Sermon: Facing the World (1 Peter 1:13-19)

In this message, we discover how the Christian hope of heaven can help us to face the world, and how we will live in the world if we are conscious of the cost of our hope.

Welshpool Community Church · Facing The World

How we can know and love Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:8-9)

If Jesus Christ lived 2000 years ago, how can we know him, let alone love him? We look at the answer to that question by considering Peter's words in 1 Peter 1:8-9, beginning: "Though you have not seen him, you love him."

Welshpool Community Church · How we can know and love Jesus Christ

The Promise of Praise, Honour and Glory (1 Peter 1:3-5)

In this sermon, we discover the reasons why Peter begins with an exclamation of praise for God. He writes of the clear and concrete hope we have because of God's plan, God's promises and God's power.

Welshpool Community Church · The Promise of Praise, Honour and Glory

A Midweek Message: Crossing the River (Joshua 3 and 4)

In this message, we recognise the power of God demonstrated at the crossing of the Jordan and consider how, as God's people, we are to prepare to receive our inheritance.

A Midweek Message: A Statement of Faith: The Future

We come to the end of our series going through the FIEC Statement of Faith and explore (briefly!) what the Bible teaches about the future.  We focus our attention particularly on the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 24.

Just Another Melodic Monday - Come, Lord Jesus

With the Sovereign Grace UK Leader's Conference coming up in less than 3 weeks, "Come, Lord Jesus" is a simple song from their album "Prayers of the Saints" expressing the prayer of Christians that Jesus Christ would return and take all of his people to be with him in the glory of heaven.  One of the passages that the song is based on is Romans 8:18-23:

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.  For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 

A Midweek Message: No Sting, Just Sweetness (An Easter Message)

On Easter Sunday, we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ during our family service.  The children stayed in for the whole service rather than going out to Sunday school, so I split the message in three and involved and interacted with the children during the first two parts, hence only recording the third part of the message.

In the first part, we considered how to test Jesus' claim (Matthew 17) that he would die and rise from the dead.  We recognised that we could do this by comparing the "before-and-after" pictures.  We examined the evidence in the Bible, and concluded that Jesus' death had been witnessed and confirmed, and his life after his death had also been witnessed and confirmed.  His claim had been verified.

In the second part, we examined the lives of the people around him.  If Jesus had risen from the dead, then this would have changed the lives of his followers - in other words, they would have their own "before-and-after" pictures that we could examine.  We noticed how Peter had changed - before the resurrection, he lied about knowing Jesus (Luke 22), but after the resurrection he openly proclaimed his faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 4).  We also noticed the dramatic change in the lives of people who were convinced of the resurrection even though they hadn't seen the risen Christ (Acts 2) and how lives continue to be changed today by the message of Christ.

In the third part, we considered two reasons why we still celebrate the resurrection: it teaches me something about the death of Christ, and it teaches me something about my own death.

The Midweek Message - Better off dead, so why choose life? (Philippians 1)

In his letter to the Philippian Christians, Paul makes a remarkable statement - "to die is gain" (1:21).  He goes on to say that life in heaven with Christ will be "far better" than life on earth (1v23).  So why doesn't Paul just sit at the sidelines and wait for the next life?  Why does he instead throw himself at life on earth, putting himself in danger and pain?  In this message we explore why, even though as Christians we are better off dead, we must choose life.