Christians have many different opinions on different ways of being obedient to God. This is especially true on things that God himself has not explicitly mentioned in the Bible. Paul mentioned a list of issues that the Jews and Gentiles would disagree about. However, he insists that we all belong to the Lord and each of us will have to give an acco…

All glory is to be to God alone. The culmination of the first four “solas” of the Reformation is that glory belongs to God and God alone. We are saved by faith alone in Christ alone through God’s sheer grace alone, promised to us in the Scriptures alone. All of that is only possible because of God’s initiative and work, both through the work of Chr…

We receive the grace of God through no work nor merit of our own. We are justified purely on the basis of Christ’s righteousness counted as ours, received by faith alone. We do not need elaborate rituals, activities or work for us to gain favour from God. God doesn’t help us only when we help ourselves. Instead, God gives his grace to us freely in …

Most Christians are familiar with the basic outline of the Jonah narrative. It's one of the first Bible stories we are taught. But are there truths and details that we miss due to this familiarity? In this message, we take a deep dive into the kind of person Jonah was.Von Willetton Christian Church

We continue our short sermon series on the Five Solas. This week, we focus on the fact that we are saved in Christ alone through faith alone. In Ephesians 2, Paul begins by describing our condition and lives before Christ. He does not paint a pretty picture of who we are – spiritually dead and deserving of God’s wrath. It is a stark reminder of wha…

500 years ago, it was thought that the Scriptures were too complicated for lay people. All we need to receive grace from God is to attend Mass at the local church. It did not even matter that we would not have been able to understand what was said during Mass, as long as we are a part of it, then we would receive God’s grace. Therefore, through thi…

There was a Latin phrase that was once popular amongst Christians and was even used in some Christian liturgies, and that is the phrase Coram Deo, which means "before the face of God". This captures the essence of the text for this week, that the whole of the Christian life is to be lived Coram Deo - before the face of God. To plan our lives apart …

In Romans 13, Paul continues his call for Christians to live a life of love towards others. He focuses on how Christians are to relate to the governing authorities. We are to submit to them as they are agents of God’s justice in our world. Through governing authorities, God restrains sin in our society and therefore creates a society in which there…

It is something people of all ages long for, especially in times of upset and distress…. COMFORT. The Heidelberg Catechism asks a very important question about comfort: “What is your ONLY comfort in life and death?” In other words, no matter what you’re facing, no matter how critical the situation, even life threatening, what is your only comfort? …

Romans 12 is a shift in Paul’s letter. After 11 chapters of declaring God’s redemption of his people, Paul shifts the focus to what our response should be towards God’s amazing mercy. In light of all that God has done for us, the only true and proper worship of God involves us offering our bodies as a living sacrifice for God. It is the totality of…

God is the grand artist of history, and the world is his canvas. He is painting his story of salvation in this world. Paul gives us a further glimpse of what this completed canvas will look like in Romans 9 – 11. We have learned that God is completely sovereign in salvation and that the Israelites themselves rejected Christ, yet there is still a re…

The true offspring of Abraham is the children of promise, chosen freely by God and not based on human effort or desire. Because of this, God’s righteousness can only be obtained by faith alone in Christ alone, which the Gentiles did but the Israelites did not. The Israelites sought to establish their own righteousness, and therefore did not gain Go…

Paul is in anguish for his fellow Israelites. Even though they had all the blessings and privileges of receiving God’s revelation in the Old Testament, they did not have faith in Christ. There are scores of God’s promises in the OT for the Israelites. God’s promises were never based upon physical descent nor our own works. Right from the beginning,…

Suffering is inevitable in our fallen world. If we live long enough, we will go through suffering. If Christ himself suffered and died, how could we as his followers expect that we are protected from that? However, Christ was raised powerfully from the grave into a new glorified body. In that same way, there will be a future perfected world that we…

This week in Romans, we are looking at the high point of Paul’s argument. Paul has made the declaration that we are no longer in the realm of sin and death, and instead we are in the realm in which grace reigns. How should we approach our Christian life now that we have been rescued out of darkness into the kingdom of Christ? In Christ, there is no…

This weekend we resume our series on the book of Romans after a three-week break. We will be looking at Romans 7:1-25, which is about our relationship to God’s law. We are no longer bound by God’s law because we have died to God’s law in Christ. However, this doesn’t mean that the law is no longer applicable to us. In the first place, the law was g…

How important are relationships? Are we really so dependent on other people in our lives? The story of Cain and Abel is one of different views on this point. In this week's service, we will unpack the theme of relationship as it pertains to everything that we read in the Bible. Specifically, we will look at: 1) how sin rots our relationships with G…

As we face a world in which war and conflict seem to be ever-present, and even getting worse, the reality of these events may naturally cause us to fear what’s next. As we explore these passages from Daniel and Acts, we will read of why we can be fearless in these fearsome times, for we will see, just as Daniel and Paul saw, that our God reigns, an…

In the Western world, we have been conditioned to crave freedom and break free of limitations. However, such thinking will only result in anarchy and confusion. In our efforts to be set free from all constraints, we find ourselves ironically enslaved to the one thing that we did not expect – our own desires. Ultimately, we are still enslaved. Given…

Through Christ’s work on the cross, we have peace with God. This is not merely an inner peace within us, but rather a peace that the Old Testament would describe as shalom – a complete wholeness of your personhood, particularly in your relationship with God. Because of this peace, we have the hope of the glory of God and we can boast even in our su…

This morning we delve into the timeless truths of Psalm 46. Our sermon will explore how God is our refuge in all circumstances. First, we’ll see how He provides shelter and strength in the face of natural disasters, assuring us that even when 'the earth gives way' (because doesn't it feel just like that sometimes) we need not fear. Next, we’ll exam…

Von Willetton Christian Church

Today, we will continue our reflection on the same passage of Romans 3:21-31. In this passage, we see that Christ is all the more worthy to boast about than ourselves. Salvation is of the Lord alone. In Paul’s description of the great Gospel message of Christ, it is God who initiates, executes, and applies salvation to us. We are merely recipients …

After two chapters of bleak and convicting passage on sin, Paul speaks the words of life in Romans 3:21-26 to us. In that passage, Paul declares the wonderful Gospel message to us – what God has done for us through Jesus Christ’s work on the cross. That work – the atonement – is like a multi-faceted diamond where we can inspect the beauty of the di…

What is wrong with our world? Many have answered this, but at the heart of the issue according to God is the godlessness and wickedness of people. In other words, our sin. Because we did not glorify nor worship God, God gives us over to our sins. He gives us over to our sinful sexual passions. We pervert our sexual desires and activities, using our…

This morning, we get a glimpse into Paul’s love for the people of God and his unashamed passion for the Gospel. Even though he has never met them before, he prays for the Romans and longs to visit them. He would love to impart spiritual gifts to them to strengthen them in their faith. That is because he has been called to bring the Gospel to all ma…

The word "Gospel" means momentous, life-altering news. Right from the start, we read that Paul was an apostle that is set apart for this Gospel of God - momentous, life-altering news from God. This Gospel has been promised by God in the Old Testament through the many prophets that he has sent. This means that it is not Plan B for God, but rather th…

Why am I here... why do I exist? What is the purpose of my life? These are questions that people have asked for centuries. Those who have discovered the answer find that in a purposeful life, their life is found to have 'meaning' Many people all over the world ponder these questions. It is good for us to know there are very clear answers... our liv…

There are so many fake things in the world of information and media in which we live and breathe. We often don’t know their source, and the wise thing is that if we ignore them, our lives will be unaffected. But there is a radically important truth which will totally impact our lives and change our priorities. It is the truth about who Jesus is and…

Resurrection Sunday Part 1Von Willetton Christian Church

Resurrection Sunday Part 2Von Willetton Christian Church

Resurrection Sunday Part 3Von Willetton Christian Church

Good Friday Service Part 1Von Willetton Christian Church

Good Friday Service Part 2Von Willetton Christian Church

Good Friday Service Part 3Von Willetton Christian Church

Mankind longs for salvation. Some think that they can find it in gaining power, either power by strength or by influence. Others think it can be found by looking inward to ourselves, either by embracing all our impulses or discarding all our desires. We think that power or inward peace will bring about eternal peace and security to our restless sou…

Two weeks ago, we read in Ezekiel 37:1-14 that God brings about our spiritual resurrection by his Word through the power of the Holy Spirit. God's people is a creature of God's word - creature in the sense that we were created and made alive by God's word. One author puts it this way, "She [the Church] has been made alive by the Word. God spoke her…

Most people want something to believe in even if it’s just belief in themselves, something to hope for even if it’s a bit wishful, and some experience of love even if it's only fleeting. Our hearts are hard-wired for faith, hope and love. And this great triad is also at the heart of the gospel that is perfectly designed to meet, substantially and l…

The fundamental problem with our world is the spiritual death of mankind. There is nothing we can do to change that. What can dead people do to save themselves? Ezekiel speaks God's word to the very dry bones and they came to life. Only God can raise us from spiritual death to life. He accomplishes that through the proclamation of God's word by the…

We’ve heard it a lot… ‘Step out in faith’. Yet do we really know what that entails? As individual Christians and as a church are we prepared to adventurously launch out with lots of unknowns and TRUST God that He will provide? Then also, when things appear to go ‘pear shaped’, do we have PATIENCE to ride out the storm with God in the boat knowing H…

It is no easy task to be an elder in the church of Jesus. The church is not another club or organisation, it alone in all the world is the body of Christ, His bride for whom He is very jealous. He loves us dearly, warts and all. In the life of Moses we see how great the love of God is for His people, a love to be reflected in the love, compassion, …

Prayer is a central part of the Christian life. So why is it so hard? We know the Lord’s Prayer. We sometimes pray around the dinner table or when we need him. But is this enough? This Sunday, we will look at the end of Ephesians - following on from the previous verses on the Armour of God. Here, Paul gives us his explanation of why we should pray;…

It seems that we’ve had a good number of sermons this year on personal afflictions & suffering. Last Sunday we had John’s encouraging sermon from Hannah & the “pouring out of her heart” regarding her childlessness - a major affliction in her days & still today. It’s such a regular part of all our lives - grief, pain, anxiety in all forms. Do you st…

Life can be great and most of us would know fun times, wonderful experiences and fantastic holidays. But it’s not always like that. At times there are tears in our eyes and we are left wondering, “why is this happening?” or “how long can this go on?”. It begs the question: Who of us gets through life without tears? What do you do then? Tough it out…

As it is still early in the new year, wisdom says that it is good to revisit regular aspects of our Christian life to know that we are not slipping in our devotion to our great Saviour. One vital & regular aspect is TEMPTATION - Ah! Yes! The dreaded word. Dreaded largely because we fail miserably in dealing with the temptations of our sinful hearts…

The armour of God is a very well known passage in Scripture. But what is it all about? What does it mean for us to put on God’s armour? And why do we need to do this? This Sunday, we will explore what Paul has to say about the spiritual war that rages in our world today and how we can best stand as soldiers for Jesus.…

Rebuilding is no easy task. It's hard enough to start a project and see it through to completion the first time around, so to have to do it all over again can feel like a waste of time. In the Bible, we see on numerous occasions that this isn't just true of physical buildings either. In fact, buildings seem to represent our own lives, and our relat…

It’s that time of the year again. The world seems to get obsessed with their new resolutions for the New Year. Maybe they want to lose weight; drink less; make new friends; or learn a new skill. Whatever it is, most of the time, they’ve given up by the time February rolls by! In today’s service, we will take a look at Paul’s letter to the Philippia…

There's something about darkness that just seems wrong. Whether literal or metaphorical, darkness hides and conceals all kinds of threats to our lives - physical, mental, and, above all, spiritual. The problem, though, is that the more we look at the world around us, and the more we look at our own lives, the more darkness we seem to find; things w…