City South Presbyterian

The wise teacher enjoys all the goodness the world has to offer, and invites us to consider how to wisely enjoy this goodness knowing that we will die, and that it might reveal the goodness of the creator.

The wise teacher describes life in the face of death as 'hebel' — while this often gets translated as 'meaningless' it can also be understood as 'vapour' — wise people don't build a life clutching after vapour but things that answer the longing for eternity written on our hearts.

The wise teacher in Ecclesiastes explores what life might look like 'under the sun' — the material world closed off from God. That's the world lots of modern wise people think we're living in now. 

Doug Green unpacks the way the book of Job presents Job, the righteous sufferer, as an example of the suffering servant we see described in Isaiah, and then fulfilled in Jesus.

We can respond to suffering with wisdom or folly. What does this ancient book teach us about seeking wisdom in suffering?

Job is presented to us a model of wisdom; and yet he suffers. Job's friends look wise for a minute (or longer), and then they speak. What does wisdom look like when it doesn't produce prosperity but responds to suffering?

Living wisely with God's world means working with wisdom and being wise with the fruit of our labours. Here Phil unpacks some of what the Proverbs have to say about wise economics, including how we think about work and money.

Wisdom — a right understanding of the world — is part of the way we get to know what God is really like. Here's Nathan and Robyn unpacking how God's people might walk wisely together as part of how we introduce people to God.

Nathan and Robyn unpack how Proverbs presents the pursuit of wisdom as walking together in friendship. 

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and we come to know and fear God by hearing his word and doing what it says. 

Wisdom is practical and applied — walked — not just head knowledge. 

Wisdom is about right relationship with God, each other, and his world. 

For this week's questions I was joined by Dr Wendy Soares. We tackled: 1. How do I love my neighbour when my neighbour is abusive?  2. What does it look like to relate safely to an unsafe person?  3. Are we meant to love unconditionally like God? What does it look like to have boundaries and love like this?  4. Are Christians allowed to be angry? If so how do we express anger approp...

This week Robyn, Matt, and Ryan join Nathan to answer: 1. How does God see us? 2. Is God homophobic? Is the church? Is our church? 3. If God knows the future, is it ok to be angry at God for not listening to us? 4. Where did Jesus go when he died? Did he descend into Hell like the creed says? And why?

In January we're answering questions from our community in a real live "Ask Me Anything". Send yours to questions@cspc.org.au. This week's panel featured Kamina and Mick Wust, and Doug Green. Kamina has just finished her PhD in Song of Songs at Moore College, Mick has spent the last few years in Sydney teaching in the Youthworks Year 13 program, while Doug has been teaching Old Testament in theolo...

Revelation invites us to see Jesus as he really is, and see the world through from the throne room of heaven where he rules.

God's love is experienced in his presence, and in the presents he gives his people. The incarnation of Jesus is the ultimate expression of God's love.

Jesus came in the flesh to invite us to experience joy, in the flesh. Joy, through the Bible, is about being restored into the presence of God as creator and redeemer, and the source of abundant joy.

Jesus comes to bring us peace from the storms of life, by bringing us peace with God, and securing our future in his new creation.

Counting down to a beautiful Christmas; which is a Christmas full of hopeful anticipation that Jesus will return to make all things new because he came to end our exile from God.

Revelation invites us to choose between the city of God — the New Jerusalem, and the City of the Beast, represented by Rome, Babylon, and the old Jerusalem.

Beastly kingdoms don't just scare people into compliance with the sword, they create false Edens and false Messiahs and invite us in to false worship. They are parodies of the true kingdom of God, where the slain lamb will lead us into the new Eden he creates with his Father, if we worship him. 

Revelation invites us to choose our king, and to do so with the curtains of heaven opened so we can see the slain lamb on the throne with the almighty God at the centre of the heavens and the earth.

Revelation is a letter to seven churches. Seven is a symbolic number for fullness, so the letter is an invitation for the people of Jesus to stay faithful to him and so share in his victory and the new creation.

A journey through the Bible's vision of humanity — we either become beautiful or beastly depending on what we worship, what kingdom we join, and what king we serve.