Willetton Christian Church

Luke 18:9-14. Reinier Noppers. Who are you most like; the Pharisee or the Tax Collector? Not just in the things you do or the way you do them. Not just in your prayers and your approach to God. But in the attitude of your heart. Who are you most like? This Sunday evening we'll be reminded how important it is to know our deep need for forgiveness and how it shapes the way we look at God and the way we look at others.

1 Corinthians 4:16-18. Ben Murphy. Life as a Christian in this fallen world is often an experience of tension, an experience of joy in what we have and longing for what we still look forward to. In 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 Paul explores this tension by focusing on four contrasts of the Christian life; four dimensions to the life of discipleship that if we take to heart and focus on the right side of the contrast, will strengthen us to persevere when the going gets tough and live with hope and anticipation when all around us seems dark and futile.

2 Peter 3.  Tony van Drimmelen.  We are just one week out from the election.  It is an election that could potentially change the character and the moral fabric of our nation.  Jesus taught us to pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  And we will pray for that during this service as we are reminded of the prayer Jesus began in Gethsemane (Luke 22:42) and fulfilled at Calvary (23:46).  Like Jesus, then, this prayer calls on us to obey our Father’s will and long to see His greatness acknowledged everywhere and by everyone.  The day is coming when, at last, His will for all people is complete.

Psalm 100. Jordan Musulin. How often do we thank God in our prayers? I know that I often thank him, but usually for the things that he has given me; for an answer to prayer or for the things that bring me joy. In one sense much of my thankfulness is grounded in my circumstances and although we can and should be thankful for these things, our thankfulness can not be dependent on them. Scripture repeatedly calls us to "give thanks to God, for He is good; his love endures forever” (Jer 33:11; Ps 106:1; 1Chr 16:34; Ps 100:4). Only by knowing who God is can we truly be thankful, only by knowing that he is good can we take comfort through trial and tribulation, only by knowing that His love endures forever can we live a sacrificial life now, knowing that one day we will share in the redemption won by our great Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. All of this is immersed in the fact that our God is a good God, who’s love endures forever, and we are called to respond with a heart of thankfulness.

Ecclesiastes 12:1-8. Murray Capill. Life throws at us almost endless options and possibilities. And with the passing of our years, it presents us with an increasing number of difficulties. So how do we navigate life's choice and challenges? To answer that, we will turn to some ancient wisdom that proves to be both timeless and timely, for young and old alike.

Dt 26:1-11; Hab 3:17-19; Lk 21:1-4.  Tony van Drimmelen.  What makes God’s people consistent givers, in good times and bad?  For ancient Israel, the promise of salvation included the land they were about to possess.  So the offering of the “first fruits” was to remind them of God’s generosity towards them.  The “first-fruits” from the land belonged to the Lord.  What happens, though, in bad times when the produce from the land fails and the livestock are no more?  What happens to the offerings?  Has the promise of salvation changed?  Habakkuk has learnt he can trust God, and with that trust comes great joy (v.18).  In both good times and bad, joy-filled giving doesn’t come from the surplus it comes from the sacrifice.  We explore the kind of joy we have in the gospel that results in sacrificial giving.

Psalm 119:9-11,29,104,133. Dan Kroon. Last week we introduced this series and this Psalm by considering how God's Word is light in the darkness – the moral darkness, the circumstantial darkness, the inner darkness, and the philosophical darkness. This week we pick up on the first of those and think about how God's Word is strength in temptation. How it helps us to seek purity, to obey God's commands, to hate sin, and to find true freedom. How it helps us to 'train in righteousness' (2Ti 3:16) and to 'be holy as God is holy' (Lev 11:44). Together, we will consider some practical ways which the Bible and God's law can shape our conscience and our will so we can follow him wholeheartedly.

Matthew 6:10.  Tony van Drimmelen.  In this petition of the Lord’s prayer we have the means to find relief, real joy and hope for the world.  Jesus is teaching us that prayer should be kingdom-centred, not me-centred.  This petition re-orients our view, getting us out of our narrow concerns and attracts us to the perspective God has on our world and His Kingdom.  As we pray “Your Kingdom come…” our priorities are re-arranged and we gain the hope God has planned for us.  We are reminded who sits on the throne of our lives now and always!

Psalm 119:18,32,105,130. Dan Kroon. This Sunday morning we are starting a new series in Psalm 119 – the passionate poem about God's word and law. And from this Psalm we are going to remember together the necessity and joy of the Bible, hopefully being boosted (by God's Spirit) in our reading and meditation. We'll consider how the Word is light in the darkness, comfort in trials, strength in temptation, and passion in apathy. So, we start with the theme from one of the most well-known verses: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." (v.105) And we're reminded of how we need the Word to navigate the mystery of the future and discover God's will for us in all things.

Dt 10:12-22; 24:17-22; Jas 2:1-13. Dan Kroon. What does the Bible say about refugees and asylum seekers? What framework does it give us for considering the policy of the Australian government? How should Christians think about and engage in this controversial topic? This Sunday evening we’ll tackle this important issue by looking at biblical human rights, God’s version of justice, and our response and responsibility.

Luke 18:18-30.  Tony van Drimmelen.  We have everything we need and more!  For most of the world, our debts and our financial problems would be welcome luxuries.  With wealth comes some real dangers and what we do with our wealth can harm the spiritual health of ourselves, our families and our church.  When the desire for more and more wealth is all we think about, our significance and security have come to depend on our wealth.  This is the issue facing the rich, young ruler.  What Jesus says to him is confronting to all of us.  But Jesus also reminds us, regardless of who we are, that God can do the impossible in our hearts (v. 27).  And when He does, that changes where our significance and security rests -- wealth no longer has a hold on our hearts.

Dt 9:1-6; Ro 12:9–13:7. Ben Murphy. This week, as we continue our sermon series answering the questions that you have posed by finishing the sentence, "what does the Bible say about…" we're going to be considering what a Christian view of War is. When we look back on human history we see that war has been an ever-present theme of history, a truth that is reinforced by a look around the world at the present time. But how should we as Christians think about war? What is the Bible’s view of war? Is war ever right and if so when? Can the Christian ever be involved in war? These are all really hard but important questions, and this Sunday we will begin to unpack how Scripture speaks into them.

Luke 18:9-17.  Tony van Drimmelen.  Could there be areas in our lives where do we fail to depend on God or recognize His grace to us?  One of the ways you can tell is if you are holding back on sharing that grace with others.  When we do, we are depending on self-made idols for our significance and security.  We may not say it, but in practice we try to be our own gods!  The two men in this parable both believe in God.  Only one is justified before God the other is lost.  The spiritually humble man receives mercy while the proud man believes he can earn it.  To the degree we are humbled by our own unworthiness in the light of God’s abundant grace, to that degree we will we be able to share all we have and all we are to those around us. 

Exodus 11:1–12:30; Romans 9:6-26. Dan Kroon. Last week we considered how God graciously includes children in his covenant community, offering them his promises of life and salvation through faith in Jesus. This week we're considering how God enacts his judgment on children when he kills all the firstborn of Egypt. The two subjects seem to be quite a contrast, if not a complete contradiction. And that is because of the tensions we constantly stumble over. Tension between God's justice and mercy. Tension between God's sovereignty and Pharaoh's (or our) free will. Tension between God's glory and grace. Tension between our own limited understanding and our offense at the story we read. Which is why it's important to dive in a little deeper and remember what God is doing through these seemingly unjust and unloving actions.

Isaiah 49:14-16.  Tony van Drimmelen.  When God deals with a stubborn and rebellious people who refuse to believe in His promises He responds by offering one of the most powerful descriptors of His love for them in the Bible.  The covenant is restated in terms of a mother’s love for her baby – all this in the context of one of the great servant songs of Isaiah.  God will accomplish all His promises in Jesus Christ!  Like Israel, our nature is to doubt and be dissatisfied and yet, God keeps on giving generously.  He reminds us that his kindness towards us knows no limits.  He is faithful to his promises and we need to appreciate that more and more every day.  When we do our best acts of generosity become a real joy!

Ge 17:1-14; Ro 4:1-17. Dan Kroon. A question that has baffled the church for many hundreds of years. A question that has divided us right down the middle. A question even the most convicted of people continue to wrestle with. It's not the most important question out there. It's not a matter of life or death. But it is a question of practice and unity that can't be left unaddressed. We are commanded to baptise – so we need to do so, acting in good faith and seeking to understand what the Bible says. So, why does the Reformed church do what it does? Why do we baptise infants instead of practicing believers' baptism? That's the question for this Sunday evening. MISSING INTRO:  Why do we practice Infant Baptism and not Believer’s Baptism? That’s the question we’re considering tonight. And let me say thanks to the person who raised it for us; because while we give a brief introduction to baptism each time we have one, and while we might discuss it amongst ourselves, it’s probably been a long while since we’ve dedi

Luke 12:13-21.  Tony van Drimmelen.  God calls Christians to be good stewards of all that he has entrusted to them.  Our possessions are the means we have to glorify Him.  His generosity toward us exceeds all that we dare hope for, yet often we turn to these things and think that the sum total of our lives consists in them alone, without him.  Our nature is to crave more and more of his gifts and ignore the Giver.  Jesus teaches that what we have is intended to encourage us and sometimes to confront us and to instruct us in our faith in him.  When we find our identity in Christ we can “let go”, even be generous with all things he gives.  Do we dare be as generous towards others as he is with us?

Matthew 6:9. Dan Kroon. To hallow: to honour someone or something as holy; to greatly revere and esteem; to praise and worship; to glorify and magnify; to adore. To hallow God's name: to adore him as Father; to glorify and magnify him as Creator; to praise and worship him as Saviour; to greatly revere and esteem him as Ruler; to honour him as holy, holy, holy – our Lord God Almighty.

Luke 15:11-32. Dan Kroon. Last week we looked at the first two parables in Luke 15 (the lost sheep and the lost coin), considering how Jesus seeks, saves and celebrates us and how we are called to help him seek and join in his celebration – a celebration which brings heaven and earth together over the joy of spiritual resurrection. This week, as we turn to the parable of the lost son, we'll flesh out further what the celebration is truly about: not the remorse of the younger son; not the loyalty of the older son; but the love, grace and compassion of the father.

Psalm 145. James Bargerbos. In David's final Psalm, he 'sings' (Ps 145:3) “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom.”God is so great that it is literally impossible for us to worship Him too much! In this Psalm, David expresses a deep adoration and awe of God, and encourages us to join him in worshipping Him with everything we've got, day after day and for all eternity.