Category Archives: Sermon Notes

2 Cor 3:7-18 – Out with the old, in with the new – sermon notes

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The church at Corinth was founded by St Paul some 20 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It was a dynamic but deeply dysfunctional church. There was doctrinal errors, with some even denying the resurrection of the body. There were serious moral lapses, including incest. There were divisions, with groups lining up with Paul, others with Peter, still others with Apollos.

Moreover, some had mounted vicious attacks on Paul’s character. ‘He’s fickle’ (keeps changing his mind about his travel plans), ‘he’s exploitative’ (says he doesn’t want any financial support but then pockets the collection), ‘he’s unspiritual’ (lacks mystical experiences and doesn’t do miracles), ‘he’s cowardly’ (a lion in his letters, but a lamb face-to-face).…

John 17 – What if Jesus did not pray? – sermon notes

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A long time ago, a young man finished an evening meal with his friends, spoke to them about various things, then looked up to the sky, and prayed.

I want you to imagine for a moment that it never happened.

I want you to imagine that he did not at this time pray for himself. What would be the point? He had been hated, hounded, and harangued, he had been betrayed into his enemy’s hands, and they were going to kill him the next day.…

1 Tim 6:3-10, 17-19 – Living simply – sermon notes

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Could we be contented with less in order to give away more?

We probably have items – cutlery, crockery, baby equipment, clothing, furniture, toys – that are in good condition but we don’t use or need them. We know that The Besom is able to pass them on to vulnerable people who really do need them.

We could easily identify one area in our everyday lives in which we could practice conservation (water, paper), sharing (books, tools, transport) or recycling (plastic, aluminium).…

Psa 23:3 – He restores my soul – sermon notes

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‘He restores my soul.’

How pleasant, how delightful, is this psalm! And yet what does it have to do with our lives today? David, the shepherd-king, lived in a world of green pastures and still waters; we live in a pulsating world of silicon chips and space travel. David’s world seems a million miles from ours.

And yet – if ever there was a time when we needed to re-discover the glorious truths contained in this psalm, then that time is now.…

Luke 2:1-18 – The birth of Jesus – sermon notes

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‘History teaches us’ claimed the philosopher Hegel, ‘that we never learn anything from history.’ But here, at least, is one person who is determined to learn something from the history of her own son. Let’s ponder with Mary:-

1. The time when Jesus was born

v1f. ‘In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)’…

Rom 8:18-30 – From groaning to glory – sermon notes

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Baghdad, July 30th 1919.

Dear Walter,

I’ve got some very sad news to tell you, last night when down at the river bathing poor old Eric was drowned.  You must forgive me for putting it so blunt, but I feel too full up with it to say much about it.  We were bathing as usual and poor old Eric went down.  We dived with ropes round us and swam about for half an hour but nothing was seen of him. …

Rom 8:1-17 – Life in the Spirit – sermon notes

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Where do we start with Romans 8?  It’s a sumptuous banquet – but which of its dishes do we sample?  It’s a glorious symphony – but which of its themes do we to attune our ears to?  It’s a lofty mountain range – but which of its peaks do we try to scale?

As always, it’s good to get our bearings from the context.  Chapter 5 – in Christ, we have victory over sin and death. …

Rom 5:12-21 – Adam and Christ – sermon notes

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There are many different kinds of people in the world: big ones, small ones, fat ones, thin ones, tall ones, shorts ones, bright ones, dull ones, happy ones, sad ones, rich ones, poor ones, old ones, young ones, black ones, white ones, Jewish ones, Gentile ones. And so we could go. But for the apostle Paul, it comes down in the end to just two kinds. There are two humanities.

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

Psa 104 – Did Darwin kill God? (sermon notes)

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Here is a Powerpoint presentation used as the basis for a sermon preached in the light of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, the 150 anniversary of the publication of his Origin of Species, and the recent release of the film ‘Creation’ which documents some of the events in Darwin’s life leading up to the publication of that book.

Psalm 104 was read during the service.

…

Heb 4:1-13 – Don’t miss out (sermon notes)

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Text: Hebrews 4:1-13

[These are the notes of a short sermon prepared for an all-age service]

God’s people are on a journey. We have a goal, a destination, in view. But we need to make sure we don’t miss out.  How can we do that?

1. Get started

When you travel by plane, you start with take-off. But I wonder if you have ever thought, as you boarded a plane, ‘This will never get off the ground’.…