Category Archives: Sermon Notes

Genesis 3:15 – The serpent and the seed – sermon notes

Walking With Giants Posted on by

In the idyllic setting of ch 2, there had been just one prohibition, v16f.

3:1 – there is an enemy in the garden.  The serpent exaggerates the prohibition, minimises the threat of punishment, and tempts the woman, “Go on – have some”.  And she takes it and eats it.

Meanwhile, the man has been watching and listening.  The woman offers him some of the forbidden fruit, and he too takes and eats.

Before they can wipe the juice from their mouths, they know themselves to be sinners. …

1 Tim 4:9-16 – What kind of church do we want to be? – sermon notes

Walking With Giants Posted on by

[Note: this sermon was preached the Sunday after the appalling killings carried out by ‘Islamic State’ in Paris on Friday 13th November, 2015.  Hence the introductory comment.]

There was ‘a moment of relative calm’ in Paris yesterday afternoon as Davide Martello played his piano outside the concert hall where dozens of people had been killed just a few hours earlier.  The song?  John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ – ‘Imagine there’s nothing to kill or die for.  And no religion too.’…

Phil 2:19-30 – Best supporting act – sermon notes

Walking With Giants Posted on by

Text – Philippians 2:19-30

When the BAFTAs and the Oscars are held, there are awards for best film, best director, best screenplay, best music, best costume design, best make-up and hair, best leading actor and actress, best grip, best best boy, and, of course, best supporting act.

As Christians, we are used to speaking in glowing terms of heroes of the faith such as Abraham, Moses, David, Paul, Augustine, Martin Luther, John Wesley, Billy Graham.  But we’re here tonight to consider two nominations for ‘best supporting act’. …

Mark 6 – Walking on water – sermon notes

Walking With Giants Posted on by

Easy to trivialise: spoof job descriptions clergy and church secretary; JCSS: ‘Prove to me that you’re no fool/walk across my swimming pool’; Paul Daniels.  But it has all the signs of an eyewitness account of a very real and altogether alarming experience.

V45 – urgent separation.  Why? Jn 6:15 – ‘Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.’

He caused their crisis.  But why was it such a crisis?…

Mark 6:30-44 – Feeding five thousand – sermon notes

Walking With Giants Posted on by

Two banquets.

Disciples return, excited but exhausted.  They need to rest and recuperate, but the crowd chases after them.

1. His wonderful compassion, v32-34

‘…because they were like sheep without a shepherd.’

They had leaders a-plenty – Herod, and the priests and the scribes.  They could boast a magnificent temple, a large income, thronging congregations.  But they were not doing their job.

Moses and Joshua were often referred to as ‘shepherds’ because they led the people not only to safety, but to victory. …

Isa 1 – The overture – sermon notes

Walking With Giants Posted on by

She looks as if she has been the victim of a vicious mugging.  She has been beaten within an inch of her life.  Her body is covered with terrible wounds, but they are uncared-for, untended.  Her condition is deteriorating.  She needs help, quickly.  And yet her pain and misery are self-inflicted.  She’s brought it upon herself, and she’s doing nothing to put a stop to it.

That’s the picture that is drawn for us in Isa 1:5f. …

Mk 4:1-20 – The sower- sermon notes

Walking With Giants Posted on by

Text: Mark 4:1-20

Spring-time by the Sea of Galilee.  A large crowd gathered to hear Jesus.

What he said to the crowd, in public

The pathway – the stony soil – the thorny ground – the good soil.

No explanation given.  What was it all about?  Imagine a conversation between four family members:-

Father – “He’s a charlaton.”

Miriam – “I just love those charming stories.”

Mother – “He talks a lot of sense – but I have chores to do, friends to visit, letters to write.”…

Luke 5:27-32 – The call of Levi – sermon notes

Walking With Giants Posted on by

What would you rather do: eat your last Rolo yourself, or give it to me?  Spend and hour and a half watching TV, or an hour and a half in a prayer meeting?  Have a moan at your nosey neighbours for being nosey, or make friends with them so that it becomes the most natural thing in the world to invite them to one of our services here at HT?

Simple choices like this illustrate the chasm that so often looms between theory and practice, between what we know we should do, and what we actually do do. …

Mark 1:1-20 – Four witnesses – sermon notes

Walking With Giants Posted on by

A book by Philip Pullman : ‘The good man Jesus and the scoundrel Christ’.  This reflects the popular distinction between ‘the Jesus of history’ and ‘the Christ of faith’; the simple Galilean teacher, as depicted in the Gospels, and the exalted object of the church’s worship, as found in the Epistles.

How is Jesus actually presented in this, the earliest and shortest of the Gospels; the one that most emphasises his humanness?  Let’s call four witnesses.…

Rom 5:12-21 – A tale of two families – sermon notes

Walking With Giants Posted on by

I wonder how far back you can trace your family tree?  Not many of us can rival the claim of Canadian furniture-maker Michael Ibsen, who is the nearest known relative of Richard III, who died at the battle of Bosworth in 1483.

But did you know that, in fact, each of us is a member of one or other of two very ancient families?  These families are discussed by Paul in Romans 5.

At the head of each of these two families stands a representative. …