GBC | Sermons

It’s a bit of cliche, but world peace wouldn’t be a bad Christmas gift would it? And if not world peace, what about strong, courageous leadership? Leadership that isn’t self-seeking or self-serving and that releases us to build a better future. Fear and hope are very, very different. Leadership that plays to our fears limits us and cripples our response to need. Leadership, like that which Jesus o...

The calendar has ticked over to December which means that Christmas mustn’t be too far away. Of course, there have been hints and indicators of this in our shopping malls and pop-up ads for months, but once the calendar reads “December” we know it’s finally, really close at hand. As we enter the period of time known as “Advent” it’s worth reflecting on how we can prepare for Christmas as followers...

“As the Father sent me, I am sending you.” These words of Jesus to his followers represent what one author calls “the greatest commission”. Regardless of what we title this commission, it is certainly a profound invitation and one that we cannot even begin to hope to complete in our strength or wisdom. Thankfully, Jesus doesn’t simply give the commission and leave. He also provides the resources n...

A wise person once observed that the only constant in our world is change. Change is inevitable and often brings positive benefits. I’m sure you can think of a change in your life that has had massive impact in your life. Changes can be great, but the process of change can be a bit messy. But if you aren’t willing to embrace that process, you will not reap the rewards either. While this is a messa...

As followers of Jesus, like every area of our lives, we do not mature or grow in isolation. Off the top of my head I can think of a handful of people who’s lives as followers of Jesus impacted my own. Beyond the influence of others, the times when I have grown and matured the most have been when I’ve faced challenges and difficulty. In those times, when I have been stretched I have also grown. I’m...

We love hearing stories of people who have done extraordinary things with their lives; those who have made a real difference in our world. These sorts of accounts are inspirational, but we can sometimes fail to see the connection with our life. The extraordinary achievements seem so far from our capacity that we end up only inspired in heart, not in our actions.

Have you ever crossed a creek on a branch and heard it crack? When this happens you generally don’t hang around on the branch but seek to get to the other side as quickly as you can, spending as little time as possible on the uncertain bridge that you no longer totally trust to bear you weight. We sometimes experience this same uncertainty when a relationship is compromised. What if it our core be...

John’s gospel often gives us a very different perspective on Jesus’ ministry than the other three do. One of the starkest is the night Jesus was betrayed. Where the other gospel writers describe the Last Supper, John focuses on Jesus’ actions in washing his disciples’ feet.

What is your response to something new? Are you what they call an ‘early adopter’? Or, do you wait until whatever is ’new’ sticks? Or, do you resist it? Chances are, your answer to that is different in different contexts. But how do we respond when God invites us by his Spirit into something new?

Have you ever found yourself somewhere you’d rather not be? If you’re like me, when we find ourselves in these situations we often wonder what God is doing to us. How might our perspective change if we knew God had brought us there so that we might join in his plans for others?

Passion. We all have it. It may be about a particular relationship, hobby, sport, author, or entertainer, but regardless of focus, we are all passionate about something or someone. And our passion is usually evident to those around us; how we speak, how we act, even how we play board games.

Of all Jesus’ miracles, changing water to wine is one of the most unique. As the first of the signs that John recounts in his gospel it also holds an importance to understand all the rest of them. So what meaning are we to derive from this first sign?

The only constant is change. I don’t know who coined that phrase but it’s pretty spot on. Sometimes things change so quickly in our lives or our world that it is difficult to find enough time to reflect on what has happened and its significance. It’s often in the reflection, however, that we gain important perspective on our lives.

After the debacle of the golden calf the Lord does something so expected that we can actually miss its significance; he forgives his people and renews the covenant with them. See? I can almost hear you think, “So? Isn’t that what God does?” And you’re right. But why does he do it?

Just when things seemed to be going so well. In faithfulness to his promises, the Lord has blessed the descendants of Abraham, rescuing them from Egypt and bringing them to Mount Sinai where he has entered into a unique, exclusive, one-of-a-kind relationship with them. The Lord has promised to be their god and the Israelites have promised to be his people. Then, as Moses is receiving the instructi...

Sometimes, reading the Bible can be hard work. The instructions given to Moses regarding the construction of the tabernacle is one of those sections. At the same time, we believe that all of Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness -  even long sets of instructions about curtains, frames, bases, altars, lamp stands, and priestly garment...

The stories in Exodus are absolutely foundational to the entirety of Scripture. That is true of the mighty acts of the Lord’s rescue of Israel from Egypt, but is even more true of the central act of the book - the establishment of the relationship between the Lord and Israel. However, our appreciation of this event is often sidetracked by our misunderstanding of the Law and our expectations of the...

The Ten Commandments are one of the most well known sections of Scripture and form a constitution of sorts for the nation of Israel, describing the kind of people they are to be in relationship with the Lord. But they beg the question: Can the people of Israel live up to these ideals? Can we? This week, as we come to the Ten Commandments, senior pastor Marc Rader explores this well-known text in a...

When we take the time to look back on the relationships we share, we tend to find that the dynamics of those relationships have changed throughout the ebbs and flow of life. But although they may look different to when they first started, the intention seems to remain the same. So it begs the questions, when we look at God’s relationship with us, what has changed, and what remains the same?

The book of Exodus continues to move toward its climax – the establishment of the relationship between the Lord and Israel – we might think of it in terms of a marriage (not a perfect analogy, but a useful one). If what follows in chapter 20-24 is the wedding, then this week’s text (19:1-8) is the Lord’s proposal to Israel – and what a proposal!

How do you handle opposition? It can end up consuming our mental and emotional energy; distracting us from nearly everything else. Is there a better way to handle it? Especially when the opposition is related to our faith?

Where does generosity begin? Under what conditions are we able to be truly generous? In Chapter 16 the Lord provides bread for his people, but this chapter is about more than lunch, it invites the Israelites and therefore us, to reflect on God's character and the kind of life we are called to as a result of his daily provision.

How can we move from a sense of fear or dread about moments or events that are coming up in our lives, to a sense of expectancy and excited anticipation? How can we live expectant of hearing what God invites us to do? And how can we live ready?

We can easily find ourselves waiting for the perfectly packaged invitation of God, before we are willing to take our next faithful step with Him. And whilst God does sometimes speak to us with audible clarity, often His invitation for us to act, comes to us more subtly. So what are we listening out for? What form might God’s invitation to us take?

Stepping out of your ‘comfort zone’ & into the ‘courage zone’ takes wholeheartedness, vulnerability and requires us to show up. Through courage, we can find unimagined places of peace, connection to ourselves, our community & even God. What circumstance calls out for you to take your next courageous step?