Category Archives: Sermon Notes

Rev 15-16 – ‘The judgment of Jesus’ – sermon notes

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Video and notes of a sermon preached on the morning of Sunday, 9th June, 2024 at Holy Trinity, Norwich.

On Palm Sunday, 2017, bombers destroyed two historic Coptic churches in Egypt.  Nearly 50 parishioners were killed and 100 others were injured.  Just hours after the blast, Father George stood before his packed congregation and delivered ‘A message to those who kill us’:

‘Thankyou,’ he said.  Thankyou, because you have given the dead the honour of dying as Christ died; because the victims are now with Christ, which is better by far; because your actions have made people mindful of their eternal destinies.  …

1 Sam 15:10-31 ‘To obey is better than sacrifice’ – sermon notes

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Video and notes of a sermon preached at St Andrew’s Eaton (Norwich) on Sunday 2nd June 2024.

‘Spiritual failure is more often a slow leak than a burst tyre.’

So it was with King Saul.  He looked every inch a king.  But deep character flaws led to rash decisions and foolish choices.

To mention just one: Saul made his troops swear, on pain of death, that they would not eat any food until they had won a certain battle. …

Jn 4:42-54 – Weak faith meets strong Saviour – sermon notes

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It’s every parent’s worst nightmare: your child at death’s door.

There is a spark of faith; a tiny seed.  And see what happens as this tiny seed engages with a mighty Saviour.  Watch as it grows, flowers, and brings forth fruit.

(a) He comes, v47.  He has heard that Jesus has been doing amazing things.  He is in desperate need.  So he comes.  17 miles.  ‘Faith is the foot that runs to Christ, the hand that takes Christ, the eye that sees him.’…

Gifts

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I guess that for most of us, Christmas and birthday are among the most exciting times of the year, because of the gifts we receive.  Have you noticed that the gifts we get the most pleasure from are often not the most costly ones?  What parent has not spent quite a lot of money on some marvelous new toy, only for the child to get hours of enjoyment from playing with the box the toy came in!…

James 1:2f ‘Consider it pure joy’ – really?

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[Notes of a talk given at the Service of Thanksgiving for God’s goodness during the recent illness and ongoing recovery of Sarah Mason.  Holy Trinity Norwich, at 2pm on Saturday 8th July 2023]

‘Consider it pure joy’ – Really?

James 1:2f – ‘Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds.’

Or as a well-known saying puts it:

‘God is good, all the time.  All the time, God is good.’…

Psa 28 – From fear to faith – sermon notes

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Text: Psalm 28

Wouldn’t it be great if

  • the Christian life was easy and simple?
  • bad things only happened to bad people, and good things only to good people?
  • when in trouble, we could ask God, and he would sort it out, there and then?

We don’t know what David’s problem was, exactly.  But it was serious and persistent.

Just like some of the problems faced by Christians today:

  • Teenager struggling with depression or anxiety
  • Student surrounded by those who are indifferent or hostile to Christian faith
  • A young Christian with a heart for youth work encounters nothing but setback and disappointment
  • Adult who has had to flee their home country because of bitter persecution
  • Husband, wife, parent, child, who has been praying long and hard for a close family member
  • Middle-aged person with longstanding bad habit or addiction.
…

Heb 6:9-12 – Keep on keeping on – sermon notes

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[A short talk, delivered at a mid-week prayer meeting.]

Hebrews 6:9-12

In her first Christmas broadcast as Queen in 1952, Her Majesty asked people to pray for her: ‘Pray that God may give me wisdom and strength to carry out the solemn promises I shall be making, and that I may faithfully serve him and you all the days of my life.’

The heartfelt desire of the writer to the Hebrews is that his readers may faithfully serve God and one another all the days of their lives.…

1 Cor 8 – Puffed up, or built up? – sermon notes

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1 Corinthians 8 – Puffed up, or built up?

Eating food that has been sacrificed to idols doesn’t seem very relevant to us today.

But behind that presenting problem are a number of ever-relevant underlying issues.

First – a bit of background.

Corinth – a temple on every corner, a god for every occasion.

Marriages, birthdays, funerals, banquets and public festivals were preceded by the sacrificing of food to the gods in order to gain their favour and protection.…