Foundation Church Belfast

Three Dangers of Religion and How to Avoid Them

Religion can be a dangerous thing. For many people, real religion is a profound expression of true faith in Jesus, a life of knowing, following and enjoying him.
 
But for others religion is a necessary evil, a hoop to jump through to keep God or others happy. This is how King Saul understood his religion. In 1 Samuel 15 we see him exposed in grim reality.
 
But are we any different?
 
Three Dangers of Religion:
 
Danger 1: Thinking God's Word is Debatable
Danger 2: Playing One Virtue Off Another
Danger 3: Placing Externals Above Internals
 
Finally there is good news: a king who was rejected instead of us; who was punished for our religious games. Through trusting in Jesus, we can avoid the dangers of religion and enjoy the life God wants for us.
 
MAIN TEXT
1 Samuel 15:7-23
 
SPEAKER
David Varney, Pastor at Foundation Church Belfast
 
FOUNDATION CHURCH BELFAST
Every Sunday 10:30am - 2d Knockwood Crescent, Belfast, BT5 6GE
 
ADVANCE MOVEMENT
We are part of the Advance Movement of churches and the wider Newfrontiers family.
 
LISTEN TO MORE
Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/foundation-church-belfast/id1599109887
 
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/6uAXPfwFLdZGmKFlc0jRLX
 
Deezer https://link.deezer.com/s/30mr8UHtormGRTICQHHkP
 
Amazon Music https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/0d056dc4-313c-4ccf-9064-398b5c0a3b06
 
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@foundationchurchbelfast
 

Seven Churches: Philadelphia

Message by Jonah from our series Seven Churches. This sermon encourages us to cling firm to Jesus under trials.
 
MAIN TEXT
Revelation 3:7-13
 
FOUNDATION CHURCH BELFAST
Every Sunday 10:30am - 2d Knockwood Crescent, Belfast, BT5 6GE
 
ADVANCE MOVEMENT
We are part of the Advance Movement of churches and the wider Newfrontiers family.
 
LISTEN TO MORE
Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/foundation-church-belfast/id1599109887
 
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/6uAXPfwFLdZGmKFlc0jRLX
 
Deezer https://link.deezer.com/s/30mr8UHtormGRTICQHHkP
 
Amazon Music https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/0d056dc4-313c-4ccf-9064-398b5c0a3b06
 
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@foundationchurchbelfast
 

Seven Churches: Laodicea

Message by Sean Russell from our series Seven Churches. This sermon explores the problem of affluence and it blinds us to the reality of our spiritual poverty.
 
MAIN TEXT
Revelation 3:14-22
 
SPEAKER
Sean Russell, Foundation Church Belfast
 
FOUNDATION CHURCH BELFAST
Every Sunday 10:30am - 2d Knockwood Crescent, Belfast, BT5 6GE
 
ADVANCE MOVEMENT
We are part of the Advance Movement of churches and the wider Newfrontiers family.
 
LISTEN TO MORE
Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/foundation-church-belfast/id1599109887
 
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/6uAXPfwFLdZGmKFlc0jRLX
 
Deezer https://link.deezer.com/s/30mr8UHtormGRTICQHHkP
 
Amazon Music https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/0d056dc4-313c-4ccf-9064-398b5c0a3b06
 
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@foundationchurchbelfast
 

Bold Faith

This talk examines 5 Components of Bold Faith. We see this in the extraordinary display of bravery and courage from Jonathan, son of King Saul.
 
God grants us faith so that we make use of it. Christian faith is more than an idea, or even an inner conviction. Faith is active - it does something in those who have it, producing observable effects.
 
In order to obtain Bold Faith, we must:
Get the Big Picture
Be Humble
Recognise the Spirit's Leading
Have a Go
Expect Great Things
 
MAIN TEXT
1 Samuel 14:1-23
 
SPEAKER
David Varney, Pastor Foundation Church Belfast
 
FOUNDATION CHURCH BELFAST
Every Sunday 10:30am - 2d Knockwood Crescent, Belfast, BT5 6GE
 
ADVANCE MOVEMENT
We are part of the Advance Movement of churches and the wider Newfrontiers family.

Responding to Trials

How we respond to the trials of life shows us a lot about what we fundamentally trust in. 
 
Trials can either build faith or tear it down; push us towards God as our hope or away from him.
 
We see this play out in the life of King Saul. He was given a test to dig out what was truly in his inner being - a test he ultimately failed.
 
His trial is significant and weighty, but he responds by taking matters into his own hands, disobeying God's clear commands to him, and then attempting to make a load of excuses to point the finger of fault at everyone else.
 
By comparing his actions with the first man, Adam, we are pointed forward to 'a man after God's own heart,' a second Adam, fulfilled in Jesus.
 
Only through trust and faith in Jesus the Second Adam can we be freed from excusing away our bad decisions and faults, allowing us to be humble and accept our faults. Only then we can receive God's grace and mercy, sharing the victory of the Second Adam, Jesus.
 
MAIN TEXT
1 Samuel 13:1-15
 
SPEAKER
David Varney, Pastor Foundation Church Belfast
 
FOUNDATION CHURCH BELFAST
Every Sunday 10:30am - 2d Knockwood Crescent, Belfast, BT5 6GE
 
ADVANCE MOVEMENT
We are part of the Advance Movement of churches and the wider Newfrontiers family.

How to Know If Your Faith is Real

If you are person of faith - how do you know if your faith is real? And how do you define your faith - by your own standards, or by a higher authority?
 
The Bible challenges us to examine ourselves to see whether we are 'in the faith' (2 Corinthians 13:5). It seems there are plenty of religious people who think they have faith, but don't.
 
This sermon examines the three ways we can test if our faith is real:
 
Guilt 
Grace
Gratitude
 
The presence or absence of these things in our lives (and how we deal with them) shows us a lot about our faith - and whether it is true faith according to God.
 
MAIN TEXT
1 Samuel 12:1-25
 
SPEAKER
David Varney, Pastor Foundation Church Belfast
 
FOUNDATION CHURCH BELFAST
Every Sunday 10:30am - 2d Knockwood Crescent, Belfast, BT5 6GE
 
ADVANCE MOVEMENT
We are part of the Advance Movement of churches and the wider Newfrontiers family

Glimpses of the Kingdom of God

We sometimes pray: Thy Kingdom Come, Thy will be done, On Earth as it is in heaven. We are praying about the kingdom of God.
 
But have you ever wondered what that means? What are you really praying for? And how would you know when this prayer is answered? What even is the kingdom of God?
 
This sermon shows how in the Old Testament we see Glimpses of the Kingdom of God, snippets of what is to come in fulness through King Jesus.
 
Through the experience of Israel's first king Saul, we learn about:
 
Effects of the Kingdom
Entering the Kingdom
 
We come to recognise signs of the Kingdom of God within ourselves, and are challenged to examine the conditions for entering the kingdom itself - what must we do?
 
MAIN TEXT
1 Samuel 11:1-15
 
SPEAKER
David Varney, Pastor Foundation Church Belfast
 
FOUNDATION CHURCH BELFAST
Every Sunday 10:30am - 2d Knockwood Crescent, Belfast, BT5 6GE
 
ADVANCE MOVEMENT
We are part of the Advance Movement of churches and the wider Newfrontiers family

How God Makes His Calling Clear

God's choice of his first king surprised everyone, even the man himself, Saul. 
 
But God makes Saul's calling clear in three ways, in order to confirm and underscore his decision:
Through signs
By his Spirit
Public selection
 
We then ask whether God still confirms his calling upon us in the same way today.
 
MAIN TEXT
1 Samuel 10:1-27
 
SPEAKER
David Varney, Pastor Foundation Church Belfast
 
FOUNDATION CHURCH BELFAST
Every Sunday 10:30am - 2d Knockwood Crescent, Belfast, BT5 6GE
 
ADVANCE MOVEMENT
We are part of the Advance Movement of churches and the wider Newfrontiers family.