Sermons on Menno Simons:

Jesus' Brothers Get It Wrong Series

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Mar 4, 2023

Jesus' brothers gave Jesus some advice. It wasn't very good advice. But we can learn from it, about assumptions, about accepting Jesus as Lord, and about dealing with pressure from our families.

Today, we’re continuing in our series ‘Encounters with Jesus in John’s gospel.’ I’m going to focus on the first eight verses of John 7. These tell us about an encounter Jesus’ brothers had with him. As usual, I’ll try to give the context. Then we’ll look at what happened. After that, we’ll ...read more

Scripture: John 7:1-8

Denomination: Baptist

Lord Of The Storm

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Mar 11, 2023

Everyone experiences storms in life. Storms are miserable. They are dangerous. But Jesus wants us to be calm in them. And they provide almost unique opportunities to learn to trust Jesus.

The story of Jesus and his disciples in a storm on the Sea of Galilee is short. But it has a huge amount to teach us. I’d like to show you a little video clip of an actual storm on Lake Galilee so you can get an idea of what that storm might have been like. [Video clip.] Jesus and his disciples ...read more

Scripture: Mark 4:35-41

Denomination: Baptist

Merciful But Tough: The Story Of The Woman Caught In Adultery Series

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Mar 25, 2023

Jesus showed mercy to the woman caught in adultery. But he didn't water down his demands.

INTRODUCTION I imagine we really like this story of the woman caught in adultery. We especially like the fact that Jesus didn’t condemn the woman – even though the religious experts said that she should be stoned. But as we reflect on the story, we find that it gives us some quite uncomfortable ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Fixing The Problem

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Mar 25, 2023

Why did Jesus have to die on a cross? This is a simple and fairly brief presentation of the gospel.

Last week we looked at the story of Adam and Eve. After God created humankind, Adam and Eve were initially in good relationship with God. But God warned them that if they ate the fruit of a certain tree they would die. It wasn’t that the fruit of this tree was poisonous. The issue was disobeying ...read more

Scripture: Ephesians 1:7, Isaiah 53:6, Psalm 22:1, 1 Corinthians 6:20

Denomination: Baptist

Zechariah’s Remarkable Prophecy

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Apr 1, 2023

Zechariah's prophecy about Jesus' riding a donkey into Jerusalem leads us to look at what else Zechariah had to say about Jesus. It's all about him being king.

Today it’s Palm Sunday. We remember the occasion when, just a week before he was crucified, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. In a sense, nothing very remarkable happened. 2,000 years ago – as we all know – there were no cars or buses or lorries. If people were going somewhere they would ...read more

Scripture: Zechariah 9:9

Denomination: Baptist

Jesus' Resurrection: The Supreme Fact

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Apr 8, 2023

Jesus' resurrection means our resurrection. Jesus' resurrection shows us what our resurrection will be like. And our redemption paves the way for the redemption of all creation. It's a wonderful prospect!

What does Easter Sunday mean to you? Does it mean a lot or a little? Does the fact that Jesus rose from the dead change very much for you? THE RESURRECTION IS THE SUPREME FACT OF HISTORY When I was at school, I read a little booklet called ‘The Evidence for the Resurrection’. It’s by someone ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

Using Money To Direct Our Hearts Series

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Jul 25, 2022

Jesus tells us not to store up treasure on earth but to store up treasure in heaven. Doing that is certainly a much better investment! But an even bigger reason to do that is that where we put out treasure directs our hearts.

We’re continuing in our series in the Sermon on the Mount and today we’re having the last talk in the series for the time being. Today, I’m going to focus on the first three verses of today’s passage, verses 19-21, and one phrase in particular. In v.19, Jesus says, ‘DON’T store up treasure on ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 6:19-24

Denomination: Baptist

Mary, David, Paul And Margaret: One Thing Series

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Sep 10, 2022

Mary, David, Paul and Margaret teach us to value One Thing above everything else. Indeed that One Thing is the only thing that's essential.

How important is Jesus in your life? QUITE important? VERY important? One of several things that are essential? Or, the ONE THING that is truly essential? Over the period to Christmas we’re mainly looking at Revelation. But we’re also having some talks about people in the Bible. In each case, ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 27:4, Luke 10:41-42, Philippians 3:13-14

Denomination: Baptist

Isaiah's Vision Of Jesus' Coming

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Dec 6, 2024

At Christmas, Christians often look forward to Jesus' second coming. Isaiah's vision relates both to Jesus' first and second comings. He tells us one thing about Jesus (an example for us); one thing Jesus does (a warning to us); and one result (an encouragement for us).

INTRODUCTION How optimistic are you about the future? For a number of years, a market research company, IPSOS, has been doing a survey at the start of the year. One of the questions they ask is whether people expect the coming year to be better for them than the previous year. In Britain, about ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 11:1-9

Denomination: Baptist

Cut Out The Light Pollution!

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Dec 7, 2024

At Christmas, Christians need to cut out the light pollution - the many things which can prevent us from focusing on the Light of the World.

INTRODUCTION WHILE THE CHILDREN ARE WITH US: ‘HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS!’ Somewhere around about the beginning of 1957, Dr Seuss started to write the story, ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas!’ It was published later that year. That was almost 70 years ago! Today, ‘How the Grinch Stole ...read more

Denomination: Baptist

The Most Important Thing About Christmas

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Dec 21, 2024

The most important thing about Christmas is that Jesus entered the world as king. And when we remember the humble circumstances of his birth, we remember that Jesus - although the great king - was committed to being Immanuel, 'God with us.'

In 1717, King Louis XIV of France died. When he was alive, Louis XIV demanded that he be addressed as ‘Louis THE GREAT.’ It’s said that he once declared, ‘L’État, c’est moi’ – meaning, ‘I am the State!’ Louis XIV’s court was the most magnificent in Europe and his funeral was the most ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 9:7, Luke 1:30-33

Denomination: Baptist

The Word Became Flesh

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Dec 24, 2024

At the beginning of John's gospel John makes many striking claims about Jesus. One is that he was Logos, the word. Another is that he became flesh. Isn't 'the flesh' bad? Why did Jesus take on flesh? And should we do anything?

At Christmas, Christians think of the fact that Jesus, though he was God, became man. But John expresses things differently. Rather than saying that God became man, John tells us that THE WORD – in Greek, Logos – became FLESH. John starts his gospel by talking about ‘Logos’ – the word. John ...read more

Scripture: John 1:14

Denomination: Baptist

A Storm Called Fear

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Jan 4, 2025

Fear is one of the most common things Christians have to face. We need to distinguish between the enemy or danger and the fear that the enemy or danger produces, and know how to deal with the fear.

INTRODUCTION Today is the first Sunday of 2025. Happy New Year! I thought that at the start of the year I would review a couple of the most basic aspects of Christian life. I have given the title of today’s talk, ‘A storm called fear.’ It’s about fear, worry and anxiety. Next Sunday, we’re ...read more

Scripture: Psalm 64:1, Isaiah 41:10

Denomination: Baptist

Going The Wrong Way - Faster

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Jan 25, 2025

We look at some recent news items about global warming. The world is going the wrong way - faster. How should we respond?

Today, we’re continuing in the series we started last week, looking at items that have been in the news recently and thinking about how we respond to them as Christians. This week, we’re going to look at some items that have been in the news recently, related to global warming. I’ve titled this ...read more

Scripture: Isaiah 24:1-4, Revelation 9:4, Revelation 11:18

Denomination: Baptist

Why David Is So Important Series

Contributed by Simon Bartlett on Aug 18, 2024

David is a hugely important figure in the Bible. But if we're going to learn from him we need to have an understanding of why he is so important.

Part 1: Is David important? Over the next few months, we’re going to have eight studies on David, the shepherd who became king. We could easily give David much more time than that – he’s such an important person in the Bible, but we can’t fit in more than eight studies between now and December ...read more

Scripture: Matthew 1:1, Revelation 22:16, Acts 13:22

Denomination: Baptist