NorthernLife Sermons

Christmas began in the heart of God, but it only finds its fulfilment when it reaches your heart. Andrew Dawkins preaches an evangelistic message on the beloved classic “Away in a Manger,” calling us to come to Jesus to “fit us for Heaven to be with Him there.”

2000 years ago, the characters of the Christmas story looked up and saw a star guiding them to Jesus. Stuart Roberts unpacks the well-known Christmas carol “The First Noel,” encouraging us to be guided by Jesus in everything we do.

There are spiritual moments in life that can change everything in an instant — one silent, holy night and our world can be turned upside down. That’s exactly what the beloved carol Silent Night is about, as Alex Grime explains. This message will challenge you to be open to the still, quiet, unassuming moments when God speaks.

Every promise starts with a word, but if that word doesn’t lead to action, it is an unfulfilled, unfaithful promise — all bark and no bite. In this message, Lachlan Ford preaches on O Come All Ye Faithful, contrasting the unfaithfulness of half-hearted carol-singing so-called-believers versus the faithful, promise-keeping Jesus, who is the long-promised Word of God.

The Christmas story is one of joy and exuberance, yet at the same time, longing and waiting in a dark and desperate world for a Saviour to come and “ransom captive Israel.” In this message, Morgan RS unpacks the historical and theological roots of O Come O Come Emmanuel. Tomorrow… Tomorrow, He will be here.

“Gloria in excelsis deo” — glory to God in the highest. In this first message of our new “Why We Sing” Christmas series, Karen Brading unpacks the familiar song Angels We Have Heard on High, lifting our eyes to see the glory of God in the Christmas story.

Special guest Keith Mitchell from Morling College preaches to our night service on the importance of our work to God. This message will challenge you to see your workplace as God’s mission field.

Virginia Mathews wraps up our 2021 vision series: Love in Action with a sermon on the Good Samaritan. This message will encourage you to follow Jesus’ example of putting love into action by seeing, heart and understanding; acting; and committing.

When we consider wholeheartedly following God, it matters what kind of master we follow. Jesus is a master worth: – LISTENING TO – OBEYING – REVERING – MY ALL This message will challenge you to respond to Jesus’ call with the words of Peter in Luke 5: “Because you say so, I will.”

When asked what the greatest commandment is, Jesus answered “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength… and love your neighbour as yourself.”

David was a man after God’s own heart. Coming from that place of close relationship with God, David wrote many Psalms, including Psalm 27. This message will challenge you, being a wholehearted person after God’s own heart, to have a: — Captivated heart — Brave heart — Soft heart

A wholehearted disciple experiences: 1. Deep longings for God 2. Strengthening along the way 3. Transformational encounters with God In Psalm 84, the Psalmist writes “My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord… Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.”

In Daniel 9:20-27, God gives Daniel the roadmap out of exile: 1. The word goes out 2. The world waits 3. The one comes. This message explores the meaning of the number 7 in the Hebrew Bible, and connecting the theme of the 7×7 Year of Jubilee to the coming of the Messiah.

Romans 1:17 says that in the Gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed… Daniel prays in chapter 9 that God would make His own righteousness known among all peoples by being faithful to His promises to the prophets. This message will challenge you to worship God in His righteousness revealed in the Gospel.

Daniel sees in a vision a 30,000 foot view of history. This message will encourage you that God is in control and Jesus wins in the end.

In chapter 6 of the Book of Daniel, Daniel refuses to conform to the laws of Babylon by remaining faithful to Yahweh. As a result, he is thrown into a den of lions. Yet even there God is with him and delivers his life.

They say pride comes before a fall… Kings Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar were both prideful, yet while both suffered for their pride, one repented and the other did not. Pride can come from superiority or inferiority. This message will challenge you to find validation and identity in God every morning.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego stood up and stood out when they refused to bow down to worship Nebuchadnezzar’s idol. Yet even as the young men experienced the fiery consequences of their bold stand, there was another in the fire.

Daniel was faced with a “Red Sea moment”—if God didn’t come through in time, all would be lost… Faced with this terrifying prospect, Daniel sought the Lord and received a timely answer to his urgent prayer. God revealed the mystery of the king’s dream and delivered the people.

To kick off our new series in Daniel: Stand Up, Stand Out, Rachel Li unpacks the story of the arrival of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Babylon. This message will challenge you to not conform to society but remain faithful to God through it all.

Back-sliders beware. Back-bringers be bold! The battle belongs to the Lord. In this final message of our Faith in Action series through the Book of James, Jonathan Shanks unpacks James 5:19-20, challenging us to be bold in reaching out to those who, for many reasons, are backsliding in the faith.

So you’re a brand new Christian and don’t quite know how to pray. Pray anyway and pray any way. You’re not sure whether God is there at all. Pray anyway and pray any way. You’re losing heart as a Christian and your prayers aren’t being answered. Pray anyway and pray any way.

In chapter 5, James exhorts his readers not to swear oaths, but to live with honesty and integrity so that their “yes” means yes, and their “no” means no. This message will challenge you to live in the light of honesty and open integrity.

Any farmer knows that great patience is required to see seeds sown become the valuable fruit they were destined to be. James, in 5:7-12, exhorts us to persevere patiently until the time when the seeds that we have sown will bear fruit for His glory. So what are you waiting for?

James in chapter 5 warns of 3 dangers of wealth: the illusion of LIFELONG SECURITY; the illusion of INFLUENTIAL POWER; and the illusion of EXCLUSIVE OWNERSHIP.