Titus 3:1-15
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- Written by: George Hemmings
Good To Go audio (3MB)
The wait is over. Not the wait for the building to be finished. There’s still 61 sleeps to go for that. No, I’m talking about something else that some of us here have been waiting anxiously for. On Thursday the first round of university offers came out. Across the state students and their families have discovered if they’re good to go. Good to go to the university they wanted, good to go for the course they’d hoped to get into. I’m sure many here can remember that nervous wait, wondering if we, or our children, were good to go.
Titus 2:1-15
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- Written by: George Hemmings
Good Relations audio (3MB)
If someone asked how they could be good, what would you say? What does it take to be good? What do you need to do?
Last week, we saw that the foundation of being good is being pointed in the right direction. It comes from having leaders who are good models for us. Leaders who have a firm grasp on the word of God. Good leaders who faithfully ‘Teach the Bible’. It’s not just leaders, we all need a solid grasp on the Bible if we’re to be good. In the pew sheets are the Bible reading plans that I mentioned last week. I’ve been told that Jack Giles is the man to see if you want to get your hands on the Daily Bread reading plans. And here’s the chart that I said I’d be using, but had left at home. Being good starts with being pointed in the right direction, by leaders, by God’s word.
Titus 1:1-16
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- Written by: George Hemmings
Good Directions audio (2.6MB)
There are two words that Micah loves to hear. Two words make his day. These two words are, ‘Good boy.’ They’re words that we all love aren’t they. We want someone say that we’re a ‘good person’, a ‘good man’ or a ‘good woman’. We love to be told, ‘Good job’ or ‘good work.’ We all have a desire to be good, to do good.
Isaiah 9:2-7 - Christmas Eve
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- Written by: George Hemmings
Light in the Darkness audio (4MB)
Text by George yet to come
Mark 12:1-12
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- Written by: George Hemmings
Decaf Christmas? audio (4MB)
Decaf Christmas?
This week a number of articles have come out, commenting on the push to get Christ out of Christmas. The best I read called this the decaffeination of Christmas. Carols that are all about trees, snow, reindeer, not about baby born in a manger. Why do we do this? For some the story of Christmas is unbelievable. For some it’s a conspiracy or myth. For other’s it’s just nice to celebrate something at the end of the year, but there’s no connection between Christmas and the rest of their lives. It’s just a nice tradition, with no meaning. But underneath all that, I think this article got it right. The real reason we decaffeinate Christmas is because we don’t want Jesus intruding on our lives. Don’t want to admit that we need help. Little baby Jesus is OK, but he’d better not get out of the manger.
Mark 11:27-33; 12:28-34
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- Written by: George Hemmings
Debates in the Temple audio
During my time at Ridley, one of the highlights was the debates. Sometimes there’d be big debates in class, as we tried to wrap our heads around big theological ideas. But the really great debates were the ones the student body organized. Two small teams of lecturers and students would be pitted against each other. They’d be locking horns over the really important questions, like ‘You can’t teach good theology through fiction,’ or ‘That theological students don’t need to learn Greek or Hebrew anymore!’ These debates were a bit of fun, actually they were lots of fun. But they were also a way for us to unpack ideas and to look at them theologically.
Phil 4:1-9
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- Written by: Chris Appleby
Rejoice in the Lord audio (4MB)
You’ve probably noticed that there’s been a resurgence lately of vocal opponents to belief in God. And it’s especially obvious in Melbourne where the new atheists seem to think it’s a great place to hold their annual international convention. Do you think that means it’s becoming harder to be a Christian in our world? Is this rise of atheism something we should be worried about? Well, you’d have to say it’s not anything new. In this letter to the Philippians Paul has just finished warning that there are many in the world who live as enemies of the cross of Christ. And that’s not only in the world outside the church. There are plenty inside the church. So he says: “Therefore stand firm in the Lord.” Don’t give way to the forces that oppose you. Remain steady in your love and devotion to Christ.
Well today I want us to think briefly about what that means in practice? How are we to do this?
