Central Presbyterian Church - Sunday Service

About Central Presbyterian Church - Sunday Service

A Faith Community

Publisher

Central Presbyterian Church - Cambridge

Category

religion & spirituality · religion & spirituality · religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

20 Jan 2024

Latest episode

9 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

72 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   9 Oct 2026

   October 4

   by Aubrey Botha https://cpcchurchimages.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/09130107/October-4-Sermon.mp3 (https://cpcchurchimages.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/09130107/October-4-Sermon.mp3) 1 Samuel 21 David at Nob 21 [a (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel%2021&version=NIV#fen-NIV-7774a)]David went to Nob, to Ahimelek the priest. Ahimelek trembled when he met him, and asked, “Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?” 2 David answered Ahimelek the priest, “The king sent me on a mission and said to me, ‘No one is to know anything about the mission I am sending you on.’ As for my men, I have told them to meet me at a certain place. 3 Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever you can find.” 4 But the priest answered David, “I don’t have any ordinary bread on hand; however, there is some consecrated bread here—provided the men have kept themselves from women.” 5 David replied, “Indeed women have been kept from us, as usual whenever[b (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel%2021&version=NIV#fen-NIV-7778b)] I set out. The men’s bodies are holy even on missions that are not holy. How much more so today!” 6 So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence that had been removed from before the Lord and replaced by hot bread on the day it was taken away. 7 Now one of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the Lord; he was Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s chief shepherd. 8 David asked Ahimelek, “Don’t you have a spear or a sword here? I haven’t brought my sword or any other weapon, because the king’s mission was urgent.” 9 The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want it, take it; there is no sword here but that one.” David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.” Matthew 12:1-5 12 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.” 3 He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. 5 Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? Transcript (Transcribed by TurboScribe) So number three in the series on giant busters is about desperate days the stories of runaways now now Here’s the thing last sunday You sang that second song That we did this morning and I sat up there with gerald and he said boy What a beautiful song and I came down and I said to carrie. Can we sing that next week? She said it’s a little difficult. I said it’s fine But if you listen to the words and you see that word runaways I haven’t seen that sermon yet before that day That’s the first part of today’s story So already god planned a little song that was going to connect see what we’re doing It’s another piece that comes a little later And you’re thinking why do we call crazy south africans and then you do it again? Something wrong with you Lord Lord Oh lord It’s so exciting to be in your presence. It’s so exciting to be in your words And to know lord that you speak into the lives of your people And when you speak lord, it’s not just empty words the words that you give As your servant sits in an office and waits For the spirit to speak of your words May that be true today That these are your words may we see Maybe hear Jesus And only jesus The desperate man sits In the last few in the back row of the church His mouth is dry Palms are sweaty He wonders if he even fits In a place filled with disciples believing But where else could he go He violated every belief that he valued He hurt the people that he loved the most There he sits guilty alone struggling Who is this person? well Is any of a number of people He or she could be any of a number of people that come to god’s people Struggling with the same thing Hopeless helpless hapless Question is what is the church’s reaction? What will these people find? Rejection Or acceptance Criticism Or compassion Same thing david wondered Because david was a man on the run He was not welcome in soul’s court anymore. He was a wanted man In soul’s court after the sixth attempt On his life david at last got the message Soul really doesn’t like you So he kissed his wife mijo Goodbye And got out of dodge a desperate running man Where could he go Where did he go He did a sinead o’connor thing Take me to church He went to church 1st samuel chapter 21 verse 1 David went to the town of nob to see a himalek the priest interesting name for a man running away from the king A himalek in hebrew is actually achi melech Achi means my brother And melech means king My brother is the king I’m scaring you run from the king and this priest has the name of my brother as the king David went to the town of nob to see a himalek the priest himalek trembled when he saw him Why are you alone? He asked Why is no one with you? You stop there for one second you’re thinking why is the priest scared remember who david was David didn’t take many prisoners and david usually travelled with his private armies Of mercenaries in in the bible. They’re called the crete and the plebeian his private army For david to show up at the sanctuary alone It’s kind of strange So no wonder himalek is kind of a little hesitant. What are you doing here, dude david Gives him a little assurance by telling him a lie Let’s see The king has sent me on a private matter david said He told me not to tell anyone why why i’m here he’s lying through his teeth The king didn’t send him on a private matter. He’s running for his life So i’ve told my men where to meet me later Now see how he changes the subject. What is there to eat? Give me five loaves of bread or anything else you have david David’s a desperate man And what desperate people sometimes do is exactly what david does He lies to stone mission, but he needs help Now Now the the assurance Kind of seems to be okay with the priest And he kind of accepts it so he says We don’t have any regular bread At least in quiet You see david is fine, but he’s in a little conundrum when david asks for the bread Because here’s the thing. The only bread he has in that place is the shoe bread not s-h-o-e s-h-e-w Shoe bread or the holy bread or the bread of the presence or the bread that is in the presence of the lord Uh in in the hebrew, it’s lehem le panayim lehem is bread like in bet lehem house of bread Lehem is bread and panayim is face the bread that is in the face of the lord It stood in the holy place the room just before the holy of holies in the tabernacle It was put there for a whole week There were 12 pieces of bread for each of the tribes of israel Stood in the presence of the lord to remind the lord of his Provision for them and to take care of them six on the one six on the other side They stood for a week Only after a week when the new bread has been baked and ready and placed on the table were they allowed to take the old bread Off and then the priests were allowed to eat that bread only the priests in a holy ceremony They would eat that priests in a little bit of a conundrum All he has is the holy bread David’s not a priest. So what does he do? Does he follow the letter of the law and send david away hungry Does he break the law? And give david to go So he does a little bit of a theological two-step We don’t have any regular bread the priest replied and there’s your but But there is the holy bread which you can have if If your young men have not slept with any women recently David responds with another lie Don’t worry david replied. I never allow my men to be with women when we’re on a campaign. He’s not on a campaign He’s on a runaway trail Oh boy And since they stay clean even on ordinary trips how much more on this one? Which one david? The lie works the lie works Priest says well since there was no other food available. The priest gave him the holy bread The bread of the presence that was placed before the lord in the tabernacle It had just been replaced that day with fresh bread What a what a moment instead of dotting the i’s And crossing the t’s of god’s code The priest decides that there is a higher calling And decides to take care of the need of god’s child I hope the church remembers me Now higher calling is not dotting i’s and crossing t’s Her calling Is to take care of the desperate And the broken even if they lie Even if they’re messy David’s response Again a little bit of a lie david asked him like do you have a spear or a sword the king’s business was so urgent That That I didn’t even have time to grab a weapon David david david I only have the sword of goliath the philistine whom you killed in the valley of elah the priest replied It’s wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod ephod was the the ceremonial gown that the priests would wear on ceremonial days It’s wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod take that if you want it, but there’s nothing else here Oh, there’s nothing like it david replied Do you see what’s happening David’s faith is wavering Just a while ago There was this young man who stood before his giant with only a sling in his hand And he said the battle belongs to the lord And now all of a sudden when this new giant saul stands before david david needs a sword or a spear or something That david could do the david thing Because you see what happened to david is what I taught you last week What happens when the giants come and overwhelm us and we allow them we get tunnel vision And david loses his god Okay And all of a sudden david’s giant takes up the big screen in david’s imagination And all that leads to is desperation life spawning fear stirring Truth stripping Desperation so here’s the question Where do the desperate go to find sanctuary Where would they find people with a heart That would not judge but that would care and that would love Shouldn’t they find that? God’s people In the church Because that’s where I You we Like david find bread And a sword Strength for the day and weapons for the struggle bread and blades Both of these are part of the task and the work of the church To provide both Because working with people is never a tidy trade Because hurting people And desperate people don’t always have tidy lives They’re fugitives That run to the church sometimes running away from angry souls sometimes running away from desperate broken messy lives Jesus asks the church to leave him to the side of compassion Listen to the son of david Nearly a millennium later As he reminds us Of this himalayan priest He did not dot i’s and cross keys matthew 12 At about that time jesus was walking through some grain fields on the sabbath Note that word These disciples were hungry. So they began breaking off some heads of grain and eating them But some pharisees church saw them do it and protested look The disciples are breaking the law by harvesting grain on the sabbath jesus said to them Haven’t you read in the scriptures what david did when he and his companions were hungry? He went into the house of god and he and his companions broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread That only the priests are allowed to eat And haven’t you read in the law of moses that the priests on duty in the temple may work on the sabbath See at the end of the sanctuary day The question isn’t how many laws have been broken It’s rather how many davids Desperate davids Were nourished And protected And provided Yes Yes David stumbles Messes up But at least he stumbles in the right direction He stumbles into the church Where god’s people Where god says? Break your hearts Break your hearts For those who are needy And lost And sick Let me take you back To the beginning of my sermon To the man sitting In the back pew The desperate man Like david and the others were runaways I forgot to mention a few important pieces of information The size of the congregation where he sat They were only about a dozen or so the location Was a room somewhere in jerusalem But the door was locked The day was a sunday But a very special sunday It was the sunday after the friday that jesus had been crucified It was the sunday after the thursday of the betrayal and that’s where peter sit In the back pew The desperate man And even if he puts his hands on his ears He doesn’t stop the voice luke 22 Oh simon simon I have prayed for you He hears that voice his own voice that says even if all of them will leave you I will never do that And he hears that voice saying oh before the roosting three times And he hears that voice. I don’t know who you’re talking about I don’t know that man. I don’t know who you’re talking about and that rooster and peter Peter and those other disciples wonder what god’s place would be for him for them For a desperate runaway And jesus answers the question when he walks right through that door And he gives them bread For desperate souls john 2019 when he says Peace with you He gives them swords for the struggle John 2022 when he says You see the holy spirit He gives bread And swords To desperate runaways Still today Amen take a few moments Thank you lord for the sanctuary Place where we are received even when we run away Even when we are death, especially when we are desperate Even if we try to hide Thank you that that’s the place where we don’t have to Where you provide Blades and bread Today we’ll see that When you provide it all Oh lord, how blessed we are In a moment, we’re going to sit at this table You will see the bread and the wine Your gifts lord of forgiveness your gifts of running to a runaway And holding us in your arms Thank you for reminding us of that Thank you for your amazing life-giving grace How blessed We’re going to listen to this beautiful song lord called the sound of the saints As we sing with our hearts Thank you that we may raise that hallelujah Praise the lord For he is good In jesus name Amen

2. 

   2 Oct 2026

   September 27

   by Aubrey Botha https://cpcchurchimages.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/02113222/September-27-Sermon.mp3 (https://cpcchurchimages.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/02113222/September-27-Sermon.mp3) 1 Samuel 17:1-11 David and Goliath 17 Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Sokoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Sokoh and Azekah. 2 Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines. 3 The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them. 4 A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span.[a (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel%2017%3A1-11&version=NIV#fen-NIV-7623a)] 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels[b (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel%2017%3A1-11&version=NIV#fen-NIV-7624b)]; 6 on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. 7 His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels.[c (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel%2017%3A1-11&version=NIV#fen-NIV-7626c)] His shield bearer went ahead of him. 8 Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.” 10 Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.” 11 On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified. 1 Samuel 17:16-19 16 For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand. 17 Now Jesse said to his son David, “Take this ephah[a (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel%2017%3A16-19&version=NIV#fen-NIV-7636a)] of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. 18 Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. See how your brothers are and bring back some assurance[b (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel%2017%3A16-19&version=NIV#fen-NIV-7637b)] from them. 19 They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.” 1 Samuel 17:25-27 25 Now the Israelites had been saying, “Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his family from taxes in Israel.” 26 David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” 27 They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, “This is what will be done for the man who kills him.” 1 Samuel 17:32-37 32 David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” 33 Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.” 1 Samuel 17:40-50 40 Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine. 41 Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. 42 He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him. 43 He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!” 45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” 48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. 50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him. Transcript (Transcribed by TurboScribe) You thought I was leaving the building? Not that lucky. You still have to deal with me for a little while before Elvis leaves the building. Thank you for the flowers. I don’t know who put them in. They’re just beautiful. I will pull my car up to the door and take them home after the service. They really are beautiful. Thank you for whoever put them in. They just look fun, especially this time of the year when everything starts falling. You see little beautiful flowers. It’s just beautiful. Lord, what a beautiful word you have given us this morning. We know it so well. Help us in this moment to focus on you so that all we will see and all that we will know is you. In the precious name of Jesus, Amen. So number two in our series on ghost, no, no, no, giant busters, the forgiveness to ghost busters, busting the giant, slaying them and taking them down in our lives. Steve and Marie, darling, my goodness, what a wonderful sight to see you visiting all the way from where you live now. Good to see you. You know, Steve’s last name is darling, so I would always walk up to him and say, good morning, Steve. So as we bust these giants, we really are going to look at one of the giants today. We call him Goliath and you know the story really well, but can I ask you, keep an open mind when we walk through the story. Don’t say, well, I know the story. I know exactly what he’s going to say. Just keep an open mind for a moment. So we’re going to first Samuel chapter 17. You’re going to read verse one to 11 and then verse 16. You’ll have to try and keep up today because I’m going to jump all over the place. So forgive me for that. Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Soko in Judah. They pitched a camp at Ephes Damim between Soko and Azekah. I’m saying them the Hebrew way. I can’t do the English way. Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the valley of Elah and draw up their battle line to meet the Philistines. The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another with a valley between them. A champion or a giant named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits in a span. He was really big. That’s all I’d say. He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armour of bronze weighing 5,000 shekels. On his legs he wore bronze greaves and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod and its iron point weighed 600 shekels. The shield bearer went ahead of him. Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel. Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he’s able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects. But if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us. Then the Philistine said, This day I defy the armies of Israel. Give me a man and let us fight each other. On hearing the Philistines’ words, Saul and the Israelites were dismayed. Terrified. Then verse 16. For 40 days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening until he stayed. Let’s stop there for a second. For 40 days he did this twice a day. When they woke up in the morning, he was in their face taunting them. When they went to bed in the evening, he was in their face taunting them over and over and over. So it’s not hard to imagine that at some stage all these poor Israelites could see and think about was Goliath. Though I don’t know if anyone like me has ever struggled with a problem or a challenge. And it became so big that it kind of just took over everything and that’s all that you could see. I’m kind of good for that. Problem with that is usually it causes anxiety and it causes fear. And when this anxiety and fear comes into your life, it becomes all-consuming. Not necessarily because the problem is so big, but because this thing gives you tunnel vision. Let me give you an example. If I look at my hand, I can see my hand, but I can also see all of you. I can see the whole world. If I make a little tunnel like this and I put my hand there, I see half of my finger and I have to move it to see the others and all of a sudden this hand looks like a giant hand. Because I do not have the whole picture. I only see this little picture and it overwhelms and it becomes this huge thing and I don’t know what to do with it. Anyone else in here? Just me. No wonder we read in verse 11, it says, Saul and the Israelites were dismayed and terrified. The Hebrew word for dismayed is the word chatat. And Amir was not here this morning to check my Hebrew on this one. Chatat means to be taken away all of your courage, to be confused, to completely be paralysed. They didn’t move. Saul didn’t move. Jonathan didn’t move. David’s big brothers didn’t move because that’s what Goliath does. Paralyses you. And it puts you in this place of being discontent and scared and you just can’t do a thing. That’s what David walks in. We’re going see that in a second. David’s dad’s going to send him to just do the skip the dishes thing. Just drop off food, get a note and scoot back home. That’s all. He’s not getting ready to go into battle. He’s taking care of sheep. So we read. Let’s go to verse 17. Now Jesse said to his son David, take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit and see how your brothers are and bring back some assurance from them. They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah fighting against the Philistines. So when David sets out with the bread and the cheese, all David’s got in his mind, I’ll get there, drop it off, get the note from my brothers, check that they’re okay. I’m going back and I’m going to hang out with the sheep and I’m going to play my harp and we’ll have fun sitting around there, catch new little lambs going out. Little did David know that in that day David would face one of the biggest giants of his life. This one even had flesh and blood and was armed to the teeth. See, here’s the thing about that and don’t miss this. Sometimes God will use simple, ordinary, everyday things to put us in a position to slay the giants in our lives. We’re going to get back to that. Sometimes God will put us in a position where we never expected it, where the giant will be there, but this is the moment in which God says, I’m going to show you, you can slay the giant. Back to David. So David sees this Philistine. He hears all the stuff that he’s saying. He hears them taunting. Then verse 26, David asked the men standing near him, what will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? And they repeated to him what they had been saying and told him this is what will be done for the man who kills him. And I’m taking you back to verse 25 because this is what was said. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and he will exempt his family from taxes in Israel. I love this question. It’s a little audacious, isn’t it? Even a little greedy in a sense. What will this man get that kills this giant? But what I want you to notice is two things in there. I kind of made two little arrows going like this. When David looks at the giant, he does not only see arrow number one, the risk. David also sees the reward. See, sometimes that’s where we get stuck. The giant shows up and it’s like, oh my goodness, I am dismayed. I am terrified. I am so scared. And it overwhelms me. There’s the risk. What is this going to do? Where is this going? But if we step out against that giant in faith, there is a reward. It might be really risky and difficult to confront that person with that difficult conversation that you have to have because it might just backfire. Or you might sit down and have that conversation and be reconciled and there is that peace and the reward. It’s hard to admit that you struggle and you have failed. But in the moment that I can take that and own that, that risk, the reward is that I become free and I can move on. It might be risky to stand before God and ask for what I want because he might not answer the way I want, but he might answer the way I need. I don’t know what the giants in your life are. I don’t know which giant right now you are facing that stands there and taunts you every moment. But can I ask you something? Can you step up to that giant in faith and look it in the eyes and say, here we go. Let’s see what you can do because I know it’s a risk and I know in who I stand. David verse 32 said to Saul, let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine. Your servant will go and fight him. Now remember this guy, anything between 18 and 20, 22 years old, he’s a young pup. Sorry for those who are that young. Your servant will go fight him. Saul replied, you’re not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him. You’re only a young man. And he’s been a warrior from his youth. David said to Saul, your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear. This uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them because he has defied the armies and underlined this of the living God. Underline the next one. The Lord, the Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine. Can I say this in other words, translate this a little differently? David says, Saul, Saul, be near. Circumstances might differ a little bit. It might have been a lion and a bear before and now it’s a Goliath, but here’s the thing. The Lord who delivered me, rescued me then is the Lord who will deliver me and rescue me now. Whether it’s a bear or a lion or Goliath or whatever it might be, the Lord of then is the Lord of now. We sang it this morning. Terry had a different song for the first one. I wrote and said, no, I want firm foundation, please. And she said, no problem. Because isn’t that what we sang? Christ is my firm foundation. The rock on which I stand has been faithful through generations then. So why would he fail now? The Lord who delivered me then and was faithful is the Lord who will deliver me now. But the big word, the Lord. In my own strength, I can’t face that child. But with the Lord, you can face the child. Because he’s going to be there again, again, again. Can we stop there? You got all you need. End of verse 37, Saul said to David, go and the Lord be with you. Then verse 40. He took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and with his slinging hand approached the Philistine. Meanwhile, the Philistine with the shield bearing in front of him kept coming closer to David. He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome and he was, and he despised him. Oh, you giants, that’s exactly what you do. Said to David, am I a dog that you come with me with sticks? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. He said to David, am I a dog that you come at me with sticks? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. Come here, he said, and I’ll give you your flesh to the birds and the wild animals. David said to the Philistine, you come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, who you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves, for the battle is the Lord’s and he will get all of you into our hands. Can we stop there for a second? That’s confidence, right? It’s not self-confidence. It’s not worldly confidence. It’s confidence in what David says in the Lord of the armies of heaven. So bring it on, beloved. Bring it on. You’re not gonna make it because I’m not standing before you giant in my own strength. I stand on that firm foundation, the one who will not. You bring it on. My friends, when that moment comes, will you remember that? When those giants come, you look them in the eye and say, I’m not afraid of you because I stand in the name, as David called it, the Lord Almighty. In the Hebrew, it is one of the difficult ones to translate. When we translated the Bible, when I did Malachi, I translated these two words in every different verse differently. We always usually translate it as the Lord Almighty, but it’s way more than that. It’s the Lord who has all the armies of heaven in his hands. It’s the Lord who says, I will be there for you in every moment. It’s the Lord who says, I will provide. It’s the Lord who says, there’s no one who can stand against me. It’s the Lord who says, I’m the one who will sit and hold you and comfort you. It’s the Lord. And when you face these giants, you do not face them in your own name. You face them in the name of Yahweh, the civil one. That’s why, that’s why when David walks out to meet this Philistine, David, David knew the most important thing. David knew that he was not the underdog in this fight because the real giant that day was not Goliath. The real giant is God. When you face the giants, you will not be underdog because the real giant, Yahweh, the civil one, is right here with you and next to you. Do small things before we end. Verse 48. As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. What is our first thing that we do when we see the giant? We kind of get out of dodge, going to get away. Have you ever been able to run out on them? Do what David did because David knew who was with him. And in the name of the Lord, when this giant came at him, David said, I’ve got you. And David ran right at him. Not because this young boy was so strong, because this young boy knew who the one was, because who is the battle? Who does it belong to? The battle belongs to the Lord. The battle belongs to the Lord. Don’t run away from them. Don’t let them try and overwhelm you because that’s all they can do. They can try and scare you, but they can’t for the battle. There on Calvary, Satan thought, I am the giant and I will slay the Son of God. And he danced on the grave of the Lord Jesus. And on that third day, that grave opened up and Satan had to run like nobody’s business because the real giant walked out of that grave. And when I faced the battles against my giants, and they are real, and I’m not saying they are not real. I know because I faced them myself, but I can’t do it on my own. But I know who the one is who says, the battle belongs to me. Trust me, that maybe sometimes is the difficulty. Now I need my glasses because I got tears in my eyes. 49, reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead and he fell face down on the ground. And so David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone. Without a sword in his hand, he struck down the Philistine and killed him. It took 50 verses. Talk about the giant. It took one verse to slay him. Do I need to say more? Because the battle belongs to me. Whatever you face, he’s there to represent you. Whatever you need to face, he’s fighting for you. Whatever you need to thank him, he’s standing right there. So get your little pouch, pick up your stones, and let’s go slay some giants. Amen. Take a few moments of silent prayer. Oh Lord, who is the firm foundation of my life, the rock Lord Jesus on which we may stand. I come and lay my giants before you. Am I in my own strength, Lord? I can’t do it. I fail, but you have never failed, and you won’t fail now. I hope every day as we walk in this world filled with many of those giants, you know that we are giant busters. Not because of who we are and how strong we are, but because of who you are and how amazing you are. Lord God, thank you for reminding us so early in this series that the battle belongs to me. And as we walk past these giants for the next four weeks, one by one, thank you that you’ve already taken care of me. I pray for each one of us as we sit here today, because I saw many heads nod with mine. As I said, I struggled with my giants and I saw them and I know, because of some of them I know, Lord, because they are my people. Thank you for encouraging each one today. We love you. The battle belongs to the Lord. Lord God Almighty. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

3. 

   24 Sept 2026

   September 20

   by Aubrey Botha https://cpcchurchimages.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/24120120/September-20-Sermon.mp3 (https://cpcchurchimages.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/24120120/September-20-Sermon.mp3) 1 Samuel 16:1-13 Samuel Anoints David 16 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.” 2 But Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.” The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.” 4 Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, “Do you come in peace?” 5 Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. 6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” 9 Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, “Nor has the Lord chosen this one.” 10 Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.” 11 So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.” 12 So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.” 13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah. Acts 13:36 36 “Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed. Transcript (Transcribed by TurboScribe) Thank you Kevin for all the work and the team for all the work you’ve done for today. Really appreciate that. Thank you again Catherine and Dave for taking worship this morning. I’ve never sang this song, but what a beautiful… the 90s, I wasn’t born yet. It’s a beautiful, beautiful song. My goodness, thank you for introducing it for those of us who didn’t know it. I really, really loved singing. I could just sit there and sing that the whole morning. It’s just such a beautiful song. Gerda, we have to say goodbye to you today. She’s moving to Godrej, a little closer to her family. It’s been wonderful to get to know you and Harry when you came over to Central, and we have loved you and you have loved us and blessed us with so many of your gifts and your love. May the Lord continue to bless you in your journey with him as you go to Godrej. We really are going to miss you. We don’t like losing these Duchess. They’re wonderful people. May God bless you and may you be loved. I’m so glad that you can be a little closer to the family as well and that all things worked out, the place sold like nobody’s business and just like that. So we’re so grateful for that. Bless you. I’m a little nasal and I’m a little deaf, so if I yell at you, I’m sorry. It’s not because I want to, it’s because I can’t hear myself properly. I don’t know where this bug came from. I went home after church last week and I said to Kelsey, man, I must have yelled a lot because my throat is hurting. And then the nose started running and then the coughing started. Boy, these days. One day, and I’m looking forward to that day when we all get to heaven, there’s a song that says what a day of rejoicing that will be when we all see Jesus and his majesty. But in that day, I’m going to get a new body. Man, I can’t wait for that one. I can’t wait. That’s the first thing I’m going to say. Jesus, we’ll do the introductions later. Just do the body right now. Then we’ll do the introduction so I can enjoy that. We will get those. Father, thank you for your grace. Thank you for this amazing word again this morning, an uplifting word that reminds us of who we are. Thank you that we may see Jesus. And only Jesus. Amen. Starting a six-part series with you today where we’re going to walk through a few chapters in the books of Samuel, 1 and 2 Samuel. Walk through a few of those chapters, especially talking about a young man called David. But in walking through those chapters, we’re going to explore God’s purpose for our lives, especially in this messy and giant-filled world in which we live. And I’ll explain the giants come next week. But just for a moment, just let the word go in. So the series title is Giant Busters. Forgive me, those busters. I’m going to do a little bit of slaying a few giants that come at us in life and sometimes can put a veil over what God’s purpose is for my life. And I get so focused on the giants that I don’t see God and what God is doing in my life. So we’ll talk about those in the weeks to come. But today, what I’d like us to do is to focus on working on that purpose needs faith and trust. That faith that says, Hebrew says, is to see the things that I don’t see, to trust the things that I hope in, and to know that all of these things are true in my life. Sometimes I think we lose a little bit of sight of that, of how God is working, and how amazing God is in our lives. So today we’re going to go to 1 Samuel 16, but I’m not going to read yet. Let me give you a little background before we get there. So God brings these people out of Egypt, puts them into the promised land, and they settle in the land. Initially it goes well because Joshua’s still hanging around, but after that we go read the last chapter of Joshua, and then the beginning of Judges. It said they served God during the time of Joshua, and then some of the elders. And then after that, they kind of just didn’t serve the Lord anymore. It kind of got a little messy. So every now and then, God would send a leader, tribal leader. We call them the Judges. The book of Judges is a book, and I always joke about that. I said it’s like a motorcycle. We know the motorcycles around here. We call them Harley-Davidson’s. The book of Judges is a motorcycle called seven cycles. So that’s seven cycles that are all the same. People mess up. God sends a nation to go put them in their place. They repent of their sins. God sends a judge, and they live in peace again. Cycle. Then they mess up again. God sends a people. They say they’re sorry. God sends a judge, and they live well again. Seven cycles. So it’s the Judges help them, but it kind of doesn’t work that well. They start looking around, and they think, but the other people have kings. So they go to Samuel, who is their judge and their prophet as well. When we use the word judge, it’s not the one with the gavel. It’s the one who guides them. He’s their judge and their prophet, and they say, Samuel, we want a king, and Samuel goes to God. He says, they don’t like me anymore. They now want the king. God says, no, no, no, you got that wrong. It’s me that they’re not trusting anymore, because I’ve always been their king. But to tell them they can have a king, but he’s going to put taxes on them. He’s going to make them work for him. He’s going to take their land. Their children have to go to work for him. Samuel goes back. He says, you don’t want a king. This is what he’s going to do. They say, we want a king. God says, fine. Go and anoint this man called Saul. Saul, this amazing, strong, attractive young man, and initially starts off well, and he does well. But slowly but surely, Saul starts falling into all kinds of things. He starts wars that he shouldn’t. Then he starts the taxes. Then he starts using their kids. Then he takes their land. But the worst is, slowly but surely, he drifts away from the Lord, and he does not follow the ways of the Lord. And God decides to reject Saul’s kinship. And he says to Samuel, you’re going to go and anoint another king. That’s where we pick up the story. First Samuel 16, and we start verse 1. The Lord said to Samuel, how long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I’ve chosen one of his sons to be king. But Samuel said, how can I go? If Saul hears about it, he’ll kill me. The Lord said, take a heifer with you and say, I’ve come to sacrifice to the Lord. Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate. Can we just pause there for a second? I want you to note something really important in what we just read. When Samuel goes and he anoints this new king, remember Saul is still on the throne. Saul is still the king. So this man, and by now it’s not a secret anymore, it’s David. This David that is going to be anointed to be the new king is going to have to wait a long time before that anointing is going to be realised in his life. Why is that important? Because here’s the thing, in our faith walk every day, God’s calling in our life, God’s purpose in our life, God has placed it there. But often God will ask of us, why are we not good at that? We want it done like this. Because we’ve got a phone, we pull it out and we say, Siri, tell me about this. And we just want it to every moment be like that. In God’s world, with God’s purposes for our lives, often we need a time of growing to become what God wants us to be before it happens. And that’s a time of waiting. We’ve been there. When is God going to answer? When’s God going to show up? When’s God going to act about this? I know myself, I’ve done that, I do that. But in this faith walk, one of the most important moments is learning to wait on God’s hand. Verse four, Samuel did what the Lord said and when he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him because they knew Samuel was ticked off at them for wanting a king. They knew that. They asked, do you come in peace? Samuel replied, no, I’m bringing fire and brimstones. Samuel replied, yes, in peace. I’ve come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me. Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they arrived, Samuel saw Elijah and thought, oh, surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord. But, do I have to say, but the Lord said to Samuel, do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance that the Lord looks. Can we stop there again? Isn’t that what we do when we evaluate? We evaluate on resume, background, all these things we’re going to do when we look at secretaries and all of these other, we evaluate on all of these external things. But when God evaluates and God chooses and looks at us, that’s the last thing he cares about. God goes right to a different, he calls it the heart. Now, remember in the Bible, the heart is not this blood pumping vessel. The heart is that place where everything that my life turns around, that’s where everything evolves from. Proverbs 4.23, he usually knows them all. I should have done the coffee thing here. Proverbs 4.23, be careful with what goes on in your heart, for it determines your whole life. You should memorise that, my friend. I often say that to myself, be careful with what goes on in your heart, for it will determine your whole. That’s how God looks at us. He knows that inside. The one song, and it’s interesting, my friend Mark Richardson, into a moderator, wrote me over the summer when I was not doing all that great. He said, take the psalm and ponder it, and I wrote back and I said, you’re going to have to tell me that because I do it every day. Psalm 139 is for me the most beautiful song. Lord, Lord, you know me. You see me. You see right through me. Whether I sit or whether I stand, you know that. There’s not even a word on my mouth, for you know, Lord, that word is coming. You hem me in from before and define me. And even when I’ve messed up and I want to run from you, where can I run away, Lord? If I go to the heavens, you’re there. When I go to the depths of the earth, you’re there. When I go east, when I go west, you are there, Lord. You knew me when you lit me together in my mother’s womb. You are fully and wonderful. So search me, search my heart. See if there is a waywardness in that. The Lord does not look at the outside. He knows our heart and he cares for those hearts and he loves to heal them. He loves to care for them and make them strong. Let’s go on before I get distracted. Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. Samuel said, Lord’s not chosen this one either. Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, nor has the Lord chosen this one. Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, the Lord has not chosen these. So he asked Jesse, are these all the sons you have? Well, they’re still the youngest. Notice, he doesn’t call his name. Zebra word actually for youngest is the one of the least important. Yeah, there’s some kind of little runt out there. He’s tending the sheep. Tending the sheep is also the least favourable task of all of those to do because you were never home. You’re always in the field. You’re sleeping with the sheep. You have to protect the sheep. You have to take care of yourself. Now we got this guy out there who’s kind of doing the job that we don’t want to do. Samuel said, send for him, but we will not sit down until he arrives. So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features. And then the Lord said, rise and anoint him. This is the one. So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers. And from that day on, the spirit of the Lord, the the wind, the power of the Lord came powerfully upon. And there’s his name, not the youngest, not the least, not the one taking care of the sheep, came powerfully upon. Samuel went back to where he came from, place called from. I want you to notice two things in this moment that we want to take with us as we as we ask for God’s purpose in our lives. Number one, God, like David, God has chosen not because of what you are or are not, but because of who God is and because of the plans that God has for your life. May I repeat myself? You’re chosen because God has a plan for your life and he is excited about that plan. Do you remember what he said in Jeremiah? I know the plans that I have for you and they are plans to prosper you. But his plan is also a plan to use you in his kingdom. David had to wait a decade before God would put him on that plane. God chose him. And even in that time, despite the fact that David in those 10 years messed up quite often, faced quite a few giants, not just the Goliath in his life, God chose him and God took care of him and was growing him to become who God wanted him. The time of waiting is also the time of growing. It does not take away the fact that God said, I have a plan for you, Peter, and I’m going to use you because you are mine. I uphold you. That’s the interesting thing. God, God so often, if you look at David, often uses those that look like the least experienced to do the most significant work. Think of Jacob. Would you have chosen Jacob to be on your team? I don’t think so. Not that deceiver. What about old foot-in-mouth Rocky, a guy called Peter? God chose him. What about the guy who persecuted the Christians, killed them, wrote most of the New Testament? Sometimes the least that you would expect are the ones that are chosen. So when you go home today and you look at yourself in that mirror, you go remind yourself of that. God has a purpose for my life and he has chosen me to fulfil that. And I will do that because I walk in him. Number two, not only has God chosen you, but God loves you. Isaiah 43, you are precious to me. You are honoured and I am. You’re not a nobody. You’re somebody. Somebody who was chosen on the cross on Calvary. Somebody who was washed in the blood of the lamb and someone who is loved by Jesus Christ our Lord. So much so that he would do that. No one in this world is allowed to take that. David, David was the no name, don’t care much about him, doing the least little job. The boy that was never chosen or the girl that was never chosen on the playground to play. And yet the Lord said, I love you. You don’t have to be the greatest. You don’t have to have the best resume in the world. What you have to know is here I am Lord. And he says, I love you. Then he calls you, as he called David, a man, a woman, to God’s own heart. And I often struggled with that. I thought, Lord, that doesn’t make sense. This guy, this guy who did the Bathsheba thing, killed her husband, all kinds of others, a man to God’s own heart. Because I thought it had to do with his competencies and how great he was and all. No, no, no. To be a man or a woman after God’s own heart only means death. It means it’s someone who God’s heart has been running after and sought to do. That’s what it means. It’s not about me and what I can do. It’s about God looking at you and saying, I’ve fallen in love with you. And because of that, I will give you my everything. Please go live that every day. Go live like someone who God has a purpose for, who was chosen and who is loved because he wants to do that for you. So, you’re chosen, you’re loved, you have a purpose. So get on the train because we’re going to go slow with you as we journey through our lives. Take a few moments of silence. We sing a song, Lord, take my hand, worship you. So as we look for your purpose in our lives, may that be true every day. May you hold our hand and walk with us and remind us of who we are in Jesus. Because this world, Lord, will often come at us with all kinds of ugly giants that will say things to us, that will try and put us down, that will try and lead us away from you. May we not hear their voices and may we not see them. May we remember who we are and may we walk in faith, even if sometimes it takes a decade before that moment that we have been anointed for will happen. May we walk in trust, even when it takes us through deep darkness. Or it was in that moment, Lord, when this young man who wasn’t seen as something became the king and he could write and say, I was a shepherd for sheep, I was a shepherd for people, but the Lord, because he loved me, was my shepherd. Because of the Lord’s love for me, I never needed a thing. When I needed a pasture, it was green. When I needed water, it was safe. When I ended up in deep dark valleys, where I shouldn’t have been, he guided me with a rod and a staff. Surely, we know that, Lord, that the goodness and the love of the Lord follows us all the days of our life. Thank you that your love never stops following me. Because of that, we can smile and say like David. Because of that, I will dwell in the house of the Lord, not just in this world. Thank you for your love. We love you.

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