In John 13:1-17, Jesus enters into the upper room with his disciples, and proceeds to wash their feet. In putting himself in such a lowly position, Jesus demonstrates his humility, and his willingness to serve us, despite being Lord. This week Jem encourages us to learn from Jesus' example. As we look to our humble God, we are encouraged both to serve one another, and to humbly receive the service of others.

This week our guest speaker Colin Baron brings us a once-off message in Luke 18:35-19:10. In this passage, Jesus steps into the lives of two very different people, a blind beggar and a tax collector. Despite the contrast between poverty and wealth, we see that both of these individuals were isolated from society, and in need of Jesus. As Jesus chooses to meet these individuals where they are, we are reminded that his desire is to seek out and save those who are lost. 

In Habakkuk 3:17–19, Habakkuk concludes his conversation with God by rejoicing in him, even though his prayers have not been answered in the way he expected. His joy is not rooted in being in control, but in surrendering to the Lord. This week, Goke reminds us that true joy is not found in our circumstances, but in God alone. As we draw near to him, we find the joy of our salvation and the strength to rejoice, whatever our situation may be.

In Habakkuk 3:1-16, Habakkuk continues his prayer to God with a poem. Throughout his petition in this passage, we see that Habakkuk is in awe of what the Lord has done, and is confident that he can do it again. This week Robin encourages us to remind ourselves of the character of God, the works he has accomplished, and the promises he has made to us. As we grow in our knowledge of who God is, the stories of his faithfulness inspire us to trust in his work, ensuring us that he can carry us through all the struggles of life.

In Habakkuk 2, the prophet Habakkuk takes a stand at his watchtower after crying out to God about the growing threat of Babylon. When God answers him, Habakkuk is met with a simple command; wait on the Lord. This week Duncan encourages us to trust God's promises in the midst of life's difficulties. As we learn to rely on his perfect timing, we can be confident that he will fulfill his promises, and rejoice in the salvation he has bought us.

In Habakkuk 1, we see the prophet Habakkuk crying out to the Lord in anger, seeking to find an answer to the injustice his people are facing. When God responds to him, we see that these frustrations are not met with instant relief, but with a promise that God is doing a good work in the midst of the struggles. This week, Matt reminds us that while we may not understand the hardships we face, we can always bring our frustrations honestly before God, and trust in his authority over our situations.

At Jesus' baptism in Matthew 3:13-17, right at the beginning of his ministry, the words the Father speaks over him are words of identity. In this message we see that we find our truest selves neither by looking to the world, nor inside of ourselves, but by choosing to lay down our own desires to receive our identity from the Father.

In Matthew 5:27-30, Jesus warns against lust. With powerful words, he speaks of how sexual sin will lead to death. For many Christians, the fight against lust and pornography seems hopeless but in this teaching we see how Christ has come to overcome all sin - including sexual sin. We can be confident that all of our sin has been forgiven, and that it no longer controls us. Through grasping the gospel, we get the power to say no to sin, and yes to living in righteousness.

This week we return to our By Design series, exploring the truth of friendship within the Bible. Through the Biblical examples of Ruth and Naomi, David and Jonathan and more, we begin to see how much we have lost sight of the depth of friendship that we can have today. In this message, Jem highlights that the whole story of the Bible can be viewed as a restoration of a friendship that was lost, through the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ. As we learn to love like Jesus does, we deepen our relationships with one another and with God, allowing them to endure forever.

In John 21:15-25, we see how Jesus challenges Simon Peter, asking him three times if he truly loves him. As Peter witnesses and convenes with the resurrected Christ, he cannot help but run to him, in spite of his own shortcomings. This week Nat challenges us to think about our own response to the resurrection of Jesus. As we begin to grasp the depth of his love for us, we are encouraged to follow after him with the same eagerness we see in Peter, regardless of our sin.