Restoration Church Toowoomba Sermon Podcast

Jesus is the true temple – the meeting place of God and humanity. As the true temple, he was the one most qualified to deal with the racket going on in the physical temple – the selling and buying of goods. 

In this section of John’s gospel (John 2:1-11), Jesus is at a wedding when a serious catering problem arises. Before long, Jesus gets involved, and in doing so his intervention becomes exhibit A in who he is.

In this opening account of Jesus’ interactions with people, we see his personhood on display. He engages in conversation with others, they become his disciples, and he speaks into them.

John the Baptist lived a life which bore witness to the unstoppably powerful life of Jesus. In his death Jesus carried the sins of the world away and paved the way for the same powerful life-giving Spirit, which remained on him, to dwell in us. 

Outside of Jesus there is no brighter beacon of humility than John the Baptist. In him we see the essence of humility, the shape of humility, and the blessing of humility.

As Jesus took on human flesh he brought with him a divine fullness well matched to our need. The grace and truth of God seen throughout history burnt brightly in the person of Jesus Christ.

In one of the most well-known sections of scripture (John 1:14), John describes the most amazing thing – God became flesh and dwelt among us. Whilst this is amazing, it is not unsurprising, because God has always been God with. He has always been fiercely committed to being with his people.

Whilst Jesus should have been easily and quickly recognisable, most of humanity missed him because they weren’t interested in him. But for those who are interested in him they undergo the most amazing change of status from orphans and strangers to children of God.

John the Baptist had it right – he knew he was the moon not the sun. While he shone brighter than any, he wasn’t the light, only a reflector and witness to the light. God calls us to continue the work he started.

In this section (John 1:1-5) John tells us who everything hangs on – Jesus. He is God, he was there at the beginning, in him is life and light. Hope never dies.

If we are to live well in a fallen world with imperfect people, we will need to be patient. Things will happen which we neither asked for nor envisaged for our lives. In James 5 God helps us to see with more clarity the nature and direction of biblical patience.

Inserting himself into a long line of Old Testament prophetic tradition, James proclaims the dreadful fate of the rich aristocratic tyrants who were oppressing God’s people. As we listen to James’ denouncement, we discover that the same obsession with wealth & possessions can manifest in our lives and that money can be a significant hurdle on our journey following Jesus – no one can serve two mast...

God has given humanity the power to do stuff - this is how we have been made. But in spite of all the good things humanity does, we can easily fall into the trap of believing we control and determine our destiny. James wants us to know this is God’s job not ours.

We live in an opinionated culture. It seems everyone has an opinion on everything and everyone. The disappearance of belief in objective truth has left us in a place where we do battle against one another rather than against ideas. Haters and trolls are commonplace now, and the church is not immune. Listen as Peter explains.

How you turn up after committing spiritual adultery is critical to the restoration of your relationship with God. Listen in as Peter unpacks the key components of a good sorry.

All sin is the fruit of an affair of the heart. When a desire overtakes our hearts, and we operate out of it, we have turned away from God and have given ourselves to another lover – we have become adulterers. Listen in as Peter explains.

Conflict is inevitable, combat is optional. Conflict becomes combat when the desire of our hearts get too big and take over. Conflict is not mainly a battle between people, it is a battle for the heart. Listen as Peter explains.

When you are in right relationship with God you will be in right relationship with everything else he has made - this is the essence of wisdom. But be careful, it is common to think you are wise when you aren’t. Listen in as Peter explains.

Whether we are teaching God’s word from the pulpit, engaging in conversation with our family, or chatting with colleagues at work, our speech directs our entire course of life – positively and negatively. In vivid detail, James unpacks the gravity of our tongues power and reminds us that the sin apparent in our mouth is reflective of the state of our hearts. It is only when our hearts have known g...

Faith and works go together like love and action. You can’t have one without the other. This is especially relevant in the current cultural moment where we have had time to reflect on who we are and what God would have us do.

Whilst Australia has many egalitarian checks and balances, favouritism still lurks just under the surface. In this message, Peter explains how God desires that we be truly loving people, not just people who love others for what we can get out of them.

When it comes to God’s word, humanity has a tendency to separate hearing and doing - even though God intended them to stay directly and naturally connected. Listening to God’s word without action will always end in self-deception.

Everyone gets angry. In a fallen world anger is a part of everyday life. Sometimes it can be hot, other times it can be cold. Listen in as Peter unpacks three verses on anger from James.

External tests often lead to internal temptations. James is keen for us to succeed at both, so he gets to work skilling us up about how temptation works. Listen is an Peter unpacks the nature of humanity, the nature of temptation, and the nature of God.

If you could have a pain free life and be immature, or a life with some pain in it but be mature, which would you choose? In the opening chapter of his letter James makes it clear that it is good to grow up … always. He goes on to explain how maturity comes when we are tested. Listen in as Peter explains how trials are good, not in and of themselves, but because of what they produce.