Sermon Archive


Philippians 1:1-2 Greetings in Christ

‘Thank God that I am not a gentile, a woman, or a slave.’ This was a common prayer that was once prayed in the synagogue and I believe that it is even being revived today. 1 Luke who is showing how the gospel is the gospel not just for the Jews, but a gospel that goes from Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria and even to the ends of the earth; shows us in the church in Philippi how God is building a people from all people and places. Jesus is the King of the Universe and not just Israel;...


Read More

Luke 24:36-43: Jesus the Firstborn from the Dead

We live in a world that is fixated on the here and now.  We live in what Charles Taylor called an Immanent Frame, a view of existence that is cut off from any sense of transcendence.  This is all there is.  Because there is no certainty of hope there is an intense desperation that infects life in the West.  If this is all there is, then this will deeply impact how you live.  If this is the only life you have, why work at a marriage that is hard?  If this is all there is why die a lingering...


Read More

Luke 24:13-35: The Road to Emmaus

OUTLINE The loss of hope The return of hope The response of hope INTRODUCTION I have been thinking a lot about hope lately. In part because of the three funerals that we have recently had, and the wonderful way in which the hope of resurrection, of our loved ones being the presence of God, and a promised end to pain make our present sufferings more tolerable. But also because I get to see into a lot of people’s lives, and every one of us has a pool of tears, and my job is to point each one of us...


Read More

Luke 23:50-56: The Burial of Christ

OUTLINE The fact of Jesus death and burial The significance of Jesus death and burial INTRODUCTION ‘I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.’ These words are from the Apostle’s Creed, one...


Read More

Luke 23:44-49: The Death of Christ

OUTLINE The darkness The curtain The cry The centurion INTRODUCTION What is the significance of the death of Christ? What is accomplished in the death of Christ? Luke answers these questions for us as he retells the story of Christ’s death on the cross picking out significant details which answer these questions. In our section there are four things that happen which underline what the death of Jesus accomplishes. The darkness indicates that Jesus took the curse and judgement of God; the temple curtain tearing indicates that Jesus has opened up the way to God; the cry of Christ...


Read More

Luke 22:31-38: Preparing the Disciples: Part Two

OUTLINE Christ warns us of satanic testing Christ prepares us for new ministry conditions Christ interprets for us His coming death INTRODUCTION If you have ever gone away and had to leave your kids on their own, you will know the type of preparations you made for them. You will have done a final clean of the house; you will have left a list of instructions, and contact details on the fridge; you will have pre-cooked and frozen some meals just in case; you will have stocked the cupboards; you will have got some friends to pop in on...


Read More

Malachi 4:1-6: The Great and Awesome Day of the LORD

OUTLINE The end of all things Living in light of the end The prelude to the end INTRODUCTION If you were writing the Bible, how would you end the OT? What would you want to say right here? The OT ends the same way the NT does looking ahead to the great and awesome day of the Lord. Last week we looked at the faithless accusations of those who expected blessings upon their heartless religion, and who accused God of injustice because the evil prospered while the heartless religious languished. Chapter 3 ended with a promise, v18, ‘Then once...


Read More

Luke 19:1-10: The Salvation of Zacchaeus

INTRODUCTION Jericho will always be famous for 3 unlikely converts. Firstly, there is the conversion of the prostitute Rahab. At the time of the Exodus she had heard about God rescuing His people from Egypt and giving them victory wherever they went. When the two spies came into Jericho she hid them, saving their lives. Her faith was demonstrated in her brave actions to save the spies. The second we looked at last week, the salvation of an apparently sinful blind man Bartimaeus. We saw someone who would be suspected of great sin seeing Jesus true identity when others...


Read More

Malachi 1:1-5: Doubting the Love of God

INTRODUCTION The Puritan Samuel Rutherford, in a letter to a man who doubted whether he was a Christian wrote this: ‘We being born in atheism, and bairns (children) of the house we are come of, it is no new thing, my dear brother, for us to be under jealousies and mistakes about the love of God.’1 Having atheist hearts that are in disposition contrary to God we call God a liar instead of believing He cannot lie; we believe God vacillates and changes instead of believing that He cannot change; we believe that God is against us when He...


Read More

Luke 18:1-8: The Parable of the Persistent Widow

INTRODUCTION Prayer is something that every Christian does, but nobody does well. Prayer is the native tongue of faith, but we trend towards doubt. Prayer is the hearts’ expression of love to God, but we are often cold towards God. Prayer is the outlet of holy desire, but we are full of sinful desires. We struggle to pray and we struggle to pray well. This could be because of sin in our lives that we withdraw from God’s searching gaze. This could be because of the business of life where the urgent drives out the important. It could be...


Read More

Luke 17:22-37: The Day When the Son of Man is Revealed

INTRODUCTION What is the meaning of history? Where is everything going? What is it all for? We live in a day of fear and uncertainty. Many are caught up in the fear of a future that is looking very bleak due to the effects of climate change; or a future living in a post-Covid world; or a future controlled by Neo-Marxist governments; or a future of constant digital surveillance. Many have a view of the future that is dark and hopeless. Every generation has lived with the harsh realities of living in a fallen world pressing in upon them....


Read More

Ephesians 6:17: The Armour of God: Part Four

The truth of God is something that informs every part of the armour of God. The truth of God is our belt that makes us ready for war; the truth of the gospel righteousness we have protects our hearts; the truth of the gospel gives us peace and makes us ready to stand and run; the truth of God’s promises quench the fiery darts of the evil one. As we continue looking at the next two pieces of the armour we see that the truth of God informs them as well. Ephesians 6:17, ‘and take the helmet of salvation,...


Read More

Luke 17:20-21: The Kingdom of God is in your midst

In his book called Mere Christianity, in the chapter called hope, C.S. Lewis writes ‘Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hungry: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. … If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probably explanation is that I was made for another world.’ We all long for a world of no pain, a world with no evil, a place where we can live...


Read More

Ephesians 6:4: Instructing our Children

John Newton, the author of Amazing Grace, was born in 1725 and at the age of 7 his mother Elizabeth died of tuberculosis. She was sickly the whole of his childhood. One biographer writes: ‘Though Elizabeth was unable to function as she might have wished, she did not squander her days. Knowing that time with her son might be short, she determined to make the most of what remained. She took on the role of teacher and spent hours with John each day. She was a good instructor, and he was an eager, bookish student. He progressed quickly. “When...


Read More

Luke 13:22-30: How Many Will Be Saved?

Who is going to be saved and how many will be there? This is a big question which many have asked. Asking the question today in an age like ours has certain other questions attached to it. We live in a global village and are aware of the billions of people who cling to other religious views; what do we do with all the other religions? Are they right or wrong? What about all the “nones” of our own generation who are post-religious but are opting to be philanthropic, vegan/vegetarian, who are all about social justice for the marginalized...


Read More