Murphy Church Sunday Messages

Per·sist·ence—is often a lost art in our world. It refers to the continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition. Jesus modeled for us persistence in prayer during his time in the Garden of Gethsemane. In Luke 11:5-13, Jesus teaches us to persistently go the father with the needs of our lives. God does not get annoyed by our requests, instead He lovingly cares for His children extending to them His very best.

Prayer! it’s a subject that we all agree is important. Yet, for many of us finding time and knowing how to pray is an on-going struggle. In Luke 11:1-4, Jesus provides a model of prayer that can help all of us enjoy and embrace the wonderful gift of prayer. Prayer isn’t one more thing to do each day; prayer is the one thing that focuses you and empowers you to be able to do all that you do each day. Join us this week as Pastor Lash discusses the why’s and how’s of prayer in a message entitled “The Indispensable 30.”

Life is busy and it’s easy to be so consumed about the many things we have to get done that we miss out on the few thing that matter the most. The son of God was sitting in Mary and Martha’s home and, yet, Martha almost missed the moment because she was consumed with busyness and frustration. Join us this Sunday as we look at Luke 10:38-42 in a message entitled “Breathe.”

All of us want love, but many of us struggle with it. Culture teaches us to embrace a selfish love that asks what’s in it for me? Are you going to try and change me? How do you support me to fulfill my dreams? But God teaches us to embrace a selfless love that asks how can I fully give myself to meet the truest needs of another?

Happy Easter! Christianity rises and falls with Jesus Christ. His victory over death makes forgiveness and eternal life available to all people. This week Lash preaches a sermon entitled “The Heartbeat of Christianity” from Titus 3:1-7.

This week is Palm Sunday: marking the beginning of our Easter celebration. As we think about Jesus entering Jerusalem like a king, we should ask ourselves, what kind of king is Jesus? Jesus surprised most when he established a spiritual kingdom rather than an earthly kingdom. His was a kingdom of peace overcoming our rebellion of sin and death. What’s more, he calls his followers to be a part of his kingdom by “getting out more” and proclaiming Christ’s mission in our communities and around the world. We hope you’ll join us this week for worship at 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00. As we remember the significance of this week, believers will be invited to partake of the Lord’s Supper during our time of commitment.

Is the fear of the unknown keeping you from experiencing life? Often we are so afraid of what might happen that we do nothing. Jesus calls us to go all in with our faith, hope and love: trusting Him with our lives and our future. Are you “all in” when it comes to Jesus? Join us this week as we look at Luke 9:57-62 in a sermon entitled “All In.”

Everyday you wake up in an ocean. As soon as the iPhone rings, you are surrounded by news and reviews, posts and tweets, reminders and events, texts and emails, steps and heart-rates. We are the 1st generation to do everyday life in the Information Ocean. The ocean is incredible but it can also be overwhelming. In Luke 9, Jesus gives us two “Islands in the Ocean”: the gospel and the kingdom. Focusing on these two things helps us find stability and focus in a world that is often adrift.

In Luke 9:44, Jesus said “Let these words sink in: The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.” Everyone was amazed at the miracles Jesus was preforming, but Jesus wanted his disciples to know that his mission was more than a display of power and the meeting of felt needs. Jesus’ mission was the cross: the answer to life’s ultimate questions. Join us this week as kick off the Easter season with a sermon entitled “Let it Sink In.”

The Christian walks in faith understanding that many of events on the journey are unknown, but the purpose and destination are clearly known. When Jesus revealed his intent to die and rise, his disciples were full of confusion and concern. But through his transfiguration Jesus revealed that his plan to die was the central part of God’s plan to save. This week we look at Luke 9:28-36 in a sermon entitled The Big Reveal.

Jesus said, "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will save it (Luke 9:24).” It’s a contrarian thought: rather than self-entitlement we embrace self-denial, and, in doing so, we find the joy and meaning that we’ve always wanted. It’s the spiritual principle of "addition by subtraction.” God does great things when we learn to subtract ourselves and add God’s call. Our passage today is Luke 9:23-27.

His life divides time. He's the inspiration for great works of art, prestigious universities, and medical movements. His teachings are seen in our laws and guide our social behaviors. Any reasonable assessment concludes that Jesus Christ is the most influential person to ever live. And that's where it gets hard. Because Jesus wasn't satisfied with being a great teacher or example. He claimed to be Lord and Savior. CS Lewis concluded that Jesus is either a lunatic, liar, or Lord. What do you believe about Jesus? This week we look at Luke 9:18-22 in a sermon entitled, "Jesus?”

When God calls us to a God sized dream always creates a level of crisis. God sized dreams often collide with our senses of fear and logic. God sized dreams call us to place what little we have in Him. God sized dreams take our faith and multiply it for others. This week we look at Luke 9:10-17 and we are going to see that when we take what little we have and trust God with it, God can use us in ways that we never imagined.

No matter how dark and wretched your past or helpless your present you are not beyond the reach of God’s grace. The grace of God is intended for you in Christ. But the grace of God was never meant to stop with you. Grace is the greatest gift we can ever receive, and, sometimes, it’s the last thing we are willing to extend to others. Jesus calls us to go “Beyond Me” extending the good news of grace to others. Join us this Sunday as we begin a new series: The Cross or the The Trophy from Luke 9.

What does God want from me?” He wants you to be believe in Him. Believing means I place the totality of my faith in God. This, then, frees me to live life trusting in in the faithfulness of His truth and love. This week we are going to look at Luke 8:40-56 and see two examples of faith being lived out in the real world in a sermon entitled Finding Faith.

We start out thinking we can make a difference. Then reality stings us, and we retreat. We quit thinking of others, quit giving our best, quit trusting, and, instead, we make things very safe and controlled. Ironically, the safer we try to make things, the more out of control things seem. In the Christian life, “Losing Control” is not a bad thing; it’s a good thing. God calls us to move from self-reliance to God reliance, from fear to love, from anxiety to faith, from out of control to purpose and meaning. Join us this week as we look at Luke 8:26-39 in a message entitled “Losing Control.”

We all face storms in life. Some are self-induced; some others induced. Some storms are even God induced. In Luke 8, the disciples find themselves a natural storm. Clinging to a sinking boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee the disciples cry out fear in thinking that death has seized their sail. Then they discover that Jesus is Lord of the storm and the vessel for their faith. Join us this Sunday as we continue our series Listen Up with a sermon from Luke 8:22-25 entitled Storm-caster.

"You can make a difference." We hear this statement often, but in the face of darkness it’s easy to lose heart and forget that you really can make a difference. Christians are by nature “children on the light.” We are called to shine our light in the darkness; the gospel is never to be hoarded but freely shared. Join us this week as we continue our series “Listen Up” with a sermon from Luke 8:16-18 and Ephesians 5:9-14 entitled, “How to Make a Difference.”

Impactful people have learned that, no matter your age, you must never stop growing. It's important that we intentionally grow up in our knowledge and wisdom, grow together in relationships, and grow out in service and care. An impactful person is a growing person. How does God desire to grow you in 2017? Join us this week as we begin our series Listen Up, with a sermon from Luke 8 entitled "Growing."

Join Vince Smith, Executive Director of the Collin Baptist Association, as he bring a message on missions from Acts 1:8