GBC | Sermons

This week we conclude our summer series "Jesus and the SMH" where we reflect on contemporary issues from the perspective of faith. In this message, associate pastor, Matt Willis, considers the challenges of the mental health pandemic we face. As people of hope we cannot ignore the problems posed by mental health in our society. In fact, our faith allows us to act as people of hope in the face of t...

We live in suspicious times and with access to more information (and misinformation) then at nearly any point in human history. And while conspiracy theories are not necessarily new, the global, digital village makes them so much more prevalent and virulent than every before. As followers of Jesus, invited into the divine purpose, must be careful and not give in to fear as we carry on our "great p...

We are two weeks into our summer series "Jesus and the SMH" where we reflect on contemporary issues from the perspective of faith. In this message, associate pastor, Roxane Lawler, considers the theology of creation care. This is our father's world - the old hymn goes - and that implies a responsibility to care for it. Beyond that, however, the care of creation is also an invitation to participate...

This week we begin a series entitled "Jesus and the SMH" where we consider contemporary issues from the perspective of faith. Over the next few weeks we will be considering Mental Health and Faith, why Christians are prone to Conspiracies, Climate Change and a Theology of Creation Care, and, today, The Great Resignation. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a Great Contemplation, invites all of u...

Our theme for Christmas is "Finding Yourself in Christmas" and today, Matt Willis leads us in a reflection on what we can learn from Herod and the wise men. As we are near the end of the year there is no discipleship menu or Big III podcast this week. They will both kick off again in January. We'd love for you to join us for one of our services this weekend. For more information on upcoming servic...

This Christmas our theme has been "Finding Yourself in Christmas" and in our Christmas Day message I consider what this means and what we can learn from the shepherds. The Bible claims that the birth of Jesus has life-altering, global implications. But these claims are not just for policy makers or governments, but for each and every one of us. All of us are invited to "come and see this thing tha...

This week, Roxane Lawler launches our brief Christmas series, "Finding Yourself in Christmas" looking at the genealogy in Matthew 1. Matthew's genealogy is so much more than a list of names. It is a carefully designed teaching tool that sets us up for the birth, life, death, resurrection, and mission of Jesus that he is about to launch into. The names on this list invite us to find ourselves in Je...

On Sunday we ordained Roxane Lawler, one of our associate pastors. Roxane has undergone a years-long process of becoming accredited by the Baptist Association and, upon completion of that process we were able to ordain her. This interview is the second part and we would encourage you to give that a listen as well; you're sure to be encouraged.  As we are near the end of the year there is no discip...

This week's sermon is kind of a two-parter. On Sunday we ordained Roxane Lawler, one of our associate pastors. Roxane has undergone a years-long process of becoming accredited by the Baptist Association and, upon completion of that process we were able to ordain her. It was an exciting day! As part of the service Marc spoke on a text that was special to Roxane in her journey - Isaiah 54:2. However...

This week we launched our theme for 2022 - Renovation: Rebuilding for Purpose. After two years of disruption and displacement we are in need of a renovation. Marc reflects on the example of Nehemiah and his renovation of the walls of Jerusalem as a pattern for us. As we head into 2022 will you in with us join in praying that we would clearly see the hand of God in our lives, that we would have the...

Today Roxane Lawler wraps up our series looking at the changed life of a Pharisee named Saul or, as many of us know him, Paul the apostle. Whether your story of faith is one of radical change or a more gradual change, We trust you'll remember that the beginning isn't as important as the journey and that, as you continue to follow Jesus, you'll be prepared - as Ananias was - to participate in the m...

In today's message we consider what we can learn about Jesus - his ministry, mission, and motivation - in the account of his encounter with the Gerasene demoniac. In Jesus' rescue of the Gerasene demoniac - a man who could not help himself - we are reminded of Jesus' authority and power, of his mission to "bind up the strong man and plunder him" and of his compassion for those who are drowning and...

In today's message, Belinda Lakelin, our evangelism coordinator here at GBC, contemplates the way Jesus changes the lives of two daughters and the lessons we can learn. One of our desires as a community of faith is to "make disciples" and it is important that we don't just listen to sermons, but that we seek to apply what we hear. To that end we have a simple discipleship menu that accompanies eac...

This week we learn an important lesson about the kind of faith that Jesus honours in the story of the Syrophoenician woman in Mark 7. You can also download a discipleship menu for this sermon. The menus are a selection of activities that you can engage in on your own, with a friend, or even in a small group to put this message into practice in your life. Download the menu from our website gymeabap...

Welcome to the GBC Sermon Podcast, a weekly podcast from Gymea Baptist Church in Sydney Australia. I'm Marc Rader, senior pastor here at GBC and I hope that you are available to hear the invitation of Jesus. This week Matt Willis reflects on the healing of the leper in Mark 1:40-45. In this passage, Jesus' willing and compassionate interaction with a man who had experienced rejection, isolation, a...

Welcome to the GBC Sermon Podcast, a weekly podcast from Gymea Baptist Church in Sydney Australia. I'm Marc Rader, senior pastor here at GBC and I hope that you are available to hear the invitation of Jesus. In this week's message we consider the transformation of Timothy's life by Jesus and, in particular, focus on the organic imagery of a fire that Paul uses. Before we get to the message, let me...

This week we continue our series entitled: Lives Changed by Jesus. Ten stories from the New Testament of people whose lives were changed by a single, common factor: encountering Jesus. This week, Belinda Lakelin reflects on the transformed life of the so-called "sinful" woman who anoints him in Luke 7:36-50. The actions of this unnamed, but forgiven, woman stand in stark contrast to Simon's. In th...

This week we continue our series entitled: Lives Changed by Jesus. Ten stories from the New Testament of people whose lives were changed by a single, common factor: encountering Jesus. In this week's passage an Ethiopian official hears the good news of Jesus from Philip. Philip's availability and the Ethiopian official's faithful curiosity are brought together by the activity of Jesus. I hope that...

In our message this week, Roxane Lawler, reflects on the story of the paralytic in Mark 2:1-12 and the change that occurred in his life when his friends brought him to Jesus. Jesus has the power and the authority to heal, but he also has the power and authority to deal with our deepest need; forgiveness of sin. We can turn to Jesus because he has this authority. Due to the current Public Health Or...

We're back after a one-week break with a new sermon series: Lives Changed by Jesus. Ten stories from the New Testament of people whose lives were changed by a single, common factor: encountering Jesus. Some sought him out, some were found by him. Some met him face-to-face, some were told about him by others. Some were social elites, others were outcasts. Some encounters were dramatic, some took pl...

This past week we celebrated what we called Shoutout Sunday a chance to take a deep breath after 12 weeks of lockdown to express thanks for those people who have kept us sane and for those small victories that we've experienced, it was a little bit of fun. As we enter spring and the hope of easing restrictions in the next month or so. As part of this special service, Marc Rader shared some brief t...

This week we explore the last of the five relational contexts that God uses to help us grow as followers of Jesus; the public context. We never stop being the church; whether we are spending time alone with God or worshipping in a crowd We hope that this series has encouraged you to see your discipleship in a wider context. In fact, to see it from the perspective of five contexts: God and you, you...

This week associate pastor Roxane Lawler explores some of the features of the social context, where more than 20 people engage in a mission community. We are all part of the body of Christ and we all have a place in it. The social context allows for another important expression of our discipleship. Next week we'll be concluding this series with a look at the last context, the Public Context - Disc...

This week we explore the fourth discipleship context that God uses to help us grow as followers of Jesus; the social context. In this context more than twenty people relate and connect and discipleship occurs in community, practice, and mission. We are called to be a community on mission; unified around God's invitation to join him in his grand plan to renew all things in Christ Jesus through the...

In this week's message we continue to explore the third relational context that God uses as we follow Jesus; the personal context. In the personal context between 5-12 people regularly gather to experience closeness, support, and challenge. If the divine context is God and you and the transparent is you and few, the personal is you and a crew. This week, associate pastor Matt Willis, encourages us...