Individual Message (Page 3)
Jonny Lush: The Dependent Widow
When it comes to spiritual disciplines like prayer it is so easy to beat ourselves up about how slack or forgetful we might be. So when Jesus tells His disciples a story to fuel their persistence in prayer what we find is not a guilt trip or beat down, but rather it is a story of an unrighteous judge and a poor widow. As Jonny Lush unpacks this story we find a stunning encouragement to pray.
What’s your response
In his short life on earth Jesus had a lot to say and the words which he spoke have had impacted countless lives over the last 2000 or so years. The parable of the sower challenges us to consider how we have responded to Jesus. Are you willing to listen to his words and reflect upon the impact they could have on your life? Have you accepted Christ’s words in the past but for a particular reason have since rejected…
Josh Mays: The Rich Fool
“The Great Aussie Dream” is wrapped up in hard work, property, financial security, food and life enjoyment. And so when Jesus tells a parable about a farmer who worked hard, reaped the rewards of the work and invested it wisely we might be shocked when Jesus declares this man to be a fool. Josh Mays shares with us why this man is a fool and how his foolishness can so easily entangle us.
Ultimate Treasure
The parables of “The Hidden Treasure” and “The Pearl of Great Price” remind us not only that Jesus is a great treasure worth our giving up everything for, but also of the good news that he first sought and purchased us at great cost to himself. The dire warning of “The Parable of the Net”, however, encourages us to put ourselves to the test: do we really know the treasure that Jesus is, or do we simply try to use…
Reckless Devotion
Being sensible is highly valued in our culture and it also seems to be valued in the scriptures in terms of practical wisdom, sober-mindedness and self-control. But we all know of followers of Jesus who have made decisions that our world considers reckless like missionaries heading to persecuted countries to preach an illegal gospel. So what happens when following Jesus looks more reckless than sensible? Pastor Joe examines one encounter when a woman displays reckless devotion to Jesus and what…
The God Who Serves
Deep down inside all of us want to be known as self-made men and women. Our immediate thought is to take on life by ourselves without ever wanting to ask for help so that we might be able to take all the credit for it, so that others might think of us as impressive. But when it comes to our relationship with God our self-determination can actually push us further away from Him rather than impress Him. Pastor Joe looks…
SMBC Team: Hope in Confession
A team from Sydney Missionary and Bible College joined us for a week of ministry and one of the students Brian shared with us from Psalm 32.
Small God Syndrome
It is great that Psalm 23 and 24 are paired together in Israel’s song book because they add a much needed balance to our image of God. Where 23 gave us the image of an intimate, caring, protecting and guiding shepherd God, Psalm 24 gives us an altogether different picture. Pastor Joe traces the events surrounding the writing of this Psalm and how they contribute to a vision of God that breaks through the limitations we often place around Him and challenges…
Where the grass is greener
No matter how many good things that we have in life just about all of us suffer from a deep feeling that we could do with just a little bit more. Sometimes our dissatisfaction in life can flow over to our understanding of faith… we feel we want just a little bit more than Jesus can offer. Pastor Joe looks at the most famous Psalm and highlights two stunning images of God that heal our “grass is always greener” hearts…