Read the texts – Isaiah 9:2-7; Matthew 1:18-21
In the midst of a disconnection epidemic, God connects with us through the birth of his son at Christmas. In this sermon of our ‘Christmas series’, Ken Noakes shows us the hope we can have because of the birth of Christ. Because Christ’s birth was the opening act of God’s salvation plan for mankind, which culminates at the cross where our sins are finally and completely paid for.
Read the text – Isaiah 7:1-9:7
The people of Judah face a number of crises from within (their own sin) and without (the alliance of Israel and Syria, the power of Assyria). Who will they trust to rescue them? Themselves? Foreign Nations? or God Almighty?
In this talk, Nick Lindeback explains how God will bring about salvation through judgement, and that judgement can come via any means God chooses. We also face God’s judgement, but we see the salvation God has provided in Christ.
Read the text – Matthew 18:15-19:2
Sin and hurt come hand in hand with the human experience – forgiveness not so much. For how hard it is to forgive when you have been hurt by others? Jesus taught his disciples how to deal with sin among believers such that the sin is not swept away or forgotten, but so that believers might know how to truly and genuinely forgive those who trespass against them.
Gary Haddon carefully handles this personal and tricky teaching of Jesus – and in doing so helps us to see the value of forgiveness.
Read the text – Matthew 18:1-14
‘Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?’, the disciples famously ask. And the answer given, is to look at the child. For the little child, the little ones as this passage will highlight are the ones who come in humility before God.
In this Bible talk, Dave Swan will help ‘those who believe’ in Jesus to understands what it is to stand before he who is in fact the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven – he who in grace makes it possible for all to come to into the kingdom of heaven confident in their forgiveness.
Read the text – 1 John 1:5-2:2
Sin is serious, and even Christians can live as if it isn’t! In this talk, Ken Noakes looks at what the Bible calls sin and helps us to understand more of what sin is and means for our world, our church and our person. Yet to sit right alongside the trauma that is sin, is the wonder that is forgiveness in Jesus. Sin we love yet we should hate. Whereas Forgiveness we want and we all need.
Read the text – Matthew 9:1-17
Jesus is confounding. Reading through the Gospel of Matthew, we see Jesus do some extraordinary things and the result is that some follow and some turn their backs on him. That is not so different from today. We often expect the extraordinary before we allow ourselves to believe something. As such we settle for the normal and mundane, all the while wishing for the extraordinary. Jesus came into the normal and mundane, but he did that which was extraordinary. He does what we hope by doing what we find hard to believe! How confounding.
In this Bible Talk, Gary Haddon looks at how Jesus’ mission was to save sinners, not the righteous (or those who think that they are righteous!) – after all “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick”. Yet how do we know that Jesus could indeed save sinners?
Read the texts – Isaiah 25:6-9; Ephesians 3:1-21
The final talk in this Apostles’ Creed series and we consider the final lines which help us to recognise that the Christian Life (life in the Spirit) is the best life now and forever. Why?
Nick Lindeback helps us to see the importance of the forgiveness of sin, the comfort of the Christian community, and the hope that is eternal.
JesusWORKS aims to introduce you to the Jesus of history by looking at his life, teaching and work. Primarily, it is for the person who wants to check out the claims of Jesus or the claims about Jesus – so that they can make up their own minds about him.
Yet, it is also for any Christian who wants to be prepared to give a reasoned answer for the hope that they have in the gospel of Jesus (1 Pet 3:15).
Jesus calls people to himself, yet he gives everyone the opportunity to examine him and his message before making that decision.
In this talk, we consider the frequently muttered expression ‘If I am good enough, then things will be fine!’. There was a reason why Jesus had to go to the cross – why?
Read the Bible text – Mark 15:21-39
For more information and resources that go with the JesusWORKS course – go here
Foundational to belief of Christianity, is the historical reality of the person of Jesus and with that comes his well-documented life, teaching, death and resurrection.
Whilst it is true that belief in the existence of Jesus may be a no brainer and acknowledging his death traditional – to allow his teachings to shape the way we live, or to hold to the idea of a resurrection – for some is a step too far.
There are a chorus of Atheist voices who have spoken loudly against religion. That is not new, every age in history since and including the time of Jesus has seen opposition to organized religion – and at times, sadly, the opposition has been well placed.
In a series of short talks, we look at what the ‘new atheists’ say about the resurrection, before examine the resurrection for ourselves. The hope that we might be able the weigh up what is said and reordered in scripture and history and make our own decisions about faith.
Read the Bible Text – 1 Cor 15:1-19; John 20:24-31
Talk Outline – How can I be Sure?
– Ken Noakes
Easter is a special time for many around the world – a time to reflect, to be thankful, to lift our minds and hearts above the day to day and to appreciate the world we live in.
Arguably, more than any other event in history, Easter has shaped our world. The coming of the man Jesus and then his arrest, trial, crucifixion and then resurrection stunned the world. What Jesus taught about life, love, good works, sin, justice, forgiveness, hope has shaped cultures, governments, legislation, education, tradition and so much more. Yet his death and resurrection transformed people’s lives and gave a personal hope beyond the grave. Love him or loath him, he has left his mark for the benefit of generations across history.
In this trilogy of Easter talks, we walk with Jesus through the pages of John’s Gospel from his arrest to his resurrection.
– David Shead
Read the Bible Text – John 18:1-27
– David Shead
Read the Bible Text – John 18:28-19:42
– David Shead
Read the Bible Text – John 20:1-31
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