GCI - AUCKLAND

A well known poem, "The Plan of the Master Weaver" compares our lives to a beautiful tapestry God is weaving, using both light and dark coloured threads, picturing joyful and sorrowful times. This sermon explores this useful analogy.

This sermon traces the history of the Shekinah through the Old Testament, and shows from the New Testament what this remarkable phenomenon is and the incredible meaning it has for us today!

Unlocking the wonderful wealth of meaning contained in the passage in Hebrews 10:19-20: “Therefore brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,  by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, His body.”

Many Christians suffer from ADD.  This is not a reference to Attention Deficit Disorder, but Ascension Deficit Disorder. This sermon puts an end to that disease!

The Bible compares the rare and valuable commodity of physical gold to the character of a Christian, which is like precious spiritual gold refined and purified by God, prepared to be part of the New Jerusalem, a city made of gold.

What does the remarkable ascension of Jesus mean for us today?

A companion sermon to the ascension sermon just above.

The astounding rescue of 33 trapped miners from a collapsed mine in Chile in 2010 aptly symbollises the great spiritual rescue the gospel offers to a world trapped in sin. This sermon was given as the crisis unfolded in 2010.

God wants us to seek Him, but he sought us first, and loves us more than we realise.

The Great God who created the Universe became a helpless baby in a manger. What a stupendous mystery! Could there possibly be anything more amazing than that?

What is heaven? Where is it? Will we all be going to heaven when we die? Or are we already there?

It is phenomenal how each and every physical aspect of the Old Testament tabernacle pointed to Jesus Christ, and to spiritual implications in our lives today!

You are invited to the most magnificent royal wedding of all time!

This sermon  by Rex Morgan compares the Christian life to a walk along a beach.  The vast ocean pictures  God’s endless love, which drowns our sins. Just as the sea brings the shells, and the waves mould the rocks into smooth stones and eventually into sand, so the love of God washes, cleans and shapes the people of God.

See the attached Sermon notes, or click HERE to view the slide presentation.

Lord Lyttleton wrote “The conversion and apostleship of Paul alone, duly considered, was in itself a demonstration sufficient to prove Christianity is a divine revelation.” His conversion was a watershed moment in world history.

The Bible has a lot to say about clothes, from the beginning in Genesis right through to the book of Revelation.

The first and second comings of Jesus are well known and reported on. But what do you know about Christ's third coming?

A review of the plentiful Bible passages predicting the second coming of Jesus Christ.

What can we learn from the spectacular mountaintop experience of the Transfiguration of Jesus?

“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why”, wrote author Mark Twain. But is there anything to find out? Is there a reason why we were born?

The account of Ruth's romance has been called "the most beautiful short story in the world". But the spiritual lessons it has for the Church today make it even more magnificent and meaningful.

Lessons for our lives from the overturning of the money changers' tables by Jesus in the Temple.

Genesis 1:26 says God made man "in His image". What does that mean and how does it apply in our spiritual lives?

Jesus Christ is our spiritual Promised Land.

The comments the Apostle Peter made just prior to his death reveal seven important steps to spiritual success.

This sermon draws a comparison between the seven days of the physical creation of Genesis 1 and the spiritual creation God is now producing in our lives.

Spiritual lessons we can learn from the resistance fighters of WW2 Europe in our struggle to resist Satan's influence in our lives.

What does the Bible say about retirement and growing older? Indeed it has much to say regarding "Senior Saints".

Where are we now in prophecy? How close are we to the end?

Grab a hot cup of coffee and let's look at seven spiritual lessons we can learn from the world's most popular beverage.

A look at the story behind the Protestant Revolution.

"The smile of God is the goal of your life", says Rick Warren in "The Purpose Driven Life". Is God smiling at you?

At times of disaster, lots of people ask the question – “Where is God in all this suffering? Why does He allow it?” As we go through trials and problems personally, the question keeps on coming up from time to time, and we continue to wrestle with it. So let’s notice a few things the Bible says about trials and suffering…

How can Jesus Christ be formed inside us?

Lessons from the birth of Jesus

A consideration of the objections cited by people who believe Christmas is pagan and should be avoided by Christians.

God has given us so much!

We think of the "beatitudes" in the sermon on the mount, but in fact the Bible is full of beautiful beatitudes!

God compares Christians to Trees.

Focusing on lessons learnt from the giant sequoias of California...

What is the difference between a "born again" Christian and a regular "Christian"?  What does "born again" mean, and when and how does it happen? Have you been born again?

We all have to choose between the two trees in the Garden of Eden.

Forgiveness has immense power--to stop conflict and disagreements, to remove guilt and to bring peace. It is a fundamental quality of God's nature and is critical to our lives.

We don't have to do everything at breakneck speed! God says "Be still and know that I am God."

A sermon showing how the wonderful process of metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly pictures the way a Christian's mind is renewed by the Holy Spirit so that Christ is formed in us.

A study of John 10:1-18 and what it shows about Jesus as the Good Shepherd guiding the sheep of His flock.

The ancient Jewish Festival commemorating the blowing of trumpets has deep and profound spiritual meaning for Christians today.

How Christians can soar like eagles on the winds of God's Spirit.

Most people have heard of the beatitudes in Matthew 5. But have you ever thought about the beatitudes in Revelation? There are seven of them...

A sermon inspired by a visit to the Niagara Falls. The immense power of an overflowing river is an apt picture of God's dynamic Holy Spirit.

A look at three powerful Bible preachers who said nothing.

A second sermon inspired by a visit to Niagara Falls. The amazing exploits of people walking on tightropes across the thundering falls portray valuable lessons for Christians today.

A brief and historic summary of the major doctrines of Christianity.

Sin isn't a pleasant subject, but it is very important to God, according to the Bible.

Does God ever laugh? Would Jesus ever tell a joke? What type of humour should Christians enjoy?

It’s as if we are in a Battle for the Bible! Christians are the only ones who believe it. Most of the modern world is against it, claiming that the Bible is full of myths and legends, written thousands of years ago and now disproved by science and modern knowledge. So let’s look at the question of “Can we believe the Bible?” 

"You will be shocked at the number of covenants mentioned in the Bible", according to this sermon. God has always wanted to build personal relationships with His people, so He has made a huge number of agreements or covenants with them.  Have a look at some of them in this sermon.

Psalm 22 is like an x-ray looking into the mind of Jesus, revealing His thoughts and feelings while He hung on the cross. This passage describes the crucifixion in more detail than anywhere else in the Bible.

The greatness of God can’t be conceived or imagined by man. If we could conceive Him in our minds, then our minds would be greater than He is. But this sermon makes an effort to explore some of His qualities.

The Christian life is a pilgrimage from this world to the next. A great passage in Psalm 84 sums this up so accurately.

A New Year sermon discussing God's love of new things.

A bag of spiritual jelly beans introduces a happy New Year...

Another sermon for the beginning of a New Year, focusing on the importance to God of new beginnings.

The Bible talks a lot about trees, and usually it is referring to the palm tree, specifically the date palm. There are some interesting things about palm trees that can be used as lessons in our spiritual lives.

Two hundred billion galaxies each crammed with 100 billion stars show the awesome greatness of God. But the Bible calls you a star too!

It is impossible to over-emphasise the supreme importance of the role of the birth and death of Jesus Christ in God’s plan of salvation. An astonishing number of Old Testament prophecies pointed to Jesus' death, right from the second page of the Bible. This sermon surveys some of those remarkable prophecies.

Why does Grace Communion International (formerly the Worldwide Church of God) no longer observe the Feasts of the Old Covenant? What does the Bible say about keeping the Holy Days in the modern world?

Which of the laws given by God at Mt Sinai are binding on Christians today? Are they all replaced by the New Covenant?  This sermon provides a conclusive answer to this controversial question.

Christians have been called as soldiers to fight in a daily war. What kind of a war is this, and how can we be sure we will win the victory?

In Old Testament times God instructed Israel to go into battle to fight their enemies, and even to kill innocent children! In 1 Samuel 15:3, God told Saul to “go and attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.” How are we to understand this in the light of Jesus’ command that we should love our enemies?

A look at the way the actions of a woman who broke a jar and poured perfume over Jesus demonstrate the heart of the extravagant sacrifice of Jesus Himself.

The physical things in the Old Testament pointed forward in amazing ways to spiritual things in our lives today. In this sermon we consider parallels between the physical Garden of Eden and our spiritual lives today, and on into the future.

This sermon, given during the season of the Rugby World Cup, looks at the lessons we can learn from the physical game of regby that apply to the spiritual "game of life" in which we all participate.

What can little creatures tell us about our part in God's plan?

What can little creatures tell us about our part in God's plan?

Here's some extraordinary evidence showing that a little is a lot, when God is in it!

When Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden of Eden, the way to the Tree of Life was cut off from mankind. So what about us today--do we have access to it? This sermon examines all of the Bible references to the Tree of Life, and how this applies to our everyday lives.

So often we take things for granted and don't say thank you when we should.  But God says to be thankful in all circumstances! How can we do that?

This virtually unknown woman was one of the greatest mothers of all history, impacting the world in an amazing way.

The way oysters change irritating grains of soil into magnificent pearls has close parallels to the process of transformation God uses to develop Christians into sparkling pearls He values dearly.

The strategies used in playing chess are similar to those needed for the spiritual chess game of life.

What does this important item in the Old Covenant tabernacle mean for us today?

Just as we collect daily rubbish as we go through life, we have spiritual rubbish that needs to be collected too. Thankfully God has a rubbish collection and a recycling plant to help us spiritually.  

From Genesis to Revelation, God has always wanted to be with His people.  He loves to be with us, as is abundantly demonstrated by the incarnation of Jesus as Immanuel ("God With Us"). God's greatest desire is to be with us, and whatever you are going through, He is with you today.

A well placed compliment can change the course of someone's life! Let's use this powerful gift we can so easily give to others!

This sermon looks at some of the boating stories recorded in the New Testament, and draws out important lessons for our benefit today.

There are many interesting comparisons between the life of Christians and a journey on a ship. We're all in the same boat, going on the cruise of our lifetimes!

If we are truly led by God’s Holy Spirit, we will love one another with a passion, with the strong fiery emotion of homothumadon.

This sermon reveals the master key to overcoming the trials and difficulties that loom like towering Mount Everests in our lives.