The Righteous will live by Faith
Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship
James continues the series “Where Feet May Fail”, looking at Habakkuk 2:1–4 and one of the most important statements in Scripture: “The righteous person will live by faith.” He begins with the idea of discovering something valuable in an unexpected place. On a visit to Eilean Donan Castle, James unexpectedly came across the words of In Flanders Fields. In a similar way, tucked away in the small and sometimes overlooked book of Habakkuk is a truth that lies at the very heart of the Christian gospel. Habakkuk has already complained to God about the violence and injustice in Judah....
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Habakkuk - When God’s Answer Is Not What We Expect
Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship
Dave continues the series on Habakkuk, picking up from Florence’s message on lament. His main theme is that God does hear our prayers, but his answer may not be the one we expect. He begins with the old “Magic Eye” puzzle books, which required people to look beyond the obvious image to see what was really there. Dave uses this as a picture of Habakkuk’s journey: learning to see beyond immediate circumstances and recognise the bigger thing God is doing. Habakkuk lived at a time when Judah was full of violence, corruption and injustice. He cried out, “How long?”, asking God why he...
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Habakkuk: When God Seems Silent
Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship
Florence begins a new series on Habakkuk, titled “Where Feet May Fail”, focusing on what happens when God appears silent in the middle of distress, injustice and uncertainty. She introduces Habakkuk as a prophet living in Judah around 600 BC, at a time marked by violence, injustice, conflict and ineffective leadership. Habakkuk cannot understand why God seems not to intervene, and he cries out: “How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?” Florence explains that Habakkuk’s response is an example of lament. Lament is not faithless grumbling. It is an honest,...
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Paul the Finisher
Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship
Vijay concludes the series on the life of Paul, focusing on 2 Timothy 4:6–8 and Paul’s words near the end of his life: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.” The sermon begins with the reminder that life is short. Psalm 90 asks God to teach us to number our days so that we may live wisely. Knowing that life is brief should not make Christians fearful, but should make us think carefully about how we use the life God has given us. Paul is writing to Timothy knowing that his own death is near. Years earlier, in Acts 20, Paul had said...
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Paul the Pastor-Theologian
Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship
David continues the series on the life of Paul, looking at Paul as a pastor-theologian and asking what makes someone a truly great Christian leader. He begins with examples of fictional leaders such as Leonardo the Mutant Hero Turtle, Captain Kirk, Aragorn and Ted Lasso, arguing that great leaders have the ability to inspire a response. Leadership is not just about having good ideas; it is about turning vision into reality and moving people to act. David then applies this to Paul. Paul was not only a thinker or theologian. He was a leader whose teaching always moved from what...
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Strength in Weakness
Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship
Jeremy continues the series on the life of Paul, preaching from 2 Corinthians 11:16–12:10. His central theme is that Christian faithfulness is not measured by impressive achievements or by how much suffering we can endure in our own strength. Instead, the Christian life is about dependence on Christ, whose grace is sufficient and whose power is made perfect in weakness. Jeremy begins with a story about visiting a bamboo forest in Japan with his wife. They both went through the same tiring journey, but for very different reasons. His wife endured the early start and long walk to enjoy the...
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Paul the Church Planter
Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship
Florence continues the series on the life of Paul, looking at Paul the church planter and the establishment of the first Christian church in Europe at Philippi in Acts 16. She begins with an illustration from gardening. Artificial flowers may look convincing, but an artificial church cannot produce real spiritual life. Church planting requires genuine believers committed to Christ’s command to make disciples. Florence describes this as cross-shaped living: a vertical relationship with God combined with a horizontal concern for other people. Paul originally planned to preach elsewhere...
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The Life of Paul - Acts 15
Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship
Vijay continues the series on the life of Paul, focusing on Paul the controversialist in Acts 15:1–21. The controversy is not about a minor church preference, but about the heart of the gospel: is Jesus Christ enough? He begins with an illustration of doctors disagreeing over a scan. Some disagreements do not matter much, but others are life-changing because they concern what is actually true. In the same way, Christians may disagree over many secondary matters, but Acts 15 deals with a central question: how is a person saved, and who belongs to the people of God? The issue arises...
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The Life of Paul - Acts 13
Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship
James continues the series on the life of Paul, moving from Paul’s hidden years into the beginning of his missionary work in Acts 13. He begins by setting the scene in the church at Antioch in Syria, where Paul has become part of a spiritually gifted church. While the believers are worshipping, fasting and praying, the Holy Spirit tells them to set apart Barnabas and Saul for the work to which he has called them. James highlights that the mission begins not with human strategy, but with the Spirit’s calling and the church’s prayerful obedience. Paul and Barnabas are sent to Cyprus, where...
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The Life of Paul - the Hidden Years
Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship
Malcolm continues the series on the life of Paul, focusing on “the hidden years” after Saul’s conversion and before his wider public ministry. The passage is Galatians 1:11–23, where Paul explains that the gospel he preached was not invented by people or passed on to him second-hand, but received by direct revelation from Jesus Christ. Malcolm begins by placing Paul’s story in context. Last week looked at Saul the persecutor being transformed by Jesus on the road to Damascus. This week looks at the quieter period that followed: Paul’s time in Arabia, then Damascus,...
info_outlineDave continues the series with a sermon on Grace