Restoration Church Toowoomba Sermon Podcast

The archenemy of personal restoration is shame. Shame causes us to retreat relationally, isolating us from God, and blocking the pipe through which God’s nourishment and restoration flows. A return to knowing and being known by God and others is the only way back to personal restoration.

Most of us grew up thinking you learn theory first and then work out how to apply it. But the line between theory and practice is not clear. It turns out that humans are always engaged in theory and practice simultaneously. This same principle applies in the quest to learn about God.

God is a good father who goes to extraordinary lengths to get his children back. The biggest challenge for his children is not getting back in the family, but believing they are back in the family and loved deeply.

Growing up is not just for kids, it is for adults too. We need to grow into who God made us to be, and we need to grow up in all the areas where sin has made us childish. 

Sadly, Truth isn’t something people like to say exists. Or if it does, it’s a personal thing of you be your own truth. However, this is not what we see in Scripture. You need to endure sound teaching because if you don’t, you will wander in your faith and trust in Jesus and become ineffective.

The world by nature is Pro Self and Anti Other, we are by nature faithless. We do what we want when we want to make ourselves the centre. This is not the way it is meant to be. Paul is calling Timothy and subsequently you today to not live like the world, instead to live as set apart, to live as faithful ones.

This week, Paul is going to call out the false teachers in Timothy’s church. His hope? That the pure and true Gospel would be taught and that any false teachers would come to repentance. 

Last week you learned about the cost of preaching and protecting the gospel: suffering. This week you will learn about how God’s grace strengthens you to single-mindedly focus on the mission to which you were called. It takes the diligence of a soldier, the dedication of an athlete, and the hard work of a farmer. And though we do not do this perfectly, God is faithful. 

Last week you learned why you should protect and preach the Gospel of Jesus. This is the mission of the church given by a good and faithful God. This week you will dive into the cost of carrying out that mission: suffering. While the cost is high, God has called you and empowered you to share this good news. You are not alone in your suffering today and one day you will be rewarded for your servic...

To you from failing hands we throw  The torch; be yours to hold it high. 2 Timothy is a letter from Paul who is passing the torch on to his young apprentice who is timid. He challenges him to protect and preach the gospel according to the eye witness testimony of the apostle’s. Paul did so as did many faithful followers after him and now it’s our turn.

Spiritual blindness and sight hinge on your awareness of your need for Jesus. If you know you are blind and reach out to him then he will give you sight, but if you maintain you can see clearly then you are destined to remain blind.

When Jesus is around good things happen. But when religion is around, the self-righteous unhealthy type, it tends to wreck the good work of Jesus. This can be seen clearly in the story of the man born blind in John’s gospel.

Jesus, the light of the world, was sent by his Father to contest the darkness which was in the world. Those who belong to Jesus have been given a similar mission.

No one debates whether there is something is wrong with humanity. It’s obvious to everyone. What is less obvious to humanity is the nature of what is wrong and how one goes about fixing it. The bible is clear on both of these points. Listen in as Peter unpacks this reality.

Humanity was designed to need help from outside themselves to make them operate properly. While many of us assume that independence is part and parcel of growing up, increasing dependence upon God and the help he brings through others is a key component of becoming truly human.

Jesus is the truth teller who confronts the Jews unbelief. From Adam and Eve to Abraham and from Moses to the Prophets, they were all looking for the one to come who would bruise the head of the serpent. Jesus claims that he is the one they’ve been waiting for.

In John 8:30 we read that a group of Jews believe in Jesus. As a result Jesus unpacks what belief means and looks like in John 8:24-42 showing that their belief isn’t fair dinkum after all.

Last week, you heard Jesus claim that he is the light of the world. This week, you will see the Pharisees question his testimony. And yet, Jesus is not shaken. He is the only true judge, he operates in perfect sync with the Father, and he is the only way to a true relationship with God. This is good news because no matter where we are in our journey with Christ, we are all still children in need o...

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” This is a phrase you may have heard many times before, and yet, there is so much Old Testament context that bring this verse to life. In this one statement, Jesus is claiming not only to be the means of salvation for all who believe, but he promises that in him alone is true life. If you follow Jesus, you never have to experience true darkness again.

When we look at John 8, we see the way that Jesus can uphold justice without forgoing clemency. That he is gracious and forgiving yet not soft on evil. Jesus came not to destroy those he found but to seek those who were lost. A decision must be made on how to deal with the sinner, and we aren’t qualified to make it. As such, we look to the one who is, the one who is without sin. His name is Jesus.

We are all thirsty – thirsty for love, acceptance, beauty, peace, and meaning. But don’t be fooled, beneath these thirsts lies a much deeper one, the thirst for Jesus. When you are personally connected to him you will find he is the quencher of all of your thirsts.

Humanity probably talks more about God than with him. Like any other relationship, speaking to him and listening to him is the only way to truly know him.

Nathan continues our series in John discussing how the desire for fame and the praise of man motivated Jesus brothers in their unbelieving advice for Jesus. Jesus refused to participate in their fame seeking, choosing instead to remain in secret and follow his father’s will as he entered the Feast of Tabernacles. Listen in to hear the antidote to our deceptive desire for fame.

The centre of reality is God, and God is a person. When you boil it all down, reality is fundamentally personal. This teaching in scripture makes sense of the way we experience life and provides a strong foundation for our personal restoration through knowing and being known by God and others. 

Our lives have purpose not because we decide they do, but because there is an overarching story into which they fit. It is God’s story which gives meaning and purpose to all of our lives.