Messages

A message from the series “Mark – A King\’s Ransom.” In tonight’s sermon, Ruth Smith explores Jeremiah 7:1–11 and Gospel of Mark 11, unpacking Jesus’ unexpected actions as he enters Jerusalem as the promised Messiah—prophet, priest, and king. Through the triumphal entry, the cursing of the fig tree, and the cleansing of the temple, Ruth explains how Jesus confronts false religion and exposes the danger of outward appearances without true spiritual fruit. She highlights that the temple, once central to worship, is being replaced by Jesus himself as the true meeting place between God and humanity. The sermon concludes by reframing prayer—not as a transaction to get what we want, but as a relational response of trust, inviting believers to engage deeply with God and allow Him to transform their hearts.

5 Questions to Think About:
1. Where might I be relying on outward appearances of faith rather than genuine spiritual fruit?
2. Do I treat my relationship with God as something secure regardless of how I live, like the people in Jeremiah’s time?
3. How do I respond to Jesus as king—do I expect Him to meet my agenda, or do I submit to His?
4. In what ways do I approach prayer: as a transaction to get things, or as a relationship with God?
5. Are there “mountains” in my life—idols or priorities—that God is calling me to surrender?

A message from the series “Mark – A King\’s Ransom.” In tonight’s sermon, Ruth Smith explores key passages from Gospel of Mark, tracing the question at the heart of its opening chapters: Who is Jesus? Beginning with Mark 1:1–13 and moving to Mark 8:22–38, the message highlights how Jesus is revealed as the Messiah and Son of God through his authority, teaching, and miracles. Ruth focuses on Peter’s declaration of Jesus as the Messiah and the surprising reality that this Messiah must suffer and die. The sermon challenges listeners to move beyond simply recognising Jesus’ identity to understanding what it truly means to follow him—denying self, taking up the cross, and trusting him as the source of ultimate security and eternal life.

5 Questions to Think About:

When you consider the question “Who is Jesus?”, what is your personal response?
Are there ways you might be shaping Jesus to fit your own expectations, like Peter did?
What is the “10%” of your life that you find hardest to surrender to God?
How does Jesus’ call to deny yourself and take up your cross challenge your daily decisions?
Where are you currently placing your sense of security—yourself, the world, or Jesus?

3 Key Takeaways:

Jesus is not only the Messiah in title but the suffering Saviour who fulfills God’s plan in an unexpected way.
True discipleship requires full surrender—denying self, trusting God’s will, and following Jesus wholeheartedly.
Lasting security is not found in control or circumstances, but in Jesus and the eternal life he promises.

A message from the series “Dwelling in Fulness – Christmas 2025.”

A message from the series “Mark – A King\’s Ransom.” In this sermon, Robin Kinstead explores the trial of Jesus before Pilate in Mark’s Gospel, revealing how the crowd’s choice of Barabbas over Jesus powerfully displays the heart of the gospel. As the innocent King is rejected and the guilty rebel is released, we see the great exchange at the centre of Christianity—Jesus taking the place of sinners. Robin unpacks how Christ willingly bore our judgment, fulfilled the Old Testament sacrificial system, and calls us to respond by living lives of humble service, forgiveness, and sacrificial love.
Questions to Think About
1. Why is Barabbas such a powerful picture of our own situation before God?
2. What does Jesus’ willingness to take the place of the guilty teach us about God’s love?
3. How does understanding the cross shape the way we view forgiveness?
4. In what practical ways can you serve others as Jesus has served you?
5. Is there someone in your life whom God is calling you to forgive or love more deeply?
Three Things to Take Away
• Jesus, the innocent King, willingly took the place of guilty sinners.
• The cross demonstrates both God’s justice and His extraordinary mercy.
• Those who have been served by Jesus are called to serve others with joy and sacrifice.

A message from the series “Mark – A King\’s Ransom.” In this sermon, Peter Lenehan explores Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14) alongside Lamentations 3, focusing on how to trust God in times of deep sorrow and unfulfilled desires. He highlights Jesus’ humanity as he expresses overwhelming distress and honestly asks the Father for another way, while still submitting to God’s will. The message emphasises that faith does not remove sorrow, but allows believers to bring their true feelings to God, remain obedient, and depend on prayer. Through Jesus’ example, listeners are encouraged to trust God even when life does not go as hoped, recognising the importance of honesty, submission, and continual prayer in the Christian life.
Questions to Think About
1. How do you usually respond when you don’t get what you deeply want?
2. What does Jesus’ honesty in prayer teach you about how you can approach God?
3. In what areas of your life do you find it hardest to submit to God’s will?
4. How can you hold together both sorrow and faith without feeling like one cancels out the other?
5. What might be preventing you from seeing your need to pray more regularly?
Three Things to Take Away
• Faith and sorrow can coexist—trusting God does not mean pretending everything is okay.
• God invites honest prayers, even when they express desires that differ from His will.
• Prayer is essential for faithfulness, reminding us of our dependence on God in every circumstance.

A message from the series “Mark – A King\’s Ransom.” In this sermon, Shane Dirks explores Mark 14 and the events surrounding the Last Supper, highlighting the “ironic” nature of Jesus’ mission. Through moments such as the prepared Passover, the announcement of betrayal during a fellowship meal, and Jesus redefining the covenant in terms of his own body and blood, the message reveals a Messiah who overturns expectations. Shane emphasises that Jesus is fully prepared, willingly heading toward the cross, and is the true and only hope for salvation. The sermon calls listeners to recognise Christ’s authority, trust in his finished work, and respond to his call to watch, believe, and proclaim the good news.
Questions to Think About
1. What do the “ironies” in this passage reveal about the true nature of Jesus’ mission?
2. How does Jesus redefining the Passover challenge your understanding of salvation?
3. In what ways might you be relying on something other than Jesus as your hope?
4. How does knowing that Jesus is both willing and prepared to save change your response to him?
5. What does it look like for you to “keep watch” and live in light of the empty tomb?
Three Things to Take Away
• Jesus is fully prepared and in control as he moves toward the cross.
• Jesus willingly gives his life, showing God’s deep love and grace.
• Jesus alone is our true hope, calling us to trust him and share the gospel with others.

A message from the series “Mark – A King\’s Ransom.” In this sermon, Robin Kinstead explores Mark 12 alongside Psalm 118, focusing on the theme of honouring authority under God. He explains how Jesus confronts the religious leaders who question his authority, using parables and teaching to reveal their rejection of God’s servants and ultimately God’s Son. The message highlights that while earthly authorities—such as governments—are to be respected and honoured, they are secondary to God’s ultimate authority. Robin emphasises that believers are called to live faithfully under both, recognising that they bear God’s image and belong to him, even when following Jesus leads to rejection or hardship.
Questions to Think About
1. How do you recognise and respond to God-given authority in your life?
2. What does Jesus’ response about paying taxes teach about balancing earthly and spiritual responsibilities?
3. In what ways might you be tempted to question or reject God’s authority?
4. How can you remain faithful when following Jesus leads to opposition or difficulty?
5. What does it mean to give to God what is God’s in your daily life?
Three Things to Take Away
• God’s authority is ultimate, and all other authority exists under him.
• Christians are called to honour earthly authorities while remaining loyal to God first.
• Following Jesus may involve rejection or hardship, but it is part of living faithfully under his rule.

A message from the series “Mark – A King\’s Ransom.” In today’s sermon, Shane Dirks explores Jeremiah 7 and Mark 11, drawing a powerful connection between the temple, the fig tree, and Jesus’ cleansing of the temple courts. He explains how both passages confront the danger of outward religion without inward transformation—“leafy” appearances without true spiritual fruit. By unpacking Jesus as the ultimate Prophet, Priest, and King, the message highlights how the old system centred on the temple is fulfilled in Christ. Listeners are challenged to consider what “mountains” in their lives—such as self-righteousness, false expectations, or misplaced identity—need to be surrendered, and are invited to trust fully in Jesus as the one true mediator who brings people into genuine relationship with God.
5 Questions to Think About:
1. Where in my life might I be relying on outward actions rather than genuine heart transformation?
2. What “mountain” (belief, expectation, or habit) might I need to surrender to fully trust Jesus?
3. How does understanding Jesus as Prophet, Priest, and King shape the way I relate to God?
4. Is there someone I need to forgive in order to draw closer to God in prayer?
5. Do I treat prayer as a relationship with God or as a way to get what I want?
3 Key Takeaways:
• God desires genuine heart transformation, not just outward religious activity.
• Jesus fulfills the old system and is the only true way to be reconciled with God.
• Faith in Jesus involves surrender—letting go of false standards, forgiving others, and trusting Him fully.

A message from the series “Mark – A King\’s Ransom.” In tonight’s sermon, Peter Lenehan explores Jesus’ encounter with the rich young ruler in Mark 10:17–34, challenging us to consider the true place of wealth, possessions, and ambition in our lives. Peter unpacks Jesus’ loving but confronting words, showing that while wealth can easily become an idol, Jesus calls each person to wholehearted discipleship. He reminds us that following Christ is worth any sacrifice, and that our lives must reflect the message we proclaim—that Jesus is better than anything this world can offer.
Questions to Think About
1. Has wealth, comfort, or security become an idol in my life?
2. What might Jesus be asking me to surrender in order to follow Him more fully?
3. Does the way I live support or contradict the gospel I proclaim?
4. How can I use the resources God has given me for His kingdom?
5. Am I trusting in my own ability, or in God’s power, for salvation and transformation?
Three Things to Take Away
• Jesus lovingly exposes the idols of our hearts so that we can truly follow Him.
• Wealth is a powerful tool, but a dangerous master if it takes God’s place.
• A life devoted to Jesus will always be worth far more than anything we leave behind.

A message from the series “Mark – A King\’s Ransom.” In today’s sermon, Robin Kinstead explores the transfiguration of Jesus in Mark 9 alongside the prophecy of Malachi 4, revealing the brilliance of God’s glory and the depth of His transforming grace. He highlights how Jesus is not merely reflecting God’s glory but is Himself the radiant Son of God, fulfilling the Law and the Prophets. The message emphasises that God’s kingdom and restoration come not through human effort but through the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ. Believers are called to behold Jesus, listen to Him, and be transformed by His grace—reflecting His light in a world that cannot generate its own.
5 Questions to Think About:
1. What does the transfiguration reveal about who Jesus truly is?
2. Why is it important that God says, “Listen to him”?
3. How do the appearances of Moses and Elijah help us understand Jesus’ role in God’s plan?
4. Why can’t we separate God’s glory from the suffering of the cross?
5. In what ways might you be trying to “create your own light” instead of reflecting Christ’s?
3 Key Takeaways:
• Jesus is the radiant Son of God, and His glory reveals both His identity and His mission.
• God’s grace and restoration come through the cross before the crown—suffering precedes glory.
• Transformation in the Christian life comes from beholding Jesus and reflecting His light, not from self-effort.