Lindisfarne Anglican Church Podcast: Recent Episodes
Lindisfarne Anglican Church
In this talk we consider the power of a story and how connecting our personal story to God's big story is a powerful and effective way to share the hope we have in Jesus and the real difference it has made in our lives.
As we begin to think and pray about the Anglican Church of Australia's Hope 25 season from Easter to Pentecost 2025 we remind ourselves of Jesus' command for us to "Go and make disciples" and we look at some examples for the early church of what it looked like for them to "Go" and how we can "Go" and get ready to go during Hope 25.
In Mark 7 we read about how Jesus brings healing and cleansing to those who have faith. It's not what we do that matters but where our hearts are at.
In Mark 6 after the disciples get back from their short-term mission trip, Jesus demonstrates His power by feeding 5,000 men with 5 loaves and 2 fish and then walking on water before healing people simply through being touched by them. In the midst of these demonstrations of His power though he is teaching us something about the nature of discipleship and His invitation to all of us to be disciples, to spend time with Him and to be empowered by him to reach the world.
In Mark 6:1-13, Jesus is rejected by the people in his hometown, and then he sends the disciples out to spread the gospel telling them to "shake the dust off their feet" of places that reject the gospel. What do these stories tell us about what we need to shake off as we follow Jesus today?
In Mark 4:35-5:43 we see the power Jesus has over nature, evil and even death! It can be tempting to think of Jesus as just a nice guy with some good advice for life, but actually, he shows us that he is so much more! He is God!
In Mark 4:1-34 Jesus tells several parables and explains why he tells them. How should we understand Jesus today?
In Mark 3:7-35 we see the contrast in response to Jesus between those who respond to his call to follow him and those who choose to reject him. For those who respond to the call, Jesus invites them into his family, but for those who reject him, there is no forgiveness to be found.
In Mark 2:18-3:6 we read about how Jesus greatly offends the Pharisees because he doesn't conform to their rules and way of seeing things. Jesus wants to challenge their stubborn hearts which are centred on themselves and not on God. Jesus will do the same to us too if we don't humble ourselves and put God first. When was the last time Jesus offended you? How did you respond?
Mark's gospel tells the story of Jesus forgiving and healing a paralysed man and eating dinner with tax collectors and sinners. These actions make him incredibly popular with some, but for others it makes them incredibly upset. As we respond to Jesus calling us out of our sin into new life with him, how can we then be like Jesus and take his good news of life and hope to those who need it most without falling back into our old ways again?
The Tower of Babel tells the story of human pride and desire to do life without God. The sin of pride isn't just an ancient problem, it's one still with us today. And the only way to beat pride is to humble ourselves before Jesus the true humble servant of God.
In this sermon, we take a look at the promises God made to Noah after the flood and the rise of sin again in the world.
In this talk we look at the story of Noah told in Genesis 6-8 and consider what this story teaches us about God, humanity, sin and grace. We also consider how we're meant to understand the flood story from a literal/historical perspective.
So often when we come to Genealogies in the Bible we just want to skip over them. But if we stop and think about what they are saying and why they are written we find there is actually a lot that can be learned about God and the human story. In this talk we work through Genesis 5 and the first part of Genesis 6.
The story of Cain and Abel is a horrible story of jealousy and murder but even though it shows us how humans can do horrible things when they don't flee sin, it also shows us that God's grace is present even in the midst of our greatest sin.
What is the Trinity? How should you understand it correctly? Is it a biblical idea? Why does it matter? How does it impact real life? We try and cover these and many more issues as we unpack the Trinity on Trinity Sunday 2024.
As we kick of our Genesis series we tackle Genesis 1:1-2:3 and unpack this beautiful piece of Hebrew writing. What does it mean to take this story literally? What does it mean for this creation account to be true? Do you have to decide what you think about Evolution or Young Earth Creationism to be a Christian? These are just some of the questions we cover.Shout out to John Dickson and his excellent article - https://www.publicchristianity.org/the-genre-of-genesis-1-an-historical-approach/
Paul describes our life as one of battle with spiritual powers. This can take some time to get used to as a 21st-century Westerner, yet we must if we are to be ready for the fight we are in!NOTE: This sermon suffered a technical problem and there is a small section missing at the 7-minute mark.
Perhaps the most controversial part of Ephesians comes in Chapter 5:21-6:9 where Paul applies the new life in Christ to the most intimate aspects of life, the home. How do these words apply to married Christians, Christian parents, or Christians in the workplace today? Do we still really have to submit to other people and love others sacrificially?
In Ephesians 5:1-20 Paul gives some advice to us on how we can live out our new life in Christ in such a way that will shine God's love and light into our dark and broken world.
God has done a wonderful thing in bringing us from death to life in Christ and gathering us with people from all walks of life in the church. Unsurprisingly though living in a community with lots of different people can be challenging. That's why Paul gives the church in Ephesus some advice on how to live together well as we seek to follow Jesus and be guided by his empowering Spirt.
In Ephesians 4:1-16 Paul writes to the church and encourages them to live out their Christian life together in the unity that comes from the gospel. He says that God will give them the spiritual gift of leadership to help them live together in community well.
In this talk we look at the prayer Paul prays for the Ephesian church and consider what this prayer and Paul's attitude in prayer can teach us about how we should be praying.
In this talk we look at Paul's example of a life transformed by the grace of God to do good. We also see God's grace enable us to live as God has called us to and that enables us to pray to God confidently.
Our world is longing for unity, but we find ourselves constantly divided and bickering! Our world also wants us to major on our differences rather than what makes one. The only way to find true unity and peace is by understanding our nature as human beings, dead in sin and needing to be made alive in Jesus Christ. The unity our world desperately hopes for can only be found by following Jesus!
As Paul continues his letter to the Ephesians he reminds the church, and us today, of our status without Jesus. We're dead and only Jesus can make us alive through his grace and mercy. Only when we understand our dire need can we truly appreciate God's amazing grace and love!
We continue to unpack the book of Ephesians by seeing what Paul prays for the Christians in Ephesus and thinking about how this applies to us today.Paul gives thanks for their faith that produces love. And prays that they would truly know God and especially God's power.
In this talk, we begin our series leading all the way up to Easter working our way through the book of Ephesians. We are created not to become famous, but to make God famous for what He's done for us.
Every year as we start the new year we get a psychological kick out of the fresh start each new year brings. What should Christians do with that? How should we plan and think about our New Year resolutions? This talk won't give you the answers but it will give you a framework for thinking about life in the new year.
In our final week on identity, we thought about what the scriptures teach us about our ultimate destination as human beings awaiting the resurrection to eternal life. How does our hope of living with Jesus in the new heavens and new earth shape our understanding of who we are and how we should live now?
As we continue to think about our identity this week we look at how God sent Jesus to rescue us from the curse of sin and death. This aspect of our identity is vital as in Christ we can only truly be who God created us to be.
When answering the question, Who am I? We need to get the full picture. Not just all that is good which we covered in week 1 (made in God's image), but also the bad news... we are ruined by sin and our world lives under a curse. But it's only once we come to the good and the bad of reality that we can truly live as we were created to live.
We begin a series investigating the question, "Who am I?".In this talk, we take a look at what God says about our identity when he made us in Genesis 1. Fundamental to being human is being made in his image (reflection). We were made for a relationship with God and to bring order to our world.
Paul rounds out his letter to the Colossian church by calling the church to be devoted to prayer, mindful of Jesus' return, and asking for God to open up opportunities for the gospel to be shared. He also gives them some advice on how to be wise witnesses to the good news about Jesus to the world in which they live.
In perhaps the trickiest part of Colossians Paul gives instructions for how we should live together in our homes. How do we understand these verses in the 21st century?
In Colossians 3 Paul gives some really good advice for how to live as a Christian:1. Have a heavenly mindset2. Put to death your old-self3. Put on the new-self by, remembering who you are, being who you are, worshipping your King, and serving your King.
Paul instructs the Colossians in Col 2:6-23 to build their life on the foundation of Jesus as Lord. Nothing else should take them away from that or be added to it.
As Paul continues to introduce himself to the Colossian church he tells them that he is a suffering, commissioned, and hardworking servant of God. We too as Christians are commissioned to be gospel shares who will suffer and must work hard to share the good news trusting God's care.
After introducing himself and giving thanks to God for the Colossians' life-changing faith, Paul now moves to remind them about the centre of their faith, the supreme Lord Jesus! It's a useful reminder for us to make sure our picture of Jesus is big enough!
We begin our 7 weeks series in the book of the Colossians getting our head around why Paul wrote it, when he wrote it, and who he wrote it to. Then we look at his opening prayer for the church and what we can learn about how we should be praying for one another!
We continue our series looking at prayer in John 17 and the Lord's Prayer. What can we learn from Jesus' prayers? How do they shape our prayer life?
We continue our series looking at prayer in John 17 and the Lord's Prayer. What can we learn from Jesus' prayers? How do they shape our prayer life?
We continue our series looking at prayer in John 17 and the Lord's Prayer. What can we learn from Jesus' prayers? How do they shape our prayer life?
We start a series looking at prayer in John 17 and the Lord's Prayer. What can we learn from Jesus' prayers? How do they shape our prayer life?
As we conclude our 6 week overview of the book of Isaiah we turn to the final 10 chapters of the book. Here Isaiah paints a picture of the future for God's people and all nations living under God's rule. That picture is begun through the ministry of the servant, Jesus, and is completed when Jesus returns. As Christians we continue to look ahead to God's promised future, but with the certainty of what God has already done in Jesus.
In the latter parts of Isaiah, the means by which God will bring salvation to His people living in exile becomes clear. He will send a servant who will bring salvation through suffering for his people and paying the price for their sin. This servant promised was Jesus and we can come to him to receive God's refreshing life and salvation.
In the midst of God's people's deepest despair, God promises the hope of new life. Refreshing waters will flow that bring new life through God's faithful servant. We know this servant to be Jesus. Jesus is the gift that gives us hope in the midst of our worst times too.
In this sermon, we take an overview of Isaiah 13-39 and see how Isaiah warned of God's judgment but encouraged people with the hope of God's victory over evil when all would worship him on his holy mountain. This was a picture of the future Jesus has won for us on the cross which will be fully realised when Jesus returns and all who have chosen faith in God over faith in humanity will worship God in perfection forever.
It can be easy to give up hope when we're faced with all the problems in our world. The same could be said for God's people in Isaiah's day who were faced with the coming judgment of exile. Yet Isaiah has a message of hope in God that he encourages them with even in the midst of despair and judgment. Likewise, we too have hope in the promised child, Jesus who brings God's judgment and hope together on the cross.
This talk gives us an introduction to the Book of Isaiah, helps us to understand it's context, and then invites us to consider how we can trust God's justice.
We know that our houses need good foundations, or that trees need deep roots to survive and thrive, but rarely do we spend time thinking about the deep foundation or roots of our own lives. Every person needs deep spiritual foundations in order to survive and thrive. This sermon encourages you to build deep spiritual foundations in the word of God.
In Psalm 133 we have a beautiful picture of the power and purpose of unity among God's people. In this talk, Andrea shows us the beauty of unity amongst God's people and encourages us to strive for it.
Jesus finishes his final week teaching his disciples by showing them how though he's going he will be with them in a totally new and different way after his death and resurrection. Though the disciples then and now may face trouble they and us can take comfort in the good news that Jesus has overcome the world! Death is defeated! Jesus has won!
As Jesus continues to prepare his disciples for his departure he teaches them of the gift of the Holy Spirit whom He will send to be their Advocate to lead them and guide them and keep them close to Him.
In John 15:18-25, Jesus warns his disciples that they should expect that if they remain in Him then they will also be treated like He was treated by the world. Hated and persecuted. This sermon takes a look at Jesus' warnings to the disciples and thinks about how that applies to us, and how we should therefore live as Christians today in a world that may hate us for holding fast to the truth of the gospel.
In John 15:1-17 Jesus encourages us to remain in him, the vine, the source of life and our only true connection to God.
As Jesus continues to teach his disciples and prepare them for his death he teaches them about why it's good for them that the next phase of God's mission is about to begin. That mission is the mission of God's people empowered by the Holy Spirit to tell people about Jesus.
In John 14 Jesus speaks some words of comfort to His disciples, He must go to His Father's house to prepare a place for them. They are confused and ask how can they get to this house? And Jesus responds by telling them that he is the way, the truth, and the life. He goes on to explain that seeing Jesus means they have seen God. We too can see Jesus as we put our faith in Him and experience his work in our lives.
As Jesus continues to share a meal with his disciples they are confronted with the truth that one of them will betray and another deny Jesus. Peter especially is shocked at the news as he thinks he could never deny or betray his Lord. However, all of us like Peter are capable of betraying Jesus. Watch this talk to be challenged and helped to stay true to Jesus.
In the lead-up to Jesus' death and resurrection, he gathered with his disciples and did something very unusual for a leader. He took the role of the servant and washed their feet. This incident symbolised both the spiritual cleansing we all need in Jesus as well as physically demonstrating the kind of sacrificial love all Christians, especially Christian leaders, are called to show.Have been washed clean by Jesus?Are you washing others in your service of them?
In John 12:37-50 we see three responses to Jesus, unbelief, scared or half hearted belief and true belief. Each is revealed by actions.What do your actions show about what you believe about Jesus?
In this talk we reflect on Jesus call on us as disciples to follow him and die.As Jesus faces his impending death he doesn't do it without trepidation. Yet he seeks to do His Father's will for His Father's glory. We need to have the same mind when faced with our own need to die as we follow Jesus, seeking to do what is right for the glory of God.Likewise just as the people in Jesus day needed to trust Jesus as the Light while he was with them. We too sometimes need to stop trying to answer all our questions about God and instead simply trust Him.
In John 12:12-26, Jesus calls those who wish to follow him to glory to first follow him in His death. What does it mean to follow Jesus and die? How do we do that?
In John 12:1-11 the gospel transitions to telling the story of Jesus' final week of ministry before his death and resurrection. As Mary anoints Jesus with oil so pointing us forward to Jesus' death, it's also an occasion for us to reflect on the main characters in the story, Judas and Mary.Judas, much like the Chief Priests, has let sin take over his life. Mary on the other hand shows us how to fight sin and dedicate ourselves to Jesus.
Many people are feeling like Christmas isn't the same as it used to be. There are a lot of worries and concerns this year. How can we feel Christmassy at Christmas no matter what our circumstances? We need to look to Jesus!
Andrea reflects on the promise of Isaiah 9:2-7 and what it means for Jesus to have come and for us to await his return?
It can be very hard to have hope in the world we live in. Especially when we consider all the problems in our world. But Advent is a season of hope. Not looking forward to the presents under the Christmas tree, but the return of Jesus. However, the Bible reminds us we need to be ready by trusting Jesus. If we trust Jesus then we can have hope for the future!
In our final talk on evangelism, Chris opens up Sam Chan's excellent book "How to Talk about Jesus without being that guy" to help us think about how we can share the hope we have in Jesus with our friends, families, and colleagues.
In this talk, Chris unpacks not only what Evangelism is but whose responsibility it is. Do you have a role to play when it comes to telling the world about Jesus?
Paul's letter to Philemon is a wonderful reminder to us as Christians to make sure we're letting the grace of God given to us in Jesus Christ impact every aspect of our lives, especially how we live in community together.
This sermon also touches on how we should understand what the Bible says about slavery.
Paul concludes Titus in Chapter 3 by encouraging Titus to teach the Christians under his care how to relate to outsiders. Then he turns his mind to the heart of the Christian faith. Salvation through Jesus.
In Titus chapter two, having considered the kind of leaders the church should have, Paul now turns his mind to instructing Titus on how he should teach the Christians to live in their most intimate relationships.
As we kick off our. three-week series in the book of Titus we see that Paul was concerned that Titus choose people with the right doctrine and right duty (right living). The reading is taken from Titus 1.
In John 11 Jesus heads to Bethany to raise his friend Lazarus from the dead. In doing so he foreshadows his own death and resurrection and proclaims himself to be the resurrection and the life.
Jesus weeps at our pain, but he's angry at sin, satan, and death. He loves us so He offers His own life in our place to defeat our great enemy, death, and bring us eternal life that starts now.
All you've gotta do is trust Jesus.
Andrea continues our series in John's gospel looking at John 10:22-42. Jesus knows his sheep, they listen to his voice and follow him.
You're a sheep and you will be shepherded, the question is by who? There are all sorts of bad shepherds out there. People who seek to lead us for their own personal gain or lead us into destructive paths. Jesus is the best shepherd we could have. Not only does he lead us into abundant life, but he also dies for us so that we can live. If you want to be led into the best life you can live, you need to follow Jesus. Let him lead and guide you and you will have life to the full.
John 9 is a wonderful story about how Jesus heals a man born blind, but as John tells us what happened he shows us that actually, the real problem we all have is spiritual blindness, being unable to see who Jesus truly is. We need God's help to cure us from our spiritual blindness, our love of darkness, and our attachment to sin.
Today many people say the believe in Jesus, but often that is a Jesus made in thier own image, not Jesus as he reveals Himself ot us in the Bible. In John 8:31-59 we see that the people in Jesus day also did the same thing, they said they believed in Jesus, but on their own terms, with their own ideas.
Jesus confronts the people of his day who bought their own ideas about Jesus to the table and said that if you wanted true freedom, true life, to truly live in God's family then you needed to trust Jesus as He reveals himself.
Believing in Jesus and doing what he says is the road to true freedom anything else, Jesus says, is living as a child of Satan!
In John's gospel Jesus claims to be the light of the world. This is a big claim and it's one some of the people listening to Jesus refuse to believe. The Pharisees constantly question Jesus as a cover for their own love of darkness. But many others hear Jesus and believe. This begs the question for each of us, what will we make of Jesus? Will we continually question his claims? Or will we simply trust that he is who he says he is and that he does indeed have a special and unique relationship with God the Father that he's inviting all of us into?
In John 7 Jesus goes to the festival of tabernacles (booths) and declares that he is the fulfilment of all that God's people had been hoping for. That it is in him the people will find true living water that will quench their deepest thirsts.
Jesus will quench our thirst by sending us His Holy Spirit and empowering us to offer this water of life to our friends and neighbours too.
Sam wraps up our 3 week series on the books of 1 & 2 Chronicles by showings us how 2 Chronicles helps the people of Israel know what kind of anointed messiah king they should be looking out for. The sort of king fulfilled perfectly in Jesus!
In the second week of our Chronicles overview series, Sam shows us how Chronicles is preparing the people of God for the coming Messiah (God's anointed one) by reminding them of the anointed (Messiah) Kings of the past, both their successes and failures and why we need God's true Messiah, Jesus.
Chronicles challenges us to make sure we are building our life on God with the messiah as our foundation.
Have you ever wondered what all the names at the start of 1 Chronicles were all about? Have you ever wondered what they were meant to teach you about God? Or how they could encourage you as a Christian in the 21st century? In this sermon, Rev Samuel Green visits us to bring us part 1 of a three-part series providing an overview of 1-2 Chronicles. We learn that there is actually lots that has been communicated about God, His people, and their mission to the world that is relevant to us today.
Our new Assistant Minister Andrea finishes off our Every Member Ministry series looking at Ephesians 4:1-16. God gives us a community with people with different gifts in order to equip us and enable us to serve one another and grow in our unity in the gospel.
This series has taught us: Week 1: We are all given the same identity in Christ no matter who we are. Week 2: We all have the same access to God through Jesus and we can all encourage each other by meeting together. Week 3: We are all gifted in different ways to serve one another. Week 4: We are all equipped by others in the church to do the work of ministry.
So far in our series, we've seen that as Christians we all have a shared identity in Christ given to us through faith in Jesus. We've also seen how we all have the same access to God and can serve each other by meeting together to remind ourselves of God's grace past, present and future.
This week we turn our minds to the Spiritual Gifts. God not only saves us but also gifts us to serve His church. No matter who we are, no matter what our gift, we matter as individual members of the body of Christ.
As we continue our "Every Member Ministry" series we look at Hebrews 10:19-25 and see that as Christians regardless of our role all of us have been given this remarkable access to God through faith in Jesus Christ. We're encouraged then to meet together regularly to remind each other about what God has done for us, what God will do for us, and what God is currently doing in and through us as we approach Him confidently in prayer.
As a church May marks the beginning of a new season in our mission and ministry together as we welcome our Assistant Minister Andrea Hensher to the staff team. One of the dangers of moments like this is we think that our ministry staff are the ones who are called to do all the work, and we the congregation members are just participants. This series reminds us of the shared responsibility all of us have for sharing the gospel and declaring the praises of God.
Week 1 of the series kicks off with a look at 1 Peter 2:1-10 and the "Priesthood of All Believers".
What wonderful news it is that Jesus Christ has risen from the dead! But what a hard thing to believe! Even Jesus' first followers had a hard time wrapping their heads around it!
This Easter we're invited to hear the first witnesses of Jesus tell their story of witnessing something almost unbelievable, and we're asked by God to consider whether we'll accept his gift of salvation through the death and resurrection of His son Jesus Christ of Nazareth!
As we reflect on the story of Good Friday we see that it is only through the death of Jesus we can find hope in the midst of a world full of sin and brokeness.
As we consider the story of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday some 2,000 years ago, we see that there are a variety of ways people can respond to Jesus.
Lamentations 5 finishes with a sustained prayer to God recounting their suffering and seeking God's promise to restore His people.
In 587 BC the people of Jerusalem faced the destruction of the city after it was seiged and then sacked by the Babylonian Army. The Babylonians were ruthless in their victory causing great suffering and despair amongst God's people. Part of what made this worse is the people had placed their hope in the wrong place and instead of trusting God were looking to God's gifts or earthly powers. Even worse, their leadership did not help the people stay faithful, but were also guilty of ignoring God.
As we dive into Lamentations 4 we learn about the deep despair of the people of Judah and Jerusalem and we see that there are a few lessons for us as we live our lives today.
In the middle of deep tragedy and pain, the writer of Lamentations reminds himself of God's true nature and faithfulness. He does this without minimising the deep pain of God's people, and the judgment of God.
God is faithful, loving, and just no matter what we're going through. And even when we know that to be true, it does not minimise the trauma or pain we are presently experiencing.
In Lamentations 2 we read of the depth of the disaster that has afflicted Jerusalem as the Babylonians have overcome the city, destroyed it, taken many into captivity, and caused many women and children to die. The grief and the pain and the loss are unimaginable.
Lamentations 2 invites us into the pain and encourages us to look forward with eyes of hope in the Gospel.
Lamentations is often thought of as a depressing book. It chronicles the pain of the people of God after their exile from Jerusalem and Jerusalem's destruction in 587 BC. What can we possibly learn from this dark and dull book? Christopher Wright says, "in a world where the tide of human suffering threatens to overwhelm whatever dykes we put in place to contain it, is there any book of the Bible more relevant than this book that gives voice to the most awful pain imaginable?"
Lamentations gives us a window into the pain of the people of God. And in a world going from tragedy to tragedy, from war to flood to fire to famine this book gives voice to those of us experiencing deep pain and helps us to express our pain to God.
This sermon gives an overview of Lamentations, it's point and purpose and then takes a look at the first of the 5 poems - Lamentations 1.
In John 6 Jesus tells those following him that he is "the bread of life". He then goes on to say that to receive eternal life we need to eat his flesh and drink his blood which sounds a bit yuck! What does Jesus mean by all this talk of bread and eating him? Find out in this talk from John 6:25-71. We will find in the end that it is only Jesus who can truly satisfy.
Have you ever felt out of your depth? Unable to offer any sort of useful help or support? This is exactly the position the disciples find themselves in In John 6:1-25. And in response we see Jesus perform two signs that teach us more about who He is and about how God uses our weakness to show His strength.
The passage invites you to consider: Who do you think Jesus is? Do you believe God can use you for His glory? and, Do you trust His word?
In John 5 Jesus teaches us that making a decision about who he is is the road to eternal life. A great message was shared by Bishop Richard Condie to celebrate the baptism of grace and the confirmation of Di.
In John 4:43-5:15, we read of Jesus healing two people. In doing so we see something of what Jesus requires of us - trust in his word. These stories show us the true nature of faith in Jesus. We also are invited to think about the relationship between sin and sickness and we unpack that in this talk.
As we continue our journey through John's gospel we come to the story of the women at the well in John 4. This is a masterful piece of storytelling that reveals to us the depth of who Jesus is and what he's come to do.
Jesus is revealed to be the one who enables true worship of God in spirit and truth. This true worship is what ultimately satisfies our souls. The women at the well had been searching in the wrong place. Once she meets Jesus she is transformed.
You too can be transformed by Jesus!
In the opening chapters of John's Gospel, we read the story of Jesus coming into the Temple during the Passover festival and getting pretty upset with what he saw, so much so he made a whip and started driving people and animals out of the temple and flipping tables as he went!
What are we to make of this event and how does it fit with our picture of who Jesus is? How should we respond to Jesus when he doesn't act as we expect?
The first miracle that Jesus ever did was turning water into wine at a wedding because they were running low! Why did he do that? And what does this miracle mean for us today?
This talk is based on John 2:1-12.
In John's gospel we read about how John the Baptist had a ministry of preparing people and pointing them to Jesus. As we hear the story of John the Baptist and Jesus calling his first disciples we learn something about what it means to humble ourselves, acknowledge who Jesus is and commit ourselves to following him day after day.
As yet another year begins under the shadow of COVID19 it's hard to imagine things ever going back to normal. In the midst of the chaos, interruption and tragedy bought on by the virus this video talks about how it's still possible to have hope.
This talk was delivered on Boxing Day 2021 from Chris' basement where he was isolated due to being a close contact to someone with COVID.
In Matthew 13, Jesus tells two parables comparing the Kingdom of God to small things which overtime have a big impact. Jesus' message to his disciples, that we've seen play out over the course of the last 2,000 years is that God's kingdom will continue to expand. It's easy to believe in the West the lie that the church is shrinking, but actually there are new people coming to faith every day.
Jesus also promises that His Kingdom is the place to find rest. And he tells two more parables comparing the Kingdom of God to valuable things. His point, when you realise how God entering the Kingdom of God is then it's worth giving up everything for.
Have you given up everything to live your life devoted the God's kingdom?
We live in a broken world and we long for it to be better! In Matthew 13:24-30 Jesus tells a parable about a farmer who's field of wheat gets sabotaged with weeds. This is a metaphor for the world we live in and a comfort for us to trust God through the ups and downs of this life.
Graham unpacks the parable of the sower from Matthew 13 and encourages us to spread the word of God and allow it to work in our own life so we might be good soil.
What does a list of names at the end of Paul's letter to the Roman's teach us about how God uses all sorts of people from every background to build his Kingdom here on earth?
As Paul concludes his letter to the Roman church he tells the church about how God has used him to spread the good news about Jesus. As we reflect on Paul's own ministry we are challenged by how God can use us to continue this work today.
John Lennon's famous song Imagine dreams of a world without religion where peace, love and unity reign. As we see the western world become more and more divided as it becomes less and less religious one has to wonder if Lennon is on the right track.
In Romans 15:1-13 we see that in fact divisions are healed not through discarding religion but through embracing Jesus! Following Jesus and trusting in the Gospel is where true unity is found.
Jesus also provides a model for how to live lives of true love and peace even when we disagree about secondary matters.
Christians are called to a life of unity based on the good news about Jesus and the clear teaching of the bible. However there are lots of things which are not foundational to the faith that many Christians disagree about. These are called 'disputable matters' and in Romans 14 Paul gives us some advice for how we can maintain unity on the central things whilst disagreeing over secondary matters.
How do you need to change the way you engage with someone you disagree with as a result of hearing this message?
What relationship should Christians have to the secular authorities? What right do governments have to tell Christians what to do? When can a Christian resist a governments authority and when should a Christian submit?
It seems the last 18 months have made these questions a lot more live than they have ever been before. As we continue our series on Romans, we tackle Paul's teaching in Romans 13 about relationships between church and state. This talk was delivered as Hobart experienced a three day lockdown so the issues were very real for us!
In a world that struggles to understand love, the book of Romans helps us to understand love by looking to God and then applying his definition of love to our lives.
In Romans 12:9-21 Paul continues to tell us what it means to respond to God's mercy by offering our bodies as a living sacrifice. We do so by loving each other and loving our enemies.
We can't do either with God's help or without understanding who God really is.
In Romans 12 Paul calls Christians to offer their body's to God as a living sacrifice. Find out what that means and how you can do it by watching this talk.
What does Daniel 12 teach us about the end of the world and the events surrounding it? Perhaps with all the recent happenings we're getting close? Listen to Kerry as she explains how Christians should understand what the Bible says about the end of the world and wraps up our series Faith in Exile - The Book of Daniel.
So often we think that the only miracles that count or the unexplainable ones like a healing when medical advice said it was impossible. But in Ephesians we are reminded that God is doing much bigger and more amazing miracles all the time. He's bringing people to spiritual life in Christ, he's breaking down barriers between people and he's making a people for himself. This is truly marvellous and we must never diminish the work of God in our own lives.
Knowing that God has done this life giving work in us through the power of the gospel, we must respond in prayer, thanksgiving and by building our lives and hopes on the gospel.
This message was preached in the lead up to our Annual Meeting and as we launched our 2026 Vision and Strategy.
Kerry Kettlewell continues our Daniel series seeking to show us what we can learn as we take a big picture view of these often difficult dreams of Daniel.
Kerry Kettlewell continues our Daniel series seeking to show us what we can learn as we take a big picture view of these often difficult dreams of Daniel.
Stephen Carnaby encourages us to be A church changed by God's spirit just as the early church was like we read about in Acts 2:36-47.
Kerry Kettlewell continues our Daniel series seeking to show us what we can learn as we take a big picture view of these often difficult dreams of Daniel.
In John's 3rd letter he writes to his dear friend Gaius a faithful Christian who loves the truth about Jesus and seeks to live that our by loving others and encourages him to be like Demetrius, someone whose life has been radically transformed by the gospel.
We also can be encouraged to base our lives on the truth of Jesus and allow his truth to transform us.
In 2 John, the Apostle writes to the church to encourage them to stand firm in the two key ingredients or aspects of the Christian faith, namely Truth and Love. 2000 years later and the same core ingredients are vital for us if we want to live flourishing lives as Christians in the 21st century. And for us today, just as for the 1st century Christians, the same temptation is always there, to walk away from the truth and to water down love.
In this talk on 1 John 5, we see how our minds can play tricks on us and take the encouraging message of the grace and love of God and our response to that and make it a message of condemnation instead of acceptance.
If you're seeking to obey God and seeking to love others, even imperfectly, you're on the right track and you ought to be encouraged! If you're denying the gospel and don't care about what God says, of course, you should be very very afraid!
There are many people who claim to teach us about Jesus when in fact the truth they offer doesn't match with that we have received from the Apostles in scripture. In 1 John 4 John gives us a way of testing the spirits to see if they are true or not and then encourages us to build our lives on that truth in the love of God.
In 1 John 3 we read of the great privilege a follower of Jesus has, to be called God's child. This privilege, like any right or privilege, however, comes with responsibilities; to God, to other Christians and to the world.
Do you ever wonder if you know God? Do you sometimes think it's hard to tell if you really love God? John gives us some criteria in 1 John 2 and encourages us to love God and not the world.
In John's first letter he outlines a vision for deep unity not based on our politics but based on love. Love rightly understood in the light of God's truth.
If you love God you'll find unity. Of course, John is also realistic. He acknowledges the truth of our lived experience, that no one is perfect. That there will always be bumps along the way. In fact, that's the very nature of being human. To be sinful. But John's encouragement is for us to deal with our sin. To acknowledge it and confess it and so see ourselves transformed by the love and power of God.
Romans 11 is perhaps one of the more difficult and perplexing passages of scripture. In it, Paul outlines God's salvation plan for Gentile and Jewish Christian alike. Israel's lack of faith leads to salvation coming to the Gentles. Gentile faith will make Israel jealous which will cause Israel to have faith. But what does Paul mean when he says "all Israel will be saved?" We try to solve this question and trace his argument in this talk.
In Romans 10 Paul boils down the simplicity of faith in the risen Christ as the heart of what it means to be a Christian. He does this in the context of answering the question of Jewish unbelief in the early Church. Why have God's chosen people rejected the Messiah? In Romans 9, Paul talked about God's sovereignty, now in chapter 10, Paul talks about our own personal responsibility.
We also hear that the wonderful news of faith is that the grace of God is freely available to anyone and so if we believe we need to go and share our faith!
What would God do if you walked into church?
Check out this clip from our recent talk on Romans 10 and which boils down the Christian faith to its simple truth! The grace of God is freely available to anyone who believes!
Check it out on our website at: https://lindisfarne.church/media/our-responsibility-romans-10
In this talk we continue our series "More than Conquerors" looking at the Book of Romans. Today we pick up Chapter 9 and consider questions like, What's the relationship between God's sovereignty and human responsibility? and, How should Christians think about Israel in 2021?
Can you believe the story of Jesus rising from the dead? Is there any real evidence? Is it just something dumb religious people believe? Or should the claims of the Christian faith be taken seriously? Listen to this talk to learn more about why you can believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
In a world longing for justice Good Friday teaches us to find justice in the injustice of an innocent man killed by a powerful government to save us all from the pain and suffering of sin.
In this talk we consider the final of the 7 Deadly Sins... Lust! Sex is a big problem but one we don't seem able to solve. There's talk of consent and respect, but unless we take a step back and realise there's so much more to sex than the physical act, we'll never sort this sin out, not in our own lives or in our society.
Take a deep dive into the sin of lust and see the vast, beautiful, and wonderful picture of sex as God designed it for the relationship between husband and wife.
Is gluttony the most acceptable sin in 2021? As we feast and fill ourselves up with ever endless food it seems like our consumption is at an all time high. But of course even being obsessed about what we eat can likewise get the emphasis wrong and mean our hearts are still disorded.
In this talk we consider the sin of gluttony. The bible speaks against it, but sometimes it's not exactly clear what the sin is nor what we should do as we seek to put it to death and live like Jesus. This talk will help us define gluttony, and help us to think about how we consume in a good and godly way.
In this talk, we ponder whether we can ever justify feeling anger? We take a look at what the Bible says about the topic of anger/wrath and seek to apply those principles to our lives today.
Topics covered include: Is anger good or bad? God's anger/wrath Jesus and anger Fleeing anger Using Anger to diagnose our hearts.
Is greed good? It's easy to believe it in our western capitalist society. If it's not good then how should we relate to our possessions? Our wealth? Should we give it all up and move to the dessert? Or is there a way to navigate wealth and possessions in a non-greedy way?
In this talk, we'll define greed, and consider how God calls us to live as His people. Generous, stewards of the gifts he gives, rather than self-sufficient, selfish hoarders.
Greed like all the capital vices is at the end of the day a heart problem. Join us as we diagnose our sick hearts and ask for God's power to live as he's created us.
What does Psalm 96 teach us about mission and about our role in telling the world about Jesus? We're joined in this video by special guest preaching, CMS Tasmania State Director, Rev Scott Doran-Sargent.
In this talk, we'll examine our next deadly sin... sloth. Many people think that sloth isn't even that bad, after all the world is far too busy as it is. Some argue we need more sloth in our busy lives! But as we examine the bible and church history we see that there is more to the sin of sloth than relaxation or cute animals. Sloth is indeed the fruit of a heart that fails to understand what God has done for us.
Envy can be so destructive to our lives if it's left unchecked. In this talk, we continue our series on the 7 Deadly Sins (or Capital Vices) and take a look at the sin of envy. We will consider what the bible says, what we can learn from church history and what we can do to overcome envy.
In this sermon we begin our new series examining the seven deadly sins. Where did they come from? Are they outdated in 2021? Are Christians still saved if they commit one of them? What even are the seven deadly sins?
This video will take a look at the history and briefly examine our first deadly sin, vainglory.
In Luke 19:1-10 we read about Zacchaeus' life-changing moment with Jesus. We see the wonderful power of God's transforming love to even the unlovely!
As we reflect on this story we are invited to consider our humble approach to God, the joy of our salvation, and the life-changing power of His love.
In Luke 18:9-30 we see 3 stories that show us that life in the Kingdom of God starts, continues, and ends with humility.
How should we live as people who have experienced the kingdom of God through faith in Jesus Christ? How should we respond when we see great injustices in the world today? What is God calling you to do as a citizen of His kingdom living in a broken world awaiting Jesus' return? Find out the answer to these quesitons and more as we work our way through Luke 17:11-18:8.
In Luke 17:1-10, Jesus gives some instructions around how Christians should live together in community. He has some pretty hard words, but with only a little faith in our big God we can do what God calls us to in His strength!
Topics covered include: - Causing people we have spiritual care of to stumble/sin - How to rebuke, repent and forgive - What it means to serve God out of duty
This message is an encouragement for you to read your bible more this year. There are heaps of plans suggested and practical tips to help you if you want to deepen your bible reading habits.
For more information or links to anything mentioned head over to our blog: https://lindisfarne.church/bible-reading
In Isaiah 61 we hear the voice of the promised servant speak about his mission to bring salvation to God's people. We know from Jesus himself in Luke 4 that this passage of scripture was referring to Jesus. God fulfils his promises, and that means he will make good on his promises for your salvation through faith in Jesus and all the other blessings promised to you in scripture. Do you trust him?
In this message, we learn that through the prophet Isaiah God reveals that because he is unique and there is no other God like Him he will pour out his grace on humanity and send an anointed saviour like Cyrus to save the whole world.
Christmas is a time when we think about joy. But at the end of a long and difficult year joy can seem unattainable! As we look at the Prophet Isaiah's promise of joy for God's people in Is 35, we see that if we look in the right place we can have deep lasting unimaginable joy!
Tasmanian Anglican Diocese Director of Ministry Stephen Carnaby brings us a great message from 1 Tim 6:6-19 about being content in life through trust in God.
In the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus that Jesus tells in Luke 16:19-31 we learn that how we use our money reveals the true state of our heart. For the rich man, his lack of concern for others showed that, like the Pharisee's in Jesus' day, he loved money not God.
If we love God, how then should we use our money? Watch this video to find out more.
Does Jesus want you to steal and cheat with your money as long as it's for good outcomes? When we read the parable of the shrewd manager in Luke 16:1-15 that's what it can feel like at first. But that doesn't make a lot of sense does it? So how should we properly understand this parable and what does it teach us about how we should use our money today?
CMS State Director Rev Scott Sargent, challenges us to think about our support of God's mission in the world on both a global and local scale. For more information on our global mission partners, and to support Maurice and Amanda Jacobson go to lindisfarne.church/mission
Does your life have lots of ups and downs? Daniel's sure did? His home town was conquered twice! He lived in captivity. His friends faced persecution and he had to face the mouth of a hungry lion! But Daniel remained faithful to God through it all. If you want to learn the habits you need to build today to enable you to stand firm through good times and bad then this message is for you.
In Daniel 5 we read the story of King Belshazzar the last king of Babylon. In this story, we read of Belshazzar's demise at the hands of Darius the Mede and we see how his arrogant mocking of God lead to his death.
Contrasted to Daniel 4, this story teaches us we have a choice to make. Either we acknowledge God as sovereign King and humble ourselves before Him. Or we ignore God, like Belshazzar, and await God to humble us.
As we reflect on the life of King Nebuchadnezzar who receives yet another vision from God but refuses to heed its warning we're reminded of God's sovereign rule (control) over this world and our need to respond appropriately to that.
Watch or Listen to this talk to find out what God's sovereignty means for your life.
Sometimes it can be hard to keep your faith, especially when you're under pressure to give it up. The good news is you're not alone, God's people have always had to stand firm in their faith under pressure. In Daniel 3 we read how 3 men stood firm even when their lives were on the line and how God rescued them and sustained them. If you want to stand firm, learn from this story!
What can we learn about the progression of history from a king's dream? How should we live our lives in the here and now given what we know about the future? Join us as we learn about God and ourselves from Daniel 2.
Have you ever wondered how those people you look up to and admire seem to have such amazing faith and trust in God even in the most difficult of circumstances? The Prophet Daniel is one of those people and as we examine his life you'll learn more about what it means to have heroic faith.
Pastor Abraham Hang founded the Development for People of Cambodia (DPC) to assist children and families in Cambodia struggling with extreme poverty. Check out this update on what God is doing through the ministry of Pastor Abraham and his team in Cambodia and hear how you can be involved here in Australia to support the lives that are being transformed through Abraham's life-changing work.
To find out more about the work we support as a church head to: https://lindisfarne.church/mission
As we go about being a church for Lindisfarne, making disciples of Jesus, our strategy, or what we actually do is to help individuals take their next step with Jesus. No matter where you or your friends are at in their walk with Jesus, from being totally uninterested to committed to growing as a Christian or serving as a Christian leader, we all have a next step Jesus is calling us to take to go deeper.
Note: This sermon contains graphs. We're getting fancy now!
Part 2 of our vision refresh series in the lead up to our Annual Meeting looks at the second part of our vision statement, A Church for Lindisfarne, making disciples of Jesus.
What does this mean? What is our role as a church? As individuals?
Join us over the next 3 weeks as we unpack our vision and reflect on it in light of the new normal of COVID19. This series will be a great chance for you to discern whether you want to join our church community!
God is for you! He will give you all things! He will not condemn you! He will never leave you! He will ALWAYS love you! This is our God! Do you believe in Him? Do you know him yet?
Have you ever wondered what your life would be like if you started following Jesus? In this deeply personal message, Chris Bowditch unpacks Romans 8 where Paul talks about how as children of God we will share in the glory of God, but in the meantime, in our sinful world and sinful bodies, we will experience suffering.
If you're sick of trying to find freedom by following the latest rules for life, then listen to what the Bible says. In Romans 8:1-17, Paul talks about how the Holy Spirit enables us to enjoy our freedom in Christ.
In Romans 7 we Paul describing the internal battle of someone who loves God but can't do what they want. But the big question is, who is Paul describing, and what does this mean for us as Christians today?
In Romans 6, Paul considers the question, can grace lead to sin? That is if we believe we are saved by grace not works then are we likely to not worry about how we live? Paul's answers is an emphatic no on two counts. Firstly, by grace, we have been united to Christ in his death and resurrection which means we live resurrection lives now which empowers us to flee sin. Secondly, in choosing to put our faith in Jesus we've made the decision to become slaves of God which means we are empowered to choose righteous living over sinful living. Of course this side of heaven we still fall short of our true natures in Christ, but we ought to be on the trajectory of holiness as Christians, not increasing sin.
As we continue our series looking at the book of Romans, today we consider the question of the relationship between Adam, Jesus and us. Looking at Paul's argument in Romans 5:12-21 we see that we inherit our sin from Adam and our righteousness from Jesus. A tricky and theologically full message. We hope that this message will help you take your next step with Jesus.
At the moment the world seems to be full of good reasons not to have hope. Whether it be COVID19, systemic racism, or record unemployment. How do we find hope and joy amid the chaos? This talk addresses these issues from Romans 5:1-11 in the Bible and is part of our series "More than Conquerors".
Ever wondered if you've done enough to earn your way to heaven? If anyone had it surely would be Abraham who was willing to not only leave his homeland for God, but also perform surgery on his delicate parts and nearly kill his own son! But in Romans 4, Paul teaches us that we actually need something other than our works (stuff we do) to save us.
Is God angry with you? Does that mean he doesn't love you? Listen to this message to learn how Jesus solves the problem of God's anger (or wrath) against our sin (the bad stuff we do).
We continue our series More than Conquerors looking at Romans 2:17-3:8. As we look at Paul's words written almost 2,000 years ago we see that what he said then is applicable even today, especially as we struggle in our world for racial reconciliation and justice.
Do you often compare yourself to others to try and work out if you're a good person? Do you spend hours curating your social media profile to make sure you're coming across as a person who loves justice and all the other causes?
How tiring is living life like that? Judging others for not been as good or as woke as you. Hoping beyond hope that you matter and will make a difference.
The Christian story has some good news for you. We can stop playing that game and instead run into the comforting arms of Jesus. But first... we have to accept the bad news, we are horrible, flawed, and sinful and we need help!
A sermon based on Romans 2:1-16.
In Romans 1:18-32, Paul shows us that the big problem each and everyone one of us faces is not someone or something external but rather our own attitude. Paul calls us away from a god-less life to a life with God at the centre!
What does it mean to live a good life? As we take a look at the opening verse of Paul's wonderful letter to the Romans we see that the gospel, the story of Jesus, is good news for everyone! In the gospel, we find the good life!
At a time when the future seems hard to predict, we take a look at the future of the church as we round out our series on What is the church?
Note: Audio is listenable too but a little scratchy for the first 1min30 then we resolve it.
Why does the church exist? What is God's purpose for his people? We take a look at what the bible says about the church and its mission.
We continue our series looking at the church this week by considering the question, who is the church? Who makes up the church? Can anyone claim to be part of the church or are their certain criteria? Let's find out!
What is the church? What does it mean to be God's gathered people when you can't gather? Join us over the coming weeks as we unpack the question, what is church?
Christ is Risen! Three words that ought to have a profound impact on our lives as they change everything!
As we reflect on the story of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, we stop and think about what it means to trust Jesus as our faithful King during this COVID-19 season.
In a time such as this, how do we respond to the call of Jesus to love our neighbour? What does that look like? And how can we be creative in thinking about loving others as God has loved us?
As the world responds to the COVID-19 pandemic we are currently no longer able to meet together in person. This is our first online message helping us think about how we should respond at a time like this.
Jesus tells 3 stories about people who lose what they love and in doing so demonstrates to us God's great love for us and his deep desire for us to run into His open arms of love.
Jesus has an awkward dinner at a Pharisee's house where he teaches them and us that if we want to be part of the great banquet of the kingdom we need to respond positively to Jesus. However, Jesus also warns them and us, that this response will be costly!
The problem of evil and suffering is perhaps one of the most difficult for us as Christians. How can a good and powerful God allow so much pain and evil and suffering? As we examine Luke 13:1-9 we see how Jesus approaches this difficult topic and the answers he provides.
Part of a sermon series by visiting preacher Sam Green that helps us understand the themes and theology of the Old Testament book of 1-2Kings
Paul wraps up his letter to the Thessalonians with instructions for the church in how to live together in gospel community. How to treat leaders, how to treat each other, and how to worship together.
In this section of Thessalonians, Paul writes to the church and tells them to be encouraged even in the face of death by the good news that Jesus died and rose and will return to be with everyone who has put their faith and trust in Jesus, whether they happen to be alive or dead at the time of his return. Paul wants us to be ready for that day by encouraging one another to keep on living out the basics of our faith so that we are not surprised by Jesus' return.
Paul has written to the church he planted in Thessalonica, but had to escape from due to persecution to encourage their faith. We know that Timothy has brought a report to Paul telling him thigns are going well but there are some issues. And one of the issues is that not only are people persecuting the Christians, but they are also challenging and questioning Paul’s motivations for coming to Thessonlica and preaching to them. Paul confronts these misconceptions and in doing shows us his love for the people God had called him to serve, and gives us a model for serving the people God is calling us to.
Paul thanks God for the Thessalonains faith. A faith in Jesus that saves them. As we consider the opening Chapter of Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians, we're invited to consider whether we too have recieved God's gift of savlation.
Sometime's it hurts when the light shines and reveals the darkness in our hearts. This is what happened to the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law at this dinner party and they didn't take it very well! Let's not be like them and instead allow God's light to expose our darkness and bring transformation and renewal!
Jesus invites us to believe the truth, that he is the one who brings the kingdom of God to bear in our lives.
Prayer is important, and as Jesus teaches his disciples about prayer we see both what the content of prayer should be and what our attitdue when we pray should be.
Jesus tells Martha to be like Mary and prioritize spending time at his feet over all the other good stuff in life. That's a message for us in our crazy busy world too! How will we make sure we do what's best and spend time with Jesus? If we want to be disciple making disciples, who love God and love our neighbours, then we need to spend time with Jesus!
How do we receive eternal life? Who is my neighbour? These were the questions Jesus was asked by an exeprt in the law, and they are questions that are still really important for us to think about toay. As we unpack Jesus' answer we see that love of neighbour is a vital response of anyone who has been impacted by God's great love for us.
Jesus sends the 72 on a mission to preach salvation to those God has chosen. We are called to do likewise today.
We wrap up our series on our five theological convictions that shape us and our vision to be a church for Lindisfarne, making disciples of Jesus. This week we look at the great truth that God will provide us with enough for us to do the job he has tasked us with, to make disciples of all nations by word, prayer, and service, supported by fruitful Godly, leaders.
As a church, we believe that Jesus is the boss, and he has sent us on a mission to be disciple-makers. We do that by word, prayer, and service. But the task is too big for one or two. That's why we need to raise up the kind of leaders the bible describes, (fruitful, godly ones), in order to see the church be filled with disciple-making disciples.
Jesus Christ is head of the church and he has sent us to make disciples by word, prayer, and service. These are the how-to guides for the mission Jesus has given his church.
Part 1 of a series designed to help us think through our deeply held beliefs about God (theological convictions) and to make sure we continue to live consistently with these convictions.
We now finish our series looking at the big picture of the whole Bible. Eventually, we will enjoy the Kingdom of God in all it's fullness once Jesus returns. Come, Lord Jesus! Thanks again to Vaughan Roberts and his book God's Big Picture.
If Jesus is the fulfilment of the promises of God, why are we still here? To tell his story, and invite people into the joy of their salvation! We are now God's people, with God's Spirit dwelling in us, enjoying this great blessing. Thanks again to Vaughan Roberts and his book God's Big Picture.
Jesus is the fulfilment of the Kingdom! It's exciting having spent 5 weeks looking at how the big story of the Bible holds together to finally arrive at the pinacle of that story, Jesus! Seeing Jesus in the context of the Old Testament helps us see more clearly who he is and how he can indeed be God's saviour!
We continue our series looking at the big picture of the whole Bible. Having seen the pattern of the Kingdom established in Genesis 1 & 2. And the Kingdom perish due to sin in Genesis 3. We then saw God's grace in action as he promises to restore the kingdom through Abraham and his descendants. Next up we spent two weeks looking at how God's kingdom is partially realised through the people of God in the Old Testament. Today we see how the Old Testament finishes looking forward to a time when God will establish his kingdom in Jesus. Thanks again to Vaughan Roberts and his book God's Big Picture.
We continue our series looking at the big picture of the whole Bible. Having seen the pattern of the Kingdom established in Genesis 1 & 2. And the Kingdom perish due to sin in Genesis 3. We then saw God's grace in action as he promises to restore the kingdom through Abraham and his descendants. This is our second week looking at how God's kingdom is partially realised through the people of God in the Old Testament. Thanks again to Vaughan Roberts and his book God's Big Picture.
We continue our series looking at the big picture of the whole Bible. Having seen the pattern of the Kingdom established in Genesis 1 & 2. And the Kingdom perish due to sin in Genesis 3. We then saw God's grace in action as he promises to restore the kingdom through Abraham and his descendants. Over the next two weeks we'll look at how God's kingdom is partially realised through the people of God in the Old Testament. Thanks again to Vaughan Roberts and his book God's Big Picture.
We begin our series, God's Big Picture looking at how the whole story of the bible fits together under the idea of the Kingdom of God. God's people, in God's place, living under God's rule and blessing. This pattern was established when God created the world. Thanks to Vaughan Roberts for his work on this in his similarly titled book.
Jesus tells a story about a farmer sowing seeds in some soil. In this simiple story is a deep message of truth and an encouragement for us to continue in God's word.
We finish our series on James' letter today, looking at his teachings about wealth and health!
How we speak matters, and for James the key to speaking in a way that pleases God is to allow God to transform your heart.
Today we continue our series in James, looking at chapter 2 of his letter and consider how we engage with people from all backgrounds, especially when we are gathered together as Christians in church.
As we work through chapter 1 of James we’ll see how James is calling us to choose growth, not sin, in the face of suffering, persecution or other trouble.
We finish our New Year, New You series today thinking about what the point of living really is? When you follow Jesus, you get a new purpose for living.
Jesus tells us that when we follow him, we will suffer. Are your expectations striaght?
What's your motivation for living? Why do you want to live differently? With Jesus we have a motivation outside of ourselves for living.
What are you new years resolutions? We begin 2019 with a series that helps us to focus not on ourselves, but on Jesus!
Join us this Advent as we take a look at some of the famous carols of Christmas and think more deeply about what deep truths these words actually reveal about God this Christmas.
Join us this Advent as we take a look at some of the famous carols of Christmas and think more deeply about what deep truths these words actually reveal about God this Christmas.
Join us this Advent as we take a look at some of the famous carols of Christmas and think more deeply about what deep truths these words actually reveal about God this Christmas.
Join us this Advent as we take a look at some of the famous carols of Christmas and think more deeply about what deep truths these words actually reveal about God this Christmas.
Given in the lead up to our Annual Meeting, this sermon reflects on the year that has been and the call Jesus gives us to use our gifts to grow the kingdom!