Talks by Tim Johnson
Easter Sunday 2022 || Matthew 28:1-20
Humans believed that the Sun revolved around the Earth for thousands of years. Seeing things from only our own fixed perspective led us to assume that we were at the centre of everything. Copernicus, when he put forward the theory that the Earth revolv…
Searching for Sheep || The Good Shepherd || Ezekiel 34
Ezekiel 34 shows another example of human shepherds turning bad. But in this passage, we see God (who promises to send a Good Shepherd we know to be Jesus) also turn his attention to the flock, and those sheep who use and abuse other sheep.
Tim gives…
God the Shepherd || The Good Shepherd || Psalm 23
The Lord of the Rings has Concerning Hobbits, Star Wars has The Imperial March, Les Miserables has Who Am I? Theme songs represent characters and pop up when they come into focus. Through the Bible, there’s a theme song that pops up – “The Good Shepher…
Wisdom in Challenge || Sent Out By Jesus || Matthew 10:16-31
Tim continues our series, Sent Out By Jesus, thinking about what kind of recruitment ad Jesus might’ve commissioned when looking for his disciples and followers.
The role of being on mission for Jesus is likely to be dangerous, hazardous, and not wel…
Mission || Sent Out By Jesus || Matthew 9:35-38
Tim Johnson encourages us to re-focus our hearts on mission, however that might look for you. Whether you’re on an overseas mission trip or going to work or school, it’s such an important way we can show the love of Jesus to people who don’t yet know H…
Goodies and Baddies || Solomon Stories || 1 Kings 11
In fiction, we can categorise characters into Goodies and Baddies, but real life is much harder. Is Solomon a Goodie or a Baddie?
Tim Johnson wraps up our series looking at the life of Solomon.
Overflowing with Thanksgiving || Thank FULL || Colossians 2:6-7
On our 154th Anniversary, we give thanks to God for the life and ministry of St John’s. But what would have happened if 154 years ago, the founders of St John’s said “Lock it in!” and kept everything exactly the same? Or if, when laying the foundation …
Persistent Prayer || Teach Us To Pray || Luke 18:1-8
We’re continuing our series on prayer with Tim looking at persistent prayer.
How do you go sticking at things for the long haul? Sticking at things for a long time, even when it’s hard going. As lockdown rolls on and Melbourne became the most locked-…
Simple Prayer || Teach Us To Pray || Luke 11:1-4
In 2020’s lockdowns, 26% of Australians said they spent more time praying and on spiritual pursuits – and that they wanted to continue that beyond COVID.
For the next few weeks, we’ll be sitting at the feet of Jesus, just as his disciples did, and a…
The Church Is The Body of Christ || 1 Corinthians 12:12-31
We’re experiencing a lot of change at the moment, both at St John’s and in our wider society, so it’s good to get back to the basics of what the church is.
In this series, we’ll be looking at three fundamental truths to what our identity as a church;…
APPROVAL || Our Deepest Desires || 1 Thessalonians 2:1-18
When looking beyond the surface of our actions, we find the deeper desires that influence how we behave.
In this series, we look closely at our innate deepest desires of Power, Approval, Comfort and Control – and how to understand and approach th…
Carrying Burdens || Freedom in Jesus || Galatians 6:1-18
The final chapter of Paul’s letter to the Galatians leaves us with an encouragement to support our brothers and sisters in Christ; carrying one another’s burdens. As Paul has made clear throughout this letter, we’re a family of believers, and mutual ca…
Don’t Try This At Home || Freedom in Jesus || Galatians 4:21-31
In this section of Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he tries something we can’t recommend; but comes to a conclusion we can all agree with.
Tim continues our Freedom in Jesus series, reminding us that we’re all family in Jesus.
Before and After || Freedom In Jesus || Galatians 3:23-4:7
“Before and After” photos can reveal stunning changes. Before and after dieting and exercise; before and after renovations; before and after following Jesus! Paul, in Galatians, describes a before and after that the Jewish people went through – before …
Absolute Idiots. || Freedom In Jesus || Galatians 3:1-14
You IDIOTS!
Paul starts this part of his letter to the Galatians calling them absolute idiots. Why such a strong telling off? Tim explores the right and wrong way to live the #blessed life.
Added Improvements || Freedom In Jesus || Galatians 1:11-2:10
One of Tim’s dear friends adding water to wine. Another squirting tomato sauce on pizza.
When we make additions to things that are already great, we can ruin them.
Jesus’ message of grace and forgiveness is already everything we need. Adding to i…
A New Agreement || The Weeping Prophet || Jeremiah 32:27-34
Jeremiah was given a harsh message from God – that he would uproot and tear down, overthrow, destroy and bring disaster. But in chapter 32, we see hope. A new agreement between God and his people, not written in stone like the Ten Commandments were, bu…
Turning Around || The Weeping Prophet || Jeremiah 15:10-21
Have you ever felt let down by God?
Jeremiah’s Dirty Job || The Weeping Prophet || Jeremiah 1:1-19
What’s the worst job you’ve ever had? Jeremiah had a rough time, being called as a prophet of God as a teenager, he had some hard truths for God’s people. God gave him words to “uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant” – m…
Good Posture || Songs of Joy || Psalm 95
We had to learn heaps in 2020. From coughing into your elbow to scanning QR codes, there was lots of change. As we get back to some level of normality and we get to do things again (outbreaks notwithstanding), there’s a sense of joy.
This new series l…
When Life Disappoints || Summer Stories || Mark 8:34 – 9:1
On New Years Eve, Tim and his family where holidaying. Spending time at the beach, shopping and hanging out. Then they got a call that the border between NSW and Victoria was closing. They needed to travel hundreds of kilometres on a moments’ notice. T…
Jesus Meets Our Needs || Summer Stories || Mark 8:1-21
Through 2020, we saw scenes that we may never have expected – supermarket shelves empty of food and toilet paper. In 2021, Tim encourages us to trust that Jesus will provide all our needs, just as he did for the 4000 people (and the 5000 in a previous …
Belief in the Midst of Darkness || Faith in the Dark || Hebrews 11:17-28
Following God through Dark Times, when we can’t quite see the path in front of us can be immensely challenging. In this part of Hebrews, we see examples of Old Testament characters following God through their own dark times, without the knowledge of Je…
Giving Contently || Generous Giving || 2 Corinthians 9:6-15
Tim finishes our Generous Giving thinking about the attitude and results of giving. Are you content in your giving, giving cheerfully and not under compulsion? Are you thinking deliberately about your generosity?
Giving deliberately and generously is g…
Embracing the gift of giving || Generous Giving || 2 Corinthians 8:1-15
In this new sermon series, Senior Minister Tim Johnson talks about giving in the church, both in modern-day and in the days of Paul. He talks about why we should give generously, and how it is useful.