A sermon by Alex Crossley, preached on the 6th of September, 2026.

Part 6 of the Good News sermon series exploring Isaiah 61.

This Father's Day, Pastor Alex brought a message showing how fatherhood is the default design used by God, and how the culture today has undermined and devalued it. He explained through the story of Nehemiah, that we are called to rebuild what has been broken by following three steps: Recognise the ruin, acknowledging the brokenness even when it is painful; Responding, by taking personal responsibility instead of only observing and complaining about it; and finally to Rebuild, by taking a step of action, instead of just saying you will act. Fatherhood is essential to a healthy society, and it is clear that the culture in the present day has forgotten this. Change only starts when you accept there is a problem and you act on fixing it. Be encouraged by this message, and don't just listen and agree, take action, whether in your own home or out in your community.

Scriptures:

Isaiah 61:4

Nehemiah 1:1-4

Nehemiah 2:1-5

Nehemiah 2:17-18

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A sermon by Alex Crossley, preached on the 30th of August, 2026.

Part 5 of the Good News sermon series exploring Isaiah 61

"If you want to be a healthy tree, you have to be planted"

As a Christian, God has called you to be a "righteous tree' that He has planted. God wanted to cultivate a church community that is faithful, enduring, and acts as a garden of faith. Pastor Alex drew from Isaiah 61 four key ways Christians are called to be like trees: Solid in God, Shade for others around them, Sustenance for their community, and Seed for the generations to come. It is so easy to find a faith that ends up becoming a tumbleweed, rolling along wherever the wind takes it. Be encouraged by this message to put down deeps roots in your local church community, not shaken and tossed about by the brokenness of this world.

Scriptures:

Isaiah 61:1-3

Jeremiah 17:7-8

Genesis 1:11

John 15:5

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A sermon by Pastor Alex Crossley, preached on the 23rd of August, 2026.

Part 4 of the Good News sermon series exploring Isaiah 61.

"You are saved from God's vengeance, but you are saved to God's favour."

This message, Pastor Alex brought to light the good news that we have favour with God. Humanity was originally created to live under God's blessing, and although we fell into sin, expelling us from that blessing, Christ came to save and restore us to a full relationship with Him. God offers complete restoration when we are saved by Christ, something we could never earn by being a good person. Pastor Alex explains that God expresses his favour in three ways: His forgiveness, Friendship, and Answered Prayer. He also reveals that it isn't enough to simply have God's favour, we must also experience it through faith and obedience.

Scriptures:

Isaiah 61:1-2

Genesis 1:27-28

Luke 15:11-31

Romans 8:31-32

Isaiah 61:6-7

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A sermon by Alex Crossley, preached on the 16th of August, 2026.

Part 3 of the Good News sermon series exploring Isaiah 61.

In this message, Pastor Alex gave insight into the vengeance of God, where it is good news for three reasons: for justice, because God's Judgement Day guarantees no one will get away with evil; for peace, because God has ultimate justice, taking matters out of people's hands; and for love, because God's wrath against evil is the result of His deep love for the victims of that evil. We know from the Bible that there is no good person on the earth based on their own merits. Without Jesus, the sin you were born into is the divide between eternal life and eternal death. Ask yourself this: Do you believe Jesus died on the cross for your sins, and have you asked Him to clean your heart so that you can be with God? Today is the day! Don't wait until tomorrow, because tomorrow may never come. May this sermon be a blessing to you.

Scriptures:

Isaiah 61: 1-2

2 Peter 3:3-7

Romans 2:5-11

Romans 12:19

Revelation 6:9-10

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A sermon by Pastor Alex Crossley, preached on the 2nd of August, 2026.

Part 2 of the Good News sermon series exploring Isaiah 61.

Sorrow, grief, sadness. All three emotions are natural and healthy responses to living in a world that has been broken by sin. But they cannot become the very identity of your life, that causes you to be self-absorbed, transformed into a permanently brokenhearted human. The good news is that Jesus came down to Earth, not only to fix the sorrow and sadness in your life, but to replace it with something far better than you could ever imagine. He brings you the Spirit of Comfort when you have nothing else to draw closer to, the Oil of Gladness when you are sad, and the Garment of Praise when your grief is too much to bear. Jesus took your sin and shame, and gave you something you could never earn. Listen to this message if you want to find the way out of the dark, deep hole of the brokenhearted, and step into the glorious presence of Jesus.

"The worst moment for an atheist is when he feels a profound sense of gratitude and has no one to thank." G.K. Chesterton

Scripture Verses:

Isaiah 61:1-3

John 14:16-17

Psalm 16:8-11

Hebrews 1:9

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A sermon by Pastor Alex Crossley, preached on the 26th of July, 2026.

"The Spirt of the Lord God is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor." Isaiah 61:1a

Part 1 of the Good News sermon series exploring Isaiah 61.

Poverty is one of the problems that extends into so many aspects of a persons life, whether it is bad finances, broken relationships, failing health, or even a lack of opportunity. Poverty brings shame into your life, takes you to a level of insignificance, and forces you to a place of hopelessness. However, there is an answer, found in Jesus Christ alone. He turns your shame into glory, He gives you a heavenly influence when you feel insignificant, and He offers you a lasting hope when you are hopeless. The sin and guilt you have in your life is washed away when you accept Jesus into your heart. If you don't know Jesus, but want to, this message is for you. 

Scriptures:

• Isaiah 61:1a
• Luke 4:18-21
• Ephesians 2:6
• Luke 18:35-42
• Psalm 102:17
• Lamentations 3:21-24
• Psalm 121:1-2
• Colossians 2:13-14

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A sermon by Pastor Alex Crossley, preached on the 19th of July, 2026.

"I can act immediately on what's in front of me."

In this sermon, Pastor Alex explored the Parable of the Talents showing the responsibility that has been entrusted to every believer by God. He challenged the congregation to recognise that we aren’t just saved from sin and saved to eternal life, but saved for good works. Drawing from the passage, it was shown that God values faithfulness over raw output, and Pastor Alex urged believers to reject fear, laziness, and passivity, and instead step out and multiply what God has given them to impact their city for Christ, immediately, boldly, and according to their ability.

Scriptures:

Matthew 25:14-30

Ephesians 2:8-10

Matthew 11:28-30

Proverbs 22:13

Joshua 1:9

1 Corinthians 3:6

John 9:4

Isaiah 61:1-4

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A sermon by Visiting Speaker, Pastor Jarrod Risson, from Horsham Church of Christ, preached on the 12th of July, 2026.

In this message, visiting Pastor Jarrod from Horsham Church of Christ explored the powerful impact of unity within the church, marriages, and families. Drawing from the day of Pentecost and the letters of Paul, he illustrated how true unity acts as the ultimate catalyst for the Holy Spirit's fire and God's commanded blessing. Pastor Jared challenged listeners to abandon personal agendas, lay down the need to be right, and actively maintain the "unity of the spirit in the bond of peace" so that the world might see the glory of God.

Scriptures:

Psalm 133

John 10:10

John 17:20-24

Acts 1:14

Acts 2:1-4

Ephesians 4:1-16

Ephesians 3:14-21

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A sermon preached by Alex Crossley on the 5th of July, 2026.

Fear stalks the footsteps of faith.

In this message, Pastor Alex explored the deep-seated human desire for safety, freedom, and fulfillment, showing parallels between the American Declaration of Independence and God's ancient promise to Abram in Genesis 15. He walked through how fear often stalks our steps of faith right after a victory, reminding us that when God promises to be our "shield," He doesn't exempt us from the battle, but rather sustains us through it. Finally, Pastor Alex highlighted the dual nature of God's promises, present and eternal, encouraging listeners that God does not demand perfect faith, but simply a willing heart that rests in Him as our ultimate reward.

Scriptures:

Genesis 15:1-6

Psalm 121:1-2

Job 5:7

1 Corinthians 2:9

Philippians 4:19

Romans 8:28

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A sermon by Alex Crossley, preached on the 28th of June, 2026, by Alex Crossley.

We all want to fit in. Nobody wakes up in the morning wanting to be the odd one out, the target of a joke, or the person passed over for a promotion at work.

And for a long time in Australia, Christians didn't have to worry about that. Common sense aligned with Christian morality, the local church was respected, and our faith was culturally comfortable. But over the last few decades, the floor has completely shifted beneath our feet. Today, the vast majority of Australian believers feel an overwhelming pressure to keep their mouth shut, hide their faith, and stay out of the public square.

The problem is, when the cultural temperature drops, most of us default to one of two survival modes: we either blend into the background so nobody notices we're different, or we bolt the doors, build a bunker, and try to hide from the world entirely.

But Jesus didn't call us to be chameleons, and He didn't call us to be hermits. He called us to be salt and light.

This message is a direct challenge to the quiet retreat of the modern church. It’s a reminder that dead things float downstream, but living things fight against the current. If we want to see our families, our cities, and our nation preserved, we have to stop pulling the covers over our heads and start stepping boldly into the spaces where we’ve been told we don't belong.

Scriptures:

Matthew 5:13-16

Matthew 6:9-10

James 5:16-18

Isaiah 9:2

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