Anchor Church City

In this penultimate Sermon of our Familiar Stranger series, Jacques explores how we can live the Christain life in timidity but we are to trust in the power of God. As he may manifest in his gifts for the church.

Are you white-knuckling your faith and wondering why you keep losing the exact same battles with sin day after day? A lot of us treat the Holy Spirit like a one-time transaction we received at salvation, leaving us trying to survive an exhausting world entirely on our own fumes. This message breaks down why being "filled with the Spirit" isn't some elite religious experience—it's the daily, non-negotiable fuel you need to stop running on empty and actually live a life of power.

Most of us know about the Holy Spirit — we've sung about Him, read about Him, maybe even preached about Him — but if we're honest, He often feels more like a theological category than a living person. In this first message of Parakletos, we explore why that gap exists, what Scripture actually promises about the Spirit's presence, and why Jesus made the scandalous claim that His leaving was the best thing that could happen to us. If you've ever sensed there's more to the Christian life than you're currently experiencing, this one's for you.

Most of us know about the Holy Spirit — we've sung about Him, read about Him, maybe even preached about Him — but if we're honest, He often feels more like a theological category than a living person. In this first message of Parakletos, we explore why that gap exists, what Scripture actually promises about the Spirit's presence, and why Jesus made the scandalous claim that His leaving was the best thing that could happen to us. If you've ever sensed there's more to the Christian life than you're currently experiencing, this one's for you.

In a world designed to keep us scrolling, how do we cultivate a genuine hunger for what actually matters? Join us as we explore 1 Peter 2:2-3 and the "Power of 4"—a life-changing rhythm of engaging with Scripture that moves us from being spiritually malnourished to truly satisfied in Christ.

When so much of life feels uncertain and unfinished, we’re always seraching for something solid to stand on. Hebrews 10 shows the beautiful contrast between the old sacrificial system, where sacrifices had to be repeated again and again, and the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus. What those sacrifices could never fully accomplish, Christ completed perfectly. Because of His finished work, we don’t have to live with uncertainty about where we stand with God. Instead, we can have real assurance, drawing near to Him with confidence and encouraging one another to hold firmly to that hope.

In a world where evil often feels impossible to overcome, the "Easter Paradox" reveals that what appeared to be a victim on a cross was actually a Victor disarming the powers of darkness. This message explores how the King of Glory broke the "impenetrable stronghold" of death, transforming a scene of deep humiliation into a triumphant victory parade for all who believe. Discover how the Resurrection makes the impossible real, inviting us to trade the brokenness of our own hearts for the living hope of a King who has already won the battle.

Discover how a "Rule of Life" and the practice of Sabbath offer a subversive rebellion against the modern cult of busyness and "striving". By embracing our God-given limits, we move from the anxiety of "toil" to a rhythm of "shalom" that fuels our vocational flourishing.

Stop waiting for a "sacred" calling and start seeing your Monday-to-Friday as an act of high worship. Drawing from the story of the artisan Bezalel, this message explores how God uniquely wires, equips, and positions you to serve His purposes through excellence in your everyday work.

Discover how the "Fall" chapter in God’s story transforms our unmet expectations into a realistic perspective of work that balances fruit with frustration. By understanding sin as a distortion of God’s creative intention, we can stop idolizing or loathing our labor and instead find a hopeful way to work within a post-Eden world.

The Goodness of God, the Goodness of WorkGod has created work for each and everyone of us. As we find our purposes, partner with God and seek pleasure in the vocation God has given us, may we glorify him and serve others with our gifts and talents.

Inspired by the vision of Psalm 78, this message explores the critical "three-generation slide" and the danger of gospel amnesia. Join us as we look at how to move from merely assuming our faith to actively investing in the next generation, turning a community of believers into a family of spiritual parents.

In this sermon, Matt explores how the Bible calls each one of us to play our part when it comes to ministry. There are no spectators when it comes to our faith.

Discipled by the Algorithm explores how Psalm 1 and John 15:4–5 confront the quiet forces shaping our desires, attention, and habits every day. Jesus invites us to abide in Him like branches in the vine, so that instead of being formed by endless feeds, we become rooted, fruitful, and alive in the Word that endures.

Not For Display: Faith that only looks good on the outside is useless. In this episode, we unpack James 2:14‑26 and challenge our church to move from passive belief to a life of action, power, and obedience that changes everything.”

Joel Bennet - Guest PreacherWhen Jesus walks you home.Jesus walks with us in what feels insignificant.Jesus walks with us through disappointment.Jesus walks with us when we invite him in.We can depend on him and know that he will be faithful till the end of the age.

Jesus tells a story for people who feel spiritually fine. In Luke 18:9–14, He exposes the quiet sin of self-righteousness and the hidden ways we justify ourselves by comparison. This message invites us to lay down our measurements and rediscover the mercy of God.

A teaching from John 13 that invites us beyond knowing about Jesus’ love to being personally affected by it. This sermon explores how Christ loves us completely, practically, unconditionally, and intimately, and calls us to receive that love as the truest foundation of our identity.

How do you actually know if you’re following Jesus? John’s answer is simple and challenging—love. Not vague feelings or good intentions, but a love shaped by the way God has first loved us. God’s love redefines how we treat others and is the clearest, truest sign that Jesus is at work in us.

The story found in Luke 8:40-56 disrupts the self reliance we reach for at New Year and the belief that our plans can secure the future we want. Jesus alone can be trusted with both our timing and our plans. His ways lead to a better life than any of us could have imagined for ourselves.

In this sermon, we reflect on what Christmas means to us as Christians: a reminder of God's promise to us.

How can I be sure God really loves me? Paul gives us the answer in Romans 8:31-39, reminding us that if God didn’t hold back His own Son, there’s nothing—absolutely nothing—that can separate us from His love.

How can we remain thankful and joyful in a world full of disappointment and hurt? This is a rally call to defiant joy based on the firm conviction that God. Is. Good!

Romans 8:28-30 contains a promise that there is No Wasted Pain for those who follow Jesus. But what does that mean when we encounter suffering and evil in a broken world? And how do we exchange the great, assuring promise of this passage with false comforts and human platitudes?

Drawing on Romans 8:22–27, this sermon reflects on the Spirit’s groaning intercession as the reason Christians can hope even while we wrestle with sin and suffering. We learn how the Spirit forms in us a posture of eager expectation for the world God is making new.

In this message, The Weight of Glory from Romans 8:18–22, we explore Paul’s breathtaking vision that present suffering is not worth comparing to the glory that awaits God’s people. Through vivid imagery and honest reflection, we’re reminded that the path to glory always runs through the cross—and that even creation itself longs for the day when all things are made new

The Bible calls us Children of God, a truth readily acknowledged but rarely lived out. Jacques explores 1) The uniqueness of the Father – child relationship for God. 2) The ways we want to make God our Master and not our father and 3) The spirits work confirming this to our heart.

Many people feel trapped in habits they can’t shake—but Romans 8:5–13 explodes the myth that change is impossible. In this message, we’ll discover how the Spirit of God frees us from the power of sin and leads us into a victorious, Spirit-filled life where real transformation isn’t achieved by striving—but received by surrender.

Romans 8 is often called 'the greatest chapter in the Bible'. Join us as we begin a seven week journey through the riches of this part of God's word, beginning with the truth that in Christ Jesus - we are not condemned!

The disciples had seen God move before—but this time, what worked in the past didn’t work again. It’s a powerful reminder that when it comes to faith, past success doesn’t guarantee future success. Real faith isn’t about formulas or memories of what once worked; it’s about daily dependence on God. What does genuine faith looks like in the ups and downs of life and how can we keep trusting Jesus consistently?

What is God's purpose behind miracles? Listen as Ben Camilleri unpacks three reasons why God performed miracles in the time of Jesus - and today.

When Jesus encountered those in need, instead of turning away he was moved with compassion in a vivid picture of God’s heart for people who are hurting or on the margins. What does it mean to follow his example? Hear about our partnership with Compassion and how together we can bring practical help, dignity and hope to children and families in need around the world.

Dave Deane from Questioning Christianity is our guest preacher to close the Beyond Grey Series. Addressing AI & technology, he answers the question: will the future still be human?

Guest preacher Jeff Jones invites us to see God not only as true, but as breathtakingly beautiful — both transcendent in majesty and immanent in nearness. When we are captivated by the beauty of Jesus, our worship, obedience, and even our suffering are transformed.Bible Reading: Revelation 5:6-13 (NIV)

Pastor Matt Sparks speaks on the topic of raising children in the Lord taken from Deuteronomy 6:1-12 and explores how as Christians we ensure that the gospel is passed down to the next generation?

In this message we explore the confusion of a “sexular age,” where culture treats sexuality as ultimate but hollow, and contrast it with God’s good design. We show how the Corinthian problem of viewing sex as just an appetite lives on in today’s consent-only ethic, which is too thin to sustain real flourishing. Instead, the Christian vision of sexuality as covenantal, fruitful, and sacred offers a life-giving alternative.

In this message, Matt Sparks explores the question, “Who am I, really?” by contrasting modern identity myths with the biblical story that grounds our worth and purpose in being created in God’s image and redeemed in Christ. You will be invited to rest in the secure identity of being God’s children—loved, chosen, and united with Jesus.

In a world marred by suffering, pain and hardship - where is God? This message explores how Jesus answers this question through the story of Lazarus' death and resurrection in John 11

In a world caught in a “meaning crisis,” this message explores why our hearts long for purpose and how fragile our self-made sources of meaning truly are. Drawing on Ecclesiastes and the hope of the gospel, it invites us to find lasting fulfilment in knowing and living for God.

In this message from our Beyond Grey series, Matt Sparks explores how the person of Jesus reveals the deepest longings of the human heart: truth, beauty, and goodness. Rooted in John 1:1–18, this message invites listeners to encounter the light that overcomes darkness, the glory that captivates the soul, and the truth that brings lasting freedom.

In this message, we explore how the Christian story speaks to our culture’s deepest longings for truth, beauty, and goodness. In a disenchanted world, the gospel invites us to live and tell a better story—one that re-enchants reality with hope and meaning.

In todays sermon, Josh will take us through how Jesus calms the storm, both in Mark but also in our lives.

In Mark 5 we see Jesus heals a demon-possessed man but it results in the pigs, a great resource for the town, being drowned. This causes the people to reject Jesus.In this passage we see Jesus confirm His identity, reveal His authority but the question remains: How will we respond?

In this message from James 5:13–20, Matt Sparks calls our church to renewed confidence in the power of prayer—especially prayer for healing. With honesty about unanswered prayers and hope in God’s promises, this sermon invites us to pray boldly, persistently, and faithfully.

How do we endure seasons of suffering and continue to trust in God? James 5 gives us a pathway for doing so.

How can we face the future free of anxiety? James explores how faith transforms our outlook, frees us from anxiety, and re-centres us on what truly matters: God’s will over our own.

How do we experience true friendship with God and resist the pull of friendship with the world? In James 4 we're encouraged to take three specific actions and receive three beautiful promises in return.

What does true wisdom look like? An in an age of endless information and opinions, how do we become people who are wise and understanding? The words of James 3:13-18 provide a pathway for living wisely.

How do we tame our tongues? James 3:1-12 offers us a strong warning and a pathway to living like Jesus

Today was an exciting day as Anchor's four churches gathered together to comission Anchor North Shore. Join us as we explore the future of the Church, and what sustains us as God's people.Pastor Arnaldo takes us through Revelations 19:1-10 - a story about a cosmic battle that the church is experiencing this very day.