CityReach Marion

Luke Watts, Lead Pastor at CityReach Marion, begins our new sermon series in John's Gospel. John the Apostle had a clear purpose in his account of Jesus' life - to provide example, witness, and opportunity for people to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that believing, they might have life in his name (John 20:31). His introduction to this purpose is to who Jesus really is, an...

Will Hall from Compassion Australia shares with us about the 3 spaces of mission. It begins where God's people gather - today, that's the church, to prepare us to go into the marketplace where we demonstrate and proclaim Jesus, and then also erquips us then to be ready when we are invited into spaces where God is not known.

The next generation is shaped by the voices they hear most. Henry Engelbrecht, Principal of Sunrise Christian School - Marion, points to Psalm 145 and the responsibility to declare God's works from one generation to another. Whether a testimony feels dramatic or ordinary, it still speaks of what God has done. What are you declaring to the next generation?

God's compassion reaches further than our own. John Warner from Bush Church Aid Society reflects on Jonah's anger when God showed mercy to Nineveh, revealing how difficult it can be to accept grace for those we believe deserve judgment. Since Christ died for us while we were still His enemies, how might His mercy move you to show compassion to someone you find difficult?

If you are in Christ, you do not stand condemned. John Ewers from Destiny Rescue Australia draws from Romans 8:1–11 to remind believers that the Holy Spirit already dwells in them as Helper, seal, and enabler. Rather than living from fear, failure, or the flesh, you are called to walk by the Spirit, repent when convicted, and bear fruit that witnesses to the world around you. If the world is readi...

Every good story longs for a happily ever after, but the closing chapters of Esther refuse to tidy up the mess. On the very day enemies hoped to destroy God’s people, the reverse happened, and relief came in full. As Luke Watts walks through these final scenes, the brutal details aren’t softened, because they carry a weightier truth: God never saves halfway, and He never judges halfway. That same...

When the crisis seems tangled and unfinished, Esther reminds believers that God can still be working through the mess. Darren Western traces the moment when Haman’s plot is exposed, his own gallows become his end, and yet Esther must plead again because the danger to her people remains. From there, the sermon presses toward courageous faith: seeking God’s presence before crisis, using what we have...

God has made us for honour, but Esther 5:1–6:13 shows how quickly the desire for recognition can become twisted. Luke Watts traces Esther’s risky approach to the king, Haman’s fragile joy, Mordecai’s unexpected honour, and the sleepless night that reveals God’s providence at work. As Haman’s hunger for glory exposes the selfishness of the human heart, the sermon points to the only King who can tak...

Esther 4 brings God’s people to a moment of crisis. Haman’s law threatens the Jews with death, Mordecai mourns in public, and Esther must decide whether to stay silent or risk her life for her people. Luke Watts shows how Esther responds with courage, trust in God, and love for others. Esther’s brave action points us to Jesus, the true King, who gave His life to save His people. What does it look...

Pride is never harmless. In Esther 3, Haman’s wounded pride becomes rage, manipulation, and a plot to destroy God’s people. James March shows how pride corrupts the heart, blinds judgment, and dehumanises others. Yet even when evil appears unchecked and God seems silent, His sovereign purposes are still at work, pointing us to Jesus, the humble Saviour who forgives, humbles, and transforms His peo...

What kind of king are you serving? In Esther 2, Luke Watts explores a confronting story of power, beauty, compromise, and God’s hidden providence. Even in broken circumstances, God is at work, calling his people to resist compromise, find their identity in him, and serve Christ, the true King.

What does God do when power is proud, wisdom is worldly, and everything seems to rest in human hands? In this message from Esther 1, Peter Budimir opens the book by showing the fragile glory of King Ahasuerus and the quiet providence of God. Behind the feast, the pride, and the royal decree, the Lord is preparing the way for His purposes. Esther 1 reminds us that even when God is not named, He is...

Prayer can be hard. Some days it feels natural; other days it feels dry, weak, or absent altogether. In this sermon on Luke 18:1–14, Luke Watts shows how Jesus calls us to keep praying without losing heart and to come before God with humility, not self-reliance. If prayer has been a struggle, this message will encourage you to rest in God’s mercy and draw near through Christ, who gives us access t...

Why does the resurrection of Jesus matter for faith and life today? This Resurrection Sunday message begins with the reading of Luke 23:50 to 24:12 and then reflects on the meaning of Jesus’ resurrection through 1 Corinthians 15, Romans 6, and Philippians 3. The sermon focuses on the resurrection as foundational, transformational, and relational for the Christian life.  

On Good Friday, Darren Western reflects on Mark 15 by tracing four themes in Jesus’ death: Darkness, Abandonment, Access, and Response. He invites the church to dwell at the cross and consider both the depth of Christ’s suffering and the grace flowing from His death: Forgiveness, Belonging, and Access to God for those who believe. With the temple curtain torn and the centurion confessing, “Truly,...

In this final message in our series on 2 Corinthians, Luke Watts turns to Paul's closing appeal to the church at Corinth in 2 Corinthians 12:11 to 13:14. The passage is tender and weighty. Paul warns with love, calls believers to examine themselves, and urges them toward repentance, restoration, maturity, and peace in Christ. This sermon reminds us that God does not confront us to crush us, but to...

In this message, Peter Budimir opens Paul’s difficult but beautiful words, "When I am weak, then I am strong." As Paul responds to false and self-promoting teachers, he does not point to outward impressiveness, but to suffering, weakness, and the sustaining grace of God.  This sermon reminds us that true Christian strength is not found in self-confidence, status, or appearance, but in humble depen...

Luke Watts shares about Paul's "self" defence which was really a defence of the Gospel. When we know our Saviour, know the resrouces of divine power we have, know who we are because his work, we can correctly identify the enemy and overcome any attack against us. 

What does 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 say about biblical generosity? In this Conversation Sunday, we slow down and open these chapters together, reflecting on the grace of God, the example of Christ, cheerful giving, readiness, integrity, and thanksgiving to God. Please keep your Bible open, search the Scriptures carefully, and pray for wisdom as you listen. Will you humbly ask God to examine your heart...

Visiting speaker Craig Broman from Engage Work Faith shares with us from Acts 10 on how God transforms us, bringing outsiders in to his family. We are challenged to think about our prejudices - who is in my sheet?

From "open wide your hearts," to "do not be yoked," to "godly sorrow brings repentance," Luke Watts shows a single path: love that stays open, holiness that stays loyal, and repentance that stays honest. This is not isolation from the world, but refusing anything that reshapes your worship while embracing community that reshapes you into Christ. What is shaping you more right now: the influences y...

Luke Watts shares with us from 2 Corinthians 5 and 6 about our call to be ambassadors of Christ. Who is sufficient for such a calling? Those who know the fear of the Lord and are seized by the love of Christ! 

Darren Western teaches us from 2 Corinthians 5 on how to live a hopeful, faithful, and focussed life. The ressurrection life of Jesus works for us here and now and whatever we build in life from reliance on him will last. 

Peter Budimir leads us in a look at 2 Corinthians 3 and how beholding Christ builds our faith. 

Luke Watts shows that resilient faith submits our plans to God’s faithful "Yes" in Christ, refuses Satan’s schemes of deception, division, and destruction, and stays close enough to Jesus to carry the aroma of Christ into the world as we follow Him in His victory procession. Do your plans show you’re close to Jesus and are shaped by his "Yes," or do they show you’re being driven by comfort and con...