In Sermons:

Puzzling Parables

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Jun 6, 2026

Jesus' disciples asked Jesus why he taught in parables. He told them, 'To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.' Why? Jesus had a message of judgment - but also of mercy.

PUZZLING PARABLES Jesus often taught in parables – simple stories that illustrate deep truths. People sometimes didn’t understand them. On at least two occasions, even his disciples asked him to explain a parable. But could it be that Jesus spoke in parables to deliberately obscure his meaning? ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 13:10-17

Denomination: Baptist

The Christian Quiet Time

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on May 23, 2026

I look at the why and the how of having a quiet time. We - the church - will be the bride of Christ. Jesus wants a bride who is without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, who is holy and blameless. Taking time with God is possibly the most important thing we can do to allow God to change us.

Today is Pentecost Sunday, so I should probably speak about Pentecost. But as I reflected on what to share, I felt I should speak about something foundational to our faith: spending time with God. It’s what some people call ‘having a quiet time.’ However, the two things are related. Pentecost ...read more

Scripture: Joshua 1:8, Psalm 119:105, Matthew 6:6, Luke 5:16, Ephesians 5:25-27, Revelation 19:7, Romans 12:2, Matthew 12:34, Matthew 6:9-13  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

God And The Roller Coaster

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on May 9, 2026

The Bible is a window into God's mind. It helps us to get to know God. But to really get to know God we have to embrace the life of faith - and that can be like getting on a roller coaster.

This talk was for a family service. Earlier in the service we had a sketch with two puppets. One puppet was a child who had been given a laptop computer; the other puppet was someone at a computer helpdesk. Recap Did you enjoy the puppet show? Can you remember what it was about? [A girl who got a ...read more

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:18

Denomination: Baptist

Jesus The Rock

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Apr 25, 2026

In his 'Sermon on the Plain' Jesus invites us to be part of 'the great reversal'. He calls us to embrace his values and reject the values of the world, to hear his words and do them. When we do that, we build our lives on him as The Rock, the one firm foundation.

A good title for the whole of Jesus’ ‘Sermon on the Plain’ would be ‘The Great Reversal’. Many preachers call it that. One of the central themes of Jesus’ sermon is that being a genuine disciple of Jesus both brings and requires a great reversal. This is definitely an idea we find in the Bible. ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:37-49

Denomination: Baptist

Love Your Enemies

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Apr 18, 2026

In Jesus' 'Sermon on the Plain', Jesus commands us to love our enemies. It's a very tough command! But Jesus explains how to do it - and he promises great rewards.

INTRODUCTION Today, we’re having our second talk on Jesus’ ‘Sermon on the Plain’ in Luke 6. In our passage today we come to an area of Jesus’ teaching which I think is the Mount Everest of ethical teaching. It’s the ethically highest – but also the most challenging – teaching in the world. Jesus ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:27-36, Deuteronomy 7:1-2, 1 John 4:8

Denomination: Baptist

Poor But Blessed!

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Apr 11, 2026

Jesus starts his 'Sermon on the Mount' with the words, ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.’ This looks all wrong! The poor aren't blessed, we think. But the poor are blessed if they have what is truly valuable.

Note: this was a family service with children present. INTRODUCTION Today, we’re starting on a new series! We’ll be looking at it today and over the next two Sundays. Have you heard of the ‘Sermon on the Mount’? That is a sermon Jesus preached, sitting on a mountain. Have you heard of the ‘Sermon ...read more

Scripture: Luke 6:20-26, Matthew 19:27, Isaiah 66:5, Isaiah 59:15, Isaiah 57:1, Isaiah 61:1, Luke 4:18  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

Reason To Celebrate!

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Apr 5, 2026

The knowledge that Jesus was alive changed Jesus' disciples' feelings from extreme grief to extreme joy. It should be the most powerful reason in our lives for joy too. And we should express our joy with singing - and with a roar!

N.B. At the start of the service we read Psalm 98. Two Sundays ago, the title of my talk was, ‘Did God really raise Jesus?’ I said that the evidence is compelling that God raised Jesus. Jesus really was dead. His tomb was empty. A lot of people saw him alive. And his disciples were ...read more

Scripture: John 16:20-22, Matthew 28:8, John 20:20, Luke 24:51

Denomination: Baptist

What Jesus’ Resurrection Means For Us

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Mar 28, 2026

Although the title is, 'What Jesus’ resurrection means for us', the talk realizes that this is the wrong question. Jesus' resurrection is about Jesus, about him receiving a kingdom, and about God vindicating him and showing him to be Lord, Christ, and Son of God. And THAT affects us.

Today, it’s Palm Sunday. So, it would be normal for me to talk about Palm Sunday! Next Sunday, it will be Easter Sunday. We’ll come together and praise God for Jesus’ resurrection. We’ll celebrate! I also want to talk about that. I want us to understand something of what Jesus’ resurrection means ...read more

Scripture: Luke 19:11-40

Denomination: Baptist

Is The Resurrection True?

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Mar 21, 2026

Did God really raise Jesus? We look at the reasons to believe he did and why this is such an important question.

INTRODUCTION Today, I’m going to have a go at answering the question, ‘Did God really raise Jesus?' Next week, we’ll think about what Jesus’ resurrection means for us. But before trying to answer the question, I’d like to think about WHY this is such an important question. When I was at school, ...read more

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:14

Denomination: Baptist

The Philippians' Giving

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Feb 28, 2026

The Christians in Philippi were great givers. In this talk, we look at six things we can learn from them as we consider our own giving.

Introduction Today is my fifth and last talk from Philippians. In the passage we’re looking at, Paul reflects on the Philippians’ support for him. He has some slightly complicated things to say, along the lines of, ‘I didn’t actually need your gifts, but I’m rejoicing that you gave them’! I’m going ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:10-20

Denomination: Baptist

Learning From Jonah

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Feb 8, 2026

The story of Jonah teaches us that God is a God of second chances and God of the impossible. When we do what God tells us to - as Jonah eventually did - God can bring about an amazing result. The story of Jonah is also a picture, a foreshadowing, of Jesus and God's great plan of salvation.

This was for a family service, meaning that the children stayed in. We had chairs set in the shape of a boat in the centre of the church. Jonah, sailors etc., were dressed for their parts and we had a short participatory reading of some of the key moments in the story of Jonah earlier in the ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Dealing With Disagreements

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Jan 31, 2026

Paul entreats Euodia and entreats Syntyche to agree in the Lord. We look at just two verses but find in them a great example of how to deal with disagreements at church.

INTRODUCTION Some years ago, a minister named Chuck Thomas was invited to preach at a church in Oklahoma. This is the story I read. Thomas noticed that the church was split down the middle, with each side having its own communion table and elders who prayed and served their respective halves of the ...read more

Scripture: Philippians 4:2-3

Denomination: Baptist

The Story Of The Wise Men

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Jan 10, 2026

The wise men are a great example to us today, to be SEEKERS, WORSHIPPERS and, when necessary, REBELS.

PART 1: INTRODUCTION People have been intrigued by the story of the wise men who visited the infant Jesus from the earliest days of the church. Long ago, people carefully kept the bones of the wise men. They’re now in a huge, gilded shrine in Cologne Cathedral. Some of the greatest painters in ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12

Denomination: Baptist

The Characters In Jesus's Birth

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Dec 20, 2025

This is a short talk in the context of a Nativity service in which we look at the characters in Jesus's birth and find many great examples to follow.

This talk follows a children’s presentation of the Nativity story. You children did a brilliant presentation of what happened at Jesus’s birth. Thank you so much! Let’s spend a few minutes now looking at the people who were part of that first Christmas and thinking what their stories mean for us ...read more

Scripture: Luke 1:38, Matthew 1:20, Philippians 2:5-7, Revelation 3:20, Luke 2:10, Luke 2:15, Matthew 2:2  (view more)  (view less)

Denomination: Baptist

A Gift For Jesus

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Dec 13, 2025

At Christmas, we celebrate Jesus's birthday. He gave US a great gift! What was it? And what gift would he like from us?

This was the talk for our 2025 carol service. The children would stay in, and it needed to be a maximum of ten minutes. On a particular day every year, my family makes a big fuss of me. They blow up balloons. They get a cake and put some candles on it. They sing a song. They give me cards. They ...read more

Scripture: Luke 2:10-11, Mark 10:45

Denomination: Baptist