Vision Church Podcast | Christian Church in Canberra

Kathryn Hartley | Matthew 5:1-12; Ephesians 2:4-9 — The mercy that typified Jesus’ ministry was more than a charitable act or a withheld punishment. In countless encounters (not least the Crucifixion), Jesus delighted to move towards the helpless, suffering, and sinful - you and me - in unrestrained kindness. As we seek to live ‘the Jesus way’, may the reality of our continual need for His mercy p...

Andrew Baker | Matthew 5:1-8,48, 15:10-20, 23:27-28; Proverbs 4:23, 20:9; Psalm 51:10; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 12:15 — Jesus’ mission wasn’t concerned with external appearances. Rather, He came to do what we could never earn or achieve for ourselves; to create in us a pure heart, that we might see Him for all that He is and overflow with passion for Him.

Andrew Baker | Matthew 5:1-6 — Beneath all the brokenness, rebellion, and sin in the world, the deepest need within every human heart is to be made righteous; to be welcomed as sons and daughters into the arms of our heavenly Father. Will we follow Jesus’ instruction to hunger and thirst after this our true and greatest need, or will we instead seek after what will never satisfy?

Adam Ritchard | Matthew 5:1-5, 11:28-30, 26:50-54; John 2:13-17; 2 Timothy 3:1-4; Mark 10:35-45; Philippians 2:5-8; Galatians 5:22-23; 1 Peter 1:3 — In a cultural context that celebrated power, Jesus’ description of the ‘meek’ being blessed would’ve sounded just as strange to His original listeners as it does today. But true Biblical meekness is not weakness, and we are not to be spineless pushove...

Dave Pellowe | Luke 4:16-19; Matthew 6:9-10; Ephesians 6:4; Proverbs 24:3-4; Exodus 12:3; 1 Timothy 5:8; Deuteronomy 11:18-21, 4:7-10 — Families are the fundamental unit of our society and of God’s good created order, and the role of God-honouring fathers to this design is indispensable. Hear from Dave Pellowe, Director of Church and State, a ministry founded to educate Christians about the Script...

Andrew Baker | Matthew 5:1-4; Luke 15:7 — In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus describes that those who mourn are blessed. While we’d all prefer a life with only beauty and joy, mourning is central to the Christian life. As we mourn the reality of brokenness in the world around us and deep inside every human heart, we see our great need for a saviour like Jesus: the One whose mission and delight is t...

Andrew Baker | Matthew 5:1-3; 4:17, 23; 11:2-5; 12:22-25; Mark 1:14; Genesis 1; Leviticus 8; Exodus 25:8; John 1:14; 2:13-22; 14:23; Colossians 2:13-15; Psalm 2:1-4; 24 — Jesus’ first beatitude describes that it is the poor in spirit who are blessed to receive the kingdom of heaven. But what exactly does Jesus mean when he refers to this kingdom? And how are we to respond that we might be blessed...

Andrew Baker | Matthew 5:1-16; John 3:17 — As we seek to live the ‘Jesus Way’, what does it look like to engage with the cultural influences that surround us? In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructs us to be ‘salt and light’; a preserving and illuminating influence present in the very midst of the world, for its benefit and flourishing. For God did not come to condemn the world, but rather do...

Adam Ritchard | John 17:13-19; Romans 12:2; Matthew 5:13-16 — Living this earthly life can be painful and disheartening; something that we Christians just ‘grit our teeth’ through while waiting for Heaven. But, Jesus specifically prayed that we would not be taken out of the world. Instead, we are to live remembering who we are and whose we are; set apart and sent on mission into the world. We are...

Andrew Baker | Hebrews 13:1-25 — While the author concludes his letter by addressing a range of topics, the book of Hebrews makes one central proclamation and defining declaration: Jesus. He is not a precursor or a side-point. He alone is the fulfilment of God’s promises. He alone is the foundation. He alone is the centre, the source, the substance, and the sufficiency of our lives. It’s all about...

Andrew Baker | Hebrews 12:18-29, 10:23-25; Romans 12:1; Mark 14:1-9 — The Book of Hebrews is all about illuminating the majesty and superiority of Christ. But the author’s intent is not simply to provide us with information. Rather, this theological understanding of Christ ought to grab a hold of us both personally and corporately, producing a response of awe-filled wonder and passionate worship.

Kathryn Hartley | Hebrews 12:11-17, 25; Matthew 22:35-40; Ephesians 4:1-3; Deuteronomy 29:18-19 — While the race of faith is no doubt an endurance event, the writer to the Hebrews exhorts his readers to ‘sprint’ after peace with one another and holiness before God. As we put off our hard-hearted pride and rely on God’s enabling grace, these ‘sprints’ bring us back to the very core of why we’re run...

Andrew Baker | Hebrews 12:3-13; Jude 24; Ephesians 1:3-6; 2 Peter 1:3 — As we run the race of faith we can experience dejection and weakness. But this is not how we have been called to run. Instead, through the discipline (training up) of our perfect Heavenly Father who has created and purposed us as His beloved children, we may put off the ‘drooping hands’ and ‘weak knees’ to run with endurance t...

Vision Church | Isaiah 58:6-11; John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 9:22; Luke 18:18-30, 19:1; 1 John 4:19 — Last month, Vision Church sent a team to connect with and support long-term missionaries Steve and Ros Lazar serving in Mozambique. Hear stories & testimonies from Kathryn and the team, and a sermon from Kit, all flowing from their time in and around Zimpeto Children’s Centre. Where we give our wh...

Adam Ritchard | Hebrews 12:1-3; 1 Corinthians 9:24-26; John 6:68-70; 1 Peter 2:21-23; Philippians 3:8 — Our life of faith is not a ‘fun run’ with no value or no consequence. Rather, it is a race to be run with passion and endurance, in which our sights are fixed firmly on our example and our prize - Jesus Christ himself.

Andrew Baker | Hebrews 11:1-12:2; 1 Peter 2:9; James 2:19 — Pointing to numerous Old Testament examples, the writer to the Hebrews exhorts his readers to run the race of life ‘by faith’. But this faith is not blind faith. It is the assurance of things hoped for, which is built on the sure foundation of our faithful God, and proven as we lean hard into trusting Him through every circumstance.

Andrew Baker | Hebrews 10:32-39; 1 Peter 2:1, 4:12; James 1:2; 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 — Addressing the hardship and persecution suffered by the Hebrews, the author calls His readers and us to endure through such trials, even with joy! How? Only through the indestructible knowledge that in Christ we have the greatest possession of all, compared to which truly ‘all else is loss’!

Adam Ritchard | Hebrews 10:19-39; Matthew 1:23; Romans 10:9; 1 Corinthians 10:12 — Having explored the complete superiority of the New Covenant established by Jesus’ blood, the writer to the Hebrews now turns to its implications. In light of the grace and faithfulness of Christ, let us: draw near to God; hold fast to our confession of hope; stir one another up to love and good works; take heed and...

Andrew Baker | Hebrews 9:1-14; Exodus 25:8, 33; Psalm 139:7-8; John 1:14, 14:23; Revelation 5:9-10, 21:3; Romans 3:10,23; Jeremiah 17:9; Genesis 3:21,22:14 — The Old Testament concept of the Tabernacle simultaneously reveals God’s desire to dwell amongst His people and confronts humanity with the barrier of their sin. As the writer to the Hebrews explains, the requirements of this Tabernacle const...

Andrew Baker | Hebrews 8:1-13; Luke 22:20; Acts 15; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, 11:2; John 14:1-4; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Revelation 19:7-9; Ephesians 5:32 — Having explained Jesus’ superiority to the Levitical Law, the writer to the Hebrews describes His mediation of the promised ‘new’, ‘better’ covenant between God and His people. Mirroring the traditional Jewish wedding covenant, Jesus declares His f...

Hugo van Leemputten | Job 1:21; Psalm 103:1-5; Mark 16:15-18 — When we seek God’s healing touch in our lives, it can be so easy to feel like we are powerless to change our situation. But, while there is no formula to receive God’s healing, we are not to be passive. The Psalmist exhorts us to praise Him; to recall the many blessings given by the One who “forgives all [our] sins, and heals all [our]...

Andrew Baker | Hebrews 7:1-28; Genesis 14:17-24; Psalm 110:4 — The writer to the Hebrews repeatedly describes Jesus as a high priest ‘after the order of Melchizedek’ - an Old Testament king established as a priest generations before the Aaronic priesthood. This link points us to Jesus’ eternal superiority to the Levitical Law - through Jesus alone we have an unfailing guarantee of complete and per...

Kathryn Hartley | Matthew 4:18-25, 11:28-30, 28:18-20; John 15:5; Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:17-24 (MSG) — When Jesus called His first disciples, His invitation was not that they simply follow Him as one of the crowd. His invitation was to ‘apprentice’ under Him: to be in intimate relationship with Him, to be shaped and transformed into His image, and to go and disciple others as He had done for the...

Steve & Ros Lazar | John 2:1-11, 11:38-44, 14:12-14; Mark 10:46-56; Matthew 6:28 — Throughout Jesus’ public ministry He performed more than 30 miracles. Through them we see that He is the God who cares about the details of our lives; who restores life from death; and who calls us to put our faith and trust in Him. Will we put disillusionment and past disappointments aside, and pray to Him, the...

Andrew Baker | Hebrews 6:13-20; Romans 4:18, 15:13; Matthew 24:35 — When God makes a promise He means it: in His unchanging character He cannot lie, and His words endure forever. As the writer to the Hebrews describes, this fact ought to be of great encouragement to us! Even when we falter and fail like Abraham did, this hope - the faithfulness of God - is a steadfast anchor, holding us steady and...