-
What about when things go wrong? (1 Timothy 5:17–25)
We need people to proclaim the gospel. But what about sin and moral failure in the churches we plant or the people we send? (Sermon)
-
Respect and Honour in God’s Family (1 Timothy 5:1–16)
A sermon in Moore College Chapel, Lionel Windsor with Susan An. 1. God’s church is a family that’s both relational and ordered 2. God’s church family must especially honour its vulnerable members 3. God’s church family affirms natural family relationships and obligations 4. God’s church family needs realistic rules to truly care
-
A good minister (1 Timothy 4:6–16)
What makes for a good minister? A sermon preached at Moore College chapel. Faith and good doctrine, our personal lives, teaching others.
-
Plugged-in spirituality (1 Timothy 3:14–4:5)
Is your spirituality definitely plugged in? A sermon preached at Moore College chapel on 1 Timothy 3:14–4:5.
-
Ministry ambition (1 Timothy 3:1–13)
Are you ambitious in your ministry? A sermon preached at Moore College chapel on 26 April 2022, with Jane Tooher (hospitality in ministry).
-
Men, women, and God’s word in the gathering (1 Timothy 2:8–15)
Moore College Men’s chapel. Quietness for men. Value good works and God’s word among our sisters. We must not abandon our responsibility.
-
Jesus, Freedom and Authority in Lockdown Part 3: God’s Salvation
When our physical horizons are narrowed down in lockdown, our gospel vision can also become narrowed to ourselves and our group.
-
Jesus, Freedom and Authority in Lockdown Part 2: God’s Rule
God is not an alternative or enemy to human governments. Rather, he is the Lord over them. That’s why we are to pray to him.
-
Jesus, Freedom and Authority in Lockdown Part 1: Prayer
How should Christians in lockdown respond to authorities? 1 Timothy 2:1–7 tells us to pray. But it’s not a bare command—it also tells us why.
-
Faith and Love in the Mess (1 Thessalonians 3:1–13)
This sermon, preached in the middle of lockdown, emphasises the why and how of faith and love in the mess of the world – COVID or not.
-
God’s heart for all humanity (1 Timothy 2:1–7)
Tensions are very high in our community at the moment. Take the illegal anti-lockdown protest on 23 July 2021 in Sydney. The protesters were expressing a fear and anger that’s clearly present amongst many. They were wrong to express it in this way. But you can feel it, can’t you? I know right now many of us are feeling the frustration. Some of us are in almost impossible situations: climbing the walls! And it’s hard. The catch-cry of the protest was freedom: freedom of movement, of work, of association. And while the protest itself was way out of line, freedom does matter, doesn’t it? It matters for us and our community. The Bible teaches us to live as humans among humans and human authorities, by helping us to see God’s heart for all humanity, as we pray.
-
Grace in ministry: Avoiding the shipwreck (1 Timothy 1:12–20)
“There was a widespread view expressed by participants that within [the church] culture there was an over-emphasis on sin and an under-emphasis on grace”. The report describes how this grace problem permeated the culture. It affected membership commitment expectations, views of authority, pastoral care, and more. And yet, the thing is: Nobody would deny that this church believed in grace. They preached a conservative evangelical reformed doctrine of grace. But on the ground, in so many instances, grace was not a key feature of this church’s ministry and relationships—with disastrous results. Today I want us to grasp that in Christian ministry, grace can’t only be the content we preach. Grace also must permeate and transform everything about us personally. And I want to give some suggestions for things we can do even now in lockdown, to wage the warfare of grace. (a sermon)
-
The goals of Bible teaching (1 Timothy 1:1–11)
In gospel ministry and Bible teaching, if you’re not committed to the right goal, or if you have the wrong goal, it’s not just a matter of being ineffective: you’ll be downright dangerous. So what is that goal? What are you seeking to achieve in your gospel ministry and Bible teaching – now and in the future? And how would you know if you’d done it right? This passage in 1 Timothy 1:1–11 speaks to this issue of the goals of ministry and teaching. It challenges us to think about our own aims in teaching, and to see how important it is to get it right. A sermon preached at Moore College Men’s Chapel on 14 July, 2021.
-
Romans Crash Course (video)
A 75 minute video course in the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans designed for church members and leaders.
-
Humility in Ministry #3 (Romans 11)
God achieves his purposes through the gospel—with you and without you. A sermon on Romans 11 at Moore College chapel.
-
Humility in Ministry #2 (Romans 10)
Since the gospel is about believing not achieving, Christian ministry is about speaking not achieving. A sermon on Romans 10 at Moore College chapel.
-
Finding praise in the right place (Romans 2:28–29)
There is a very strong temptation to measure your ministry by looking at how much people are praising you. This passage teaches us where to look for praise.
-
When education is not the answer (Romans 2:17–27)
When education is not the answer (Romans 2:17–27). Amongst all the pragmatics & demands & struggles of ministry, you first need to know the why of ministry. You need deep and strong theology, and to apply that theology to your life & ministry.
-
Jesus is Compassionate: A Sermon on Mark 1:29-45
Does Jesus really care about us? Often it seems like he doesn’t – even in the accounts of Jesus’ life here in Mark’s gospel. But the strange things Jesus does here points to a great truth: that Jesus is, in fact, far more compassionate than we can imagine.
-
Grace and Love. Actually. (A sermon on Deuteronomy 9-11)
Deuteronomy chapters 9–11 don’t just tell us what grace and love mean. They show us what grace and love mean – by telling us a story.
-
Get with the Program (The Gospel Coalition Australia)
My recent talk on Ephesians 1-2 for the Rural Bible Network is now available at the Gospel Coalition Australia website.
-
Bible Talks on Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians
Here are some Bible talks on Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. For each of the 6 chapters in Ephesians, I outline and apply some of the key points.
-
Finding security: a men’s dinner talk
How much of your life is taken up by the quest for security? Jesus has been giving people deep and lasting security, for two thousand years and counting.
-
When rulers encounter God: sermon series
Audio from a 3-part sermon series, spanning two semesters and two testaments, at the Moore College chapel.
-
His shame, my shame
Something always strikes me when I come to read the written accounts of Jesus’ final hours before his death. The Gospels do not dwell on the physical suffering in any kind of gory detail. Rather, what comes to the fore in these accounts, again and again, is Jesus’ shame and humiliation.