Hope Central Church: Recent Episodes
Hope Central Inc
HOPE IS WHAT WE ALL NEED. The Bible says it’s the stuff faith is made of. Hope is the medicine our hearts need to move forward in life and fight against the numbing wear and tear of life. That’s what Hope Central is all about. A bunch of people who will be like your best friend. We will listen to your story,try to understand your dream and offer you Hope. Website http://www.hopecentral.org.au/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hopecentralsa/
The Christ Who Heals
1 Corinthians 11:17-34
A common tradition that is being lost in this age of electronic devices is the family meal. When was the last time you sat down at the dinner table and talked to your wife, husband, children etc. whilst you ate a meal together. It reminds us of things forgotten, things hoped for and things shared. Jesus wants to have a meal with His family too.
JANUARY 2018
As we enter a new year of possibilities it can be a time for reflection on all that we’ve learnt in the past 12 months. It’s a time to remind ourselves of all that the Lord has done for us, and taught us. It’s a time to remind ourselves of who we really are, in order to move forward in 2018.
Slides of the sermon ‘Christmas, the End of Selfishness’ spoken by Pastor Joe Habermehl on 31 December 2017.
Christmas, the End of Selfishness
Isaiah 61:1-4
What if the cosmic war was over forever and God was only ever going to be on your side? How would it feel if you expected favour? How would your year go if you started in faith built around His promise of Favour?
Slides of the message ‘Christmas, the End of Uncertainty’ given by Pastor Joe Habermehl on 24 December 2017.
Christmas, the End of Uncertainty
James 3:14-18
“Peace on earth and goodwill to men”, the angels announced. Finally we’re not on our own and all of God’s good will is turned towards us. It’s the end of fear and uncertainty forever.
Slides for the message ‘Christmas, the End of Confusion’ given by Pastor Joe on 17 December 2017.
Christmas, the End of Confusion
1 Corinthians 2:6-14
You’d better not shout, you’d better not cry,” goes the Santa song. But why? Who’s shouting, who’s crying and why? Santa may not like them, but maybe Jesus will be okay with my shouts and cries.
December 10. Christmas, the end of Injustice. Why is Scrooge in the Christmas Carol? What does His character represent? Isn’t he about injustice and greed. So how does Christmas change Scrooge?
Slides of the message ‘Sowing & Harvesting’ given by Pastor Rad Runjo to our Salisbury congregation at the 4pm service on the 3rd December 2017.
Sowing & Harvesting - Radivan Runjo
Crop farmers will hire farm hands to help with the sowing, watering, fertilising, pruning and harvesting of the crop. If however the farm hands don’t do the work, the crop will fail and the farm will become a liability to the farmer. Jesus is the Great Farmer, the world is His farm, and He has hired us to be His farm hands. Are we doing the work?
Slides of the message ‘God in the Centre’ spoken to the Elizabeth congregation in the morning service of 3rd December 2017.
God in the Centre - Glynn Greenwood
Daily we find ourselves under pressure to prioritise the things that we “need”. Bills to pay, family to love and care for, a house to keep clean, cooking, maintenance etc. Is there a priority that we need more than others, but find ourselves dropping to the bottom of the list?
DECEMBER 2017
Christmas - the gift of beginning…
Reading through Isaiah over the last year I have been so encouraged about the transformation that Jesus brings to the world. He is the Hope of all the world and people need to hear about Him. This month we are looking at a few of the ways that Jesus ends the old struggles of life and gives us the gift of a new beginning, bring a friend along to hear about Him.
Deal With It!
Luke 4:1-13
How many little things have you swept under the carpet or avoided dealing with. Like the Philistines of old, if you don’t deal with them- those habits become oppressors.
Opportunity knocks! There are many well intentioned and bad intentioned people out there that would love to horn in our your destiny. It may be time to toss the Jezebels out of your life.
No Compromise!
Numbers 24:15-19
This is the second of 2 slightly different presentations of this message. This presentation is from the afternoon service at the Salisbury church.
No Compromise!
Numbers 24:15-19
Sometimes for lots of reasons we end up sitting still in life- but it’s not rest that settles in- it’s compromise. It’s Balaams trick and it can cost us our future.
Slides of the message ‘That’s So Yesterday’ given by Pastor Joe Habermehl on 5 November 2017.
That’s So Yesterday!
4pm Presentation - Salisbury
Matthew 13:53-58
This is the second of 2 slightly different presentations of this message. This presentation is from the afternoon service at the Salisbury church.
That’s So Yesterday!
10am Presentation - Elizabeth
Matthew 13:53-58
You can’t live your life by looking in the rear vision mirror. That’s Egypt back there. It’s time to finally let go of the past.
This is the first of 2 slightly different presentations of this message. This presentation is from the morning service at the Elizabeth church.
NOVEMBER 2017
NOW! vember
Have you ever asked yourself or someone else, “What’s stopping you?” It’s funny how so often we don’t know the answer to that. We may even try to make a start but then go nowhere. Confusing! Frustrating! This month we are going to look at 4 classic enemies the people of God have had to deal with and discover how Jesus sets us free, gets us back into NOW!, and releases our future.
Slides of the message ‘One Li(f)e to Live’ given by Pastor Joe Habermehl on 29 October 2017.
One Li(f)e to Live
Luke 12:13-21
The stories of death bed wishes and regrets is long and confronting but equally long is the list of times we swore we would be different. How can we find the focus and courage to actually live this life and not just go through the motions?
Reaching Out To Others - Bill Vasilakis
Acts 8:4-40
Pastor Bill Vasilakis, national chairman of Christian Revival Crusade Churches International in Australia, challenges us to seek Christ and our hearts, as to how God wants us to be ministers and missionaries for His kingdom.
Slides of the message ‘Have To/Want To’ given by Pastor Joe Habermehl on 15 October 2017.
Have To/Want To
Ephesians 5:33-6:9
Are your days a list of things you have to do or get to do? Are God’s commands a list of things He demands you do or lets you do? Deep down we hate to be slaves, but sometimes it seems we prefer the lash and the leash to the freedom that God desires for us.
Slides for the message ‘How Do I Get My Mojo Back?’ given by Pastor Joe on 8th October 2017.
How Do I Get My Mojo Back?
Psalm 51
At the heart of the matter it’s a matter of the heart. Somewhere deep down we know that the half hearted effort we can put into life robs both us and those we do it for. But how do we find the passion for life again?
OCTOBER 2017
Worth It!
What’s worth it? I guess to answer that we need to know what it costs. What if it’s your life? Spent a day a time- 24 hours, 1440 Minutes, 86,400 seconds. Gone. What are you trading your days for? Is it worth it? Or do we even consider if we are living for what matters most to us?
T [...]
TheStruggleIsReal - Danny Morton
What does it mean to “have faith”? Is it a matter of strong, stubborn belief, or is it blind, ignorant risk taking? Does God want us to be thrillseekers in our relationship with Him, or is there something else required?
50 First Dates - Jodie Habermehl
What’s love got to do with it? Why is passion and devotion so important? In what way is our relationship with God similar to our human relationships?
Restoration - Peter Heyworth
You know that feeling. The feeling of taking something that has seen better days and working on it until it is back to it’s original glorious look and function; once again back to how it was originally designed to be. Cars, furniture, houses, the list goes on. God takes great delight in restoration work as well. How can we help Him?
CAP Sunday - David Kendall
Christians Against Poverty (CAP) is a global organisation created to help people who find themselves in difficult financial situations. David Kendall helps us to understand the ministry of CAP in the light of the heart of God and the teachings of Jesus.
What’s Love Got To Do With It?
Part of our human condition is that we sometimes portray our personal ‘truths’ as though the are ‘The Truth’. Sometimes it is the minority squeaky wheel that gets all the focus and attention. Sometimes we get clouded to the bigger issues and realities by the abundance of noise and our own attachments.
SEPTEMBER 2017
What’s Love Got To Do With It?
Other than being an awesome song? On the Eve of our 25th wedding anniversary, I ask myself that very question. As 22 year olds, Joe and I thought we knew love, 25 years later, we are confident about it. So how much has love got to do with something that lasts?
The answer to the question in the song is, love has nothing to do with it and at the same time everything to do with it. Nothing because the love we started with was immature and relied on feelings. The love we have now has everything to do w [...]
The Love of a Father - Ashley Downing
Father’s Day
In an era where fathers are becoming less important to society by the day, Pastor Ashley shares with us his experience of father, and fathering, and why we need to be careful when dismissing fathers as less important parents.
The Jesus/You Switch-a-roo
Romans 5:12-21
Sometimes we need a big picture to make sense of suffering, and that’s what Romans gives us - the victory of Jesus over the “sin that brought suffering” of Adam; and in that victory He gives us the right to reign in Life.
Is This Wrath?
Romans 5:6-11
One of the hardest things to separate out in our Christian growth is learning to tell the difference between discipline and punishment. In this passage Paul helps us see God’s love at work so that our pain doesn’t become the pain of rejection.
An Excellent and Profitable Message
Pastor Kevin Hodges
Have you ever had that experience where you and someone else are disagreeing on a topic, only to find that the cause of the conflict is a differing of topic definition? What is the definition of ‘good’? What is the definition of ‘bad’, ‘positive’, ‘negative’, ‘holy’, ’sin’ etc.? For different people these have different meanings and definitions than they do for other people. Pastor Kevin takes us on a journey to help us clarify a topic that many Christians have differing definitions of.
Slides for the message ‘Know Pain, Know Gain’ given by Pastor Joe Habermehl on 6th August 2017.
Know Pain, Know Gain
Romans 5:1-5
This may be the hardest question your soul will ever have to face. Pain makes life feel unfair and leaves us wondering where is God, which is why Paul uses it to help us feel the firm foundation of God’s love beneath our feet even when we experience suffering.
AUGUST 2017
Why Suffering?
Wow that’s a hard one! Of all the topics in the Bible, this one carries the most confusion and fear. This one can make even “strong” Christians doubt and cry out, “My God, My God, Why?” You may want, even hope to avoid it, but the truth is we all experience suffering and pain and we need God’s help to maintain and even strengthen our faith while we go through our trials. But chin up, it all leads to love.
Un-Believable Hope
John 11
What if there was no logical reason to believe that something good would happen to you? What if the circumstances were so bad that you really thought, “No chance- ever.”? What kind of hope comes in hopeless situations?
The Expectation of Grace
John 8:1-11
Have you ever gone to somebody for help and wondered if they would? Have you ever thought- “Do they like me enough?”. A lot of people are the same with God. What do you expect?
The Law of Faith
John 9:1-17
A lot of people wonder how to get the power of God working in their lives. It’s like we wish there was some consistency rather than the confusion of all the religious theories around us. Enter the Law of Faith.
Un-Romantic
John 4:1-21
What is the book of Romans really about? Complicated doctrine? Condemning expectations? Confusing regulations? Not at all. It is a beautiful description of the deep supply of God to meet our most basic needs through the simplicity of faith.
God Loves You!
Steve Crouch
As mere mortals we battle with self esteem and value. But if we were able to step outside ourselves and objectively see the big picture, the grand plan, then what is our place in creation?
I Told You So
Matt Barnes
There are times when we find it difficult to accept, or fully believe, what God says to us in the various ways He speaks to us. There’s a doubting Thomas in us all, but there is always a faithful Father.
JULY 2017
Why Faith? - A study of Romans 4
Most people think that God rewards the good and punishes the bad. It makes sense to us and to do otherwise almost seems irresponsible. So what do we do with statements like this? ”To the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness” Romans 4:5. God helping, justifying, the ungodly? It makes no sense! But it does to God. Why? For one simple reason - Faith.
That’s what this series is about - ‘Why Faith?’.
The Plumber’s Crack of WON’T
Matthew 26:31-38
A lot of people make a lot of excuses to avoid doing something, being something, obeying in an area of life that really are lies. The truth, down deep, is that we don’t want to. It’s not fear, it’s not can’t- it’s won’t. It’s the giant ‘but’ of rebellion.
The Caboose of CAN’T
1 Samuel 17:31-37
Someone once said, “The person who thinks they can and the person who thinks they can’t are both right”. It’s amazing how our perspective is shaping the steps we take, the things we attempt and the beliefs we allow. The giant BUT of “I Can’t” needs to get into shape.
Overcoming Excuse
Karen & Radivan Runjo
Sometimes in life God takes us by surprise. Karen and Rad share how God has turned weakness into strength, loss and failure into ministry.
Overcoming Excuse
Anna & Ashley Downing
Be encouraged by the life stories of Anna and Ashley as they describe the challenges they have faced and how God has helped them to grow and overcome, despite what they saw and felt about themselves and their lives.
The Booty of Fear
Exodus 3:1-11
Nothing impairs Faith like Fear. Every Bible character had to face the giant ‘but’ of fear to grab hold of their destiny. It comes in many shapes but it’s always the huge ‘but’ that is controlling the choices we make.
JUNE 2017
Does My BUT Look Big In This?
The things that we squeeze into or drape over ourselves to make us feel more confident in ourselves may not be the ‘buts’ we are really hiding. It may be that the lives we want to live may be directed more by the excuses we allow ourselves than the dream we cling to. This month we are looking at the ways we ’self-sabotage’ our lives with the ‘buts’ we harbour in our hearts rather than letting God’s ‘but’ empower our change.
Jeremy Steel
Now based in Cairns but travelling the nations establishing missionary training schools and churches, Jeremy will inspire you with stories of transformed people and communities with the Gospel.
Slides of the message ‘Finance. The Spirit of Money.’ given by Pastor Joe Habermehl on 21st May 2017.
Finance. The Spirit of Money.
Luke 16:1-14
You may have heard that Jesus has been given authority over every spiritual power, but you may not have known that money is one of those powers. Let’s learn from Him how to bring the spirit of money under His control so that it blesses our lives and others.
Slides of the message ‘Family. The Shaping of Humanity.’ given by Pastor Joe Habermehl on 14th May 2017.
Family. The Shaping of Humanity.
Malachi 4:5‐6
Mothers Day is a great time to reflect on how our mothers have helped us, but this time we are going to talk about how they shape humanity, and not just mothers but fathers and relatives too.
Slides of the message ‘Finance. The Source of Our Supply.’ given by Pastor Joe Habermehl on 7th May 2017.
Finance. The Source of Our Supply.
Malachi 3:8-12
We are impacted by money every moment of our lives, but so often people have no idea how to master it. Jesus spoke more about money than heaven and hell combined, maybe we should get some financial advice from Him.
Family
The foundation of society. What is the most indespensible unit in any society? The family. But there may never have been a time in history where family is more fractured and insecure than now.
May 2017
Foundations for Victory
Every warrior knows, every builder knows, every leader knows that the strength of the man/building/organization relies on the strength of it’s foundations. Bad foundations lead to future failures, while good foundations serve us long into the future. This month we are going to take a look at two foundations that we deal with every day that are either helping us or hindering us as we seek to live the victory that Christ has given us.
Slides of the message ‘I Told You So’ by Matt Barnes given on 23rd April 2017 in the afternoon service.
I Told You So - Matt Barnes
Sometimes the biggest battles we have are with ourselves. We like to be in control of our own universe and everything in it. What can rescue us from these chains?
Slides of the message ‘Seasons’ by Matt King given on 23rd April 2017 in the morning service.
Seasons - Matt King
There are many changing times in our lives. How do we respond to those many seasons? How should we respond?
Slides of the message ‘Fresh Eyes On Easter’ by Ps. Joe Habermehl given on 16th April 2017.
Fresh Eyes On Easter
Did you really see this movie already or do you just think you did. We can so easily miss the details because we think we already know. Maybe it’s time to put fresh eyes on Easter and see what we’ve missed.
The Inside View
John 12:20-33
John 3:1-16
The Death and Resurrection of Jesus has always been the inside conversation and passion of the Trinity. God draws us into His drama of seeing His Son die for our sins, not to shame us, but to help us share in the fullness of His love for us.
The Long View
Mark 15:25-38
The Death and Resurrection of Jesus has always been the plan. He was crucified from the foundation of the world and the entire story of life has focused on this moment.
APRIL 2017
The Greatest View
I’ve gotten some emails recently about helping find my lost superannuation. It’s great to think that somewhere out there is money I didn’t know I had. But have you ever wondered what kind of email God would send to tell you about your unclaimed heavenly benefits? Would He say something like, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.”? - Ephesians 1:3
We Are New
Are you ready for the changing of the seasons? Do you hold on to the past? Why? Sometimes we are too broken to believe, too fearful to change, too used to what we know.
A Light on a Hill - Danny Morton
Jesus’ vision of us is as a light on the hill- people who draw out the hopes and desires of people living in darkness. Let’s be that light, as bright as we can.
We Are Free! - Mel Palmer
We were made for freedom, and Jesus has done all the work so that we can break free of what keeps us from being who He made us to be.
Slides for the message ‘We are Hope Central’ of 5th. March 2017 by Pastor Jodie Habermehl.
We Are Hope Central
We have been made with a unique DNA that God has chosen for us. Let’s be the most genuine version of us that we can be.
MARCH 2017
Planted With Purpose
You can tell if a forest has been planted by people because the trees are all in rows. When God plants forests its full of unique-ness. In fact everything God makes is uniquely tailored for its time and place, whether its snow flakes, star fish or you. God made you unique and God made our church unique.
The Keys of His Kingdom
Matthew 16:13-19
Not only does Jesus have authority but He gives authority. He wants us to be able to do even greater works than these in His Name?
Those Hellish Gates
Hebrews 2:9-18
Everywhere in every setting Jesus taught lessons of faith. Not just that we could enjoy water turned into wine, but so that we would see the oppression of darkness thrown off everywhere we go.
The Builder and the Co-laborers
Matthew 16:16-28
Amazingly, Jesus doesn’t want to do it all Himself, even though He could. He wants each of us to be involved in building up His Church and bring it into its glorious inheritance.