St John’s Diamond Creek Talks

The starting point for dealing with conflict is to search our own hearts and lives and see what we have contributed to the problem. Jesus tell his disciples to remove the log from their own eye before they try to remove the speck from someone else’s eye. Conflict gives us an opportunity to come before God, and to ask whether there are idols in our life that are fuelling this conflict, before repen...

While many people see conflict as simply a problem it is also an opportunity where we can bring glory to God in the way that we approach it. As Christians we want to glorify God in all that we do and conflict is no exception. David in Psalm 37 is honest about conflict but encourages trusting in God and committing our way to him in the midst of it. He warns that evildoers will face God’s judgement...

The second episode in our Peacemakers series identifies that dealing with conflict is a gospel issue. This is not some sideline topical issue that we may or may not want to think about but is at the heart of our everyday lives. Broken humans are in conflict with God and considered his enemies. Fortunately for us, through the cross, God brings reconciliation and restores a conflict filled, broken r...

This new series looks at the reality of conflict. The Church today is the most conflict prone organisation in the world, and the most conflict adverse. This, believe it or not, should be expected! The Church brings in people with different habits, different backgrounds, different life experiences. The only common thread is Jesus. There is no criteria for goodness in the church. The Bible passage f...

The final week of White (space) July addresses the lack of faith we often have when it comes to trusting God about the future. Younger generations, in particular, are put under a lot of Aussie pressure to set themselves up well for the future. Own a house, settle down, have savings, have investments, protect yourself! The Christian life brings an alternate mindset that acknowledges we are in a lot...

Continuing our White (space) July series, Tim takes a look at Luke 10:38-42. This is a well-known passage warning against too much work but it’s relevance only seems to be growing. It’s not that Martha is wrong to work hard, it’s that her priorities are all wrong compared to her sister who is sitting quietly at the feet of the Lord. Mary has effectively carved out some white space for herself, whi...

Keen listeners will remember our White (space) Christmas series from late 2016. In God’s word, we have a powerful and repeated command to embrace Sabbath rest. Most of us at St John's are, by our own admission, ignoring or badly failing this command. This preaching series aims to help us do rest better and, when we do, everyone in our lives (family and friends) will benefit. Most importantly, our...

Jesus gave us two rituals to show outwardly the grace we receive inwardly, baptism, and communion. In this mini-series, Tim looks at these sacraments, and how they display Jesus working in our lives.

Jesus gave us two rituals to show outwardly the grace we receive inwardly, baptism, and communion. In this mini-series, Tim looks at these sacraments, and how they display Jesus working in our lives.

The finale of our I AM series, Delle Matthews concludes with Jesus referring to himself as "the vine", and his followers as "the branches". How do we remain in Jesus, and attached to the vine? 

Possibly the most well known I AM statement from Jesus. Our series continues this week to explore who Jesus says he is. We live in a "post-truth" world, but what is truth? Jesus claims to be the truth, above all.

Andrew Bowles delivers his final sermon at St John's. Jesus sits at the heart of the Christian faith, making several bold statements about himself. When Lazarus dies, Jesus mourns for his friend, but establishes and displays his power over death, stating that he is the resurrection, and the life.

Whose voice do we listen to? In this instalment of our 'I Am...' series, Sam Oldland reflects on Jesus' statement that he is 'The Good Shepherd', and that those who listen to him and respond are truly hearing the voice of God. From John 10:11-21.

Continuing our I AM series, we go back to what is at the heart of the Christian faith, and examine Jesus, and his revelation of God. There are seven times in the Gospel of John where Jesus said 'I am', and gave a series of images that explained who he was. This week, we look at Jesus when he spoke of himself as 'the gate' in John 10:1-10. Tim Johnson looks at what this means, with Jesus claiming t...

Continuing our I AM series, we go back to what is at the heart of the Christian faith, and examine Jesus, and his revelation of God. There are seven times in the Gospel of John where Jesus said 'I am', and gave a series of images that explained who he was. This week, we look at Jesus when he spoke of himself as 'the light of the world' in John 8:12-20. Sam Oldland gives us his first talk at St Joh...

When we go back to what is at the heart of the Christian faith, we find Jesus, and his revelation of God. There are seven times in the Gospel of John where Jesus said 'I am', and gave a series of images that explained who he was. The first we are looking at in this series comes from John 6:35-59, where Jesus spoke of himself as 'the bread of life'. Tim Johnson looks at what this means, with Jesus...

Easter Sunday is the most joyful day for the Church, as we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus. But the first Easter was not joyful to start with - in fact, it was a time of confusion and fear for Jesus' disciples. Andrew Bowles looks at Luke 24:1-12 and how the disciples came to realise that Jesus was unexpectedly alive again. How can we know today that Jesus is risen from the dead, and how will...

The Lost series has been building to this moment. The crucifixion of Jesus on Good Friday marks the beginning of the most important point in all of time. But is it too late? Have you, or I strayed too far for Jesus to love and forgive? In Luke 23:32-43, a criminal, dying next to Jesus on another cross, asks Jesus to remember him when Jesus comes in His Kingdom. It wasn't too late for that criminal...

Our 'Lost' series continues on Palm Sunday as Jesus enters Jerusalem, from Luke 19:28-44. While this was a joyful celebration of his kingship, it ends on a sad note as Jesus mourns that the city will reject him very soon. This story gives us a helpful way to understand what our response should be to those we love who have said 'no' to Jesus.

In the lead up to Easter we are doing a short series reflecting on what it means for someone to be 'lost' when it comes to their spiritual life, and the concern that Jesus had for those who were lost. This week we look at Luke 19:1-10, where the story of Zaccheus shows Jesus' mission to seek out those who seem to have no hope of coming to God.

We finish our series on Leviticus with an overview of what we have learned, and looking at 26:1-13, where God lays out the blessings and promises he gives to those who live with him and follow his ways. We see that Leviticus challenges our 'idols', the things that we place in our hearts instead of God, and offers a vision of a life that heals our relationships and our world.

Our journey through the book of Leviticus brings us to the question of how God's people should relate to the environment. Tim Johnson discusses Leviticus 17:1-14, how we are to relate to animals and the land in which we live. This speaks to many of our current concerns with the destruction of the natural environment, and our part as Christians in God's plan to renew the whole world.

This week our 'Heart of Life' series on Leviticus moves outwards to look at what this book says about how we treat each other, reading from Leviticus 19:1-18. We find that Leviticus is intensely interested in God's people treating each other as neighbours, in justice and generosity, and in the restoration of relationships between people through the forgiveness that God brings. Andrew Bowles is our...

Our series on 'The Heart of Life' and the book of Leviticus continues with a reflection on the meaning of the 'purity laws' of the Old Testament. Tim Johnson looks at Leviticus 20:22-26, God's call for his people to be holy as he is holy, how this worked out in their lives, and what it looks like for Christians to make of ourselves a place where God can live.

We continue our 'Heart of Life' series this week, starting to look at the book of Leviticus. We consider the opening chapter of Leviticus, and the sacrificial system it describes. This shows us how we can think about putting our relationship with God at the centre of our lives, with practices of repentance and thanksgiving.