Wahroonga Anglican Podcast

True spiritual understanding comes not from human wisdom or eloquence, but through the power of God's Spirit, enabling believers to grasp the mysteries of God's plan.

Something that looks like an incredibly weak moment - a man dying a shameful death at the hands of the powers that be - is actually God’s wisdom, the centrepiece of his plan for the rescue of his world! This Sunday we’ll look around and see how that message shapes those who follow this king - us, the church. It’s comforting. It’s challenging.

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Unity in the church - what do you stand for and what do (or should) we unite over?

We’re starting our big bible project for 2025 - 1 Corinthians. I love the way the Apostle Paul sets up the letter. 9 times in the first 9 verses he writes the name of Jesus. 9 times, so that we don’t miss that the whole heart and shape of our church is Jesus Christ and him crucified! (1 Cor 2.2)

…to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry…I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love… Jonah 4.1-2 Can you imagine having a problem with God’s love? Jonah can! And while his anger seems irrational, at first, his heart is not so different to ours. This Sunday we’re in Jonah 4 and we see this heart under the x-ray of God’s word. But, we will...

Jonah 3. It is a brilliant picture of what true repentance before God looks like. And it is also a picture of how our gracious God responds to true repentance. Looking forward exploring it together.

We again see how great our God’s faithfulness is - a faithfulness that graciously comes to our rescue at the very first call!

The Book of Jonah - it ain’t about the fish! It’s not mainly about Jonah. And it is not mainly about us! It is first and foremost about God and his huge heart of relentless grace for a rebellious world.

The fourth of the letters to the seven churches - Thyatira.

The church in Pergamum is commended by Jesus for the way they’ve remained faithful to him under big pressure. What amazing words to hear! However, there’s also a challenge for them and for us - of not just saying we’re for Jesus, but loving him with our whole hearts.

Revelation 2:8-11 is our second of the seven letters to the seven churches. It’s a word from Jesus to the church at Smyrna (up the road from Ephesus). It is a word from the Holy Spirit to us. It is a word to encourage and strengthen the persecuted. As Smyrna Christians struggle with slander of a particular kind, we ponder how to face persecution as Australian Christians. Jesus encourages us not to...

We’ll hear the word of our King for anyone who has times when they feel jaded in their Christian life. It’s a call back to our first love, Jesus!

See our king Jesus revealed in the pages of the book of Revelation.

A passage that asks this tantalising advent question - But will God really dwell with us on earth?

Final greetings to the Thessalonians.

Here is a wonderful picture of the future: … we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him… 1 Thess 4:14 That’s an amazing hope - that as surely as Jesus himself rose from the dead, so he’ll raise those who are in him!

Christians are set apart to live lives pleasing to God, through faith in Jesus. Paul applies this in the back half of his first Letter to Thessalonians. He gets personal as he applies this to everyday life, sex and work. This week we’ll hear the call to pursue sexual purity and flee sexual temptation, pursue peace and productivity and flee sloth. We are set apart to please God in all of life, what...

‘For now we really live!’ (1 Thess 3.8a) What’s life about for you? And why? Or more specifically, as you look ahead to next week, what’s next week going to be about for you? It will contain different things for each of us. And in the sermon we hear what life is about for the Apostle Paul. We see what shapes each day for him and why. And my prayer is that what we hear from God’s word will shape th...

And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe. 1 Thess 2.13 What an incredible truth this is. The word we get to speak to one another, the word we get to share with our community is no mere human word, it is the word of God...

11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12 encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

It’s a great book that talks about living holy lives, under pressure, what love looks like, and the future of hope of Jesus’ imminent return.

Friends - we all need them but be careful they can lead you astray or to good.

The tongue has the power of life and death. And those who love it will eat its fruit. Proverbs 18:21 It’s been great to kick off our mini-series in Proverbs and be encouraged to put our heart’s deepest trust in God and his grace, to live truly wise lives! One of the keys with wisdom is that it’s got to be worked out in community rather than in isolation.

Dine with lady wisdom...