GBC | Sermons

This Sunday we wrap up our series looking at how the parables of Jesus help us understand the Kingdom of Heaven. Looking at the parable of the wedding banquet, we are met with in imagery that speaks of an eternal hope and promise. The table of the Lord is set, but the question is ‘what kind of guest will we be?’ We'd love for you to join us for one of our services this weekend. For more informatio...

Every parent has heard their child complain "it's not fair" at  some point.  Fairness seems to be something we are all concerned about, even more so when we think we are being treated unfairly, or when we see others get more than we think they might deserve.  The parable of the workers in the vineyard teaches us something about God's attitude to fairness, where we see that The King of the Kingdom...

Jesus is a masterful storyteller and teacher. In response to a question about how many times we should forgive our brothers and sisters, Jesus tells the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. It's a challenging story, meant to help us recognise how much we have been forgiven by God, contrasted with the comparatively little we have to forgive others. This message explores 5 aspects of forgiveness and...

Nehemiah 7:1-5 looks at a time after the completion of the wall, where Nehemiah is appointing people to important roles to fulfil the purposes of God. Even though they were in effect bouncers or security guards, worship leaders, and priests - we can learn from those Nehemiah appointed. Matt Willis our Associate Pastor explores how we too must be people who Care holistically for those around us, ho...

This week our evangelism coordinator Belinda Lakelin continues our series in the book of Nehemiah, Renovation: Rebuilding for Purpose. Belinda looks at opposition from Israel's enemies in Chapter 6 in the form of fake news, fake prophets and fake friends - and explains how Israel's actions that caused the exile in the first place are reoccurring all over again! It's a problem of the heart that no...

This week we return to our series on Nehemiah - Renovation: Rebuilding for Purpose and we look at how the trouble and conflict that was facing God's people outside the wall of Jerusalem suddenly moved to being trouble and conflict INSIDE the wall and how it threatened the mission of God. We'll look at some principles of healing difficult situations and how they applied to this instance, and how we...

An epilogue this week. Jesus's Kingdom of Heaven parables from Matthew 13 are bookended by two interactions with this family and his hometown. The response of his hometown is one of disbelief and dishonour as they could only see the humanity of Jesus, not his Divinity. Familiarity has bred discontent. So let's be a people who see Jesus's power and wisdom and recognise that the fullness of God live...

This week we wrap up our series called Kingdom of Heaven is like, with Associate Pastor Matt Willis exploring the Parable of the Net from Matthew Chapter 13. Matt looks at the Reach of the Kingdom, the Rule of the King and the Role of the people in the Kingdom and encourages us to seek out new treasures from the storehouse of God's activity in our lives. We hope that today you'll experience the lo...

This week Associate Pastor Matt Willis unpacks the parable of the hidden treasure and pearl that Jesus uses to teach us about the Kingdom of Heaven. Matt explores how once we've experienced the tangible Kingdom, the cost of searching for it or obtaining is made redundant or insignificant and we'd give anything to have the Kingdom. So where are you treasure hunting? Where are you seeking first the...

This week our evangelism coordinator Belinda Lakelin continues our series entitled The Kingdom of heaven is like, which looks at parables Jesus told in the book of Matthew. Belinda explores the increasing, invitational and welcoming nature of God's kingdom, which expands from very small beginnings. So often we don't take action, or say something or perform a small act of kindness because we think...

This week we continue our series looking at the parables  Jesus told to explain the Kingdom of Heaven. This parable teaches us three things about the King and also about how we should live as we wait for The King to return. So we patiently wait, living lives that reflect the love of God as we pray "your Kingdom come" and look forward to a time when God will make all things right, and all things ne...

This week Associate Pastor Matt Willis launches a series called 'The Kingdom of Heaven is Like...' This series explores the parables Jesus taught which explain the Kingdom of Heaven, recorded for us in Matthew's Gospel.  Matt unpacks the term "Kingdom of Heaven", covers why Jesus taught in Parables and then narrows in on the Parable of the Sower sometimes know as Soils, looking at the soils we hav...

This week's sermon is from guest speaker Dr Omar Djoeandy, a medical doctor, theologian and author of the new book "Redefining Success According to Jesus". Dr Djoeandy presents a challenging; compelling message, encouraging us to identify and refute worldly definitions of success, to discover afresh what Jesus says about success, and discusses how we might apply Jesus definition of success to our...

Happy Easter! He is risen! This week's message is from Easter Sunday in which we look at Ephesians 2:11-22 to explore part of what Jesus accomplished in his death and resurrection. Part of Jesus' purpose in his death and resurrection was to establish the church as a new humanity; little patches of purple. I hope that any of you who feel a bit on the outer, who feel a bit blue or red, have been enc...

In this week's message we begin our Easter series exploring an important, but often minimised, part of the Easter story and that is the temple as a lens to understand what Jesus accomplished in his death and resurrection. Jesus himself said, "I will destroy this temple and, in three days, rebuild it."  Our text is Mark 11:12-20 where Jesus curses a fig tree on his way to the temple. The bad news o...

For a second week in a row we are looking at Nehemiah chapter 4 and how the people of God responded to opposition. This week Belinda Lakelin, our evangelism coordinator, looks at Nehemiah's response to ridicule and opposition and what we can take away from this. Every great project faces challenges and how we respond is critical. Nehemiah's commendable and challenging prayer reminds us that the pu...

In a brief return to our theme for 2022 - Renovation: Rebuilding for Purpose - we jump back into the book of Nehemiah. We pick the story up as Nehemiah and the people of Judea are in the "messy middle" and under pressure from their opponents and internal friction. Nehemiah's response in the face of these obstacles is instructive for us as we face our own difficult situations. Seeing the 'hidden' h...

This week we conclude our exploration of what it means to discern the invitation of God together by looking at a significant controversy in the early church; the inclusion of the Gentiles in Acts 15. The Holy Spirit has been poured out on all believers to continue and complete the work of Jesus. The Spirit's work undergirds our reflection on Scripture, on our experiences, and our decision-making....

This week we continue our exploration of what it means to discern the invitation of God together by looking at one of the most significant turning points in the entire Bible; the conversion of the Gentiles. This momentous event was accompanied by a vision from heaven and the leading activity of the Spirit but still required discernment. In this message, Roxane Lawler, identifies three principles w...

As we continue our series exploring how the people of God discerned his invitation we turn to the example of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, and the people of Jerusalem who waited for God under immense pressure. Jehoshaphat and his people waited for the Lord in a crisis rather than scrambling to solve their problem. This ability to wait under pressure was developed in the normal rhythms and patterns o...

This week we begin a new series focused on discerning the invitation of God together. These sermons will delve into three stories of how God's people determined where God was leading them together and seek to apply the lessons we learn to our own discernment of what God is inviting us into. Beginning with lots and lots of prayer provides a solid foundation for the work of discerning God's invitati...

As we continue our study of Nehemiah's memoirs as part of our theme series "Renovation: Rebuilding for Purpose" we come to a curious text. Nehemiah 3 contains a long list of the people who repaired the wall of Jerusalem. On the surface, this list is a testimony of a group of people who said 'Yes' to God's plans and purposes, but behind the scenes we see again the mysterious interaction between hum...

This week we continue our theme for 2022 - Renovation: Rebuilding for Purpose and our study of Nehemiah. In this week's sermon, preached by Matt Willis, Nehemiah surveys the broken down walls of Jerusalem for himself. In doing so he gets a first hand view of exactly what he and the people of Judea are up against. There is an important principle for us as we engage in our own work of renovation. So...

This week we continue our theme for 2022 - Renovation: Rebuilding for Purpose and our study of Nehemiah. In this week's text Nehemiah puts his bold plan into action as he makes his request to the king. This interaction highlights a familiar tension for many followers of Jesus: the tension between our desire to trust and rely on God's leading and the desire to do what God is asking us to do. It is...

This week we launch our theme for 2022 - Renovation: Rebuilding for Purpose - and do so by starting a series in the book of Nehemiah. In this first chapter Nehemiah hears about the situation facing the people of God in Judea and is cut to the heart. His response is to turn to prayer and, in so doing, he hears the invitation of God. A heart that is stirred by God is a heart that is moved to prayer...