City Light Church Balmain - Sermons: Recent Episodes
City Light Church
Stay up to date with the sermons from City Light Church. City Light is a church that seeks to make more and stronger disciples of Jesus. For more information about City Light visit citylightchurch.com.au
Jeremy Dunne preaching on what it means to be made in the image of God from Genesis 1:26.
Jeremy Dunne starting our series on Genesis, preaching through the creation account in Genesis 1.
Jacob Mitchell speaks on Psalm 42–43, exploring how we can keep hoping in God when our souls are downcast and God feels distant. This message is part of our Restored Joy series.
“Forgiveness for humankind is the plainest of duties yet for God, the profoundest of problems” - John Stott
God has done lots of great works throughout the year. This week we take the opportunity to thank God and the people he has worked through!
James teaches that faith is the essential component of prayer - to come to Jesus with a need in complete confidence and expectancy that he can and will deal with it. The example of Elijah, "a man like our nature", encourages us; that we should be praying for each other and to expect that prayer has great power and is working.
James calls Christians to stand firm and endure with patience for the coming of the lord where they will receive God's blessing. They are to live in light of the biblical perspective of this world and the judgment and blessing that is to come.
James Reminds us that we are a "mist that appears for a while and vanishes", and points to the arrogance and folly of planning without acknowledging Gods providence. This flows into how followers of Jesus are to see and use their wealth. They are to know the day and steward their wealth accordingly. James contrasts and warns about the pleasures of this life to what is to come from those who do not know God.
Christians that enjoy the fullest experience of God's grace and closeness are those who continue to kill pride, seek humility and draw near to God. God promises that he draws close to those that draw near to him in humility and obedience.
The genuine Christian will exhibit wisdom by the life that they live, bearing Godly fruit and good works. Some claim to have wisdom, yet their conduct reveals that they have not grasped its true character and origin. True wisdom comes from knowing God, and is the opposite of worldliness.
Our tongues are powerful. They reveal what our hearts are really like, and show how fundamentally inconsistent we are. With our tongues we praise God and curse others. We need to learn to control our speech and use our tongues for good and to Gods Glory.
Faith and Works are indivisible. Christian works proceed only from Christian Faith, and genuine faith cannot fail to produce Christian works.
Faith must exhibit true brotherly love. To show partiality I inconsistent wit the conduct of a genuine Christian as it is a violation of Gods law of love and opposes the gospel message.
Genuine Christianity is obedience to Gods word. It is not enough to just listen, we need to respond and live in light of what we have heard. Otherwise, we are like the man who forgets his own face.
Trials develop Christian Maturity and joy. It is Gods means to grow his children in stronger faith and character. Wisdom helps is face trials with pure joy, and to know that God is good.
Its easy to judge, but its dangerous. Jesus shows us how judgement of others cripples us and also outlines the state of, not where the person your judging is heading, but where you are. So how are we to respond and how can we not judge?
Anxiety is real and affects so many of us today. What does Jesus say on anxiety and why does he say what he says?
God tells us on the topic of money that we cannot serve 2 masters. Referring a master, as Himself and the other master being money. How do we know if we are serving money? The critical dependant is generosity. Are you generous? What is generosity? How much is generosity?
Christianity is seen as a thoughtless ritual-filled religion, though Jesus came and spoke the exact opposite. Jesus desires our hearts not our mere duties and performances. The beauty of the Gospel is that God wants a relationship with you and I
What does it mean to truly forgive? What does it look like? So often we have an idea of forgiveness and it involves fairness. The scandal of Jesus' gospel is that there is a cost to forgive, true forgiveness is costly, love is costly.
Jesus, again, is about the heart. So with everything He asks and desires for His people, its about our hearts being in line with His. God wants us to address lust at the very core.
It's hard to not get angry. It's hard to do what Jesus asks us to do in the face of something irritating or infuriating. God has given us a new heart .. a heart that has the ability to obey and say no to our desires and to yes to forgiveness, to mercy and peace, yes to Him!
Jesus's word were purposeful in separating the 'fans' from the 'followers' - So where does that leave you? Jesus described his followers in the sermon on the mount, as the love story of God unfolds in Jesus, we are left with a question. What is the normal response to the grace we have been shown? Is it radical to give your whole life in response or is it normal?
The gospel spreads to the ends of the earth. God has a plan and we have a mandate. What are we to look like as Christians taking Gods love story for humanity to the ends of this world? This seems so overwhelming.. should it be?
Paul is courageousness. Courageousness in his actions, courageousness in his decisions but also courageousness in his faith in God. God uses Paul to show us how to rely, depend and be bold in leaning on God for all things. Pauls life isn't safe, it isn't reckless but it is courageous.
God calls us to be witness and to serve, but often these words are used in conversation without much follow-through. How are we to actually be witnesses and servants in a world that is desperate for Jesus?
God is in control, and the truth is that he is personal and close in the times when you may feel the exact opposite. But how can we be sure of this? How can i be free from worry and anxiety of suffering in this life? Who is God and what is he like?
We forget our need for Jesus daily. - We loose our awe and wonder regularly. Why is this? Why do we desire and want more but are never willing to be transformed? God shows us what being transformed by Him does, how freedom flows, how shame and guilt is seized. The gospel and Jesus' death is not just the abc but the A to Z.
“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else ... ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’"
A good leader doesn't say things based on whether you will like it or not, but based on whether it will help you to love Jesus more. At City Light we are looking at what makes good leadership, and what does Jesus desire in people of eldership in His church.
We don't deserve any good thing from God, but we are on the side of a saviour who is bigger and better than anyone on earth. We feel like we have strength in numbers by being against God but we are lost without God being on our side. In this battle between Herod and God we see how there is nothing that can stand against God and live.
The gospel is for everyone! Sometimes we have this Field of Dreams mindset, "Build it and they will come..". Though, simply having a church family and building isn't the way in which the gospel goes out to the world. The message of God's love for humanity and desire for relationship needs to taken to the world. We cant wait for the world to come to us. Lets not wait, lets love!
God appears to Saul and changes his life in an instant. Do we believe God can do this today? Do we believe God is in control and at any moment God can change and impact hearts? This story and the journey of Saul to Paul shows us that we don't need to be afraid and we can depend fully on God to come through in the most unexpected times and people in our lives.
No people. No thing. There is nothing in this world that can separate us from the love of God. His love is ever flowing because Jesus died and rose again.
God gives and promises us full assurance. Why can we be sure, how can we be sure? How does having a relationship with Jesus give us any assurance to life our lives by?
It is to our advantage that Jesus left but did not leave. In giving us the Holy Spirit we don't have to fear, we can stand in our position as sons and daughters and know that we can call our God and King, father.
Being IN Christ is our position as followers of Jesus. - This position is ground and foundation in which shapes our every decision and action. What does it mean to be IN Christ and how does this really change anything?
God's character is what moves us into action. God is love, his character is love and that is who God is, and as the object of God's affection our identity is that we are loved. - And that is who we are.
Acts shows us that pretence doesn't make sense in the lives we live, as we stand before God, the God who knows our every move, we still feel the need to show a different front than the true person we are. God values honesty and selflessness and so does the community around us. Does living an honest life really make that much of a difference?
What is church? How do you do church? What does acts show us and do we want this as a community of believers? If we want to be a family who commits then we need to be ready to do the tedious, unexciting, uncomfortable, to hold together at whatever cost.
What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? How are we meant to take the name of Jesus to this world? Do we need to? Jesus told us it is to our advantage that Jesus goes.. that He may leave behind a helper, the Holy Spirit.
What does it mean, and not only mean, but look like to fully turn from and to fully turn to Jesus? Is this a quick fix or do we need to dig deeper?
The church brought the truth of God to a world that doesn't know God, they did this by being of the same mind and having everything in common. - What does it mean to be a church that has everything in common? And how does this affect us as a missional, relationship centred family of Jesus.
Go to the nations, go to your neighbours, go to your partner, go to your own heart and repent. Turn away from what was and who we were and start being who God died for us to be. Fearless, powerful and faithful carriers of the message of Jesus.
If Jesus didn't rise from the dead than Paul (writer of several books of the bible) tells us that we are most to be pitied. The claim of defeating death is enormous and impacts everything a follower of Christ believes. Did He rise and what are the implications of this?
Every move of God started with prayer and living off every word of God. How can we be a church that reaches this city and loves those around us? It needs to be prayer. We need to be surrendering and asking.
Is Jesus serious as He calls us to the ends of the earth? - What does that mean and what does that look like? More importantly than who you marry, what job you have or the city you live in, the press and call for our lives is to take the goodness of Jesus to the ends of the earth and everywhere in between.
Loving the world is the call for humanity. The way we best love is to know and believe fully how we are first loved by God. "Lets be the church family that grows up and goes out"
Jesus has a serious love for the church, a deep, purpose centred love for the church, so why don't we? How can we be a church that resembles and represents a true genuine and powerful family unit? To love God is to love the church, not the building but the people.
When you understand how good God is, you respond with the questions of 'How' and 'Why'. Loving God is crucial to a real and true life and having a right view of God, heightens the Cross of Jesus and magnifies what He has done
How do we be a church, a people who are real about the message we believe? How do we make disciples in a world that moves away from the culture of church? Jeremy kicks of the series as he sets the vision for City Light Church as we grow followers and affections.
How does this culture use alcohol? What is good and how could it be bad? What does God say on alcohol, as a gift which is in itself good, how can we do the best with it in this world.
Health and fitness is saturated in our culture, it is somewhat worshipped like a God. - Why is this such a popular goal for a yearly resolution? Why do people want this above so much? Come and hear what God says on fitness and wellbeing. How to be healthy on the outside as well as the inside.
God loves it when we plan, but more than that He loves it when we give our plans to Him. Come hear what it looks like to plan and how addressing our own hearts will be answer to good planning.
Money is easy to want and hard to use well. See what God says about money, what His intentions are and how we can align our hearts with generosity.
How important is a good friendship? Jacob speaks on the necessity and importance of good friendships. Sometimes it isn't that easy though, good friendship takes considered actions and thoughts. Join us as Jacob walks through the proverbs on friendship
Proverbs 1:1-7 • JACOB MITCHELL • What will this year look like? What message will you believe? What life does this world offer and what life does Jesus offer? With a world of mixed messages, what is actually true? Enjoy life to the fullest
God see's the bigger picture, God sees and holds life and all of time in His hands. Is God good? Does He have a plan and what is that for our lives?
God is a God who rescues, and His story from the start of time is that He would show His relentless love by pursuing a people
Guest speaker brings us the word on the beginning of division and Gods plan to renew division through Jesus
Do you doubt? Do you doubt your life, do you doubt God? So does this psalmist. Hear what how we can face these times, as Jacob unpacks this psalm.