John 12:20-50 The Time Has Come
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- Written by: George Hemmings
The Time Has Come audio (5MB) (NB Due to a technical problem the first minute of audio was not recorded)
John 12:20-50
‘1, 2, 4, 7, 9, Here we come.’ That’s how Micah and Joshua like to count down when we play hide and seek. There’s usually not much time to get ready! Actually every time they count down differently. One moment they’re counting, the next they’re seeking. There’s no warning when the change will come, when the turning point will be. Life’s a little like that isn’t it? Sometimes big changes come, moments that turn our world around.
Did you notice that today’s passage is a turning point in John’s gospel? If you think back through the passages we’ve looked at, if you read back through John, you’ll see that everything has been building up to this point. He’s performed all sorts of miraculous signs, which have led to crowds flocking to see him. He’s fed those crowds with a poor boy’s packed lunch. He’s given sight to a man born blind, he’s raised Lazarus from the dead. Then, as we saw last week, he was anointed by Mary and given a king’s welcome as he rode into Jerusalem. But then, all of a sudden, everything changes. In verse 36 Jesus goes into hiding. In fact, today’s passage is the last time Jesus appears in public, at least until his arrest and crucifixion.
John 12:1-19
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- Written by: Chris Appleby
The Anointed King audio (5MB)
John 12_1-19
We were discussing in our staff meeting this week the question of how you decide what to leave in your will, and to whom, when you die. As I was thin king about that I wondered how many of us have ever sat down and thought about what our priorities are in life; and when we come to write a will, to what extent do our stated priorities shape the content of our will. Have you ever done that? Have you ever stopped to think about what really matters to you and whether that’s reflected in your will? Or in the way you live your present life for that matter. Let me suggest some of the things that people make their priorities. There’s my wife and I. There’s our children and grandchildren. For some there’s their parents. There’s work or study. For some there’s a career path. There’s our leisure time. There’s our home; our retirement fund; our holiday fund; etc. You may want to add some other things in there. Of course I haven’t mentioned God or his Church have I? But that’s where today’s passage comes in. Today we see various groups of people with vastly different attitudes to Jesus and vastly different priorities.
John 11:1-45
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- Written by: Chris Appleby
The Raising of Lazarus audio (5MB)
John 11:1-45
How are you at reading the signs? I don’t mean street signs or advertising signs, I mean the signs of God’s kingdom? Over the last few months we’ve been looking at how John draws out sign after sign from Jesus’ life; signs of who Jesus is and signs of what he came to do; signs in fact of God’s kingdom being revealed on earth. And the point of all these signs is to bring us to belief in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God; to show us the way to life. In fact that idea of Jesus bringing life comes out very clearly doesn’t it? We’ve seen how Jesus is the bread of life; how he offers the water of life; how he is the light of life; and today we discover that he’s the resurrection and the life.
But the question is, what does that mean for us? In what sense is he the resurrection and the life for you and me?
Well, let’s see what we find as we look at this passage.
John 10:1-42 Jesus the Good Shepherd
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- Written by: George Hemmings
Jesus the Good Shepherd audio (4.5MB)
John 10:1-42
I wonder how close you’ve ever come to a sheep? Is it only the lamb chops that you ate yesterday on Australia day? Or have you seen one in a painting or on TV? Maybe you’ve touched one at a petting zoo, or a children’s farm? What kind of picture do you have of sheep? I grew up on a small sheep farm in Queensland. If you’ve been up close and personal with sheep you’ll know their fleece isn’t ‘white as snow’, but more grey from all the dirt, burrs and ticks. They’re often messy, smelly, and not particularly smart! In today’s passage Jesus calls us sheep. It’s not quite the compliment! But it’s a good illustration, because sheep are utterly dependent on their shepherd.
John 9:1-41
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- Written by: Chris Appleby
A Man Born Blind audio
John 9:1-41
Blindness is a terrible thing. Our sight is central to so much that we enjoy in the world. Whether it’s the beauty of nature, or the smile on a other person’s face when they see you coming; whether it’s the control it gives you over the world around you, or the freedom that it allows you; or simply the awareness of what’s going on around you, your sight is vital to you. So when someone loses their sight, it requires a lot of adjustment. They have to rely on other senses. They have to depend on others for things like simply getting around that the rest of us take for granted. If you know someone with failing eyesight you’ll know what a loss it is, how many restrictions it puts on their life.
But you know, there are different forms of blindness. There’s physical blindness, but there’s also spiritual blindness. In the story we’re looking at today, we see Jesus healing a man’s physical blindness, and in the process we discover the spiritual blindness of some of those looking on.
Light vs darkness is one of those themes that runs through John’s gospel and linked with that theme is that of judgement.
John 1:29-51
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- Written by: George Hemmings
Following the First audio (2.6MB)
John 1:29-51
If you’ve been with us any time over the last three months, you’ll know we’ve been looking at John’s gospel. As we’ve done so we’ve been particularly focused on the signs of God’s kingdom. They’ve been right through John. They’ve been signs of the coming of God’s kingdom and the glory of his King, Jesus. And today’s passage is no different. It’s full of signs of who Jesus is, and what he’ll do. The signs are there in all the names and titles that are used of Jesus. I wonder how many you saw as we read through? I counted at least nine. They’re signs that Jesus is pretty extra-ordinary!
But this morning I don’t want to look at any of those signs. Instead, as we come to the end of our time in John, I want us to look at the people who first saw those signs. To ask, what kind of people were they? And how did they respond? Can they teach us anything?
Wedding – Ian & Claudia Mak
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- Written by: Chris Appleby
Wedding – Ian & Claudia Mak audio (2.6MB)
Gen 2:18-25
Ian and Claudia asked me to preach on this passage for a particular reason which I’ll mention in a moment, but first let me just remind you of the flow of the narrative in Gen 2. God has made a man. He’s put him in the Garden of Eden, a wonderful place filled with good things. But God sees Adam, on his own, and he says this isn’t good. Human beings are made in God’s image. They’re made for relationships, for community. So God decides to make a helper who can be Adam’s partner. God first makes all the other animals and brings them to Adam to see what he’ll call them and to see if any of them are suitable.
