City On A Hill: Melbourne West

How many times does God become an afterthought where we pray that God will bless the decisions we've made instead of relying on him for wisdom on what to do? The story of the Gibeonite deception is a reminder that a covenant with no counsel is not clever, sometimes cunning pays off, and God's grace to the Gibeonites points to him being the perfect promise keeper.

Despite being in the promised land of milk and honey, Achan desired more and stole a year's salary from the treasury. He did what he knew he shouldn't do, because the desire of the human heart is powerful. Don't follow your heart, follow God. Sin can't be hidden forever, everything done in darkness will be brought to light. Whatever is in the dirt, God will unearth, and judgement will come like Achan in the valley of Achor. Yet, for those in Christ, we have the door of hope, and salvation from our sins.

Without God's presence, Israel could do nothing. God chose the weak to shame the strong, the foolish to shame the wise. When you face a wall, trust God even when you feel like you're going in circles, the battle feels beyond you, and the world is burning. How do we handle a God that preaches life but allows death, that demands righteousness and judges wickedness? In God's judgement, there is mercy. The same Spirit that brought the walls of Jericho down, lives in the faithful. For all who look at Christ, there is life forevermore.

To cross the Jordan, Israel needed leadership and preparation. As God was with Moses, so he was with Joshua. Rather than placing their trust in their military might, they placed their trust in the ark of the covenant, and made their frontmen priests. Are we going to let fear or faith drive us? Will we trust in God's promises? By looking back on the promises of God in the past, the Israelites could confidently move forward, and so too can we.

Rahab's story is a reminder that faith without courage is dead, and that the grace of God reaches unexpected places and unexpected people. His arms are never too short to save. God is looking for people of word and deed, faith and action. It is much easier to talk about courage under fire, than it is living it. Real faith comes from courage under fire, hearing God's word, and seeking refuge in the hand of God. Let the story of Rahab hiding the spies be an encouragement to you today.

An inconvenient call comes to an elderly man, Joshua, who is commissioned to remind the Israelites that though Moses is dead, God's promise is alive. God is in Joshua's corner, granting him courage under fire. Like Joshua, may we be strong and courageous in the Lord, resolving to dwell in God's word and meditate on it. In the battle between faith and fear, fight with the sword of the word.

A sermon in the Pray series.

A sermon in the Pray series.

A sermon in the Pray series.

A sermon in the Pray series.

The fullness of God's love, joy, peace, and glory dwells fully in Jesus. Everything that was, is, and always will be God, has been, is, and will always be Jesus. He is the God who reveals, the God who reconciles, and the God who restores. Jesus made peace for us by his blood on the cross, and he will come again to make all things new.

As Jesus is lord over this cosmos, so shall he be lord over the new heavens and earth as the first-born from the dead, the only one who was able to defeat death once and for all. There will be no referendums nor any limits to his reign, for Christ is preeminent and he shall reign forever.

Jesus holds all things at a cosmic, historical, and personal level. He is before all things - the cosmos, nature, or kingdoms - and in him all things hold together. His hands both hold the universe, and feed the sparrow. As his beloved creation, we are of more value than the sparrow. When anxiety washes over you, look to the one who holds the whole world in his hands.

The supremacy of Christ over all creation helps us stay curious, practice thankfulness, steward God's world, and worship Jesus as lord over all. There is nothing in all creation that doesn't find its origin and design in Jesus. It doesn't exist primarily for us, but for Jesus. Every planet, every sunrise, every mountain, every valley, every ocean, every heart, and every nation. All things were created through him and for him.

In Colossians, Paul was speaking to a church battling the heresy of Gnosticism, that the spiritual is better than the physical and Jesus was fully spirit yet gave the illusion of having a physical body. To this Paul writes about the pre-eminence of Christ, who is 'the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.'In Jesus, the invisible God became visible, the cosmic God who held the stars walked on Earth to be close to us. God became one of us. God has written himself into history and the story of our lives, to reveal himself to us and make himself known through Jesus. When Paul calls Jesus the first-born over all creation, he is not calling Christ a creation but reminding us that Christ is first and foremost over all things: every planet, every being, every nation, and everthing in all creation. Is he first in your life, your purpose, your possessions, and your time?

A sermon in the Choose Your Own Adventure series.

A sermon in the Choose Your Own Adventure series.

A sermon in the Choose Your Own Adventure series.

No one wants to fail. We are all trying our best to make this life work but somehow our flesh and this world have a way of catching us out. We will end up finding ourselves amidst our frailty and sin. What do we do then? The prodigal son is the story of all of us. Promised inheritance of our father’s land, we squander our blessings and live life our way, until life doesn’t work out anymore and we find ourselves bearing the weight of our sin and longing for a home to rest. We become overcome with fear that our father would never want us back. Yet, the father is waiting for us with open arms. When he sees us seeking him and facing him, recognising the mess of our life, we are not met with reproach but a father who runs to us. clothes us with a rich robe, and prepares a banquet to celebrate the return of the one who ‘was lost, but is not found; dead but is now alive.’ May we forsake the distant country of this world, and return to our inheritance in heaven, knowing God is waiting with...

Trans people are real people, and like all people, are made in the image of God. They are not a political tool to be weaponised for social commentary. We ought to remember who God says we are and that we are loved by him. We are not who the world tells us we are because we live in a broken world, marred physically and spiritually because of the fall. Our hope is in Jesus, the suffering servant, who is good news of great joy to all people. We remember that in Christ we have a new identity that transcends gender, and the people who don’t feel at home in their bodies are people whom God cares for and whom he wants to know him.