Sermons on Goodly And Proper:

The Correct Treatment Of The Poor.

Contributed by Christopher Holdsworth on Aug 27, 2021

Jesus said, You have the poor always with you. Matthew 26:11.

THE CORRECT TREATMENT OF THE POOR. Proverbs 22:1-2, Proverbs 22:8-9, Proverbs 22:22-23. We have here three pairs of poetic couplets about attitudes to the poor. It is not that the Bible is against wealth itself, or even wealthy people. King Solomon, the writer of some of these Proverbs, was ...read more

Scripture: Proverbs 22:1-2, Proverbs 22:8-9, Proverbs 22:22-23

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Love Your Neighbour

Contributed by Christopher Holdsworth on May 18, 2020

Agape love as the fulfillment of the law.

LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR. Romans 13:8-10. The imperative, “To no one nothing owe you (all), but to love one another” (Romans 13:8a) follows on from the discussion of being subject to ‘the powers that be’ who - whether we voted for them or not - are ‘ordained of God’ (cf. Romans 13:1). This ...read more

Scripture: Romans 13:8-10

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Busy Waiting

Contributed by Christopher Holdsworth on Jun 5, 2020

Gossip the gospel.

BUSY WAITING. 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10. 1 Thessalonians 1:1 - “The church of the Thessalonians” came into being as a result of Paul’s second missionary journey. After Paul’s vision (Acts 16:9) Paul, Silas and Timothy were joined by Luke and crossed the Aegean Sea into Europe (Acts 16:10-12). After ...read more

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Shame Of The Cross

Contributed by Christopher Holdsworth on Mar 17, 2019

Jesus… for the joy that was set before Him endured the Cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12.2.

THE SHAME OF THE CROSS. Psalm 70. I want to speak to you today about the shame of the Cross. This is what we see in Hebrews 12:2, and which Paul elaborates elsewhere by saying that Christ took upon Himself the curse of the Tree that we might be redeemed from the curse of the Law (Galatians ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 70:1-5, Hebrews 12:2

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Call And Compassion Of Jesus

Contributed by Christopher Holdsworth on Mar 14, 2020

Jesus calls sinners, heals the sick and raises the dead.

THE CALL AND COMPASSION OF JESUS. Matthew 9:9-13; Matthew 9:18-26. 1. The Call of Matthew (Matthew 9:9-13) Wherever we live, under whatever regime, tax collectors are unpopular. It was no different in first century Israel, where Matthew’s trade involved collaboration with the Romans, and ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 9:9-13, Matthew 9:18-26

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Warning Against Complacency

Contributed by Christopher Holdsworth on Aug 8, 2019

Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria.

A WARNING AGAINST COMPLACENCY. Amos 6:1-7. Amos was a farmer from Tekoa, to the south of Jerusalem (Amos 1:1). The LORD called Amos to ‘Go, prophesy to My people Israel’ (Amos 7:15). The prophet’s ministry was thereafter directed mainly to the ten tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel, ...read more

Scripture: Amos 6:1-7

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

How To Live As Exiles

Contributed by Christopher Holdsworth on Aug 25, 2019

Seek the peace of the place in which you find yourselves, for in its peace you shall have peace.

HOW TO LIVE AS EXILES. Jeremiah 29:1-7. For forty years Jeremiah had been warning Judah and Jerusalem to submit to the LORD by submitting to Babylon. The prophet had been accused of treason, threatened with death, and put in the stocks. Now the inevitable had begun to happen. In ...read more

Scripture: Jeremiah 29:1-7

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Now Faith

Contributed by Christopher Holdsworth on Dec 27, 2019

Definition of faith. Abel, Enoch and Noah.

NOW FAITH. Hebrews 11:1-7. The night when I first came to faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the secret of my own room, I had been querying in prayer about the meaning of prayer, and about the meaning of faith. My Gideons Bible had a very helpful key by which I was directed on the first ...read more

Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-7

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Christ The King, Our Advent Hope.

Contributed by Christopher Holdsworth on Oct 25, 2021

An everlasting kingdom.

CHRIST THE KING, OUR ADVENT HOPE. Daniel 7:9-10; Daniel 7:13-14. Our reading in Daniel needs to be looked at within its own context: that of a dream portraying the chaos of Empire and Empire building, and the cruelty and ultimate futility of it all. In DANIEL 7:9, “thrones have been thrown ...read more

Scripture: Daniel 7:9-10, Daniel 7:13-14

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Building Of The House

Contributed by Christopher Holdsworth on Nov 13, 2013

The LORD watches over His people.

THE BUILDING OF THE HOUSE. Psalm 127. This is a “song of degrees,” sung upon the ascent to Jerusalem for worship. It is “for” - or about - Solomon. David had wanted to build a house for the LORD, but the LORD had replied that it was He who would build a “house” - that is, a family and a future ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 127:1-5

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Take Heart. It Is I

Contributed by Nathan Webb on Aug 16, 2023

A sermon for the Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost (Proper 14.) A look at the gravity of Jesus' appearance on the water in the midst of the storm.

“Take heart, it is I.” Jesus has just fed more than five thousand people with just five loaves of bread and two fish. The disciples are picking up twelve baskets of leftovers. Each one of them packs a basket with their travelling gear. It’s getting late and Jesus has told them, “It’s time to head ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 14:22-33

When Israel Went Out Of Egypt.

Contributed by Christopher Holdsworth on Feb 15, 2023

A defiant celebration of God's sovereign power.

WHEN ISRAEL WENT OUT OF EGYPT. Psalm 114:1-8. The exuberance of this Psalm is immediately evident. It is a recollection of Israel’s redemption story, beginning from when the descendants of Jacob made their exodus from Egypt. It is the prelude to the founding of what Stephen, the first Christian ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 114:1-8

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

The Word Of God, And A Heart For God.

Contributed by Christopher Holdsworth on Sep 6, 2021

This is an abbreviated version of my earlier sermon on the whole Psalm, which was entitled 'A Heart for God'.

THE WORD OF GOD, AND A HEART FOR GOD. Psalm 19:7-14. Creation, general revelation, does not stand alone in its testimony to God. The LORD God has entered into a covenant relationship with mankind, and spoken to us Himself. This ‘special revelation’ is explored in the second main section of this ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 19:7-14

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

A Painful Account.

Contributed by Christopher Holdsworth on Oct 11, 2021

The substitutionary character of the sacrifice of Jesus.

A PAINFUL ACCOUNT. Isaiah 53:4-12. The repulsion evoked by the Cross of Jesus is countered by the recognition of the substitutionary character of His sacrifice (Isaiah 53:4). We may have seen Jesus as One “stricken” by God – but the toll which He was paying was not His own. No, indeed, it was ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 53:4-12

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational

Who Trusts In Him Is Blessed.

Contributed by Christopher Holdsworth on Oct 11, 2021

Tasting the goodness of the LORD.

WHO TRUSTS IN HIM IS BLESSED. Psalm 34:1-8; Psalm 34:19-22. David was ‘on the run’ from king Saul. Mistakenly thinking that he might find refuge with the Philistines, he only escaped from their clutches by feigning madness (1 Samuel 21:10-15). Then he hid in a cave. Knowing that David was in ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 34:1-8, Psalm 34:19-22

Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational