Christ Church Hawker sermons

Send us Fan Mail When life gets complicated, it’s tempting to make faith simpler by changing the words — to make the gospel sound more believable. But in 2 Timothy 2, Paul warns that “wrangling over words” doesn’t save the gospel — it ruins it.  In this message, Phil Rademaker explores how redefining the gospel empties it of power — and why we don’t need to rescue Christianity because it already h...

Send us Fan Mail When life gets noisy, it’s easy to forget why we started following Jesus in the first place. In 2 Timothy 2, Paul reminds us to keep our eyes on the prize: to remember who we are —soldiers, athletes, farmers; to remember why we signed up —because Jesus first loved us; and to remember what he promised —life, purpose, and a share in his glory. In this message, Phil Rademaker explore...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Phil unpacks 2 Timothy 1:8–18 and challenges the idea that faith is a private matter. From Caesar’s Rome to modern-day Canberra, declaring that Jesus is Lord has always been a public act — one that inevitably clashes with the powers that be. Paul writes to Timothy from prison, urging him not to be ashamed of the gospel or of those who suffer for it. Phil explores...

Send us Fan Mail In today’s message, we’re looking at 2 Timothy chapter 1, where Paul reminds a young and timid Timothy that the Great Commission comes with a Great Provision — the Holy Spirit, who gives us power, love, and self-discipline. Whether you’re feeling confident or hesitant in faith right now, this passage reminds us that God gives us exactly what we need to carry out his call. Check ou...

Send us Fan Mail In this sermon, Bob Mendelsohn from Jews for Jesus takes us through through the Hebrew Bible, showing us how all signs point to the fact that Yeshua (Jesus) is the long promised Messiah. Check out our website at christchurchhawker.org Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/ChristChurchHawkerACT Visit us at 196 Hawker Pl, Hawker ACT 2614

Send us Fan Mail Exodus chapters 25–40 are all about the tabernacle—the tent God asked his people to build in the wilderness. At first glance, it can seem like endless details about curtains, lampstands, and priestly robes. But in fact, these chapters reveal the very heart of God’s plan for the world. The tabernacle shows us that God doesn’t stand at a distance. He moves in. He sets up his home wi...

Send us Fan Mail A mountaintop experience. A deeply spiritual moment. A meaningful, tangible experience of God. These are not what most of us think of when we think of the 10 commandments. And yet, this is what God was inviting the Israelites to when he gave them.  What is the point of the commandments? What, if anything, do they have to do with experiencing God's presence? Join Laura as she...

Send us Fan Mail We live in a culture that never stops—always hustling, always busy, always on. In Exodus 16, Israel faced the same temptation in the wilderness: to act as if survival depended on constant striving. But God gave them manna, not just to feed them, but to teach them how to be free. In this sermon, we see how trust in God breaks the chains of control, how His daily provision trains us...

Send us Fan Mail When we read the book of Acts, it feels like the glossy brochure for Christianity—miracles, healing, thousands coming to faith. But then we look at our own lives, and it’s not quite the same. Following Jesus often feels confusing, costly, even dangerous. In this sermon from Exodus 14, we see that redemption isn’t just about being rescued—it’s about being remade. God doesn’t only c...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Learning to Live Free , we open Exodus 11 and 12 and come face to face with the magnitude of God’s salvation. Pharaoh’s stubborn pride has turned Egypt into a land of death, and the plagues show that this is where human resistance to God always leads. Yet in the midst of judgment, God provides a way of escape: the blood of a substitute lamb. And as Israel depart...

Send us Fan Mail Crises tend to reveal a person's character. When push comes to shove, we see who is selfish, who is calm, who lashes out, and who is sacrificial.  The plagues of Egypt are a crisis, manufactured by God and they reveal a lot about his character. We see that he is pure in his justice, patient in his warnings, and full of pity for all people.  Check out our website at christchur...

Send us Fan Mail Why is salvation such a long, messy, complicated story? Surely if God wanted to, he could snap his fingers and, hey presto, no more Pharaoh, Egypt or slavery. But that's not what happens. Likewise, if you've ever tried to change sinful behaviours, you may have felt trapped and wondered why? Why doesn't God change us instantly?  In this sermon Phil explores the reaso...

Send us Fan Mail Here I am, send someone else!  Moses, like so many characters in the bible, is an unlikely hero. When given every assurance that God is powerful, willing, determined and dead set on rescuing his people, Moses tries to find every reason to avoid the part God has for him in the Exodus. Yet, it's through this faltering, failing human being that God announces his rescue. Which is...

Send us Fan Mail In this opening talk from our series on Exodus , we step into a story that doesn’t start with victory—but with pain, oppression, and silence. Israel is stuck in Egypt, suffering under a Pharaoh who sees God’s blessing as a threat. It’s a world that feels eerily familiar. We explore how Exodus gives us a pattern: that when God begins to bless, opposition always follows. And yet—thi...

Send us Fan Mail This week, Cameron Mason speaks on the great value of God's salvation. Cameron works with university students and notes that the same salvation announced 2000 years ago with the resurrection of Jesus is at work today at the University of Canberra. Check out our website at christchurchhawker.org Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/ChristChurchHawkerACT Visit us at 196 Hawker P...

Send us Fan Mail Why do we sing in church? It’s not just tradition — and it’s definitely not about performance. In this episode, we explore the deep, biblical reasons Christians sing together: to worship God, to let the gospel dwell in us, and to serve one another. From the Psalms to Paul’s letters, singing has a unique power to move our hearts and shape our faith. Join us as we unpack how God use...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever believed something in your head but struggled to feel it in your heart? In this week’s message, Phil explores how Holy Communion is God’s answer to that disconnection. Drawing on the Passover, the early church in Corinth, and the wedding feast still to come, this sermon unpacks how Communion reconnects us—to the cross where Jesus rescues us, to each other in a divide...

Send us Fan Mail What if the most radical thing you do at church this week… is shake someone’s hand? In this sermon, we unpack the greeting of peace—not as a throwaway moment or a liturgical stretch break, but as a powerful, gospel-driven act of reconciliation. We’ll explore how Jesus’ first post-resurrection words—“Peace be with you”—aren’t just comforting, they’re commissioning. You’ll hear why...

Send us Fan Mail Jesus prayed often. He prayed alone, with others, at night, during the day, before major events in his ministry. His very last words were a prayer. In short, Jesus' life was saturated with prayer.  When his disciples finally ask him to teach them to pray, what he says is remarkably short but it is packed with meaning. It's also full of 'us' language. In this se...

Send us Fan Mail If the bible is God's word, why do we need to hear another word when we gather as a church? Since the earliest days of the church, preaching has been a central part of worship but what exactly is it supposed to do? Is it just explaining the bible? Is it a personal reflection? Or is it just the chance for the minister to enjoy the sound of their own voice?  The bible has an an...

Send us Fan Mail In an age of noise, splintered opinions, and endless commentary, is there still power in simply reading the Bible aloud together? In this episode, we explore the ancient yet vital practice of public Scripture reading and why it remains central to Christian worship. Drawing on passages like 1 Timothy 4, John 5, and Nehemiah 8, we’ll see how this practice reminds us that God still s...

Send us Fan Mail Is there anything worse than a forced apology? After so many celebrity and politicians have made strategic, stage managed confessions, it's easy to become cynical. But owning our failures need not be just another image management tactic. What if it were a reminder of God's love? What if it were a way to avoid both denial and despair? And what if it was the very thing we...

Send us Fan Mail Christians gather together every Sunday and have done ever since the New Testament. But have you ever wondered why? There's plenty of opinions out there, ranging from the transactional (to keep God happy), through to the social (to see friends). Is there a more theological reason why we gather? And why on a Sunday? And what does it all have to do with the Australian embassy i...

Send us Fan Mail Why do we do what we do at church? Why gather, pray, sing, share a tiny wafer and a sip of wine? And why does it all start with getting wet? In this new series, we're going to unpack the things we do at church in the hope that as we do, we'll see the value of every part. And we start with Baptism, the great moment when God welcomes someone into his family, washes them cl...

Send us Fan Mail Check out our website at christchurchhawker.org Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/ChristChurchHawkerACT Visit us at 196 Hawker Pl, Hawker ACT 2614