Exodus 1:6-14 — After centuries in Egypt circumstances changed dramatically for the Children of Israel. A new Pharaoh decided to turn on this group of people that had grown rapidly. He made them slaves and subjected to them to a regime of terrible violence and brutality. These were God’s chosen people, so why did He allow…
Jeremiah 42 — In this chapter we meet a remnant in Judah who survived not only the atrocities committed by the Chaldeans but also the murderous activities of a warlord named Ishmael. Their leaders were ready to take them into Egypt in the hopes of finding safety, security and economic opportunity but before they departed, they…
Romans 5:3-4 — Sometimes it seems as though all we have to rejoice in as Christians are those things that await us in the future. We feel like we have to grit our teeth and somehow make it through this life while trying to keep our eyes fixed on the glory that is to come. Is…
James 1:22-25 — When does a sermon finish? The obvious answer is when the preacher says “Amen” and stops talking, but this is incorrect for it’s then, for the hearer, that the sermon really begins! In this message Pastor Brendan explains what we must do to ensure we receive all that God for intends for us from the…
Jeremiah 22:13-19 — King Jehoiakim was a man driven by greed and in this short text we see what his greed led to. He exploited and oppressed his own people. He perpetrated violence and murder and as a consequence God ensured he died a shameful death. Jehoiakim’s life stands as a warning about the deadly dangers…
Psalm 130:3-4 — “If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?…” What if God noted down our sins and never remitted them? What if they continued to pile up over the years? How could any of us stand before Him on the Day of Judgment? This is a fearful thought and it does us…
Romans 12:9a — “Let love be without dissimulation.” “Fake news” is a term that we’re all getting used to. It describes a real phenomenon that’s swirling around the world of social media and it’s also a term that certain politicians use to dismiss unflattering news stories. More than ever we need a healthy level of scepticism…
Matthew 5:13-16 — Since 1911, the census has collected information on religious affiliations and in 2016, for the first time, more Australians identified as having “no religion” than anything else. In 2006 it was 19% of the population who identified this way, in 2011 it was 22% and now it stands at 30%. This is a remarkable change…
Psalm 42 — Christians are not immune to seasons of discouragement and despondency. These are part of the human condition. Thankfully, God tells us how we can endure these seasons without losing all hope. Instead of listening to ourselves we need to start talking to ourselves. We need to do what the Psalmist does in this…
II Kings 3:4-15 — The kings of Israel, Judah and Edom were in big trouble. They had marched their armies for seven days into the wilderness and had run out of water. They were now ripe for defeat by the forces of Moab. In desperation, a prophet was called for and by God’s good providence…