City on a Hill: Melbourne West

Jonah 1

Christmas 2024

Passage: 'Luke 2:8-20'. Preacher: Zech Sargent. Visit www.cityonahill.com.au for more about our mission to know Jesus and make Jesus Known.

The City to Come

Practice love, hospitality, and compassion, as you trust in God’s provision. Fix your eyes on the kingdom of God, as we continue to praise Him, abide in His word, act mercifully and share the good news with others, for these sacrifices are pleasing to Him.

The Unshakeable Kingdom

Through Jesus, our mediator, we are invited into His kingdom of joy and celebration. Jesus invites us to listen to God’s voice, reminding us that one day everything temporary will be shaken, leaving only God’s unshakeable kingdom.

Divine Discipline

A good father will discipline his children. Likewise, God disciplines us as his children to produce holiness within us, and to form us into the likeness of Jesus. The way we live is an example to the world of Jesus’ ways, and the power of the Holy Spirit in us.

The Hall of Fame

Many have gone before us in trusting God, and in His promises, without seeing the end reward. We endure the difficulties of this life by looking to Jesus, who perfected faith by enduring the cross, and strengthens us to stay steadfast in the face of opposition.

Let Us

Through Jesus, we can draw near to God with assurance that we are forgiven of our sins. Despite struggle, in Jesus there is great eternal reward. Stand firm, resist sin, encourage one another and remember God is faithful to forgive and save you.

The Ultimate Sacrifice

The old covenant's earthly tabernacle and repeated sacrifices were abolished with Christ's once-for-all sacrifice. We do not have to earn our faith or perform sacrifices to God. Jesus has paid the price for our sin and sanctifies us by his blood, giving us a new identity in Him.

The Most Holy Place

Jesus entered the heavenly sanctuary, offering His own blood as a sacrifice to secure eternal redemption for us, to cleanse us of sin and to gift us the presence of God, the Holy Spirit. Through Jesus we are invited into the throne room of God, to enjoy a relationship with Him.

The Better Covenant

Jesus fulfilled God’s promises of a new and better covenant, making the old obsolete. This new covenant is built on God's promises to write His laws on the hearts of His people by the Holy Spirit, offering complete forgiveness and a direct relationship with Him.

The King of Righteousness and Peace

Unlike earthly priests, Jesus' priesthood is permanent because He lives forever. His perfect sacrifice brings complete salvation, making Him the ultimate mediator between God and humanity. Jesus is the guarantor of a better covenant between God and us, his people.

10 Cities Sunday

The Anchor of the Soul

Our hope in God's promises serves as an anchor for the soul, with Jesus as our eternal High Priest. Hebrews 5-6 encourages believers to keep trusting Jesus, warns against spiritual stagnation and reminds us to trust in God's promises and persevere in the faith.

The Great High Priest

Jesus is the great High Priest who sympathises with our weakness and temptation to sin, yet remains sinless. He offers mercy and grace, providing eternal salvation through his obedience to the Father and suffering at the cross and fulfilling his role as great High Priest.

The Rest-giver

Hebrews 4:1-13 reveals the glory of God through the promise of rest found in Jesus. This rest represents not only physical respite but spiritual fulfillment and peace. The invitation to enter God’s rest through Christ showcases His glorious provision and the divine purpose of offering eternal rest and tranquility.

Consider Jesus

In Hebrews 3:1-19, the glory of God is embodied in Jesus as the Wonderful Counsellor. Compared to Moses, Jesus’ glory surpasses that of the greatest Old Testament leaders. His faithful leadership and guidance reflect the divine wisdom and glory, offering us a deeper understanding of God’s plan and purpose for His people.

The Saviour

Hebrews 2:1-18 highlights the glory of God as seen in the sacrificial role of Jesus, our Saviour. Through His incarnation and suffering, His willingness to become human and endure suffering for our salvation reveals God’s magnificent grace and redemptive power.

The Revelation

Jesus is the perfect, ultimate, final revelation of God. He is the ultimate expression of God’s glory, surpassing all previous revelations and angels. In Jesus, we’re invited to witness and experience the majestic glory of God’s presence.

Come Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit and Worship

Worshipping “in spirit” involves a heartfelt devotion, love for Jesus and full surrender to God. The Holy Spirit reveals and illuminates truths about God’s character, His will, and His redemptive plan through Jesus Christ to our heart, leading us to praise and worship him with our whole lives.

The Holy Spirit and Spiritual Warfare

Those in Christ stand secure in the kingdom of God, yet we know the prince of darkness rules the city of man. The Holy Spirit allows us to fight sin, darkness and evil, as we put on the armour of God and take out the Sword of the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit and Gifts

God gives signs, wonders and gifts by the Holy Spirit to point us to his power, grace and love. He wants us to walk in the newness of life given to us in Jesus, seeking and using our spiritual gifts to help us to know Jesus deeper and to make Him known.

The Holy Spirit and the Word

God’s Spirit and His Word are intimately connected and mutually reinforcing in the life of a believer - both are needed to flourish in Christ. The Holy Spirit illuminates the message of the Bible, enabling us to understand its truths and apply them, and to see and know the person of Jesus.

The Holy Spirit and Transformation

Disciples of Jesus are not only called to follow him, but also become like him. The Holy Spirit transforms us into the likeness of Jesus - leading us to a deeper sense of dependency on God as we navigate seasons of trial and temptation, and seek His guidance and strength.

The Holy Spirit and New Life

Salvation is the work of the Holy Spirit, reminding us that our redemption is not based on our own work or efforts but is a gift of God’s amazing grace. By the Holy Spirit and through faith in Jesus, we get to walk in our new and transformed lives.

The Holy Spirit

The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is a gift received by faith, allowing us to encounter God, enabling our transformation and empowering us for life and ministry. As a living member of the Trinity who is with us today, The Holy Spirit desires ongoing fellowship with us.

Celebration and Joy

You shall not covet

In an age of social media, comparison and jealousy can easily creep into our hearts. God desires us to not be jealous and to be content in his gift of salvation in Jesus.

You shall not bear false witness

Is it ever okay to tell a lie? Deception and mistruth is evident throughout our world, but Jesus himself claims to be the truth and the light. Will we follow him in our actions?

You shall not steal

Theft hurts other people, but it also dishonours God. Jesus teaches us that all we need for life can be found in him, and that God is our ultimate provider.