Update No. 434
Good Morning, Redeemer Family
Sermon Recordings
This week, Sean walked us through Hebrews 11:17–22, focusing on the intense but necessary reality of testing in the Christian life. Looking at God's command for Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, Sean explained that trials aren't designed to reveal our hearts to God, who already knows everything. Instead, testing reveals our hearts to us. When what we value is threatened, trials expose our hidden idols of comfort, control, or approval. Yet, Abraham’s obedience was anchored in a profound trust in God's promises, reasoning that God could even raise Isaac from the dead. This stunning faith perfectly prefigured the Father offering His own Son, Jesus, as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. Just as Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph faithfully passed this hope down through the generations, that baton has now been handed to us to trust God through our own trials.
If you weren’t able to make it on Sunday or if you’d like to listen to this sermon or any previous sermons, they’re all available here.
Can’t wait until Wednesday to listen to our latest sermon? Good news, you don’t have to! Our sermons are now (generally) uploaded by 8pm every Sunday.
ReMemer Church
Wednesday In The Word Prayer
Because our next Wednesday in the Word and the upcoming New NZ Frontiers Online Prayer Meeting both fall on the same night, we have decided to combine the two!
We will still meet together at the usual time and place, but instead of looking at Luke, we will join the prayer meeting. This will be a time to enjoy fellowship together as well as pray with the other New Frontiers churches from around NZ. The prayer meeting runs from 7.30pm - 8.30pm, so there will still be time before and after for a cup of tea and a chat!
If you are unable to make it in person, you can join the meeting yourself using the link below. Please try to do so anytime from 7.25pm, so that the meeting can start on time.
The button below should take you straight into the meeting, but if for some reason it asks for a password, it is: nzprayer
Monthly Men’s Breakfast - NEW DATE!
Our next Monthly Men’s Breakfast will be on Saturday, August 1st from 8am - 9.30am at Mike’s place (87 Veale Road).
Tea & Testimony
Tea & Testimony will be on again next month! This is a great opportunity to spend some quality time with one another, hearing about what God has been doing in the lives of the women of the church. Come along and be encouraged!
We are currently without a venue, so if your house is available and suitable for hosting, please let Carli know!
North Island Biblical Counselling Conference
We would love to encourage our church family to attend the upcoming North Island Biblical Counselling Conference! Hosted by the New Zealand Biblical Counselling Association (NZBCA), this event is a fantastic opportunity to be equipped to faithfully care for one another using the Word of God.
Conference Details
Speaker: Dr. Stuart Scott (Professor of Biblical Counselling at The Master’s University and Director of Member Care with ACBC)
Location: Covenant Presbyterian Church, 77 Rogers Road, Manuwera, Auckland
What to Expect
The weekend is split into two connected themes, focusing on how genuine heart-change naturally leads to better care for our church family.
Pre-Conference: A Christlike Mindset
Friday, 18th September 2026 The pre-conference addresses the central battleground of personal change: pride versus humility. Dr. Scott will expose how pride resists change and how cultivating a humble heart opens the way for genuine transformation.
Main Conference: Christlike Love
Saturday, 19th September 2026 Saturday shifts focus to the "one another" passages of the New Testament. You will learn what it looks like to rely on the sufficiency of Scripture to build up the body of Christ and how biblical counselling is simply a natural extension of normal Christian living.
Want a preview? If you want to get a feel for the teaching before signing up, the NZBCA has recently uploaded the video recordings and session notes from this year's South Island conference to their YouTube Channel.
You can also follow NBCA on Facebook and Instagram
Reflection
"Simply put, the heart's root motivation is, 'I WANT.' 'I want comfort, power, pleasure, control . . . for myself, against God.' By nature, the heart is selfish. It wants what it wants when it wants it. It doesn't want God setting limits or providing direction. When changed by God Himself, the heart's selfish and anti-God motives are not erased, but they are gradually replaced by a desire to love God and live for Him alone."
- Ed Welch (Motives: Why Do I Do the Things I Do?)