Willetton Christian Church

Luke 1:39-56. Caleb Crosby. The Christmas season brings a lot of joy into our lives with holidays, presents, families and feasts. We get so caught up with those little joys we forget the reason for our greatest joy -- the birth of Christ Jesus. In Luke we see the joy of Mary, Elizabeth and even the unborn, John, as they rejoice in the much anticipated coming of Jesus. While we are not waiting for the birth of Jesus anymore, we do share in their joy. Do you have reason to celebrate this joy at Christmas?

Luke 1:26-38.  Tony van Drimmelen.  With the last, literal mother of Jesus we see how she deals with apprehensions about her own pregnancy. We can make the observation that her situation is not a whole lot different to those fore-mothers listed in the genealogy (Matt 1:3,5,6,16). But there is no need for us to be embarrassed by this. It is surely fitting that a supernatural person should enter the world in a supernatural way! What the angel said to both Joseph (Matt 1:18-25) and Mary helps us recognize the miraculous grace of God bursting through all the expectations of men. How will you receive Him this Christmas?

Ezekiel 34:11-31.  Tony van Drimmelen.  Today we celebrate what God does when He raises up leaders in the church to lead and care for us. In one of the most powerful metaphors in the whole Bible, we identify ourselves as sheep needing the care of a shepherd. God gives us leaders who follow the example of the Great Shepherd (1 Peter 5). Imperfect though, our human leaders maybe, it is God who has the ultimate solution to our shepherding needs in mind when He sent Jesus to be our Shepherd-King. At Christmas time we remember the Shepherd who is the sacrificial Lamb and came into the world to give his life for the sheep (Rev 7:17).

1Ki 15:1-5; Ac 13:13-23; Mt 1:1-6.  Tony van Drimmelen.  The message of Christmas means so much more when we understand what the stories these fore-mothers of Jesus are telling us about their lives. When Matthew refers to Bathsheba, he doesn’t mention her by name; instead, he refers to her as Uriah’s wife (v.6). Why? He wants us to know about King David’s story and, how God chose to further the line to Jesus. Through an act of shocking grace, that involves adultery and murder the promise made to Abraham and David is realized. Matthew doesn’t want us to miss that. And we should not miss the shocking grace of God that is Christmas too.

1 Chronicles 29:10-20.  Tony van Drimmelen.  Maybe you have always thought that a note of praise was a good way to "sign-off" on the Lord’s Prayer. But this is not just saying it is over, this is saying why and how all our prayers will be answered. If we were musicians we would say this is the crescendo: “For the kingdom, the power and the glory are Yours, now and forever. Amen.” Answers to all our requests in prayer depend on the power, the kingship and the glory of God. God is the Winner! He has conquered the devil and God’s victory is ours. All God’s ways lead to glory and ultimately for our good. Praise at the end of our prayer is a way of expressing absolute confidence in the one we address in prayer, "Our Father."

Romans 12:3-8. Dan Kroon. This Sunday morning is a service all about service. A special opportunity to consider the calling to serve, the gifts God has given us, and the needs of the church. In Romans 12 Paul reminds us that serving and ministry is part of how we offer ourselves as living sacrifices and part of God’s will for us. It’s assumed for the life of every Christian. It’s essential for the life of the church. It’s the only way the body functions. You are a unique member of the body of Christ. Are you serving in some way? Would you like to be? On top of hearing God’s Word in this passage, we’ll have opportunity to put our faith into action and sign-up for different ministries that contribute to the life of Willo.

Ruth 1-4.  Tony van Drimmelen.  This is a story on the meaning of true friendship. Ruth came in as an outsider and got to know the God of Israel through Naomi. Naomi allowed Ruth to see, hear and feel all the joy and anguish of her relationship with God. Naomi is more than a mother-in-law to Ruth, she is a friend. Before Boaz, (whose mother was Rahab (!)) was a husband to Ruth he was to her a kinsman-redeemer. Love is the reason Boaz brought redemption to Ruth and Naomi and ultimately love is the reason God brought redemption into the world through Jesus. Do you know God’s love? If you do, you have the true Friend. Whose friend can you be?

Luke 5:27-39. Dan Kroon. "The Son of Man came eating and drinking," says Jesus in Luke 7:34. And it's true. He came to bring love, grace and mercy, and so often it was expressed and offered around the dinner table. He ate and drank and socialised with sinners and prostitutes and tax-collectors because he was bringing something new to the world. A new kingdom. A new covenant. A new grace. It wasn't something restricted to the prim and proper. It was a new hope, shattering old limitations, and going out to all people of all types. This Sunday a number of us will share lunch with each other, and we all do meals with each other at other times. So let's be reminded that such fellowship is a celebration of Jesus, an opportunity to love each other, and great practice for inviting new people into our lives.

Joshua 2:1-24; 6:22-25. Dan Kroon. This Sunday evening we consider the second-oldest fore-mother of Jesus: Rahab; the wife of Salmon, the mother of Boaz. And without any doubt, we can say that Rahab is famous for her faith. She is the only one of these five fore-mothers mentioned in Hebrews 11. In fact, she is the only woman listed there, full stop. And in the story of this Canaanite prostitute, we see how faith involves both knowledge and action, but even more than that; mercy. This story is another beautiful picture of God’s grace and love amidst the epic tide of conquest and judgment. And it is a pointer to the day when grace and love become the only epic tide in the work of Jesus.

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13.  Tony van Drimmelen.  The life of a disciple is a journey to the greatest joy that exists but way to get there is hard. Paul’s challenge to Timothy in 2:8-13 takes on four great truths which, if believed, will keep him bold and courageous. #1 Jesus Christ is risen v.8; #2 God’s Word is not bound v.9 ; #3 The elect will be saved v.10 and #4 God cannot deny Himself vv.11-13 In the face of opposition we can approach our journey of discipleship with great courage – if only we will be believe and trust these same great truths.

Genesis 38:11-30.  Tony van Drimmelen.  According to Matt 1:3,5,6,16 there are some strange names in the list of Jesus’ ancestors. All five women in the genealogy would normally have been excluded for one reason or another. In the lead up to Christmas 2016, we will see why Matthew has included them and be amazed at the sovereign grace of God working in their lives. This first “mother” of Jesus has a son, Perez, whose name means breakout. He represents a ‘breakthrough” for the gospel! The story behind his conception is an unwholesome one with lots of sordid detail. There is shame for his mother, Tamar, and more shame for his father, Judah; but there was honour for Perez and in the end, glory for God!

John 15:1-8. Dan Kroon. One of the things the Friends have learnt this year is what it means to belong to Jesus and to belong to God's family. And that when we remain in Jesus and find life in him he helps us, strengthens us and produces fruit in us. As we celebrate the Friendship ministry this Sunday, let's also be encouraged by Christ's promises and what he can do with our lives when remain in him.

Matthew 6:13. Dan Kroon. Temptations, testings and trials. We cringe at the thought of them, don’t we? They’re never nice and often painful. They continually demand our effort, energy and endurance. And that’s why Jesus gives us the last request of the Lord’s Prayer; because we need help. The Bible teaches us that God uses trials for good and the Devil uses them for bad. And while we admit some confusion about asking God to "not lead us into temptation," ultimately we are asking him to remove the power of sin in our lives and to increase the power of righteousness in our lives. To show us that there is no power (sin, Satan, or seduction) outside of his ultimate power. So we can ask God to simultaneously grow us through trials and deliver us from the temptation to sin.

Romans 12:1-2, 9-16.  Tony van Drimmelen.  The first two verses in Romans 12 talk about the radical change every follower of Jesus makes because of what they believe about Him. On its own, a belief never changes anyone. So Paul encourages putting it into practice by living according to God’s will. Graciously God provides a community in which to do that. As we love one another (v10), we begin to be transformed. Then, what we believe takes on real expression in our lives and is how the world may know that we are His disciples (John 13:35). Amazingly, the gospel binds us to our Saviour and to one another.

1 Corinthians 2:6-16. Marty Foord. Wisdom is all about the ability to make good decisions in life. And this sermon will address wisdom in three ways. Firstly, what true wisdom is really like. Often what the world takes as wisdom is not that at all. Secondly, it will examine where we find true wisdom. This will be in Christ himself, and hence the world is going to have little to teach us about wisdom. And then thirdly, how true wisdom is recognised. It is found in the apostolic tradition codified in the NT. In other words, Scripture shapes the wise heart.

Luke 16:1-15. Reinier Noppers.

John 8:31-38. Peter Kossen. Imagine a world where everyone is completely free to do anything they want. That is the freedom Jesus promises those who follow him. He says that if he sets us free, we will be really free. Why then for many people does the Christian Gospel seem to take away our freedom? It probably has something to do with not realising how radical the Gospel really is.

Matthew 3:1-12; 21:28-32. Ben Murphy. What does it mean to belong to the covenant people of God; to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? Certainly it means making a confession of sin and a promise to serve God and his people in the light of God’s grace shown in the cross. But now while our confession is important, Jesus challenges us to see that our words need to be backed up by a transformed life. In Matthew 21:28-32 Jesus tells a challenging parable about two sons and their contrasting responses to their father’s request; a parable which forces us to examine our hearts and our lives and to ask whether we following the path of authentic discipleship? Is our thankfulness to God brought to expression in a life lived for his glory, striving for obedience in everything?

Mark 1:14-20.  Tony van Drimmelen.  Discipleship is calling that takes a lifetime to realize. Our church camp will provide a very focused time to help us know whether we are fans or followers of Jesus.  Nobody wants to be a follower unless they know up-front where they are going.  When Jesus calls his first disciples he offers them a destination.  They receive the invitation into the Kingdom of God and for them this was a journey called discipleship.  While that may seem daunting to us, we may be sure that King Jesus goes before us.  We are asking the question:  What compelling reason did those disciples have to follow Jesus immediately?  What will cause you to do the same?

Psalm 51:1-5.  Tony van Drimmelen.  What do we mean when we ask for the forgiveness of all our sins?  That is what Jesus taught us to pray for in the Lord’s Prayer.  We take a look at one of David’s prayers for forgiveness which, if we follow his example, will help us approach God and ask for the forgiveness we need.  We learn what true repentance looks like when a person is humbled and turns to God and turns away from sin.  When we appeal to His loving kindness – his unfailing love (v.1) – in Jesus Christ alone, we find assurance of forgiveness that provides for our hope and healing, life and vitality.