South East Anglican

Life is a rollercoaster. There are ups and downs and often we aren't in control of where we are headed. Chapters 39-40 of Genesis show the massive swings of in the life of Joseph, but they also show us that God is present through it all. 

In a story full of adult themes, we once again get front row seats to the mess of sin in the family of Jacob. But at the end, there is one small glimmer of hope. Dave shows that, beyond Genesis 38, we see an ending that will shock everyone!

We begin part three of our journey through Genesis from chapter 37, which is also the beginning of the story of Joseph. In this chapter, we learn about Joseph's place within his own family, and the tensions that were present. Stephen preaches about the wisdom that young Joseph could've shown, but even when this don't go as expected, God remained with him.

Just as Paul gets to the point in his first letter to the Corinthians of moving on from theology and into application, so our sermon series waited until the last week to get down into the 'how'. Thankfully, Paul is both helpfully specific and and helpfully broad in how he believes the Corinthians need to adjust their practices in order to glorify God, and we get to read their mail and learn for ou...

It was Pentecost Sunday, it was Baptism and Confirmation Sunday, and it was in the midst of a really challenging season for many people in our parish. So Dave opened Scripture to show how the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost fills God's people with power to endure in, and through, every season, even the difficult ones.

Stephen opens God's Word to look at the various places where the gifts are described in Scripture, and what our church could look like if we discovered, understood, and used the gifts we've been given for the glory of God.

To understand what we are to do with a gift, it often helps to understand who it was that gave us the gift. By calling them 'the gifts of the Spirit', we are not left in the dark about who gave them or why they were given to us. Dave shared that our gifts are given in alignment with the character and mission of the Holy Spirit, which helps us de-mystify how we are to receive and use these spiritua...

In our context, to begin a series on the gifts of the Spirit with the gifts of the Spirit would be to assume too much. So Dave brought us right the way back to address a common blindspot in the Western Church: the spiritual world. When we ignore the spiritual world, we miss out on so much of the context of Scripture in both testaments, and we miss a key aspect of the gospel.

In John's third and final letter, he encourages the faithful Gaius to cultivate truth within a church that is being starved of it. It's a short letter, but builds on from what was said in the previous two letters. Dave shares about how we must be cultivating truth in our own lives if we are to see it established in our church, which is something we can all contribute towards.

One of the ways we know that truth matters is because deception is a thing. Untruths masquerading as truth for the intention of leading people astray. In the letter of 2 John, John is warning the early church to be discerning. He wants them to recognise false teaching, refuse false teachers, and to remain walking in the truth of Jesus.

The Apostle John is writing these letters to bring clarity and encouragement to churches under the threat of false teachings about Jesus. He gives them a brief set of tests that will not only help them discern the truth in their leaders, but also within their own hearts.

The Way of the King has some low lows - Jesus was brutally tortured and crucified - but his way doesn't end there. The path that Jesus was on powerfully continued, with God raising him from death, defeating sin and death and suffering, and continuing on to glory. We will all experience God's glory, but as it was on Resurrection Sunday, you'll either experience it with fear, or with a fear that giv...

In Matthew 26 we read about the emotional few days leading upt o Christ's death. The way Matthew writes these events seems to leave us asking the question, "Is Christ enough for us?". And that's the question Dave posed to us, whether we are satisfied with Christ if he is all we receive, or whether we want to include other things as part of the deal.

Things are starting to heat up in Matthew 21-25, as the gap between those who believe Jesus might be the Messiah, and those who want him dead, widens. Stephen preaches from Sorell about the importance of who we say Jesus is, as we await his return.

From chapters 16-18, Stephen Savage asks the question that Jesus asked Peter: "Who do you say that I am?" This was a pivotal moment for Peter in his own faith journey, and it is for us, too. 

Jesus, the most perfect human to ever walk the earth, yet divided crowds with his perfect conduct. Some marvelled at him, saw him as the Messiah, and put their faith and hope in him. But others, though they saw the same miracles, were blind to his divinity, and sought to kill him. This is the frustration of the way of the King.

Before Jesus sends his 12 apostles out to proclaim the message of the kingdom, he gives them some sobering instructions. Jesus talks about their impending rejection with certain expectation, but also invites them to find rest in him from the sting of rejection.

In Matthew 8-9, Jesus performs miracle after miracle, slowly revealing to onlookers the divine authority and power that he possessed. And whilst the miracles are many and varied, not everyone watched in awe. Dave shared some encouragements for how we can approach God with faith, and not fear, knowing that he his authority is matched by his goodness.

In the first week of our new series in the gospel of Matthew, Stephen preaches on chapters 5 and 6, Jesus' sermon on the mount. Here, Jesus lays out the way attitudes of his followers if they wanted to live in his kingdom, and bring their lives into alignment with his, as the King.

What do we turn to in dark times? What do we look to for hope? Is there anything that can push back the evil in our world? The Bible says there is. That hope is Jesus, the Light of the World.

How well do you know the Christmas Story? Do you know all the details? Or, more importantly, do you know the right details? Because if you know these 3, it will change how you understand and experience Christmas forever.

*Note some audio issues for the first 5 minutes* Our very own Brendan Noolan steps behind the lecturn this week to continue our Advent series, preaching on the topic of 'Waiting'.

A short encouragement for three baptisees from John 3 about why they can enter the kingdom of heaven but Nicodemus couldn't.

The final chapter of the book of Jonah answer a lot of our questions! Why did Jonah not want to go to Nineveh? Will God really destroy them? Has Jonah's heart really changed towards the Ninevites?  Dave preaches on Jonah 4 from Sorell and wraps up this amazing little book, and shows how the questions that are raised in Jonah find their answers in Jesus.

Jonah's time in the fish changed his attitude towards God, but not towards the Ninevites. But that didn't stop God from sovereignly using his power to work through Jonah's (very short, quite abrupt) message to bring incredible transformation to Nineveh! In chapter 3, Dave shares that the reluctance and grumpiness of Jonah creates a stark contrast against the mercy and power of God.