Category Archives: Jesus Christ

Lk 2:12 – ‘This will be a sign to you’ – sermon notes

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There is something surprising about this: the humble circumstances of the Christ-child in the manger confirmed the angel’s announcement of a Saviour. We would expect it to be the other way round!

1. The angels who gave the sign

Angels appear from time to time within the pages of Scripture. We read of their activities in connection with creation, the giving of the Law, the birth of the Saviour, the temptation in the wilderness, the agony in Gethsemane, the resurrection, ascension and final judgement.…

Lk 2:25-35 – Simeon – sermon notes

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When Jesus Christ laid down his life on the cross of Calvary, it was an act not only of supreme love, but also of deepest humility.  The Son of God lowered himself to become a human being, and then descended still further to submit to death, even the brutal, shameful, accursed death of crucifixion.

Yet even while Jesus was being executed, his Father sent visible demonstrations of the fact that here was no ordinary man, and his was no ordinary death. …

Mt 1:18-25 – An interview with Joseph – sermon notes

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[Note: the following was presented in the form of a semi-scripted, role-played interview with ‘Joseph’]

A little earlier, we listened to a reading from Matthew’s Gospel, 1:18-25.  This is a very familiar story, and yet quite puzzling in many ways.  So I thought it would be good if we could get it straight from the horse’s mouth, as it were.  I’m very pleased to welcome a special guest.  Joseph, thankyou for coming along and agreeing to answer a few questions about how the birth of Jesus came about.…

Mt 2:11 – The visit of the Magi – sermon notes

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Matthew 2:11 – ‘On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. ‘

To us, it’s as cosy as a Christmas tree and as comfortable as an old pair of slippers. Of course, we just couldn’t leave it alone, this story of the Magi from the East who came to visit the infant Jesus.…

John 4:29 – The woman at the well – sermon notes

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John 4:29: “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”

When was the last time you wore a mask?  Actually, we wear masks all the time.  We pretend to be what we are not.  We pretend to be happy, though really we are sad.  We pretend we are tough, though we are hurting inside.  We pretend we are confident, though really we are quaking in our shoes.  We pretend that everything is OK, even we have done something we know is wrong.…

Jesus – God’s promised King

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The Lord promised to King David: “Your house and your kingdom shall endure for ever before me; your throne shall be established for ever.” (2 Samuel 7:16)

Psalm 45:6 reveals that it is a divine throne that will last for ever: ‘Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a sceptre of justice will be the sceptre of your kingdom.’

And Hebrews 1:8 informs us that this is a reference to the divine kingship of Jesus Christ: ‘About the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever”‘.…

Grace and truth illustrated

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‘The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.’  (John 1:14)

1.  The man at the pool of Bethesda, Jn 5:8,14.  Grace said, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”  Truth said, “Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.”

2.  The woman taken in adultery, Jn 8:11. …

Jesus is King

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A note on the kingship of Jesus from the Puritan Thomas Watson.

‘Jesus Christ is of mighty renown, he is a king;

1. He has a kingly title. ‘High and Lofty.’ Isa 57:15.

2. He has his insignia regalia, his ensigns of royalty; corona est insigne regae potestatis [a crown is the symbol of royal power]. He has his crown; Rev 6:2; his sword, ‘Gird thy sword upon thy thigh;’ Psa 45:3; his sceptre, ‘A sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.’…

Wright on the resurrection

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I’ve been listening to N.T. Wright’s lecture, given at the The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, in May 2007, entitled, “Can a Scientist Believe in the Resurrection?”

It is most lucid exposition, demonstrating that only an empty tomb and a transformed body do justice to the historical evidence.

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Col 1:1-14 – Beginning and continuing with Christ – sermon notes

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Paul’s letter to the Colossians is an absolute treasure. For warm, practical, joyful, Christ-centred, Christ-honouring teaching there is nothing quite like it.

The small city of Colossae was situated in the Lycus valley in modern-day Turkey. Paul had never been to Colossae. However, he had evangelised other cities in the valley, such as Ephesus. Among his converts had been a man named Epaphras, and it was he who had taken the gospel back to his home town of Colossae and founded the church there.…