August 22: Pastor Matthew Thomas
In the early 1990s, rock songwriter Bruce Springsteen went through a faith crisis: he stopped believing that rock music could save and rescue him. He was, he said, filled with rage and self loathing.
The[…]
Study for August 15: Robin Stelzer
“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”
Perhaps it is ironic that Robin is[…]
Study for August 8: Robin Stelzer
The Calling of Levi
13Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. 14As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus[…]
Word Alone:Pastor Matt Thomas
It is an all time best seller. Pretty much everybody has heard of it. No household is complete without one. It sounds like a round of trivial pursuit but reading it, as Pastor Matt pointed out[…]
Overview
The Good Samaritan story is well known. What is sometimes forgotten, though, is the context of the story. Jesus tells the story because he is asked by a ‘lawyer’ what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus answer[…]
Teach us to pray: Our Father in Heaven…
Study from July 11: Robin Stelzer
Overview
It is probably true that we spend more time thinking and talking about the need to pray than we actually do praying. When it comes[…]
June 6: Robin Stelzer
Overview
This was Pastor Robin’s third message in the ‘Generosity” series and it drew upon a chapter by the writer Richard Foster in “The Celebration of Discipline.’ To many people this is probably an unattractive title;[…]
May 30: Pastor Robin Stelzer
Overview
Pastor Robin took a big risk with this message. After a brief reflection on his previous training as an accountant and the effects of the GFC, Robin asked permission of the congregation to talk[…]
May 9
Speaker: Matt Thomas
Overview
St Luke was obviously a gifted writer. He understood story structure and it seems that he always planned to write the history of the early church in two parts: the Gospel of Luke and[…]
Speaker: Rachael Stelzer the audio recording is here: http://www.sundaynightlive.org/
Overview
Many of us have had experiences of going camping. Camping is now regarded as an important part of education: it’s where young people learn resilience. In her Sunday Night Live[…]
Because Paul has grasped the immensity of our human need, and the parallel deep, costly and comprehensive nature of the salvation we have in Jesus Christ, he is totally overwhelmed by the grace of God by which we are saved.
God’s grace is ‘glorious’ (1:6). That God should plan from before creation to adopt us as his children through Jesus Christ is, Paul states, to the praise of God’s glorious grace. Even before He created us, God knew that we would fall into sin, and that He would send Jesus to save us. Who but a God of incredible grace would proceed with such a project?
Grace is ‘freely given us in the One He loves’ (1:6). God’s grace is free, without cost to us, without qualifying conditions, totally regardless of anything we are or have or do. It is a sheer undeserved gift.
The redemption and forgiveness we have through Christ’s blood is ‘in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us’ (1:7, 8). How big is our redemption? How big is our forgiveness? As big as God’s grace! Far more grace than we will ever need has been lavished upon us. God’s complete wisdom and understanding made sure of that.
God’s grace is incomparably rich (2:7). There is nothing like it, nothing that comes anywhere near it in size and generosity. By this grace boasting is silenced. Only God’s glorious, incomparable, immeasurable grace, not our goodness, has saved us (2:8).
*From the NIV Holy Bible Women’s Devotional and Study Edition.