reception and you call CAA or you call a tow truck and you say, I don’t know what it is. This light came on, made a noise, stopped. I kicked the tyre, didn’t help. I got angry at the car and hit the steering wheel. That didn’t help. I need help. And in life, you tag someone. T-A-G. You take it to Jesus. You admit that you do not have the resources I need. Help. And then you give it to him in faith. You tag him. I need help. And then leave it there because we know in his hands, it’s safe, right? Is it that easy? We struggle a little bit. Maybe we’ll do the T and the A, but sometimes the G of the tag is a little more difficult, that giving it and leaving it. Let me tell you a little bit about a moment like this of being able to say I need help and then letting it go and leaving it. And some of you have heard the story and I’m sorry about that, but I think it’s the best story to explain it. We emigrated to Canada in the year 2002. We came from mid-summer in February to mid-winter. Landed on the 12th of February. What a shock. God, what did you do? And God was good. We ended up in this beautiful place called Central Church that loved us and has loved us for all these years. When we left, I left mom and dad. I’m an only child. Elsie had to leave her mom and her mom was really sick. We knew we would never see mom alive again. So we had to say goodbye to mom. Knowing that, we bought or we took extra money and we put it aside to buy Elsie a ticket to go back to go see her mom. Because when you emigrate, as the Fond of Estes, since they know all about it, it’s not that easy. You take a family of five, you take everything you have, you sell it, and then we divided by eight. I think you divided by 10 when you came. And the little bit you have, that’s what you make a life with. But we kept some there for Elsie because we knew that moment would come. It was June of that year that the doc called a friend of ours and he said, Elsie, if you want to see mom alive, you better come because I don’t think she’s going to make it much longer. So we said, thank you, Lord. We saved the money. Elsie could get on a plane. She went and Elsie went to go see her mother. She stayed for a month. Mom did not die. Elsie had to come back. Elsie came back. She was back one week. We were in the mall in Sears, that was still then of Sears, going down the escalator when the phone rang and her brother said, mom passed away. I could see it on Elsie’s face. She said when she came back, I’m okay. If mom passes, I’m fine. When she got that call, she was not fine. She needed to go bury her mother. We did not have the money. We really did not have the money. By then, we did not have credit. So what do you do? You take it to the Lord. We admitted that we did not have the resources and we gave it to him. Didn’t say anything to this church except on a Sunday morning, I stood and I said, would you please pray for us? Elsie just heard mom passed away this week. We need your prayers. That was it. I came into church that Monday. Why? I don’t know. Went to my office and as I tried to open the door, it was kind of stuck a little bit and I bent down and felt it was something under the door and took it out. It was an envelope and I looked at the envelope. It was thick. It says this is for Elsie to go bury her mother. $2,100. That was the exact amount that Elsie needed to buy a ticket to go bury her mother. I’m not telling a story. It’s the truth. To this day, I don’t know who did that, how that got there, but it did. It’s a true story. All we could say is, I need help. As I sat there and I was crying, it reminded me, Philippians, do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition and with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God and the peace of God that transcends all understanding. Regard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. And I was reminded in that moment how faithful God is to his word. If only I can say those simple words, Father, you are good. I need help because you know what happens when I do that. That’s the moment where I take that stuff that I do not have the resources for and I put it in God’s hands and I let it go because God can do it in his time. Remember I said that road sometimes from A to B has ups and downs and twists and turns and sometimes feels that I can’t get to the end, but God can do it. All I need to say is, I need help. I said that this morning because I feel miserable as I stand here. So I sat there, I said, I need help. You know what? I’m going to get through the sermon. I know it. There’s a story that you know well and I’ve preached on this, I think three, four, five times in my life, but not this way. John chapter two. I love John. The easiest Greek in the whole New Testament. You can wake me up 12 o’clock at night and I can understand it. I’m not going to teach you Greek today. We’ll read it in English from the New Living Translation. The next day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’s mother was there and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration. The wine supply ran out during the festivities. Now watch. Enter from the left, Mary, Jesus’s mother. So Jesus’s mother told him, they have no more wine. And we just stopped there for a moment. Mary identifies the need. They have no more wine. I need help. She’s not bossy. She doesn’t say, hey Jesus, time for you to show up a little bit. Go down to the corner there. There’s a beautiful vineyard. Bordeaux grapes. You go make those grapes. Immediately be ready. And then just turn them into those beautiful bottles of Bordeaux wine. Bring that up and serve the wine. You can do it, buddy. Go, go, go. Doesn’t do that. She doesn’t try and fix the problem because she does not have the resources. She doesn’t blame someone. She doesn’t say, yeah, this bridegroom, come on, he should have taken care of the wine. What does Mary do? They have no more wine. She states the problem. Now, if I read this correctly, and if you read the previous bit of this correctly, I don’t think Jesus had any intention of doing any work at this wedding except being one of the guests. So what’s his answer? Dear woman, that’s not our problem, Jesus replied. My time has not yet come. I don’t think he planned to turn the water into wine. But Mary had a need. I need help. Mary, typical mother. Oh, she’s so cool. But his mother told the servants, do whatever he tells you. I can see in my mind’s eye, Mary, little twinkle in her eye, just walks away. Do whatever he tells you. I have a need. Take it to Jesus. Admit that you can’t do it yourself and then give it to him and leave it with him. That’s exactly what she did. Do whatever he tells you. I wonder, I wonder what was going on in his mind. And I wish I could see his face. I think I could see this wry smile. Oh, mother. Oh, mother. And yet, she identified the problem. She brought it to him. She left it with him. And what happens? Standing nearby were six stone water jars used for Jewish ceremonial washing. Each could hold 20 to 30 gallons. So Jesus told the servants, fill the jars with water. When the jars had been filled, he said, now dip some out, take it to the master of ceremonies. So the servants followed his instructions. And the rest of the story is history, right? When the master of the ceremonies tasted the water, that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from, though of course the servants knew, called the bridegroom over. And he said, a host always serves the best wine first. And then when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now. Problem, presented. Prayer, answered. Crisis, averted. All we need to do is to say, I need help and take it to Jesus. Hear me when I say this and forgive me when it sounds a little harsh. I don’t take it to the LCBO because what’s that blue stuff? The bad blue or whatever, I don’t drink, so I don’t know this. It won’t help you. Being angry about it won’t help you. Taking it out on others won’t help you. Blaming it on someone won’t help you. Take it to the one who will help you and who can help you. And who wants to help you. And give it to him. Let it go. And I know sometimes we think, but this is just impossible. There’s no way. Because that bam that happened in my life, that’s just so huge. Well, can I end with another story? It comes from Matthew chapter 20. As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us. I have a need. The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder. Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us. I need help. Jesus stopped, called to them. What do you want me to do for you? He asked. Lord, they answered, we want you to do the impossible. We want our sight. And Jesus had compassion. Oh, there’s my Greek word. Sorry. There goes your Greeks. Plach nit somai. That which touches the heart and just turns it right over in itself. Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes, and immediately they received their sight and followed him. I need help. What can I do for you? Because he has compassion. He came into this world for you, for me. He came into this world so that we could see God for who he is, one who cares, one who loves, one who wants to take those things in life that go bam and stop us in our tracks. He wants us to speak to him because that’s why he’s there with his Father, to stand there for you and for me. All I have to say is, Father, you’re good. I need help. Amen.

by Aubrey Botha https://cpcchurchimages.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/27223739/April-26-Sermon.mp3 Luke 11:1-4 Teaching about Prayer 11 Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” 2 Jesus said, “This is how you should pray:[a] “Father, may your name be kept holy.    May your Kingdom come soon.3 Give us each day the food we need,[b]4 and forgive us our sins,    as we forgive those who sin against us.And don't let us yield to temptation.[c]” Matthew 6:6-8 6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. 7 “When you pray, don't babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don't be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! Transcript (Transcribed by TurboScribe) Thank you for your words, Lord. Thank you for this new series that we may start today as we talk about prayer. Maybe we’ve spoken about prayer a million times. May we hear something new. But above all, Lord, not just hear something new, but may we, through this, be renewed in this wonderful gift that you have given us of talking to you and being able to be quiet and also listen to you. May we see Jesus and only Jesus. In your name we pray. Amen. Our first passage this morning comes from Luke chapter 11 verses 1 to 4, and I’m reading from the New Living Translation. Once Jesus was in a certain place praying, as he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples. Jesus said, this is how you should pray. Father, may your name be kept holy. May your kingdom come soon. Give us each day the food we need and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. And do not let us yield to temptation. Hello, my name is Aubrey, and I am a recovering prayer wimp. I have to admit that sometimes during prayer, I doze off. Sometimes my mind will zig and zag, and then it will zig again. And when the ADHD kicks in, I’ll start off with a prayer, and the next thing, I’m busy with a thousand other things, and I forget the thing that I started doing, and that was to pray. Now, it is also true that there are people that really excel at praying. They’re members of the PGA, the Prayer Giants Association. I am a card-carrying member of the Prayer Wimps Anonymous. Maybe you can relate. Maybe the little chuckles I heard tells me that you relate to what I’ve just said. Here’s the thing. Most of us pray to some or other extent. Sometimes we’ll pray when we’re happy. Sometimes we’ll pray when we’re sad. Often we’ll pray when we are in need, when the lump is deemed melanoma. The money runs out before the month runs out. The layoffs start, and we’ll pray. Am I wrong in my presumption, and I don’t want to use the word assumption because that’s not a good word, that most of us wish that we could pray better and deeper and even with a little more faith. So, for the next four weeks, let’s talk a little bit about that, and hopefully by the end of that, we’ll smile a little more about that, and maybe we can hand in our PWA cards and be members of the PGA. Someone used this beautiful image of prayer, said, prayer is like a road. It takes you from point A to point B. Sometimes the road is short. Sometimes the road is longer. It’ll often take you downhill and uphill, and there’s a few twists and a few turns, and sometimes it feels like it’s so long that you’re never going to get to point B, and oftentimes we’ll wonder, is it all worthwhile? It’s not always easy, this road of prayer. Here’s the thing. We’re not the first people to struggle with prayer. If you go check the sign-up list for Prayer 101, you’re going to find quite a few well-known names in there. Jacob, or some of you know him as James, and his brother John, and Andrew, and Peter, and if you don’t know who those are, they were disciples, and when this other disciple comes up and says, Lord, will you teach us to pray? The interesting thing that we find is this. None of those other disciples say, well, it’s you and Jesus. You guys try and sort it out. We’re okay. We’ve sorted prayer out. We’re good. We can go do our own thing. They all stay. It’s also very interesting, if I have my facts right, you’re going to go check me up on this one this week. Sorry, you’re going to check me up on this maybe, but if I have my facts right, this was the only thing the disciples asked Jesus to teach them. Lord, teach us to pray. Did you see Jesus’ response to that? It wasn’t a lecture. It wasn’t a sermon. It wasn’t a dissertation. It wasn’t a seminar. It was a simple, quotable, easy, repeatable prayer. So easy that, would you join me? Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. As simple as that. And we know it, and we can repeat it, and everything we needed to say is in there. I think sometimes we complicate prayer too much. Us preachers, we kind of make it difficult. It has to be this, this, this, and this. No, it’s nothing more than a conversation. So in the next four weeks, I’m going to put it into four little things. Each week we’ll talk about one of those, and maybe that’ll make it easier, easy. Father, you are good. I need help. They need help. Thank you, in the name of Jesus. When I wake up in the morning, and I think of the day ahead, Father, driving to work, or to school, or wherever I’m going, I need help. Standing in line, waiting, they need help. And when I come to the end of the day, and I look back on all of God’s grace, thank you, in Jesus’ name. Because that’s the thing about prayer. It is this gift that God gives us, where we can enter into this conversation with our Father. I speak, He listens. He speaks, I listen. And on this road of conversation, these are the moments in which God changes my life. And yes, it’s going to happen that sometimes on this road of prayer, we’re going to run into things that we do not expect. But the amazing thing, it’s nothing that God ever did not expect. Because God is the one who puts me on this road, knows this road, plans this road, and who’s going to get me from A to B, no matter how long it takes, or how up and down it’s going to be. He’s taking me to that point B, that we are talking about. All He asks of me is to take that first step, and get on that road, so we can start. Second thing I want you to notice, did you see the way in which Jesus started the prayer? Father, Abba, loving Father. For a moment, hold on to that, because that’s the important part. Just need to say this, some of us might have, not me, some of us might have grown up, and we do not have the best image of a Father. And if that’s you, I’m really sorry. It breaks my heart. Will you for a moment, if that’s you, just let that go, and just hear about this Father that we are talking about. Because this Abba Father, when the Holy Spirit calls in, Romans 8 says, the Spirit calls in through us, Father, loving Father. That’s who I’m talking about. One who cares, and one who loves, and one who knows you, and one who wants to be there for you, and is there to protect you. That’s how Jesus starts. For me, I see this little image. I don’t know if you’ve seen this in a while. These little kids, and maybe I see it more because I have a seven-year-old that I run around with. Little kids that go to the playground with their dads, and they’re hanging out, and they’re yelling, and they’re laughing, and they’re having a lot of fun, and they, Dad, push me on the swing, and Dad pushes on the swing, and they play tag. And it’s just, but you never hear them say, Father, thank you for being so gracious and driving me in thine splendid vehicle to this amazing place of frolic. Thine benevolence is beyond reproach. Thine care for me is amazing, and thou art so gracious, and neither does God want us to talk to him like that. He wants us to come to him like little kids. Hey, Dad, how’s it going? Hey, Dad, will you push me on this swing? Come to him just as I am. These little ones, they have no filter. Opa, you’re fat. Look at your boot pants. I won’t tell you what a boot pants is. South Africans will know what that is. They’ll just say it as it is, and God wants us to say it as it is. He doesn’t want us to beat around the bush. Thank you for thine benevolence. God doesn’t even want to know what that means, but when I say, God, I need you. Lord, I need you every moment of my life. I need you. That he understands. He doesn’t want us to come to him and to pretend. Hi, Aubrey, how are you doing? I’m fine, and God knows I’m lying through my teeth. He wants us to speak and say, Father God, this is me. This is who I am. We don’t need those words. Remember the old Pharisees and the teachers of the law. They would stand on the street corners, and they had these huge prayers, the thines and the dows and all those things, and they would go on and on and on. Do you know what God does when they do that? He plays them a Shania Twain song. You know which one? You don’t impress me much. Listen to what he says. Matthew 6. But you, when you pray, go away by yourself. Shut the door behind you and pray to your Father in private, and then your Father who sees everything will reward you. When you pray, don’t babble on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask. See, here’s the thing. Heaven does not have a prayer panel that sits with their paddles, and when I pray and I put all the words together, they’ll put up the paddle and say, oh, Aubrey, you got all the thines and these correct today. This is a 10 out of 10. God’s going to answer this prayer. And then the day when I doze off a little bit and my mind zigs and zags, I get a paddle come up that says, this is a two. Go back and try again. Prayer is that conversation between me and my Father who gets me because he made me. And all I have to do, it’s not meant to be judged. It’s not what prayer is. It’s that moment to say, Father, you are good, and I love you, and I know you love me, and Father does, and Father knows. Because you see, the thing about prayer with Father is, he wants to answer those prayers. It’s not judging them. He hears, and he answers, and he takes me on this beautiful journey. Sometimes I think we make the mistake of thinking, I’ll say a few words, and then I’ll go out there, and I’ll do it myself. And then we fail. Prayer is to give it, and to let it go, and to trust him. So can I challenge you? Next time before you face the world, go face your Father first. Father, you are good. So why don’t we try it tomorrow? Tomorrow’s Monday. So Monday morning, the alarm clock lives up to its name. And usually you get up, and the first thing you do is, you take your phone, and you start doom-scrolling on that phone. And you go for the coffee, and you’re still doom-scrolling, and by 15 minutes later, you are so down that you don’t even want to face the day. Can we change that tomorrow? When that alarm clock goes off, don’t reach for the phone. Go get a coffee, because I don’t think God wants to face us without coffee, because we’re way too grumpy. Go get that coffee, but instead of going for that phone thing, go find your favourite chair. Just go sit. And your hair might still be in a mess, and you still might have a little bit of the creases from the pillow. God doesn’t care. What he does care about is that moment of saying, Good morning, Father. It’s so cool to start my day with you. Thank you for your, and just to speak, and to give it to him, and see if maybe the day looks a little different, despite of the little things that are going to happen. Because you started by saying, Father, you’re good. I need help. They need help. Thank you for answering in Jesus’ name. Come sing. We have this song that we’re going to sing every week. Today, we’re just going to do the verse, one verse, and the chorus, and you’re going to start getting to know this. Gary was just dumped on her this morning. She just has to do it. So I’ll sing with you, but I’m going to sing from there. No, I’ll make a mess. Okay. When the night won’t loosen its grip on my chest, And the answers don’t come no matter how hard I confess, My strength feels borrowed and my hope feels thin. I’ll fall on my knees and begin again. When I don’t have the words, do you hear my heart? Even my silence knows who you are. I will pray when the road feels long. I will pray when the faith feels gone. I will pray through the tears and pain, till the light breaks through the rain. I don’t know how, I don’t know when, but I know you’re listening. So with every breath I have today, I will pray. When I’ve said all I can say, I will pray. When I’ve said all that I can say, Father, thank you. Thank you for that road that leads for the ups and the downs. And because as we travel this road with you, we learn so much more about you. And we learn to trust you, Lord. Freewheeling down that downhill and knowing that we’re going to get up the hill because that’s what you teach us as we pray. Thank you, Father. You are good. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

by Aubrey Botha https://cpcchurchimages.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/21121523/April-19-Sermon.mp3 Hebrews 4:14-16 Jesus the Great High Priest 14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,[a] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 10:19-25 A Call to Persevere in Faith 19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Transcript (Transcribed by TurboScribe) As you saw, we’re starting a new series next week, Sun Prayer, a short series of four, looking really forward to that. And at the end of the service, I’m going to ask you after the benediction to sit, the song that you heard a little piece of this morning, it’s an AI song, and I heard this and it’s so beautiful. So I went to Carrie and I said, can we do this as the song for the whole series? She said, sure, but it has no music. And we can’t find any music for that. So our music team sat down and they produced that music and all of that to go with that. And they’re going to do that song for us this morning as our postlude. And I want you to hear that because with God’s grace, we’re going to sing that every week for four weeks after the sermon saying, Lord, I want to pray. When you hear me, I’m going to pray. When I think you don’t hear me, I’m going to pray. When times are good, I’m going to pray. When times are not good, I’m going to pray. Still, I will pray, is the name of the song. We’re going to do that. So thank you to the praise team for all the work that they put into that. It’s wonderful to have people that’ll just say, yeah, I’m going to do that. Bless you. Thank you for your word that guides us. Thank you for your word that feeds us. Thank you for the word that just paints this beautiful picture, Lord, of who you are. Help us in this morning again, that as we read and as we try and speak, that we may see Jesus, the love of Jesus. In your name we pray. Amen. Now, scripture reading this morning comes from the book of Hebrews, chapter four. We’re going to read verses 14 to 16, and then we’re going to go to chapter 10 and read verses 19 to 25. And I’m reading from the NIV today. Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus, son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. And then we go to chapter 10. Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the most holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and a living way opened for us through the curtain that is his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings. Having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water, let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together as some are in the habit, I think they missed the word there, bad habit of doing, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day approaching. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence to receive mercy and to find grace to help us in our time of need. Go underline that verse in your Bible and read it every day. It is one of the most beautiful promises that God makes, one of the most beautiful invitations that God gives in his word. Let us approach this throne of grace with confidence so that what can happen, we may receive mercy and find God’s grace to help us in our time of need. That word time of need in the Greek is one word. It’s a beautiful word. It’s the word eukairon. You’ve heard the word kairos before, the kairos documents. Remember it was a big deal at some state. The word kairos in Greek means a defining moment. Let’s go to God’s throne in all of the defining moments of our lives, those moments that will change our lives, those moments in which we stand before God saying, help me or God rejoice with me or be with me. But then it starts with the most beautiful word of all of those words. Let’s go to God’s throne of grace with confidence. Greek word and Central knows by now when I retire they will all be fluent in Greek and Hebrew. Greek word for confidence is the word paresia. Paresia means boldness, frankness, confidence. It comes, it’s a technical term that comes from the old Greek city states. Paresia meant that if you were a citizen and you had citizenship of that city state, you had the right to speak in the assembly and that right was called paresia. You could stand up and you could speak and if we put it in today’s words, you could make motions and you could vote on the motions as well because you had paresia, you had confidence. It was your right to do that. That’s the objective side but there’s a subjective side on this too. It only became your right in that moment when you stood up and you spoke and you used that. Can you hear the words? Since we have paresia, that’s what chapter 10 said, that’s why I took you there. Since we have verse 19, this confidence, then what should we do? Verse 22, let us then draw near to God. It’s given. We have the right. You’re citizens of God’s kingdom. You’re children of the most wonderful father in the whole wide world. The king of the universe is yours and he said here’s the right that I give you. Will you please use that and walk into my holy presence? Can we talk about that for a second? How we do that, when we do that, do we do that? But I want to start in the old testament and this is where I’m going to need you Alexander because I was told you do not touch that yoke. Jay will come and he will, I don’t know where Jay is sitting this morning, maybe he wouldn’t. He’s my doc. He would come give me a hard time because my back should not be lifting this. Come on up Alexander. You got to do the high lifting here. Don’t lift it up yet. You can just hold it kind of up straight if you can get it out there. But I take you to the book of Leviticus. I’m going to read one verse and I know you do not read one verse because there’s a context. So I’ll give you the context. Context comes from chapter 26. God brought them into the promised land and now God says to them because you’re obedient I’m going to reward you. I’ll make it rain. I’ll take care of your crops. I’ll give you cattle and I’ll give you sheep. If you keep the Sabbaths I will bless you in so much abundance because you are obedient. And then God says here’s the reason why I want to do this. I’m the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the yoke of slavery from your neck so that you can walk with your heads held high. I wanted to show you a yoke because most of you I don’t think have even seen a yoke. If you’re younger you don’t even know what that is. You think it’s a thing that comes in an egg. This is a yoke. This is one that you put on cattle. This was actually one that my wife’s father used on his farm with the cattle. They go on your neck and you can imagine if you put this thing on your neck. No don’t do that. You’re going to put that on your neck. This is what it does. Thank you Alexander. You can not put it on my neck. You can put it down. Thank you. I want you to just keep that image for a moment and see what God says. He says when you were in Egypt you were slaves. They did not necessarily bear a yoke like that but they bore the yoke of being slaves. You were not allowed to look up and look people in the eye. You had no rights. They bore the heavy burdens every day as they were building those two cities. They would carry that on their backs and your head is always down. You have no rights. You have nothing to say. God says when I brought you out, I took that yoke off your back. I took it off your neck so that you may walk with your head held high. We may approach the throne of grace with confidence, with our heads held high because the yoke and the burden of sin has been lifted off. We may walk into that room, that throne room of our heavenly Father and we may look our Father in the eye and say, Lord, I need you every moment of my life. I need you. You’re my one defence. You’re my righteousness. Oh, you may be bold and say, I can walk in there and I can say, Father, Father, can you just take my hand, please? It’s a little tough right now. I can’t do this alone. I need you to walk with me, not just a mile. I need a few more miles than that and maybe, Father, if you don’t mind, can you just carry me for a while? I can walk in there. Like Romans says, then the Holy Spirit can call out in me, Romans 8, Father, I love you and I know exactly that’s who you is because it is a throne of grace where I can find peace, mercy, and grace for my times of need. Why can I do that? Why can I do that? Verse 14, 15 gives the answer. He says, because we have a grand new high priest right there in heaven, not one who was distant from us on this earth because you looked at him and he was all gowned and robed and all kinds of stuff around him and he was holier than thou. We have a high priest in heaven who was just like us, who walked this earth with his own feet, who felt the hurt of his own people turning their backs on him, who felt his friends betray him, who would hear people yell crucify, who would know what it meant to have no house to sleep but always with a friend sleeping on the couch, who would know the burden of carrying the yoke of all I’ve ever seen, who would know the burden of being nailed to a cross and not having a moment that he could walk into that throne room because Father had to turn his back and close his ears when his son cried. My God, we have a high priest that understands us and when I walk into that throne room and I can bring myself, he gets it. He gets me in all of my goodness, in all of my struggles, in all of my needs, in my yukairon moments, my moments of need where I stand before you. I don’t know where you are in your life and maybe you’re full of joy. Here’s the cool thing, you can go right into that throne room and go spring jump and dance and sing with him because he wants to do that with you. Maybe you’re in the struggle time if I think of Lorna and I think of Alan Goberdan as they had to go down to New Jersey to go bury a brother and a mother. In that moment they could walk right in that throne room and Father God would understand and he would hold them to his heart because that high priest when they walked in there would say, Father, this is Lorna and Alan. Right now, Father, we need you so bad. You can go to him because you have paresia, confidence, bought in the blood of Jesus Christ. But here’s the coolest thing of all of this. If I take you back to the Old Testament again, remember in the Old Testament the high priest and only the high priest could go into the Holy of Holies. Remember the temple was built where they would sacrifice and then they had the holy place and then they had the most holy place and then the most holy place was behind this curtain and there was the Ark of the Covenant. Had Aaron’s staff and there it had the tablets that were broken and the new tablets and there it had the manna in there to remind them of what God did in the wilderness but also to remind God of how they rebelled against God was in there. On that was the cherubim that was the seat where God would sit and would look down on all of this. Once a year, Leviticus 16 on Yom Kippur, Yom in Hebrew day, Kippur, atonement. On the day of atonement the high priest could go behind that curtain. He alone, after he was cleansed and brought sacrifices for his own sin, could go in there with blood and he would sprinkle that blood on the Ark of the Covenant. The cover of the Ark of the Covenant is called Kippuret, Yom Kippuret, the atonement seat and he would make atonement for the sins of the people. It was such a holy place that he alone could go in once a year but if he did something wrong he would die because you were not supposed to see God. So they put a rope around his ankle that if he died in there they couldn’t go in. They could just pull him out. It is the cool thing about that, says Hebrews. There was a Friday there in the afternoon and on a Friday the world became really, really dark. There was a man on a cross and his name was Jesus. In that moment when he died and he took that burden upon himself, that curtain that stood between us and God, fell away. And in that moment through the blood of the Son, he opened a new path right into the throne of God. And you and I may walk right into that throne room. There is no more curtain. You can walk right up to your Father. And when I walk in there, Jesus stands there smiling and he says, Father, it’s Aubrey again. Boy, this guy can never stop. Gotta tell you about him a little bit, Father. He’s giving me a run for my money. He’s, he messes up so often. He’s with his face in the mud and I have to pick him up and I have to cleanse him again. But I know he loves us, Father God. So I walk with him. Boy, does he give the Holy Spirit, you know, because Holy Spirit that’s his job, isn’t it? To walk right beside and to help. Man, does the Holy Spirit have to walk with him all the time to keep him on the right path and to help him? So Father, I’m so glad that he’s here. And Father smiles when he sees me. And Father says, what can I do? And I can just open my heart and I can speak because here’s the thing. Despite the fact that I mess up so often, despite the fact that I hurt him so often because of the stuff that happens in my life, when I walk into that throne room, my Father does not do this. Sorry, I never point fingers at you, do you know that? Feels horrible. My Father never does that because that was taken care of that Friday on a cross. All of the judgement was taken care of. All of that slavery was taken care of. My Father tells me to lift up my head and look him in the eyes and see his face. Despite of who I am, but because of who he is and what he has given me. Because I am his child and I have been made free and I have been washed in the blood of Jesus Christ. That same blood that this morning said to little Colby, little girl, here’s my sign and my seal. I’m washing you and you, little girl, can walk right into my throne room anytime you need me because I am your Father and you are my child. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Thinking, not a person yet. We are allowed to walk into the presence of our God with confidence to receive what? Mercy and grace. You know what grace is? God’s free gift. For it is by grace that we have been saved through our faith. That faith says Hebrews 10 that is washed in the blood of Jesus Christ and says come walk in. It’s kind of like this little boy that sat with me this morning this week. It was a tough week and one evening I was sitting reading and he came up to me and he said, hey Opa, can I sit on your lap for a little while? I said sure buddy boy. He jumped on my lap and he put his little head against my chest and I just held him. Didn’t say a word. He just sat. His ear was right on my heartbeat. I’m sure he heard me. Sat for about 3-4 minutes and looked up. He said, thank you Opa. I think I’m okay now. He got up and went and played. Since we have confidence, let us then draw near to God. You need to sit on his lap for a while. He’s okay with that. You need to cry with him a little bit. He’s okay with that. Bette Midler got it wrong. Remember she sang a song, God is watching us from a distance. Nah, not true. God opened his throne and he said, my son did this for you. Come on in. He’s not in the distance. He’s right with you. Everything is fine. It’s up to us to be the walking voice, to walk in with confidence and to receive the gifts that God has for us. May you walk with your head held high and not with one of those yearnings because it’s taken away. Walk, Opa. Let God speak. Amen. Take a few moments of silent prayer. Lord Jesus, thank you for going to the cross. Thank you for taking all of our sin, bearing that and then washing our sin with blood. It has fallen right so beautifully in Colossians and then when you did that there on the cross and you washed, you took it away forever and you never seem to do it again. Help us then not to make ourselves slaves again, but to walk freely. Thank you that every day we may ask that you will walk with us through your spirit. But Lord, on our own we can’t do this. Every moment, every hour of our lives, we need you. We need you to walk. We need you to talk. We need you to evolve us. Thank you for reminding us of who we are, the children of the most high and holy. You’re amazing and we love you with all that is in us. In this we pray in the amazing name of Jesus, our great High Priest. Amen.

by Aubrey Botha https://cpcchurchimages.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/14190039/April-12-Sermon.mp3 Luke 24:13-35 On the Road to Emmaus 13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles[a] from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him. 17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.” 25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. 28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” 33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread. Transcription (Transcribed by TurboScribe) Joan and Gary, boy, it’s good to see you. It’s just, I’m saying to Gary, it seems that retirement kind of don’t have money for her. It is so good to see you, Joan and Gary. They’re all over the place now. They’re, they’re, yeah, it is just so cool to see you this morning. I’m always happy to see folks. They come back and they come visit. Did so many wonderful things with you over the years, and it’s always a blessing to look up and see. As I, as I prayed in my prayer, please continue to pray for Amira and her family. Amira was in Kuwait when the bombing started. Her sister passed away and she was there. She and her mother, they were both out, and Amira’s back in Canada. So with God’s grace, we’re happy about that. Got really sad news this, this week. My first colleague in my first congregation was murdered in his house this past week, and that’s just horrendous. He and the guy who worked in the garden for him seemed to have had a little moment, and the next thing his wife heard, someone yelled, and she saw the guy wash his hands and blood coming off him when she came out. Her husband was, was not there. So really sad, sad moment. Pray for their family as well. Not, not the kind of things that we want to hear. We need to pray for, for one another. Thank you for the amazing words that we can read together this morning and spend a few moments in. And I always pray, Lord, may we see Jesus and only Jesus, but in this one, we are really just going to see Jesus in action. And what a moment. Thank you. We wait in expectation. In your name we pray, Lord Jesus. Amen. Going to Luke chapter 14. And thank you, Grace, for getting those pictures on there. Much appreciated. Luke 14, going to start verse 13. Now that same day, two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them. But, and always this but thing, but they were kept from recognising him. He asked them, what are you discussing together as you walk along? They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them named Cleopas, and we think most scholars will say that the other person that was with him was his wife, Mary. One of them, Cleopas, asked him, are you the only one visiting Jerusalem? Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days? What things, Jesus asked. About Jesus of Nazareth, they replied. He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him. And here’s an important but, that we had hoped, we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it’s the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. Actually, it’s a very bad word that they use in Greek here, Existemi, which actually means some of the women lost their minds. Some of our women lost their minds. They went to the tomb early this morning, but they didn’t find his body. And then they came and told us that they’d seen a vision of angels who said he was alive. And then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the woman had said, but they did not see Jesus. And so the empty tomb. He said to them, how foolish you are. How slow to believe all the prophets have spoken. Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory? And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the scriptures concerning himself. As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, stay with us for it’s nearly evening. The day is almost over. So he went in to stay with them. And when he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognised him and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, were not our hearts burning within us as he talked with us on the road and opened the scriptures to us? They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the 11 and those with them assembled together and saying, it’s true. The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon. And then the two told what had happened on the way and how Jesus was recognised by them when he broke. What a beautiful story. So we, we meet these two followers of Jesus on their way to Emmaus, but they’re not just on their way towards Emmaus. They’re also on their way away from Jerusalem. And you can hear this in their voices that they need to put this behind them and leave it there and just get away from it. Verse 21 will say it so clearly, the disappointment, the disillusionment, this, this departure away from hope when it says, but we had hoped that this Jesus was the one. We had hoped that he was the one who was going to change everything. We had hoped, but hope has died. And so we turn our backs and we leave and we go to Emmaus. As I read that and I was, I was writing and I’m saying, Lord, help me. How, what do I say? How do I preach such a well-known text? I’m sitting there and I wrote, it kind of makes me feel when you think of them, of this world in which we are living right now, it’s a mess. You don’t know what you’re going to find when you wake up the next morning, whether there’s another war, whether this war is going to escalate. We don’t know whether there’s another tariff coming and whether the oil is going up and whether food is going to, through the roof that we cannot pay for that. We’re so uncertain of ourselves. People are, are so, if you look at the world, ready, we’re just ready to bite each other. And it’s kind of a scary place, but we had hoped. And I said to myself, so, so when you write that down, Aubrey, you’re, you’re not a negative person because I’m not. So, so what is the next thing that you write? And the next thing I wrote down is the question, so how do we, as those who follow Christ Jesus, how do we live in this kind of world? What kind of pictures do we paint with our words when we speak to each other? Because I can stand here this morning and I can send you out those doors so negative that you don’t want to come back next week. What are the kind of words that we paint? What do we paint with our words when we talk to each other, when we are there in our conversations at school, at home, at work? What pictures do we paint with our actions, the way in which we treat each other, the way in which we live in this world? What pictures do we paint for ourselves with our thoughts? No one else can see, but I can. We paint these pictures. Are there pictures of hope? Hope in this Lord Jesus that one week ago we stood in this place and we were celebrating. Jesus Christ is risen today and you said, amen, He is risen indeed. Are there pictures of hope in that risen Lord Jesus Christ that sits on His throne and is in control of this world, even when this world sometimes, like now, feels a little out of control? Do we do the but or do we paint pictures of hope? Because there is a world out there that needs those who love Jesus Christ and know Him as their Lord and their Saviour and the King of this world and the King of their lives to say that, to live that, to show that. What pictures are we painting or are they maybe pictures of hopelessness? Let’s try and answer for ourselves as we walk through scripture. So there’s a little background. Now let me take you back. So these two are walking and the next thing Jesus walks with them and here’s the first little surprise. Jesus does not give up on people who are hopeless doubters. And you’re saying, Aubrey, it’s not a surprise. We know that. You know that, but context. Did you see what day it was? Verse 13 said, on that same day. Which was the same day? Verse 1 tells us, early on that first day of the week. It was the Sunday when Jesus rose from the dead. Wouldn’t you think that He had come, He had done His work, He died on the cross, went into the grave, grave was opened, that now Jesus is in heaven with God and He’s being celebrated by all His angels and they’re singing and dancing and they’re hallelujah and He’s taking up His throne and now He’s sitting there on His throne ruling this world. Wouldn’t you expect that’s what would have happened? Where do you find Him? He’s on the road with two hopeless doubting. That’s the kind of Lord that we serve. Not the Lord that puts Himself in some throne somewhere and disappears, but the Lord who walks with hopeless doubting. As you see, here’s the thing about Jesus. He didn’t just tell the stories or call them parables, whatever you want to call them. Didn’t just tell the stories, He lived the stories. And He’s just living one of those stories right now, Luke 15. Who knows what that is? You can get a coffee if you can tell me what’s Luke 15. My coffee’s safe. What have I done in 25 years? You don’t know what’s in Luke 15? It’s easy. It’s a story about two boys, 10 coins, and a hundred sheep. Remember the story now? And what was the story about the hundred sheep? Shepherd had a hundred sheep and one got lost. And what did he do? He left the 99 and he went for the one. And two were walking away in hopelessness from Jerusalem to go sit in Emmaus. And Jesus goes after the two. Because you see, here’s the thing about Jesus. He does not like to see the backs of His children turned on Him. Maybe the Hebrew word for repentance is even more beautiful. The Hebrew word for repentance is shuv, which means to turn around. And that’s what Jesus wants. He does not want to see the back. He’s saying, turn around. Look at me. Look at me. I want to be there for you. And I ask you, when you go through those difficult times and those times in your own life when you doubt, because we all end up there every now and then, when you feel like hope is kind of a distant, distant thing, when life can sometimes deal you some cards that are not the greatest cards in the world, what do you do? Don’t walk away from Jerusalem because Jesus got your back. He’s got your back. He’s there for you. He wants you to turn around and He wants to look into your eyes, even those eyes that are saying, I doubt right now, Lord Jesus. I’m not so sure. He wants to look right into them. He wants to see your face, even if the tears are running down your cheeks, because how difficult and how tough it is. He wants to hold you and love you. He does not want to see your back. He’ll make time to come. He didn’t just scoot off. He knew I needed to go talk to Cleopas and Mary. I needed to be there with them. And He’s going to be there with you when you walk sometimes on your own road. By the way, did you see they went back to Jerusalem? They thought they could walk away, but he doesn’t. Then the second thing happens. Let me take you back to the story. So now he starts this conversation with them. That’s how Jesus works. And as I was writing that, I thought, man, if it was me, I wouldn’t have done that. These two walking away, I would have done something to get them back. I would have walked and said, could I have the water bottle, please? And can I have a cup? And I would have poured some water in that cup. And I would have said, have a sip. And I would have done a miracle. And they would have drank some wine. And I would have said, gotcha. Why are you doubting? Why are you not hoping? But Jesus doesn’t do that, does he? What does Jesus do? He asks them, so get it out. Talk to me about this. We hoped about Jesus. We thought he was the prophet. We thought he was going to do all of this. And then it’s a mess. The women come telling stories. There’s just an open grave. There’s no Jesus there. No angels there. No nothing there. It’s all just kind of over and done with. And then Jesus doesn’t do a miracle. What does he do? He does a Bible study with them right there on the road. Verse 25, 26, 27. And Jesus said to them, man, did you get it all wrong? Didn’t you read? And then he takes them back to the whole Old Testament. Moses and the prophets. And he talks to them about them. And he says, here’s the problem, guy and girl. Here’s the problem. You had this wrong. This world has it wrong. They wanted to see a Messiah who would be a king, who would sit on a throne, who would get rid of the Romans. And then he would be king and rule over them like a king. But you didn’t read the scriptures properly. What did the scriptures say about me? Scripture says Messiah would come, but Messiah would be what? The servant of the Lord. More than that, he would be the suffering servant of the Lord. Did you ever read Isaiah? By his stripes, we are healed. By his wounds, we are made safe. They would look at him and not want to look at him because they would hurt him so badly. That’s what Messiah would come to do. Isn’t that what Messiah did? See, they didn’t need a miracle. They needed the Word. Because they would have to go out into this world and answer the questions of people that would have the same questions as they had. And the only way that they would be able to answer those questions was if they were in the Word. How you and I get through this? How do we walk and work in this world? In the Word. Psalm 119 verse 105. What does that say? There’s a coffee up again. You know it. Oh, there goes the coffee. You got it, Dave. Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. In this dark world, how do we walk? In the Word. Because the Word will give you light, will walk you where Jesus wants to walk with you, will protect you. Because it is His Word. It is alive and well and living. And that’s why He doesn’t just say, guys, here’s a miracle. Boom, it’s me, Jesus. He takes them to the Word because the Word is what they would need to continue living in this world. Second Timothy 3.16. And there’s no coffee in this one. And I’ll be broke by the end of the day because I know Dave will know this one too. Second Timothy 3.16. What does that say? The whole Scripture is, sorry, God breathed the Greek word so beautiful, theopneistos, theos, God, pneuma, the Spirit of God. The whole Spirit was breathed by God and fulfilled with the Spirit. And then listen how He says it in the New Living Translation. And it is useful to teach us what is true, to make us realise what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. Why does He do the Bible study with Him? Because that Scripture will improve our lives, will help our lives, will help us to walk through the doubt and the hopelessness and the difficult and the upside down days, because this does not change as much as our Lord and our God do not change. The Scripture is what we need to do every day of our lives. It will bring the light that we need. Let me end. One more little surprise. So they get to where they need to turn off to Emmaus and Jesus pretends to be going the other way. I love how cool He does this whole story, right? And of course, Cleopas and Mary say, come with us. Come, come, stay with us. Spend the night. It’s dark. He goes in and spends time with them. Did you notice something strange in that text? Who’s the guest? Jesus. Who breaks the bread? Would you expect that from the guest? We should always watch those little things, right? Don’t miss, because that’s where the surprise lies. Because they sit there and instead of them taking that bread and breaking the bread and passing it to Jesus, Jesus breaks the bread, passes the bread to them. And in that moment, they realise it’s the Lord. In the moment that Jesus shows them who He is again, the servant in serving, in giving, the miracle happens of them seeing the Lord Jesus. Jesus becomes visible in this world when the children of the Lord serve like the Lord served. Yes, we can have arguments and words, but people see the Lord at their best, and we become servants. When we have crucified hands like Jesus, hands that will give freely, hands that touch gently, hands that are open and do not point, judging, but give loving hands and hold. Jesus becomes visible in this world when our feet are crucified, and they walk where Jesus would walk, into all those places that are dark and difficult and hard, where the world is not one to go. When maybe, and I hook on, and this wasn’t written in the sermon, but I was just thinking of you, when we go and we serve downtown and we pick up some junk, we see Jesus, because those feet are crucified and they walk, because that’s where He would have been, and His hands would pick them up, because that’s so Jesus. I started the question, how do we live in this world? What kind of pictures do we paint? I’m sure we paint those pictures of hope, because we know there isn’t more. Amen. Take a few moments of silent prayer. Lord Jesus, thank you for always looking for us. That one little sheep that would walk off, or that one coin that would fall and go into the dark place, and actually two boys, not just one, who were lost, and you always stand looking, waiting, searching, and that’s what you do. Thank you that we have been found. Thank you for your Word. Thank you for your Holy Spirit. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for being the servant of the Lord. May we serve, because in serving, you might be saved. In your precious name, we pray. Amen.

by Aubrey Botha https://cpcchurchimages.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/31161222/March-29-Palm-Sunday-Sermon.mp3 Matthew 16:21-28 (NLT) Jesus Predicts His Death 21 From then on Jesus[a] began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead. 22 But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him[b] for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!” 23 Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God's.” 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. 25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?[c] Is anything worth more than your soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. 28 And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.” Transcription (Transcribed by TurboScribe) Palm Sunday begins on a road leading to Jerusalem. A king enters the city, not with armour, not with force, but on a donkey. Palms wave in the air like declarations of victory. Voices cry, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. They were celebrating a king, but didn’t understand the kind of king he was. Because this celebration is moving somewhere. The cheers of Sunday are already casting the shadow of Friday. This same road leads to a cross. Palms will give way to thorns. Shouts will fall silent beneath the weight of nails. Yet this is not a story of loss. It’s a story of love. Because the cross was never the end. It was the doorway. Palm Sunday leans toward an empty tomb. Toward a morning where death is defeated and hope rises with the sun. The king who came in humility will rise again in victory. Good morning. It’s good to see so many of you and to see your faces on this Palm Sunday. Alexander just said he forgot to remind you that there is a Maundy Thursday service, but it’s online only. So if you go to the website, it will be online and you can watch the Manndy Thursday service online. Father God, thank you for these moments, moments in your holy presence. We’ll hear your words again this morning, Lord Jesus, as you remind us why you came into this world. Help us then to see you and honour you. In your holy name we pray. Amen. I’m sure you’ll agree with me if I say that this amazing life that God gives us, with all of its joy and happiness and also sometimes with a struggle, isn’t always easy and sometimes really painful. There’s many reasons for that. We suffer loss. We struggle. We fail. We get angry. We get frustrated. All of these things and it causes pain. But maybe the most difficult of all of these challenges is the pain of surrender. That moment that I stand before God and I look God in the eye and I say, Lord, here’s my everything, my whole life, and I want to give that to you in a surrender. And from now on, Lord, you lead and I will follow. Because just think, most of us like to lead. Most of us like to make the decisions. Most of us like to be in control. And all we want of God is to follow behind and clean up the messes. So the question we’re going to ask this morning, and each of us has to answer that for themselves, is the question in my life, who leads and who follows? It’s a little bit of the question of Palm Sunday. Because for Jesus to get to that open grave, he had to surrender. And it started on Palm Sunday. So read with me Matthew 16. That was interesting. When I saw this, my last sermon here before I went off was from Mark, and it was the same passage, not the same sermon. So Caesarea Philippi is where they are. You’ll remember that, where Jesus asked the question, who do you say I am? And then we go in Matthew from verse 21, and I’m reading from the New Living Translation. From then on, Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders. Presbyterians, you know that. The word for elder in Greek is presbyteros. He didn’t suffer by the presbyterians. By the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but, and that is a big biblical but. He would be killed, but on the third day, he would be raised from the dead. But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. Heaven forbid, Lord, he said, this will never happen to you. Jesus turned to Peter and said, get away from me, Satan. You’re a dangerous trap to me. You’re seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s. And then Jesus said to his disciples, who wants to lead, who wants to follow? If any of you want to be my follower, you must give up your own ways. Take up your cross and follow me. For if you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. So what do you benefit if you gain the whole world, but you lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? For the Son of Man will come with His angels in the glory of His Father and will judge all people according to their beliefs. And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in His glory. So here we have Jesus in this discussion with His disciples, telling them what’s waiting for them as they journey to Jerusalem. For what they’ll see in a moment is they’ll go in there and they’ll hear the Hoshana, save us, Lord. They’ll hear what we just sang. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Baruch haba b’Shem Adonai. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. They’re going to hear all of this, and they’re going to see this King. And Jesus says, stop. Let me tell you what’s really going to happen when you see all this. I’m going to Jerusalem because I am surrendering to the plan of God. I’m going there, and they will take me prisoner, and they are going to torture me, and I am going to suffer, and they are going to nail me to a cross, and I am going to die. But on the third day, God is going to let me walk out that tomb. And when you read this, and when you go read it again, you’ll see that when Jesus says this, you cannot feel in the language that there’s regret or a heaviness or, oh, my Holy Moses, why am I having to go and do this? Yes, He says, it’s going to be hard. Yes, it’s going to be difficult. I am going to suffer. I am going to be nailed to a cross. I am going to die. But, and there’s that big biblical but, on that third day, God is going to show up, and I am going to walk right out of that grave. Can you hear that, my friends? What He’s saying is this, if I am prepared to surrender and give it up to God, God will show up on the third day. Sometimes the third day is longer than three days. Sometimes the third day feels like it’s never going to happen. And Satan will stand, as he did outside the tomb of Jesus, and he was celebrating because he’s gone and dead. And on that third day, God says, arise, my love, arise, my love. Death no longer has a hold on you. And Jesus says to you and me, if you surrender your life to me, and you give it up, and I lead, and you follow, whatever it might be, there is a third day, and on the third day, God shows up. Is there any Baptist in this church that can say amen? Because that God that shows up is a good God, and a loving God, and a caring God, a God who knows me, and a God who gave His only Son for me. If I surrender, God shows up. Always. And this is not a biblical, well maybe it is, biblical, but this is one of ours. It’s a causal relationship. Jesus, being obedient and going to the cross, causes God to show up and open that grave. If Jesus did not go to the grave and give it all up, there would be no third day. Not for Him, not for me, not for you, and not for anyone. When I surrender, God shows up. Didn’t sit well with Peter. By now we should know that. And Peter has a word to say. In that beautiful verse 22, Peter took him aside and said, Heaven forbid, Lord, that would never happen to you. Now, if it wasn’t so serious, we could have a little chuckle out of this. Because just think about it. Here’s Peter looking at the Son of God, trying to stop the Son of God from doing what the Son of God had come to do in this world from the beginning. The irony is also a little sad. Peter, in doing this and just being so in a hurry, he misses, doesn’t see what it means for God to show up. Because Peter’s doing the Peter thing and the us thing. Peter’s looking out for Peter’s own interests. He’s thinking, Jesus, we’ve got a good thing going. Look at all the people with us. They’re just coming. We’re going to Jerusalem. It’s the feast. Do you know how we can build that congregation? Do you know how we can build this movement? We’ve got a good thing going. Don’t you talk about dying and stuff like that. Because here’s the thing. Peter’s looking out for Peter’s best interest. And the problem is so many of us fall into that same trap. And we think, if I lead, if I do the things, if I stay in command, if I do, then I’ll be fine. Because it’s for my best interest. How sad the answer that Jesus gives him. And no wonder Jesus is a little sharp in his answer. Because in doing what Peter is doing, he’s violating the most fundamental characteristic of God. Of who God is. Of who God works. Of how God functions in this world. And that is that God is always looking out for the best interest of others. When this world was messed up, he called the Noah. And he started over. When he needed to start out new, he called the man Abraham from Ur. And brought him all to the promised land. When things were not good, he sent a young man called Joseph. And three days was a little longer for him. But that was in preparation for him to show up when they needed him. Took a little baby and put him in the River Nile. Because God did show up for our best interest. He called prophet after prophet. He sent a man called John the Baptizer. And he sent his son. Problem is, when we start looking out only for our own interest. When we try and do things for ourselves and just manipulate and make them work as we think they should be working. Oftentimes we end up living in the wrong stories. And I think I’m great. And when I’m not doing great, I’m kind of angry at God. Why? Because I’m living in the wrong story. I’ve told you this story before, but it’s a really good illustration of this. There’s a story of the couple who were married 60 years. They decided to downsize. And as they were going through the house, the husband discovers this little box. Way back in the cupboard. Opens the box. There’s two beautiful crochet dolls in the box. And then there’s also this envelope with $90,000 in it. And he’s kind of stunned. So he walks in. He says, look what I discovered. Do you know anything about this? He says, yeah. It’s all me. He says, tell the story. He says, well, when we got married, my grandmother called me. And she said, I want to give you some advice for your marriage. When you get into a fight, don’t fight. Go to your room. Go calm down and crochet a doll. And just put it away. Put all the anger away with the doll. And he looked at this box. And he thought, wow. In 60 years. He says, that’s good. But what about the $90,000? She said, well, after the second doll, I didn’t have any more room for the dolls I crocheted. So I took them to the craft store and sold them for $5. He was living in the wrong story. And sometimes we live in the wrong story. So I ask myself, what if I’m living in the wrong story? What if I’m living in the wrong story when I’m trying to take control and I’m not waiting for God to show up on that third day? What if I’m running after this world because the world says, this is what you should be doing. This is what you should be running after. You want it all. You want it now. And if you don’t get it now, then fine with you. I’m going to do my own thing. What if Jesus says, verse 25, if you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you follow me and you give up your life for my sake, you will save the world. Why? Why should I give up my life? Because in that moment that I surrender is when God shows up. God’s power is not seen by our control in our lives. God did not raise Jesus because Jesus shied away from the cross. God raised Jesus from the dead because Jesus was obedient and went to the cross. And on that third day, God showed up and Jesus walked. My question in the beginning was, who lives, who falls in my life? Can we just for a moment look at our own lives and ask the question in my life, have I surrendered? Who’s in control when I get angry? Who’s in control of my finances? Who’s in control of my relationships? Who’s in control of the emotions? Who’s in control when I feel this world is overwhelming? Who lives? When you’ve answered that and when I’ve answered that, because remember what I’ve always said, every sermon I write is written for this person. And then I come share it with you on my own life. So I ask these questions of myself. So here’s my challenge for me, for us this morning. Will you surrender? Will you take all of the things in your life, also the control, also the things that you’re afraid of, also the things that you’re not sure that you can let go, can you take those? And can we put them in the hands of our Father? The one who sent His Son into this world. The one who turned His back when His Son cried out, my God. And then the one who showed up on that third day and He opened that door. Can we place it in the hands of the Lord and surrender? There’s a song that we sing, I surrender all. I surrender all, all to Jesus. Will you take that? I’m going to give you a moment before I pray with you, just to think about what in my life is there that might, instead of helping me because I’m trying to control it, it’s hurting me. What is there in my life that this morning I can come and lay at the feet of Jesus and say, I surrender. You lead, I follow. I’m scared because it might lead to Jerusalem and there might be an angry mob and there might be the cross, but on the other side there’s an open grave. This is my Lord, I surrender. Take a moment and be quiet with the Lord and then I’ll pray with you. Lord Jesus, when you invite us, your promises are never empty. You’ve kept them all and you’ve fulfilled them all, more than we could ever think. And if you, if you come and you say, this is what I call you, surrender. Use your life, follow me. I have more than you could ever think. We trust you. And you heard our hearts this morning. As we just surrender, Lord, what needs to go to you. Thank you that you lead. Thank you that we may follow. Sorry that sometimes we stumble and we take our own road and kind of want to do the Peter thing for a moment. Thank you that you are gracious because that is who you are. Thank you for the blessing of this morning. Thank you for this blessing of this day. All these things we pray in the name of him who came in the name of the Lord, the one who can and did save us. Jesus, our Lord, our Saviour. Amen.

by Rev. Mark Gaskin https://cpcchurchimages.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/28111857/March-22-Sermon.mp3 Ezekiel 37:1-14 (MSG) Breath of Life 37 1-2 God grabbed me. God's Spirit took me up and set me down in the middle of an open plain strewn with bones. He led me around and among them—a lot of bones! There were bones all over the plain—dry bones, bleached by the sun. 3 He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Master God, only you know that.” 4 He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones: ‘Dry bones, listen to the Message of God!'” 5-6 God, the Master, told the dry bones, “Watch this: I'm bringing the breath of life to you and you'll come to life. I'll attach sinews to you, put meat on your bones, cover you with skin, and breathe life into you. You'll come alive and you'll realize that I am God!” 7-8 I prophesied just as I'd been commanded. As I prophesied, there was a sound and, oh, rustling! The bones moved and came together, bone to bone. I kept watching. Sinews formed, then muscles on the bones, then skin stretched over them. But they had no breath in them. 9 He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath. Prophesy, son of man. Tell the breath, ‘God, the Master, says, Come from the four winds. Come, breath. Breathe on these slain bodies. Breathe life!'” 10 So I prophesied, just as he commanded me. The breath entered them and they came alive! They stood up on their feet, a huge army. 11 Then God said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Listen to what they're saying: ‘Our bones are dried up, our hope is gone, there's nothing left of us.' 12-14 “Therefore, prophesy. Tell them, ‘God, the Master, says: I'll dig up your graves and bring you out alive—O my people! Then I'll take you straight to the land of Israel. When I dig up graves and bring you out as my people, you'll realize that I am God. I'll breathe my life into you and you'll live. Then I'll lead you straight back to your land and you'll realize that I am God. I've said it and I'll do it. God's Decree.'” John 11: 38-44 (NIRV) Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead 38 Once more Jesus felt very sad. He came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone in front of the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad smell. Lazarus has been in the tomb for four days.” 40 Then Jesus said, “Didn't I tell you that if you believe, you will see God's glory?” 41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up. He said, “Father, I thank you for hearing me. 42 I know that you always hear me. But I said this for the benefit of the people standing here. I said it so they will believe that you sent me.” 43 Then Jesus called in a loud voice. He said, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out. His hands and feet were wrapped with strips of linen. A cloth was around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the clothes he was buried in and let him go.”

by Rev. Mark Gaskin https://cpcchurchimages.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/18123208/March-15-Sermon.mp3 Ephesians 5:8-14 8 At one time you were in the dark. But now you are in the light because of what the Lord has done. Live like children of the light. 9 The light produces what is completely good, right and true. 10 Find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the acts of darkness. They don't produce anything good. Show what they are really like. 12 It is shameful even to talk about what people who don't obey do in secret. 13 But everything the light shines on can be seen. And everything that the light shines on becomes a light. 14 That is why it is said, “Wake up, sleeper.    Rise from the dead.    Then Christ will shine on you.” John 9 Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind 9 As Jesus went along, he saw a man who was blind. He had been blind since he was born. 2 Jesus' disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned? Was this man born blind because he sinned? Or did his parents sin?” 3 “It isn't because this man sinned,” said Jesus. “It isn't because his parents sinned. He was born blind so that God's power could be shown by what's going to happen. 4 While it is still day, we must do the works of the one who sent me. Night is coming. Then no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 After he said this, he spit on the ground. He made some mud with the spit. Then he put the mud on the man's eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him. “Wash in the Pool of Siloam.” Siloam means Sent. So the man went and washed. And he came home able to see. 8 His neighbors and people who had seen him earlier begging asked questions. “Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?” they asked. 9 Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No. He only looks like him.” But the man who had been blind kept saying, “I am the man.” 10 “Then how were your eyes opened?” they asked. 11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed. Then I could see.” 12 “Where is this man?” they asked him. “I don't know,” he said. The Pharisees Want to Know How the Blind Man Was Healed 13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14 The day Jesus made the mud and opened the man's eyes was a Sabbath day. 15 So the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied. “Then I washed. And now I can see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “Jesus has not come from God. He does not keep the Sabbath day.” But others asked, “How can a sinner do such signs?” So the Pharisees did not agree with one another. 17 Then they turned again to the blind man. “What do you have to say about him?” they asked. “It was your eyes he opened.” The man replied, “He is a prophet.” 18 They still did not believe that the man had been blind and now could see. So they sent for his parents. 19 “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?” 20 “We know he is our son,” the parents answered. “And we know he was born blind. 21 But we don't know how he can now see. And we don't know who opened his eyes. Ask him. He is an adult. He can speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. The leaders had already made this decision about Jesus. Anyone who said Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23 That was why the man's parents said, “He is an adult. Ask him.” 24 Again the Pharisees called the man who had been blind to come to them. “Give glory to God by telling the truth!” they said. “We know that the man who healed you is a sinner.” 25 He replied, “I don't know if he is a sinner or not. I do know one thing. I was blind, but now I can see!” 26 Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He answered, “I have already told you. But you didn't listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?” 28 Then they began to attack him with their words. “You are this fellow's disciple!” they said. “We are disciples of Moses! 29 We know that God spoke to Moses. But we don't even know where this fellow comes from.” 30 The man answered, “That is really surprising! You don't know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does what he wants them to do. 32 Nobody has ever heard of anyone opening the eyes of a person born blind. 33 If this man had not come from God, he could do nothing.” 34 Then the Pharisees replied, “When you were born, you were already deep in sin. How dare you talk like that to us!” And they threw him out of the synagogue. People Who Can't See the Truth 35 Jesus heard that the Pharisees had thrown the man out of the synagogue. When Jesus found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me, so I can believe in him.” 37 Jesus said, “You have now seen him. In fact, he is the one speaking with you.” 38 Then the man said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “I have come into this world to judge it. I have come so that people who are blind will see. I have come so that people who can see will become blind.” 40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this. They asked, “What? Are we blind too?” 41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin. But since you claim you can see, you remain guilty.

by Jim Hetherington https://cpcchurchimages.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/11222437/March-8-Sermon.mp3 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 7 or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

by Jim Hetherington https://cpcchurchimages.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/05105442/March-1-Sermon.mp3 Luke 23:32-43 32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”[a] And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God's Messiah, the Chosen One.” 36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.” 38 There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews. 39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren't you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don't you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.[b]” 43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

by Aubrey Botha https://cpcchurchimages.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/25225644/February-22-Sermon.mp3 Mark 8:27-34 Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah 27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” 28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” 29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.” 30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. Jesus Predicts His Death 31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” The Way of the Cross 34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

Everyone is Welcome,No one is Perfect,And Everyone is Loved by Aubrey Botha https://cpcchurchimages.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/20202821/March-16-Sermon.mp3 Romans 5:6-8 6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 2 Samuel 4:4 4 (Saul's son Jonathan had a son named Mephibosheth,[a] who was crippled as a child. He was five years old when the report came from Jezreel that Saul and Jonathan had been killed in battle. When the child's nurse heard the news, she picked him up and fled. But as she hurried away, she dropped him, and he became crippled.) 2 Samuel 9:1-9 David's Kindness to Mephibosheth 9 One day David asked, “Is anyone in Saul's family still alive—anyone to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan's sake?” 2 He summoned a man named Ziba, who had been one of Saul's servants. “Are you Ziba?” the king asked. “Yes sir, I am,” Ziba replied. 3 The king then asked him, “Is anyone still alive from Saul's family? If so, I want to show God's kindness to them.” Ziba replied, “Yes, one of Jonathan's sons is still alive. He is crippled in both feet.” 4 “Where is he?” the king asked. “In Lo-debar,” Ziba told him, “at the home of Makir son of Ammiel.” 5 So David sent for him and brought him from Makir's home. 6 His name was Mephibosheth[a]; he was Jonathan's son and Saul's grandson. When he came to David, he bowed low to the ground in deep respect. David said, “Greetings, Mephibosheth.” Mephibosheth replied, “I am your servant.” 7 “Don't be afraid!” David said. “I intend to show kindness to you because of my promise to your father, Jonathan. I will give you all the property that once belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will eat here with me at the king's table!” 8 Mephibosheth bowed respectfully and exclaimed, “Who is your servant, that you should show such kindness to a dead dog like me?” 2 Samuel 9:11 11 Ziba replied, “Yes, my lord the king; I am your servant, and I will do all that you have commanded.” And from that time on, Mephibosheth ate regularly at David's table,[c] like one of the king's own sons.

by Aubrey Botha https://cpcchurchimages.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/14103706/February-8-Sermon.mp3 Genesis 3:1-8 The Man and Woman Sin 3 The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” 2 “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. 3 “It's only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.'” 4 “You won't die!” the serpent replied to the woman. 5 “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” 6 The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. 7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. 8 When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man[a] and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

by Aubrey Botha https://cpcchurchimages.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/05134231/February-1-Sermon.mp3 John 6:25-29 Jesus the Bread of Life 25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 26 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” 28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” 29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

by Aubrey Botha https://cpcchurchimages.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/31114257/January-25.mp3 John 20:19-23 Jesus Appears to His Disciples 19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone's sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

by Jim Hetherington https://cpcchurchimages.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/21171939/January-18-Sermon.mp3

by Aubrey Botha https://cpcchurchimages.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/16123857/January-11-Sermon.mp3 Titus 2:11-14 11 For the [remarkable, undeserved] grace of God that [a]brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to reject ungodliness and worldly (immoral) desires, and to live sensible, upright, and godly lives [lives with a purpose that reflect spiritual maturity] in this present age, 13 awaiting and confidently expecting the [fulfillment of our] blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14 who [willingly] gave Himself [to be crucified] on our behalf to redeem us and purchase our freedom from all wickedness, and to purify for Himself a chosen and very special people to be His own possession, who are enthusiastic for doing what is good.

by Aubrey Botha https://cpcchurchimages.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/07163154/January-5-Sermon.mp3 Hosea 14:1-5 14 [a]Return, Israel, to the Lord your God.    Your sins have been your downfall!2 Take words with you    and return to the Lord.Say to him:    “Forgive all our sinsand receive us graciously,    that we may offer the fruit of our lips.[b]3 Assyria cannot save us;    we will not mount warhorses.We will never again say ‘Our gods'    to what our own hands have made,    for in you the fatherless find compassion.” 4 “I will heal their waywardness    and love them freely,    for my anger has turned away from them.5 I will be like the dew to Israel;    he will blossom like a lily.Like a cedar of Lebanon    he will send down his roots;

by Aubrey Botha https://cpcchurchimages.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/07115010/December-28-Sermon.mp3 Luke 14:25-35 (NIV) The Cost of Being a Disciple 25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn't able to finish.' 31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won't he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples. 34 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

by Jim Hetherington https://esi7x2zwb32.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/19144359/December-14-Sermon.mp3 Luke 2:8-20 8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

by Aubrey Botha https://esi7x2zwb32.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/10163154/December-7-Sermon.mp3 Luke 2:6-7 (NCV) 6 While they were in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to have the baby, 7 and she gave birth to her first son. Because there were no rooms left in the inn, she wrapped the baby with pieces of cloth and laid him in a feeding trough.

by Aubrey Botha https://esi7x2zwb32.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/03115300/November-30-Sermon.mp3 Isaiah 8:22-9:2 22 Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness. 9 [a]Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan— 2 The people walking in darkness    have seen a great light;on those living in the land of deep darkness    a light has dawned. Isaiah 9:6-7 6 For to us a child is born,    to us a son is given,    and the government will be on his shoulders.And he will be called    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.7 Of the greatness of his government and peace    there will be no end.He will reign on David's throne    and over his kingdom,establishing and upholding it    with justice and righteousness    from that time on and forever.The zeal of the Lord Almighty    will accomplish this.

by Aubrey Botha https://esi7x2zwb32.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/26220545/November-23-Sermon.mp3 Revelation 3:14-22 To the Church in Laodicea 14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. 21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

by Aubrey Botha https://esi7x2zwb32.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/20110635/November-16-Sermon.mp3 Revelations 3:7-13 To the Church in Philadelphia 7 “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. 11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12 The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. 13 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

by Aubrey Botha https://esi7x2zwb32.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/20111232/November-9-Sermon.mp3 Revelation 2:18-29 To the Church in Thyatira 18 “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. 20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. 24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you, 25 except to hold on to what you have until I come.' 26 To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27 that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery'[b]—just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give that one the morning star. 29 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Sermon

September 21 Sermon

September 14

Sermon - Luke 4:1-8, John 21:6

Sermon - John 2:1-11