Inner West Church Sermons

Jon Tran opens up our series on Good Stewards by unpacking the source, the perspective and the freedom of stewardship from Genesis 1 & 2. SCRIPTURE: Genesis 1:26 - 2:17

To finish our series on Jonah, Pete Greenwood considers the vast differences between Jonah's attitude towards the Ninevites and God's. Jonah is filled with anger and bitterness towards Nineveh and God, while God is relentless in moving towards Nineveh and Jonah with abundant mercy and compassion. We learn that unless we realise just how merciful God is to us, we won't ever learn to be merciful to others.

Pete Greenwood preaches from Jonah 3 on what it takes to see true revival take place individually, corporately and societally. Passages: Jonah 3 and Acts 2:36-41

Jordan Lemley preaches on how the grace of God meets, renews and transforms us, even in our darkest moments. SCRIPTURE: Jonah 1:17-2:10, 1 John 1:5-10

Jonah is a complex, beautiful book, designed to expose the depths of human fallibility and the heights of God's mercy. God's Mission to redeem and restore the world is in full view, as he mercifully works on mission through flawed people. In this sermon, Pete Greenwood looks at the three decision points that Jonah faces in chapter 1. He largely fails, but God is still merciful, and we are pointed forward to Jesus, our perfect hero who succeeds at every challenge and empowers us to be used by God, despite our flaws and failures.

Jon Tran preaches from James 5:13-20 on how the Cross of Jesus doesn't only help us to speak honestly about our sickness and sin, but how it also gives us hope that God is the God who is making all things whole again. Passages: Isaiah 53:4-5 and James 5:13-20

How can we live through uncertainty, hardship and suffering? Campbell Brice preaches from James 5:7-12, encouraging us to persevere in hope because God has not left us alone in our hardship but has come to be with us in Jesus.

We all like to believe things that we know aren't really true. One of most tightly held illusions is that we have the ability to control the future. James helps us see past these illusions to the truth - that we can't control our lives and protect us from all harm, but there is someone who can.

Pete Greenwood was the guest preacher at Rock City Church Melbourne on Sunday August 8 2021. He preached on 'The Spirit of Peace' from John 14:15-31. Having the Holy Spirit means peace with God, peace in yourself and peace in the world. https://rockcitychurch.melbourne/

Only once does James use the word 'grace' in his letter. So when he does, we better pay attention! Grace for James ushers into the Christian heart a sense of humble awareness of the kind of life we ought to live.

Pete Greenwood helps us consider the two kinds of wisdom - worldly and heavenly - and why the former enslaves and the latter enriches.

In today's sermon from Jon Tran, we are remind of James' famous warning that the tongue can be a powerful and deadly weapon. Christians must clean up their speech, but that means first cleaning up our hearts, because we speak what our hearts are full of. Only God can do this, but what does it take?

Faith without works is dead. Works without faith are empty. But a living faith that flows out into all sorts of good works - that is a wonderful and precious thing! How do we get there? Pete Greenwood takes us through the nuanced wisdom of James to help us catch a vision for having a true faith that truly works.

Our human tendency is to favour those who will benefit us, while discriminating against those who do not. How can we identify, and reverse, this ugly trait? Jon Tran shows us the fierce wisdom of James, which challenges us to show mercy, while also revealing how the Gospel makes that possible.

Pete Greenwood preaches on the place of listening, doing and beholding, which work to bring about Christian maturity as we are led to behold and become more like Jesus.

Jon Tran unpacks the nature of desire - what it is, how sin corrupts and disorders it, and what it means to resist the temptation to desire some things more than God.

What does it mean to 'consider it joy' in the middle of trial? How is that the key to Christian maturity? Pete Greenwood unpacks all this and more as we begin our new series in the book of James.

Campbell Brice finishes the series with perhaps one of the rarest virtues of our age - the fruit of self-control. How can we learn to practice moderation over our impulses?

Pete Greenwood considers the fruit of gentleness which springs out of an inner attitude of humility and self-forgetfulness. Readings: Isaiah 42:1-4; 1 Corinthians 4:6-13

Does our culture have a faithfulness deficit? Is it a fantasy to expect that people are true to their word and say sorry when they let others down? Pete Greenwood considers all this and more as we look at the fruit of faithfulness from the story of David and Jonathan. Readings: 1 Samuel 18:1-4, 20:12-23; 2 Timothy 2:8-13